During this period, scientists will study the marine biology, and understand climate change better
The European Union, along with nine other nations have announced a ban on fishing in Arctic waters for commercial fishers for at least the next 16 years.
According to Science Magazine, the announcement, which was made on November 30, will give scientists time to understand the region’s ecology and the potential impacts of climate change.
Along with banning commercial fishing, the agreement also establishes a joint scientific research and monitoring program to improve the understanding of the ecosystem and determine whether sustainable fish stocks could be harvested in the Arctic Ocean in the future.
The deal to protect 2.8 million square kilometers of international waters in the Arctic was reached after six meetings spread over two years. It includes not just nations with coastal claims in the Arctic such as by Canada, Russia, China, the US, the EU, but nations such as China, Japan, and South Korea with fishing fleets interested in operating in the region.
Both Canada and the United States announced their part in the ban of fishing.
"Canada has reached an historic agreement in principle today in Washington, D.C. to prevent unregulated commercial fishing in the high seas of the central Arctic Ocean," Fisheries and Oceans Minister Dominic LeBlanc said in a statement on Thursday.
Meanwhile, US senator Lisa Murkowski shared her views on Twitter.
The Arctic waters were once perennially iced, but that isn’t the case today. A New York Times report suggests that 40% of the ice melts every summer
With the sunlight penetrating the water, it results in increasing production of plankton, which is the base of the marine food web. The planktons that are rich in nutrients are eaten by the Arctic cod, which in turn is food for larger animals such as seals, polar bears and humans.
Once the new agreement is signed, the ban will be in place for 16 years, after which it will automatically be extended every five years unless a signatory country objects.
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 "Arctic Sea - Representational image")
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