The article examines the content of freedom of the high seas at the present stage of development, the role of the Conventions Maritime Law in the formation and formation of freedom of the high seas as an institution of international maritime law and analysis of the results of the Conventions. The author considers the legal genesis of the concept of freedom of the high seas and current trends in the transformation of freedom of the high seas in modern international maritime law. The principle of freedom of the high seas expresses the objective need of States and peoples for the free use of maritime space for international economic, political and cultural ties, as well as for the use of living ocean resources. An important transformation of international cooperation and legislation is also related to the principle of exclusive jurisdiction of the flag state. All four conventions have been widely recognized by the member states and are considered to be the most important stage in the codification of international maritime law and its further progressive development. The adoption of the four conventions meant that the unity of the law of the sea was lost, but there may be advantages: for example, the adoption of conventions and a single protocol, instead of a single legal act, tried to involve more states in at least some of the conventions. The creation of marine protected areas in the open waters of the world’s oceans outside national jurisdiction has no legal basis. The 1982 Convention does not give states the right to extend their jurisdiction to certain parts regardless of the objectives pursued, so the creation of marine protected areas on the high seas is impossible within the existing international legal framework.