Countries gather to thrash out U.N. ocean protection treaty

FILE PHOTO: Seagulls roost on rocks by the sea covered with a plague of 'sea snot', a thick slimy layer of the organic matter, also known as marine mucilage, spread through the Sea of Marmara and posing a threat to marine life and the fishing industry, on the shores of Istanbul, Turkey June 6, 2021. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo

Delegations from hundreds of countries will meet in New York this week in an attempt to hammer out a new legally binding ocean protection treaty that green groups believe will decide whether efforts to safeguard global biodiversity can succeed.

Last August, an earlier round of talks on the new United Nations ocean conservation treaty were suspended, with countries unable to reach an agreement on financing. Sharing the proceeds of "marine genetic resources" and the establishment of ocean environmental impact assessment rules for development were also major sticking points.