The article outlines development of freedom of fishing in the high seas against the backdrop of the negotiations leading to Geneva conventions on law of the sea, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 1995 United Nations agreement concerning the conservation and management of straddling stocks and highly migratory fish stocks. The author quotes opinions of scholars within the subject of the law of the sea as well as of UNCLOS co-originators, thelatter formulated on 30th anniversary of the Convention.

The author focuses on overfishing and international, regional and subregional co-operation towards sustainable fishery, prevention of illegal and uncontrolled fishing and acts of fishing piracy. Finally, the article outlines European Union law and policies on fishing, including broader issues regarding co-operation between the EU and international entities.