UNCLOS obligates parties to address marine pollution, many provisions of which were taking from previous 1996 convention on Fishing and Conversation

Another sovereignty-related issue that the Convention addresses is conservation and pollution on the seas, a pressing concern given the widespread exploitation of the sea and its resources.⁴³ Part XII of the Convention, entitled Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment, imposes upon states the “obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment.”⁴⁴ The Convention also includes detailed provisions that explicitly require state parties to take measures to prevent, reduce and control pollution.⁴⁵ States are required to cooperate with global and regional efforts in combating pollution by setting standards, rules, and recommended practices, many of these through appropriate international organizations.⁴⁶ Furthermore, the Convention requires states to take the affirmative step of implementing systems for monitoring and reporting the risks and effects of pollution to their marine environments.⁴⁷

Conservation and pollution provisions are included in the 1966 Convention on Fishing and Conservation of the Living Resources of the High Seas, to which the United States is also a party.⁴⁸ As mentioned previously, this convention permits high seas fishing while also requiring states take steps to conserve the seas’ living resources.⁴⁹