A major international agreement reached in Australia is creating the world's largest marine park in the South Ocean, where no fishing or only strictly restricted research fishing will be allowed.  The idea is to protect young fish in the world's last unspoiled ecosystem.

Representatives of 24 countries and the European Union reached the deal after two weeks of talks in Hobart, at the annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).  It protects 1.5 million square kilometers of the Ross Sea, about the size of France and Spain.  Scientists believe the deep bay in the Southern Ocean will provide a unique laboratory for observing life in the Antarctic and how climate change is affecting the planet.  Most of it, 1.1 million square kilometers, will be a no-fishing zone.  Two smaller areas will allow harvesting of krill for research purposes and for taking toothfish and krill, again for research purposes only. 

This is the first marine park created in international waters.  Supporters hope it will set a precedent for further agreements to achieve the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) recommendation that 30 percent of the world's oceans be protected from fishing and harvesting of whales.

"Today's agreement is a turning point for the protection of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean," said Chris Johnson, WWF-Australia's ocean science manager.  "This is important not just for the incredible diversity of life that it will protect, but also for the contribution it makes to building the resilience of the world’s ocean in the face of climate change."

Taking steps to preserve the Southern Ocean is vital for the planet, as it provides about three-quarters of the nutrients that sustain life in the rest of the world's oceans.  The region is also home to most of the world’s penguins and whales.

There are concerns over the agreement's life span of 35 years.  This was a necessary compromise to overcome opposition from Russia and China which have fishing industries in the region.  The deal doesn't stop their fishing activities, but pushes them back from the most environmentally sensitive area of the Ross Sea, where Orcas and other species feed.

"It took five years of talking about this one proposal exclusively to get it across the table.  And if you look at other marine reserves that are permanent, they’re in one exclusive economic zone - it's only one country that has to make the decision," said Andrea Kavanagh, the director of Antarctic and Southern Ocean work for the Pew Charitable Trusts.  "And I’m positive that in 35 years, the conservation values that come out of the Ross Sea, the protections will be renewed.  The world will be a different place in 35 years."