Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what analysis he has undertaken of the decline in ocean biomass by 2100; and what steps he is taking through the Blue Belt Programme, the BBNJ Treaty and other mechanisms to arrest and reverse its decline.

The Government is committed to doing its part to protect ocean biomass. This includes continuing to support our world leading Blue Belt Programme for the UK Overseas Territories and supporting the rapid implementation of the BBNJ Treaty in order to develop new area-based management tools for areas of the ocean beyond national jurisdiction. That is why for example the UK, together with the Government of Bermuda, is supporting the Hamilton II Declaration relating to protection for the Sargasso Sea, which I signed on Monday 19 October. The UK also continues to champion ocean action as part of the global response to climate change, reflecting the potential of ocean-based solutions to contribute to climate action and to address the impact of climate change on the ocean.