Sustainable Seas

Is there a democratic crisis in marine governance?

2012-01-12T16:22:00.003Z

Who is 'competent' or 'very competent' to manage the marine environment?

Graph: Data showing perceived competence of different groups to manage the environment. Scores shown as percentage of responses rating ‘competent or highly competent’ (rating of 4 -5). Note that EU, National and Local refer to government bodies. Sample: UK, Poland, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, France,

Source: Knowseas: Public perceptions of Europe’s Seas - A Policy Brief. LINK

The chart points to public concern over the process for managing the marine environment - and the opportunity to develop new ways of co-managing marine resources and including public voice in marine decisions. Environmental groups and scientists are perceived as more competent (at 57% and 56%) than government bodies, individuals and industry (max 37%). While on one hand this is a concerning statistic, it points to a change in the way marine governance can work. Governance means more than government, and the inclusion of civil and scientific voices, not only as 'stakeholders' but as co-managers, may be the way forward to improve marine sustainability.

There is clearly a critical role for elected representatives in government and civil departments to continue to administer and support marine management and be viewed as the custodian of the process. But if the views of the community are to be acknowledged, the system needs to advance to include genuine engagement over consultation.

What do individuals, communities and nations think of marine issues?

2012-01-03T11:29:00.000Z

A wonderful happy new year to all of our readers on Sustainable Seas! 2012 promises to be the biggest yet for the blog with plans for further expansion and coverage of sustainable marine and coastal issues around the world.

We're starting the new year with a bang.

One of the huge gaps in marine policy research is understanding the views of the public when it comes to valuing and managing the marine environment. While as engaged researchers or activists we naturally place the marine environment high within our own values - but are the the views of the public substantially different? What is the importance of public discourse?

This recent report by the European Knowseas project charts public opinion of 7000 people across 7 European countries concerning marine values and management approaches. The results highlight that while the oceans are generally low in public opinion, there is a strong call for more civil society involvement in governance. Approaches such as MPAs and marine spatial planning, while in early development, are strongly supported by the public. Views across countries differed dramatically with countries such as the UK, despite a strong maritime heritage, displaying a disconnect from the sea whereas countries such as Portugal and Spain showed a strong connection. The emerging 'ecosystem approach' was important with the public highlighting that non-economic values are as important as traditional economic outputs.

The results raise several interesting questions and consequences - notably the demand for more co-management, public involvement and democratic accountability in the governance of the coasts and seas.

We have a NEW LINK to download the report.

Geoengineering in the Arctic

2011-12-13T19:55:00.001Z

A recent commentary in New Scientist 'Call for Arctic geoengineering as soon as possible' discusses the perspective that a climate "tipping point" has been reached in the Arctic and that geoengineering is urgently required to turn around the deterioration of Arctic sea ice. The suggestion is for using stratospheric aerosols to cool the surface and subsurface below, or increasing the reflectance of low-level clouds by pumping a fine spray of salt water into them, and therefore cooling the ocean-atmosphere system.

In highlighting the geoengineering solution, there is an assumption that there is a crisis in Arctic summer sea ice, driven by human influenced climate change. Looking a the past records of summer sea from from the National Snow and Ice Data Centre ice extent for September 2011 was the second lowest in the satellite record. The last five years (2007 to 2011) have had the five lowest September extents in the satellite record with the rate of decline now -84,700 square kilometers (-32,700 square miles) per year, or -12% per decade relative to the 1979 to 2000 average.

Clearly something is going on in the system and the evidence points to human induced climate change from GHG emissions as the key player. Natural variability is still an issue, and this is underpinned by considerable uncertainty about how the system will react in the future to a warming planet and where the tipping points for irreversible change lie. The only clear message is that it is unclear and that human pressures and natural variability have combined to create a state change in the Arctic.

In term of geoengineering, I'm pessimistic about it's application in the region, and more importantly its potential effects. However, despite the uncertainty about the impacts of geoengineering on the marine environment and the hair raising implications of it as a final 'last gasp' solution to climate change, we must still continue to investigate its applications, its impacts and its opportunities. But geoengingeering (at least to me) and as pointed out in a recent Guardian article feels like failure of political process to get agreement of binding international cuts and a failure to turn society around towards a low carbon economy. It is the last straw and one that will hopefully not be required in lieu of poor progress on international action to reduce emissions.

What is your perspective?

Overfishing in Rural Ghana

2011-12-08T20:20:00.001Z

Overfishing in Rural Ghana

by Elaine Hirsch

The tragedy of the commons is a dilemmahabitually encountered by groups of organisms sharing a common resource.Popularized by Garrett Harding in 1968, the idea is common knowledge among online doctorate economics majors. Harding'sidea states that given a situation with individuals acting in their self-interests,a shared resource will be depleted, despite the fact that it is in no one'slong-term interests to do so. This phenomenon is central to all aspects offishing today, but especially hinders rural fishing groups in developing areas,as public policy is underfunded and much harder to enforce in such areas. Thisarticle will focus on Ghana's fishing industry and how the tragedy of the commonshave affected fishermen in the country.

As a coastal country in Sub-Saharan Africa,one of Ghana's main industries is in fishing. Despite having one of the mosteffective governments in place among its peers, Ghana remains victim to thetragedy of the commons, as policies set by the Ministry of Fisheries aredifficult to enforce in rural coastal areas. Lack of funding, along withcultural precedents trump policies, causes fishing groups to overfish anddeplete the overall stock of fish, producing a sub-optimal long-term solutionfor Ghana's population, which heavily depends on its fishing revenues.

The Keta region, located on theSoutheastern coast of Ghana, is an area which is becoming heavily plagued byoverfishing. Not only is the region itself sustained through fishingoperations, but many entrepreneurs in the region rely on exporting theircatches to more profitable areas (such as Ghana's capital, Accra) to producesustainable margins.

Due to overfishing in recent years,however, the volume of fish caught both during regular seasons and harvestseasons have dramatically decreased. Although supply and demand allows marginson each individual fish sold to increase, depleting fish populations are badfor all parties involved in the long-term. Fishermen who export their catch toprofitable areas are price-takers (the price they sell their fish aredetermined my market supply and demand instead of what they want to charge), sotheir revenues diminish with a lower stock of fish. Lower supply also strainslocal markets, as the rural population must pay more for a less amount of fish.

Luckily, the Keta population has developeda few ways to prohibit excessive overfishing. For example, it is sociallyfrowned-upon for fishermen in local provinces to fish on certain days. Althoughreligious and social reasons are used to justify this social contract,fishermen in the region also acknowledge that it is a primary way for itspopulation to prevent overfishing. A social contract such as this has been ahuge detriment to overfishing in the region, but similar institutions will beneeded to ward off the overwhelming demand for fish.

This is just one example of an increasinglyprominent trend of giving ownership of natural resources to indigenous peoplesas a means of developing sustainable social institutions. Eleanor Ostrom, inher Nobel-Prize winning research, found that having full ownership of a certainnatural resource provides people with the incentives to overcome the tragedy ofthe commons.

Obviously, this isn't a sustainablesolution to the overfishing problem in Ghana. History has shown thatenforceable public policy is needed to prevent entire populations fromsuccumbing to the tragedy of the commons. The Ghanaian government hasinstitutions (such as the Ministry of Fisheries) set in place to handle suchissues. It will, however, need additional funding if it will truly fix theproblem.

Tuna fished 'illegally' during Libya conflict

2011-11-07T11:26:00.002Z

Evidence is emerging of unregulated and probably illegal tuna fishing in Libyan waters during this year's conflict. Signals recorded from boats' electronic "black boxes" show a large presence inside Libyan waters, a major spawning ground for the endangered bluefin tuna. Several strands of evidence, including a letter from a former industry source, suggest the involvement of EU boats. The issue will be aired this week at the annual meeting of ICCAT, which regulates tuna fishing in the region. The details on this sordid story can be seen here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15597675

In the light of this disturbing information, WWF and Greenpeace wrote today an urgent letter to ICCAT and ICCAT contracting parties urging them to:

1. urgently, identify in a public and transparent manner the names and flags of those vessels which - according to the VMS signals transmitted to the ICCAT Secretariat - operated in 2011 inside the Libyan fisheries protection zone and the Gulf of Sirte.

2. Include such vessels and their owners in the ICCAT IUU list.

3. Formally declare as IUU any recorded catch of bluefin tuna by these vessels during 2011.

4. In case of farming of the above mentioned catches, urge the concerned farms to immediately release an equivalent amount of fish.

5. Call on ICCAT CPCs to explicitly ban any fishing in Libyan waters in 2012.

Illegal fishing on this scale in a key nursery ground for Atlantic Bluefin tuna could prove catastrophic for this recently red listed species. Sustainable Seas calls for the listing of Bluefin on CITES Appendices 1and the implementation by the EU of coastal, port and market state controls on the fishery including the black listing of IUU vessels and the immediate implementation of a fisheries restoration zone across the range of the species.

A new approach to mapping marine policy...

2011-10-24T15:16:00.000+01:00

Often policy processes in coastal and marine systems are difficult to understand, opaque, or the means of making changes are hard to identify. A new paper by Bainbridge, Potts and O'Higgins is freely available in the journal Plos One that demonstrates an approach to mapping and understanding marine and coastal policy. The approach, called Rapid Policy Network Mapping (RPNM) aims to improve the understanding and positioning of actors and institutions in environmental policy, see who is represented and where, and identify the 'levers of change'. It is a generic tool - one that can be used anywhere and at any scale - and users are asked to contribute to a growing community of online maps and debate about how the ecosystem approach can be implemented.

The main benefits of RPNM are that it:

Captures the majority and most significant instruments and actors in the development of specific policies.
Aggregates and compares actors and instruments by policy domain.
Provides a robust platform of data as a baseline for reference or further research or action e.g. multi-modal network analysis, policy networks etc.
Provides a web based tool for dynamic collaboration.
Is a means of understanding and visualising complex policy systems and identifies where changes can be driven through the system.
Can be developed at a reasonably low cost and deployed rapidly.
Helps understand who does what and where, who is over and under represented in policy debates.

Can you give up “your” piece of the sea?

2011-10-14T09:40:00.014+01:00

It is probably true that each of us thinks that it is our right to use the sea – to swim, to sail or simply to look at - depending on one’s affinities. These activities for the most part do not cause a great harm to the marine environment (unless your boat is leaking oil, for example) and so long as one is not trying to sail through a group of swimmers, there is very little opportunities for different users to get into conflict. Imagine, however if each of us was much, much bigger and I wanted to swim in a bay in which you wanted to swim in, but both of us could not fit in and there was no alternative bay for one of us to go to anywhere in the vicinity. What would happen between us?

At a large marine ecosystem scale, “Rival countries have squabbled over territory in the South China Sea for centuries - but a recent upsurge in tension has sparked concern that the area is becoming a flashpoint with global consequences.” (BBC)

More locally, a proposed development of the Tiree Array, a large offshore windfarm being planned off the Isle of Tiree (West Coast of Scotland), has produced quite a commotion as posts on both the No Tiree Array (NTA) and the Tiree Community Development Trust (Tiree Trust) websites show. The No Tiree Array campaign has started in November 2010 to “resist the proposed construction of the Tiree (Argyll) Array, or any ancillary development, within 35km of Tiree’s coastline”. The Tiree Trust, which is owned and managed by the Tiree community was formed in March 2006 to promote “the sustainable, environmental, economic and social development of Tiree”.

As a mediator, I propose that all users of the marine environment, no matter how big or small, in conflict or not, consider:

What are my needs when using the sea? How do they, if at all, shape my position in potential conflict?

What may other marine users’ needs be?

What small changes in my behaviour could I make that would still satisfy my needs but possibly allow other users’ needs to be satisfied as well?

Sceptical? Thinking why would they use it and not me? Consider the above example of you and me and one bay that is too small. What both of us may need is to cool down from the mid-day sun, but we may be too stubborn or too proud or both to find out about each other’s needs and to think of a solution together. But if we were not too stubborn or too proud, could we simply take turns to swim in the bay?

I am not suggesting that the South China Sea or the Tiree Array situations are as simple as this, but I am proposing that we look beyond our entrenched positions and try to identify our own needs, other people’s needs, and work on achieving a needs-based solution rather than a position-fuelled conflict. It would be a start and would take us a long way towards achieving sustainable seas.

Marshall Islands establishes world's largest shark sanctuary

2011-10-03T19:17:00.001+01:00

The Republic of the Marshall Islands is now home to the world’s largest shark sanctuary. The MPA ends commercial fishing of sharks in all 1,990,530 square kilometers (768,547 square miles) of the central Pacific country’s waters - an equivalent ocean area four times the landmass of California.

Key provisions of the Marshall Islands' sanctuary include:

Aprohibition on the commercial fishing of sharks as well as the sale of any sharks or shark products. Its zero retention stipulation requires that any shark caught accidentally by fishing vessels must be set free.
Large monetary fines between US$25,000 to US$200,000 for anyone who is found to be fishing sharks or in possession of shark fins. In addition, violators would be fined the market value of the product in their possession.
A ban on the use of wire leaders, a longline fishing gear which is among the most lethal to sharks.
A monitoring and enforcement provision which requires all fishing vessels to land their catch at one of the country's ports and bans at sea transfers.

The challenge in the management of this sanctuary will be ensuring there are adequate monitoring and enforcement control mechanisms in place. The sheer scale of the area presents a logistical, technical and financial challenge - particularly to control IUU fisheries in the area - and to ensure that trans-shipment of shark products do not occur. Cross boundary partnerships in the region should be developed that compliment the outcomes in the sanctuary. Ultimately the market for shark fin products should be eradicated to ensure a future for this magnificent ocean species.

More on the initiative here at Pew.

New Marine Protected Areas for the UK

2011-09-08T12:29:00.000+01:00

This morning the BBC has reported a sharp increase in the amount and scope of marine protected areas in UK waters.Under the Marine and Coastal Access Act (2009) there is a legal obligation to implement a 'coherent' network of MPAs, driven in turn by agreements at the international level such as OSPAR and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Under the Act, MPAs within an 'ecologically coherent network' should be developed for the waters of England and the offshore region for Wales. In Scotland this would occur under a separate legislative process (The Marine (Scotland) Act 2010) and in Northern Ireland the process has not started.

It is a considerable expansion - from an approximate level of 1% to 25% - that would significantly protect marine ecosystems.....and livelihoods. The zones, while incorporation marine protection, also allow for human activity at various levels - particularly activities that do not adversely damage the features under protection. This will clearly be a challenge to activities that generate some impact, and will potentially drive innovation towards sustainable uses of the sea. Management plans and zoning of activities have not been discussed at this point, what we see today is the initial designation of sites that will feed into a scientific review and a further political negotiation.

Two points to end on - it is likely that the network will be altered under the negotiation process; and the management planning process for protected sites will be critical to ensure marine features are conserved and appropriate and sustainable marine activities are allowed to flourish.

The Nature Conservancy's 6th Annual Digital Photo Competition

2011-09-02T21:42:00.001+01:00

There's just a week and a half left to enter your favorite nature photos in The Nature Conservancy's 6th Annual Digital Photo Competition.

Our online community will vote on the 35 or more photos selected as honorable mentions and finalists and the grand prize winner will be featured on the cover of our 2013 calendar which reaches over 2 million households, and on our website - www.nature.org. Check out Jan Forseth's awesome grand prize winning photo and all the other finalists and honorable mentions from last year at http://my.nature.org/photography/2010-photo-contest.html.

It's super easy to enter using your Facebook log-in info - http://photocontest.nature.org/ or through The Nature Conservancy's Flickr Group - http://my.nature.org/photography/flickr.html. Photo submissions must be uploaded by 11:59 pm PST Monday, September 12, 2011. Photographers will retain the rights to all their submissions - go to http://my.nature.org/photography/rules.html to read the rules.

Remember - September 12th is just around the corner!

For more details, please visit http://photocontest.nature.org/

The degradation of our coastal ecosystem services

2011-07-12T12:38:00.000+01:00

Two media articles caught my eye yesterday. And none of them were from News International!

The first article from the Independent on the limits of domestic fish stocks to meet demand makes some interesting points about consumption of seafood in the UK and Europe and the capacity of marine ecosystems to meet that demand. It states that July 16 is 'Fish Dependence Day' - the point where if we relied solely on UK stocks, supply would run out. Of course, we do not rely solely on UK stocks, we are dependant on EU and international imports to meet demand as well as increases in aquaculture. The Fish Site lists the dates that other EU members would became dependent on fish imports as follows: Portugal, 26 April; Germany, 27 April; Italy, 30 April; Spain, eight May; France, 13 June; and the UK, 16 July.

The message is this: Our currently exploited marine systems and stocks cannot supply the demand for seafood across the EU. Essentially the EU is exporting overfishing to other places around the globe to meet this supply and driving aquaculture development. There are 2 responses to this problem: reduce demand for seafood, likely by increasing prices or changing eating habits; or boost the capacity for supply. Boosting supply will come either from increasing aquaculture (which carries it's own environmental issues and is limited in it's capacity to expand) or from natural systems. Marine systems and capture fisheries, are already at full capacity, and in many cases are stretched to breaking point. For example see this article in the recent Sydney Morning Herald on outbreaks if jellyfish. This issue is symptomatic of the degradation of ecosystem services by climate change, coastal pollution and overfishing. If we are to avoid the ecological collapse of coastal and marine systems and restore them to formerly productive states then bold and concrete steps are needed. Managing supply and demand is an important part of the response - from the fish that we buy and eat through to large scale restoration of marine systems. There will be painful and controversial choices, but it is critical that we look at the long game.

Three Marine Conservation Lessons for Kids

2011-06-20T10:16:00.001+01:00

At Sustainable Seas we really enjoy and think it is important to collaborate with colleagues around the world who are passionate about marine conservation and sustainability and who are committed to making a difference. Recently we collaborated with Lindsey Wright who is a writer for the Online Schools website and resource. Lindsay has posted a great piece on ways primary and secondary educators can teach their students about marine conservation.

Three Marine Conservation Lessons for Kids

The phrase “the future belongs to the children” is perhaps nowhere more appropriate than when it comes to the future of the environment and the world's oceans. According to the United Nations 70 percent of the world's fish stocks are “fully exploited” or “depleted.” Part of the problem is overfishing, and pollution continues to be an issue. Oceans everywhere are becoming less habitable for marine life due to land-based activities. From raw sewage dumps to the infamous “plastic continent” in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, pollution is a serious threat to marine life. If today's primary and secondary students are our future, then clearly teachers, whether at an online school or a traditional brick-and-mortar campus, must impart to young students the importance of taking care of our oceans. Luckily, there are a variety of lesson plans teachers can employ to get even the most reluctant learners interested in marine conservation.

1. Endangered Marine Animals

Teachers can explain to students that many marine animals are currently endangered. Teachers and students can then explore together the various human activities that are leading to this endangerment, such as legal and illegal hunting, pollution, and habitat disruption. Teachers should then have students choose one particular endangered marine animal on which they would like to focus. Younger students might draw pictures of this animal, and include the commercial ships or other activities that are threatening it in their drawings. Older students might work individually or in pairs to create a poster and written or oral report about the endangered animal and what actions could be taken to reverse the problem.

2. Food Chains and Marine Habitats

One common concern that scientists have about marine life is that pollution is killing the micro-organisms that small invertebrates, such as krill, feed upon. Once the populations of krill begin dying off, the larger animals that feed upon krill also become endangered. This exploration of the marine food chain is an excellent way to teach how the plants and animals in an ecosystem are all interdependent, and how depletion of one small organism can have a dangerous chain reaction that reverberates all the way up the food chain. In order to better understand this concept, students can make drawings of the circular nature of the food chain, as well as illustrations of what happens when any one part of that food chain is disrupted. As a final project, individuals or groups can present their illustrations to the class and explain what changes could be made to begin healing a particular ecosystem.

3. Understanding Oil Spills

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill remains the worst ecological disaster in American history, and the results of that spill still aren't fully understood. As a lesson linking current events, social studies, and science, teachers can have their older students research news and magazine articles about the oil spill and its impact. Some students might choose to focus their research on the negative economic and social impact of the spill on the local coastal communities, while other students might research how the spill is predicted to impact the Gulf itself in the near future and long term. Students could then present their findings in a variety of ways, from research papers to multimedia projects. This project will also help students develop their critical thinking skills as they examine and analyze the varied opinions on the impact of the spill, including those of local residents, scientists, and the companies responsible for the spill.

4. Field Trips

Not all students live close enough to the coast to visit the ocean directly, but most students live close enough to an aquarium, or at the very least a river system, to visit marine habitats and learn about the wildlife first-hand. Aquariums almost always offer a host of educational programs ideal for a broad age range of students. Teachers should definitely take advantage of these services in their area.

5. Artificial Reefs

Artificial reefs are one of the solutions scientists are exploring as a possible solution for dying reef systems. Teachers can inform students how reefs are being replaced with man-made objects, such as intentionally sunk military tanks, and inspire further interest in the topic by encouraging their students to consider what else might scientists "invent" as a way of repairing some of the damage mankind has done to the world's oceans. This lesson could be easily adapted to fit children of almost any age.

These five lessons are just a few ways students at the primary and secondary school levels can explore marine conservation. Other topics for exploration include: the impact of changing ocean temperatures due to climate change; the human impact of rising ocean levels; the current concerns over ocean pH levels; and how the Pacific Garbage Patch got to be in the middle of the ocean and how to get rid of it.

Public and private school teachers may not be the people who pass laws or directly influence policy makers, but by making children aware of the imperilled state of the world's oceans, they can definitely be positive agents for change. The lessons above can provide teachers with a jumping-off-point for teaching children to be good stewards of the oceans from an early age.

New Spanish marine reserve combines conservation with fishing interests

2011-06-17T12:56:00.002+01:00

A recent issue of Fishing News reports that on 1 April 2011, a formal agreement was signed between Spanish ecological group Ecologists in Action and Conil de Frontera’s static gear fisherman to create a “Marine Reservation of Fishing Interest” (MFRI). The ethos of the MRFI embraces local fishing and promotes the inclusion of low-impact gears in coastal zones. It excludes trawling within the 12-mile limit and includes 3 zones designated as nursery grounds where only scientific activity is allowed. All fishing vessels operating within the MRFI must carry a transponder which allows the areas in which fishing effort is concentrated to be monitored by an Andalusian government authority, and the information used to improve fisheries management in the area.

Ecologists in Action distinguish this reserve from the concept of an artisanal fishing reserve “because the MRFI approach combines conservation with fishing interests. The aim is to preserve resources, the environment, ecosystems and local social and economic interests – unlike a marine protected area (MPA) as is being proposed in the UK, where fishing is pushed into the background.” While this comment accurately portrays the fishing industry’s perspective of MPAs in the UK, it does not accurately reflect the different kinds of zoning that can occur within MPAs/marine reserves, in contrast to a “No-Take Zone” which is a particular type of MPA which excludes fishing. The Spanish MRFI actually includes 3 such no-take zones within it – ie the 3 zones designated as nursery grounds where only scientific activity is allowed.

I think what is important to learn from the MRFI is that ecologists and fishermen have aligned their perceptions of this particular reserve so that both see it as a tool which combines conservation with fisheries interests. This is a distinct shift from presenting a marine reserve/MPA as a tool which can provide fisheries benefits such as spillover, as well as conservation benefits, as presenting MPAs in this way can appear dishonest to fishermen who would often rather conservation be clearly stated as the primary purpose of an MPA rather than an MPA being “sugar-coated” as a tool which is favourable to fishermen. The point here is not to get embroiled in the potential benefits of MPAs/marine reserves for fishermen. The point is to notice that the Spanish MRFI seems to have transcended the usual polarisation of views between the fishing industry and ecologists as to marine reserves. The next step could be to build on this shift in perception by recognising that, increasingly, local fishing interests may not be the only local human interests in a marine reserve – perhaps the future will see Marine Reserves of Community Interests where local fishermen engage not only with ecologists to manage the marine environment in a sustainable manner, but also with other local users of that environment (eg those involved in aquaculture, renewable energy and tourism to name a few).

The UK National Ecosystem Assessment

2011-06-07T09:10:00.001+01:00

Well...its arrived.

After a lot of research and input, the UK National Ecosystem Assessment (a mini version of the MEA) has delivered its initial assessment of the value of UK ecosystems. This is quite a big deal, and represents the first scientific assessment of the 'value of nature' and the services it provides to society. I, like many others, tend to be sceptical about placed £ or $ on the value of nature. For me, the answer is easy - it is infinite. Without healthily natural systems and a function ecology, we are dead and there is no society. Easy. Or, at a different scale, if I'm asked to value my local beach where I grew up in Australia, where I regularly walked, surfed, swam and pondered, I would be hard pressed to quantify this in terms of monetary value. It means far more than that, it is a part of my heritage, culture and well being. The salt is in my blood.

However, that said, there is immense value in estimating ecosystem services and benefits. The overall finding rings very true:

"The natural world, its biodiversity and its constituent ecosystems are critically important to our well-being and economic prosperity, but are consistently undervalued in conventional economic analyses and decision making."

Despite my scepticism and inherent discomfort at valuing life, decisions are made that do not take into account the benefits of functioning ecosystems and the broader benefits they provide to society. In this world of cost and benefit, it is increasingly useful to balance the ledger books, and to make rational economic arguments that support conservation. To the reports credit, valuation of benefits is not purely in monetary terms - it recognises that values are as much social as economic. How these non monetary values stack up against economic arguments is yet to be seen, and will be interesting in the future in terms of pragmatic decision making and EIA.

How does do coasts and marine perform? The report identifies that these broad habitats provide a range of important functions, from provisioning services that supply resources to society, regulating services that underpin functioning habitats, and culturing services that provide a sense of place and wonder. Many of these services are in decline in coastal and marine settings, due to heavy use and exploitation, increased development, eutrophication and the impacts of climate change. While the report brings to light the benefits and values of coastal and marine services, it is clear the evidence base is narrow. Critically, we have to ask the 'so what' question - if ecosystem services are valuable and in decline in some areas, what happens next? Will they steer development or resource use decisions?

EU targets IUU tuna fishing

2011-05-26T11:38:00.001+01:00

Recently reported in the Financial Times, EU inspectors have uncovered widespread use of driftnets by fishing vessels based in the Italian islands of Sicily and Ponza. Allegedly local authorities have turned a blind eye to the actions.Banned by the EU in 2002, driftnets are used to catch bluefin tuna and swordfish, and sustain alarming levels of bycatch in the Mediterranean. However concerns remain over loopholes in the legislation.

The crackdown by the EU Fisheries Commissioner is expected to launch infringement procedures and lay down heavy fines on Italy. Some of the offending vessels – identified by the EU inspectors – had received official subsidies to stop fishing with driftnets, which were banned by the EU in 2002.

The FT report indicates that inspectors went undercover as tourists, also alleged the “full tolerance of the Italian authorities” and was particularly critical of the coastguard.

Its good to see the EU getting serious, but it is also critical for the local community to create the pressure to change. That, in the end, will be the most likely driver on change.

Ocean acidification

2011-05-19T10:25:00.000+01:00

A new mini film by Plymouth Marine Lab on Ocean Acidification. Informative and concerning....highlights the global advance of ocean acidifiction and the impacts on organisms and ecosystems and implications for how they develop. As discussed by one of the presenters.... "Its urgent, its now, and it's going to affect ocean food chains."

Im a climate scientist......

2011-05-17T16:39:00.000+01:00

Found this little ditty today....hillarious. Sometimes it doesn't have to be serious! (Also a language warning for some sensitive listeners). Good to see scientists using hip-hop as a science communication method! :) Enjoy.

New Oceans campaign by Selfridges

2011-05-15T20:52:00.000+01:00

Picked this up from the Greenwise Green business blog.

Department store Selfridges has launched a major campaign to raise awareness about the world’s dwindling fish stocks. The five-week campaign, Project Ocean, will raise awareness about over-fishing and the prospects of a world with "no more fish in the sea".The store has teamed up with the Zoological Society of London, a range of NGOs and artists on what it is branding as the"biggest ever retail activism" campaign.

The multi-platform, multi-faceted campaign aims to engage Selfridges 30,000 daily customers, through debate, art, entertainment and "fun". New York artist Jason Hackenwerth has created massive balloon installations, while fashion designer Katharine Hamnett, has designed a 'No More Fish In The Sea?’ T-shirt. Meanwhile, the store will play host to a forum for international marine protection campaigners and environmentalists to discuss and highlight the plight of the world’s fisheries. It is also launching a fish guide, restaurant guide, website and a phone app.

Project Ocean has been launched in the lead up to next’s week meeting of the European Union (EU) Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers in Brussels and will culminate with the UN’s GLOBE World Ocean’s Day summit on June 8.

To see more on this great initiative click the link to Project Ocean.

Assessment of the UK government's green performance.

2011-05-09T09:34:00.000+01:00

Recently the UK Friends of the Earth released an assessment of the performance of the UK coalition in terms of stimulating a green economy and driving sustainability through government. With the coalition having abolished the Sustainable Development Commission (not in itself a particularly good start) it is left for NGOs in the 'big society' to independently assess the government's call to be the 'greenest government ever'.

The lead author, Jonathon Porritt claims that Prime Minister David Cameron will break his promise to lead the 'greenest Government ever' without a huge improvement in performance. The report examined 77 policies and found little or no progress in more than three quarters of them. To be fair, the government is almost 1 year old and it is to be expected that it would not make headway on the full policy platform. However, many policies will require long term planning and action, and a lack of drive or enthusiasm now may result in evaporation of a range of sustainability commitments, particularly as short term political agendas dominate the government. The report found several key issues:

Where's Cameron?
There's little evidence of the Prime Minister using his personal political clout to improve the Government's green performance.
Where are the Lib Dems?
The Lib Dems have failed to promote their green agenda inside the coalition.
Where are the jobs?
Government promises to create tens of thousands of new green jobs are evaporating.
Treasury blocking progress
There are fears the Treasury is pressurising Ministers to reject new carbon-reduction targets recommended by their official climate advisor.
DECC isolated
It's impossible for DECC to deliver comprehensive climate change plans when the rest of Whitehall is fundamentally disengaged - and the Treasury is hostile.

The website is here - read for yourself and hold the government to account.

Mining of hydrothermal vents

2011-05-05T09:31:00.000+01:00

Hydrothermal vents provide some of the most extreme and intriguing environments in the world which host unique ecosystems containing a large abundance of newly discovered species supported in part by chemosynthetic bacteria. This unusual habitat is under threat from exploitation due to the poly-metallic rich sulphur deposits which are formed by hot vent fluids being ejected up through the oceanic crust. As the vent fluid rises towards the surface of the crust it reacts with the cold surrounding seawater forming the much desired mineral rich precipitates. Mining the deep sea for minerals was said to be of “science fiction” and always thought to be unrealistic in terms of economic viability. The discovery of rich deposits including that of silver and gold located within 200 miles of the economic exclusive zone (EEZ) of some countries such as Papa New Guinea (PNG) together with advances in underwater technology and a higher value of such minerals has led to an increased interest in hydrothermal vent mining in these zones.

Hydrothermal deposits found within international waters have a degree of safeguarding against the prospect of mining. To mine these areas legally requires an independent environmental impact assessment and the payment of royalties to the international seabed Authority (ISA). The discovery of a number of hydrothermal vents both active and inactive located within the Papa New Guinean EEZ was therefore of great interest to a number of mining companies. One such company; Nautilus Minerals, has moved on this devleopment and as of January 2011 they were granted a licence in Papa New Guinea for offshore mineral exploration and potentially exploitation. This licence covered a 59km² area of mostly inactive hydrothermal vents in the Bismarck Sea.

The licence granted means that Nautilus Minerals, as they desire to be the first company to commercially mine the deep sea for polymetallic sulphur deposits has been given the go ahead and will undoubtedly proceed. The subsequent mining of these vents in papa New Guinea will directly affect and damage the vents ecosystem but this will be concentrated to the area of the licence and the environmental affect can be monitored. Nautilus have often said that deep sea mineral extraction will transform the industry the same way the oil and gas was transformed by offshore drilling.

If this predicted boom in this industry occurs, there will be very little chance to protect hydrothermal vents which are still not fully researched and understood as ecological communities. Regardless of the rate of development of the industry the fact is that the deep sea mining of hydrothermal deposits will advance due to societies demand for rare and precious mineral resources. This places ecologically valuable and essentially unexplored deep sea ecosystems at risk from a new and emerging industry.

Kirsteen Allison, H2 Marine Resource student.

Conserving a coral or a community?

2011-04-27T16:58:00.001+01:00

In the latest post from our H2 Marine Resources students, Eoina Rodgers explores the complex issue of cold water corals and island communities....

The conflicts between conservation and community have recently been highlighted with the proposed Special Area of Conservation at the East Mingulay site on the Outer Hebrides, west of Scotland. The areas East of the Isle of Mingulay in the Outer Hebrides play host to reefs composed of a cold-water coral, Lophelia pertusa. These reefs are the only known complexes of their kind in inshore UK waters and are therefore a candidate for an SAC.

The Marine Scotland Act has indicated a transition in the way in which Scotland’s seas are planned, licensed and managed. The act has empowered Marine Protected Areas and ensured that certain habitats and species are protected by scientifically selecting sites known as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). This is a requirement of the European Habitats Directive and reefs are listed within this as a habitat which the designations of SAC is necessary. Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) have led the consultation process on this SAC site. The proposed SAC at East Mingulay would safeguard nine reefs within an area of approximately 26km.

There are fears on Barra that the implementation of an SAC could cause irreversible damage to the fragile fishing industry and economy of the island. The locals are acutely aware of fishing bans in place in existing marine SAC sites around the UK and the concept of an SAC on their door step is an alarming one. Much of the community of Barra does not feel the SAC is necessary as the fishermen of the island claim to operate in a sustainable manner. It is felt that as the reefs are in good condition, it is evident the fishing industry is not having a negative effect upon the conservation of these habitats. In response to the plans the local action group, Southern Hebrides Against Marine Environmental Designations (SHAMED), have been vocal in their opposition to the plans and have suggested that there has been a flawed consultation and designation process.

When questioned, 64.7% of people on Barra did not feel that SNH were supportive of local fishing industries. People commented that there was ‘No local control’ and ‘(SNH) have in their minds already decided on the designation area with little or no consultation with local people who would suffer greatly due to this decision’. Confidence in SNH is at its lowest in Barra and people feel alienated. An SAC at this site will undoubtedly have an effect upon the fishing industry of Barra. The community of Barra feel that they have been overlooked in favour of the conservation of this coral. The low levels of support for SNH, and in particular, their consultation process, are very evident - achieving balance between community and conservation is more challenging than ever.

'The SAC at the East Mingulay site may not prove to be wholly disadvantageous to the economy of Barra. For instance, with sizeable investment, tourism could develop. This could then potentially provide a surge in the numbers of people visiting Barra, using local services. The disputes between the community and promoters of the SAC could be alleviated by the formation of an equal and proportional committee comprising of local members and officers, scientists etc. This would provide a medium for communication between the groups and would allow for more local control. This would benefit the fishermen, who claim to have conservation in mind, as they would have a channel to voice their concerns. For example, they could monitor the types of fishing occurring at these sites and could make suggestions as to which would not be a conservational issue and which could be a problem . Scientists and could provide guidance and appropriate information for decision making. Finding mechanisms that conserve the habitat, deliver economic opportunities, and ensure local control should be at the heart of the solution.

Marine Stewardship Council rejects certification for the Isle of Man scallop dredge

2011-04-14T18:05:00.000+01:00

Today the Marine Stewardship Council passed a determination and final report on the Isle of Man scallop (queenie) fishery. It stated that following a 30-day period of comment on the Draft Report for the Isle of Man queen scallop trawl and dredge fishery, the Certification Body, Moody Marine, has determined that the trawl unit should be certified and the dredge unit should not be certified in accordance with the MSC Standard.

While this is not the end of the line as a 15 day period now commences for further objections, it is a clear blow to the Scottish dredging fleet that were the second unit of certification.

The assessment stated:

"The main weaknesses in this fishery lay in a lack of practical understanding of the extent and consequences of the effect of trawls and dredges on marine habitats. Here it was felt that new
management measures and better information would be required. For the trawl fishery it was felt
that these could be a condition of certification. For the dredge fishery, the concerns about these issues, along with a lack of information about the capture and fate of non-target species, were sufficient to prevent a “pass” score being awarded for this unit of certification."

It appears that the assessors and the MSC are making a case that the smaller inshore Manx trawl fleet can operate in a sustainable way as opposed to the larger dredging fleet that causes a greater impact. Another highly likely factor is the development of formal protection in Manx waters. From the report:

"Historically there has been very little formal protection from bottom fishing in Manx waters, but
recently there have been important changes. Since 1989 all mobile gear has been banned around
3.5 km² of seabed off Port Erin ..... In the last five years similar small protected areas have been set up in Douglas, Laxey, and Ramsey Bay, although these are all expected to be temporary, with the expectation of being re-opened for fishing –principally for scallops – periodically. More importantly, there are recently imposed permanent bans on queen scallop dredging; these permanently ban all queenie dredging with toothed gear, while nontoothed dredges are permanently banned from large areas of seabed and from all areas within the 12 milelimit in June, July and August. However, trawling for scallops is still allowed in all except closed areas mentioned above."

Clearly the move by the Manx government to favour smaller 'local' trawls over the larger more efficient and damaging dredgers has been a factor in the certification of the trawl fleet and the rejection of the dredge fleet. While the trawlers still have an impact on the sea floor, this was found in the MSC study to be manageable, and several conditions are attached to certification to further reduce trawl impacts upon habitat. One condition (2.4.2) indicates that for continued certification, the authorities should action the creation and implementation of a more comprehensive strategy for ensuring that marine habitats are adequately protected akin to the mechanisms established through the EC Habitats Directive and / or trials new fisheries management measures such as closed areas, “fallowing”

and rotating closed areas) that may help to improve understanding of habitat impacts, and mitigate or reduce them.

The MSC strategy of splitting the fishing industry between unsustainable and so called 'sustainable' components appears to be working, where the sustainable elements of the industry attract more market support for investing in reducing their environmental impact. The conditions attached to the trawl certification can potentially increase marine protection and a sustainable industry in the Isle of Man - a win win situation for the marine environment and for sustainable fisheries.

Marine Litter and Ganavan Sands....natural perfection?

2011-04-12T22:21:00.001+01:00

Marine litter is a serious and complex problem that impacts the coastline in every country. It is pervasive, difficult to control, and requires a mix of education and enforcement approaches. Once in the marine environment, plastics directly impact marine mammals, birds, fish and coastal systems; impact marine activities such as fishing, tourism and recreation; and reduce the beauty of the coastal environment for all. Insidiously, marine plastics do not biodegrade, they slowly break up into 'micro-plastics' which move through the marine ecosystem for hundreds of years and eventually enter the food chain. Importantly, marine and coastal litter requires a sense of awareness of the scale of the problem matched with a sense of local ownership and empowerment. Since a considerable amount of litter enters the marine environment from the land, action from communities is a critical element of solving the problem.

Ganavan Sands is a local public coastal space combined with a beachfront residential development situated in Oban in the UK. The area is a part of the scenic and beautiful Highlands and Islands region of the West Coast of Scotland.The signage for Ganavan Sands clearly states the selling point of the development as 'inspired by...natural perfection', and is located in an area of important coastal habitat. The local waters are home to basking sharks, dolphins, common and grey seals, a variety of seabirds and inshore habitats. Unfortunately, the 'natural perfection' slogan appears to only extend to the devleopment's sales pitch, in actual fact, the reality is quite different.

The following unsavory pictures were taken on a recent visit to visit to Ganavan. A considerable amount of the source of the rubbish was from the building site adjacent to the beach. Many plastic items used in residential construction have found there way to the beach due to poor and substandard waste management practices by the construction group. These items will be washed out in the tides to affect marine life, marine users, and significantly impact local amenity.

Not quite the 'panoramic sea views, beautiful sandy beaches, and breathtaking landscapes' as highlighted in the welcome on the developer's website Ganavan Sands. In fact, pretty much the opposite. Fortunately, the local authority, Argyll and Bute Council have left their details on the sign in the public car park, and Sustainable Seas will be making further inquires to make sure the beach is cleaned up and the polluter pays principal is applied in the context of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. At a minimum Sustainable Seas calls for the implementation and enforcement of a Litter Control Area under the Act. If you want to know more about how to act on litter, Keep Scotland Beautiful publish a great leaflet: Litter and the Law in Scotland. Also, we encourage you to make contact with the local authority and the developer directly and express your views. Marine litter is everyone's problem.

We'll be keeping a close eye on the situation and will report progress on this blog.

Natural perfection?? I don't think so.

Should farmed Salmon eat sustainably?

2011-03-30T12:51:00.001+01:00

Contionuing our student posts, this week we have a piece by Lewis Drysdale on the impacts of salmon farming....

The recent “Hugh’s Fish Fight” programmes by River Cottage’s Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall not only tried to attack the increasing problem of overfishing and “bad” fisheries management but also squared up to aquaculture in UK, an industry that has had more than its fair share of controversies in the last 20 years. Sea lice infestations, fake colourings, chemicals, inter-breeding with wild stock and pollution are issues that consumer is generally aware of through the critics of farmed salmon, most of whom are chefs or food writers as opposed to scientists or industry experts. Hugh has always been a champion of sustainable fish, so why would he attack aquaculture, hailed as the ‘Blue Revolution’ that aims to reduce the pressure on our oceans by offsetting our wild fish needs?

The problem is that conservation groups say that it takes up to 4kg of wild fish to grow 1kg of farmed Salmon, a statistic that may astound the average consumer. In terms of energy transport systems that drive food chains more biomass is needed to feed the next level up the food chain i.e. you need a lot of small fish to feed a bigger fish. Does this mean that Salmon farming is unsustainable? Well, that all depends. If we as consumers, on a higher trophic level than the Salmon, stop eating farmed Salmon and revert back to wild fish then the over-exploitation of our oceans will continue and we will rapidly deplete our fish stocks. However, a recent article in the Guardian reports that fisheries scientists suggest we should be eating more small pelagics because the lack of predatory fish has led to an explosion in the numbers of small fish in the ocean. Hugh’s stance was largely based on a report by the Ecologist that paints a grim picture of fish farming and fishmeal production in Chile where human health and welfare are low priority and Salmon farming is much less regulated than it is in the UK. There is no doubt that UK Salmon feed is largely sourced from South American fisheries of which we do not have a say in the welfare of the workers or fishery management. It is therefore down to us as a consumer to demand transparency and sustainability measures from our producers and suppliers, something that Hugh has always told us to do. I think it is important to try and remember that there is no right answer and we should try to stay as impartial as possible when trying to evaluate an industry like Salmon farming. Hugh’s investigation into Salmon farming can be seen here.

United by Blue - a company making a difference

2011-03-20T10:44:00.000Z

Marine litter is a massive problem along our coastline and in our seas. As a society, we struggle to deal with the source of the problem and tend to treat the symptoms - the litter that washes up onshore. As we continue to work up solutions to this problem across govenrment, society and business, innovative ideas are emerging. One such approach is a novel, important and inspiring contribution by a business called United by Blue.

United by Blue is a clothing and apparel company that is committed to making a difference to our seas. Recently Sustainable Seas chatted to Brian Linton and Alexa Ahrem from United by Blue, and discovered a business approach that not only talks about saving the seas, but actually doing something about it. It is a refreshing approach in this day and age where a lot of companies push the 'green' mantra, but actually do little on the ground to support conservation. This company is clearly different....below we find out why...

1. Tell me about United by blue? What is the vision? How did the business come about?

United By Blue is a brand of apparel and accessories, that for every 1 product sold, we remove 1 pound of trash from our world's oceans and waterways through company organized cleanups. UBB was built on the premise that business has the power to do a tremendous amount of good, however most of the time businesses ignore this power, and instead, leave a negative impact on the world. Our core purpose is to use the power of business, education, and environmental action to save our oceans and waterways from pollution. The UBB brand is just about one year old. The business came about because I had been running another brand called Sand Shack (still running as well) with the premise of donating 5% of the brands proceeds to ocean conservation efforts. I realized the limitations of financial donations and wanted to do something more...something concrete and powerful. By establishing UBB, we have created the systems within the company to accomplish the good that most other for-profit ventures would "outsource" to non-profits to accomplish for them. By keeping things internal and building the structures and company culture around the issue of waterway and ocean pollution, we are creating a truly sustainable business model that as it grows, so too does the positive impact we can have on our environment.

2. What do you think are the challenges for a business operating with an environmental ethic? Why did you go in this direction?

The challenges of operating with an environmental ethic are varied. First of all, with an influx in green businesses, it has become a shouting match to get noticed. There are many companies that tout green claims, but in reality are not as green as they say they are. That's why we ignore the whole green claim altogether (we are blue, after all). We strive to create products that are mainstream enough to be sold in stores as diverse as Urban Outfitters, Dillards, and Whole Foods. Our hope is that someone would buy a UBB product whether or not we removed a pound of trash from the oceans. Many businesses with an environmental ethic become far too niche to accomplish a significant amount of good...we are working hard not to fall into that trap, while at the same time, preserving our ethics in the DNA of the company, so that we will never lose the essence of the brand.

3. What do you think are the key issues facing the oceans in your region and globally?

The oceans are in trouble, and it is extremely sad. There are numerous problems that they face, such as: overfishing, ocean acidification, coral reef destruction, etc... But as a company with a concrete focus on ocean pollution, we like to always put emphasis on how grave this problem is. The sheer amount of plastic that makes its way into the oceans every year is staggering. 14 billion pounds of trash are dumped into the ocean every year, and much of this is plastic, which takes hundreds of years to break down. Even as it breaks down, it just turns into smaller and smaller pieces which have the potential to make its way into the food chain, essentially poisoning those that consume it. If we don't stop allowing trash to get into the ocean, our oceans will literally turn into a wasteland. Plastics and marine eco-systems just don't mix. At UBB, we realize that we are just a band-aid to an enormous problem. Heck, we aren't even a band-aid, we are smaller than that; because no matter how many cleanups we do, we will never be able to remove all the trash that is being put into the oceans every year. That's why education is so important, and it is embedded in our core purpose.

4. When and how did your personal awareness of marine conservation begin? How has your awareness evolved?

My awareness of marine conservation began while growing up in Singapore. Singapore is one of the cleanest countries in the world...but only on the land. The shipping lanes that lay just off Singapore's coast make it so that the ocean is highly polluted. When I learned how to scuba dive off of Singapore, it was a truly sad sight. Other than a few fish, there was nothing around you; you couldn't even see your hand if you held it out in front of you. This experience, coupled with travels to over 30 countries around the world, made me realize how integral and important the oceans are to life, and just how poorly we have treated them. We are land-dwelling species and tend to forget about the oceans.

5. How do you think we should engage the public around issues of coastal and marine sustainability? How do we sell the message?

This is very difficult. There is no overnight way to raise awareness about just how important marine and coastal conservation is. My solution to engaging the public is to create a company with an interesting story, be a huge success, and effectively become the vehicle that raises awareness for these problems. By becoming a mainstream brand sold in stores across the world, we have the opportunity to use that platform to educate those who interact with our product (or cleanups). In this sense, distributing the message of ocean conservation goes hand in hand with the distribution of our sustainable apparel. As a for-profit company we are able to use these business channels to reach people that non-profits or individuals would have difficulty reaching on the same scale.

6. Can you expand on how your 'litter reduction strategy' works? Can the customer be assured that the target is being met?

In order to meet our promise of removing 1 pound of trash for every 1 product sold, we keep detailed records of our sales and the trash our cleanups have removed. The sale of a product is what funds our ongoing efforts to organize and conduct cleanups. Currently, we create a video of each and every cleanup we host and post them to our youtube channel (youtube.com/unitedbyblue). We try to implement transparency into everything we do so that people can see that their purchases are indeed allowing us to continue our work. On May 1st we are launching a new website that will allow online customers to apply their purchase to a specific upcoming cleanup. All of our cleanups will be listed along with the amount of purchases needed to "fund" them. As people apply their purchases to a cleanup, a bar graph shows the progress. Once a cleanup is "funded", it is carried out, and all those who applied purchases towards that particular cleanup are sent an email with video and pictures so that they can see the impact their purchase enabled. We are really excited about this. Check unitedbyblue.com around May 1st to see it.

7. How do you incorporate other marine issues within the United by Blue? What would you like to do in the future?

There are many marine issues; however, we believe that we are able to accomplish the most good by focusing on one issue for right now. Ways we subtly incorporate other issues are through our designs...for instance, we have a shirt that will be in stores this summer that is a montage of shark fins, symbolizing the problem of shark finning (for shark fin soup).

8. In your experience, what is the broader role of business in supporting and driving marine conservation and sustainability in general?

All businesses have the ability to support marine conservation, whether they know it or not. Healthy oceans are not only important to those who live around them, but the entire world. All businesses should be working to lower their carbon footprint since ocean acidification is a huge issue, and is largely due to business activities such as manufacturing, shipping, IT, and just about everything. Businesses should more actively look for alternatives to petroleum based materials...in particular, single- use plastics that are used for packaging and wrapping products (for instance, all UBB products now come in banana-fiber paper bags, as opposed to industry standard poly-bags made of plastic).

UK Parliament debate on discards

2011-03-18T09:34:00.000Z

European ministers have agreed that tackling fish discards "must be a priority" for Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform and that "action must be taken now", the UK Commons has been told.

The European Commission has set out ideas for ending the practice of dumping dead fish back into the sea due to lack of demand or because fishermen have used up their quota. At Commons question time on 17 March 2011, Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon said there had been "constructive and positive debate" in Europe about measures needed as part of CFP reform, which should be "practical, effective and developed in cooperation with the industry".

See the link below for recent footage from the UK Parliament on the EU discards issue:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/house_of_commons/newsid_9426000/9426529.stm

It certainly appears the the time for concrete action on discards has arrived and this wasteful and unsustainable practice will soon come to an end. However, it is important that fishermen and scientisits are a part of the solution, and that any measures from the EU do not increase pressure on allready stessed stocks and issues such as bycatch are addressed.

Outstaying Their Welcome?

2011-03-15T09:52:00.000Z

The next in our student blogs comes from Paul Rhodes on the invasive killer shrimp......

“Aliens” as they’re popularly titled or rather non-native invasive species have again struck the news headlines. Dikerogammarus Villosus the perhaps aptly named ‘Killer’ Shrimp that was first reported in the UK last Autumn in Cambridgeshire has once again been identified, only this time in the welsh waters of Cardiff Bay and Eglwys Nunydd reservoir in Port Talbot. The ‘killer’ shrimp, of a Ponto-Caspian, Eastern European origin is feared by ecologists for its larger size (up to 3cm) in comparison to native species, its spread rate and destructive feeding nature that includes an almost ‘sloppy’ eating style, often killing many more invertebrates and small fish than it requires. Non-native invasive species, well known as a threat to local biodiversity have in a recent report been tagged as arresting significant pressure on ‘taxpayers’ money and thus threatening to our economic prosperity. What should be done to protect our native species and at what cost should this come?

Invasive species can become established in foreign habitats on a premise of ecological dominance over their native counterparts, threatening biodiversity, conservation efforts and indeed the ecosystem services that we ourselves often rely so heavily upon. “The Economic Cost of Invasive Non-Native Species to Great Britain”, a report published in 2010, funded by the Scottish Government, DEFRA and the Welsh Assembly has estimated the cost of both marine and terrestrial invasive biota to be a chilling £1.7 billion to the UK economy.

Invasive non-native species such as the Japanese skeleton shrimp (Caprella mutica) and potentially the colonial sea squirt (Didemnum vexillium) have been identified as costly creatures, both causing an increase in the time and labour spent anti-fouling equipment and stock in order to protect a premium market value in both the fin- and shellfish sectors. Similarly, as a strong drive by the Scottish government to produce 80% of our energy from renewable technologies by 2020 prevails there will no doubt be additional engineering concern with the spread of such bio-fouling non-native species, inhibiting potentially the functionality of many of the offshore renewable energy devices in both development and operation.

I am firm in my belief that there will continue to be reports of non-native species intermittently appearing in the media as international activity continues and as our climate continues to undergo rapid change. Unfortunately, however I equally expect that as our local marine environments continue to be altered by the establishment of stronger, more resilient non-native species, that not enough could ever be done to restrain the invasion of the unwanted pests that, foreseeably, would come as a direct cost to the valuable marine assets that society directly or indirectly enjoys.

by Paul Rhodes.

Blog posts by Marine Science students....

2011-03-04T14:42:00.000Z

Here at Sustainable Seas we support giving a voice to future leaders and marine scientists to express their views on a variety of oceans topics. Every year, we provide a means for undergraduate students at the Scottish Association for Marine Science to discuss and deabte important and interesting isues and build skills in communicating science to the public. For the next few weeks, amongst the regular posts, we will hear from our 2nd year undergrads from the Marine Resources module. Our first student, Polly Burns highlights the ongoing conflict in the Southern Ocean over whaling..

Whalers return home early…

It was reported in the recent media that a fleet of four whaling boats have ended their annual trip to Antarctic waters after only a month into the season. The reason? The boats were being harassed by environmental groups opposed to whaling. Although the protestor’s actions have been similar in previous years, this is the first time the fleet have accepted defeat and headed for home. Two international news services are suggesting that this is the ‘beginning of the end’ for the whalers. I can’t help thinking that would be too good to be true, since Japanese whalers are such a determined group and seem to be able to find a way out of most scenarios which threaten their industry.

The head of the Japanese fisheries agency has blamed the return on the continued pressure from conservation activist group The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS). It was announced that the SSCS were endangering the crew aboard the ships, using flares, water jets, smoke bombs and a host of other devices in an attempt to prevent the ships from continuing. They managed to entangle the propeller with rope and regularly park behind the ship, preventing it from landing whales. The SSCS have claimed this as a victory, but are their methods too aggressive and endangering life at sea under international maritime law? One of their crew was given a prison sentence for boarding one of the fleet from a jet ski, and their boat collided with a ship, which could have been potentially dangerous. The SSCS’s response to this is that they’re not breaking any laws.

Does that justify the actions of the SSCS on the high seas? Or should we, as a concerned audience, just all be pleased since they have got a result? My personal view is that I think it is great the whalers have potentially only caught 30 whales compared to their 900 target. Fighting a wrong with a wrong doesn’t make it right. The SSCS are considered on a par with terrorists in Japan, and their actions have simply enabled the fisheries agency to secure mounting public opposition towards them. However with increasing financial difficulties for the whaling industry, a formal complaint from Australia to the International Court of Justice and a new law on the allowance of heavy oil ships into the Southern waters coming into play from the International Maritime Organisation’s MARPOL annex 1 (Regulations for the prevention of pollution by oil), how long can the industry be expected to last? Who will pay for the diesel, or a new ship that can outrun the protestors? Even without the pressures of the conservation groups, the industry is in trouble from economic factors and could be the deciding factor in the decline of this industry.

The end of discards is in sight......

2011-03-01T17:43:00.001Z

Ministers from across the EU are moving to propose new actions and reforms to end the hideous practice of discards in fisheries. As reported in the Guardian this will potentially be the biggest change to the Common Fisheries Policy in decades, aiming to eliminate the practice where as much as two-thirds of the fish caught in some areas is thrown back into the water, usually dead, as a result of the current EU system of quotas. When fleets exceed their quota, or unintentionally catch species for which they do not have a quota, they must discard the excess at sea. About 1m tonnes are estimated to be thrown back each year into the North Sea alone.

The waste of edible fish was highlighted in an influential Channel 4 television series, headed by the food writer Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, which helped to gather more than 650,000 signatures for a petition to end the practice.

THe UK propose three alternatives to the current quota system: a "catch" quota, whereby fishermen land all of their catch, monitored by CCTV cameras, but may have the amount of time they can spend at sea curtailed; changes to fishing gear to reduce discards; and promoting markets, both within the EU and for export overseas, for fish that are currently little eaten, such as dab and pouting. Retailers have also called for reforms to fisheries management including giving fishers the opportunity to develop long term management plans for stocks and allowing fishers to increase stewardship of the resource. In the 'cut and thrust' of negotiations for quota and reforms across the EU states, we hope that the sustainability of the stock and the ecosystem prevails over short term economic interests.

For more information see:
BBC story on discards

Flagship Expedition to Easter Island and Salas y Gómez

2011-02-25T11:59:00.000Z

FLAGSHIP EXPEDITION TO EASTER ISLAND AND SALAS Y GOMEZ ISLAND

SANTIAGO, Chile, February 2011 - National Geographic Society and Oceana, together with the Chilean Navy, began a scientific expedition to the marine ecosystems that surround the Chilean island Salas y Gómez (Motu Motiro Hiva) and Easter Island. The results of this unprecedented collaboration will be the baseline for monitoring Motu Motiro Hiva Marine Park, whose creation was announced last October by the Chilean government. Studies also will be carried out in the marine area surrounding Easter Island to assess its current state of conservation and need for new protection measures.

The Chilean Navy will contribute one of its most modern vessels, the offshore patrol vessel (OPV) Comandante Toro. The scientists aboard will study one of the most pristine ecosystems of the Pacific Ocean and document the marine diversity surrounding the Salas y Gómez Island. They will also explore the deep seamounts and ecosystems that are part of Easter Island’s exclusive economic zone and which are currently unprotected.

“Salas y Gómez Island will be like a time machine in terms of research, enabling us to see what the ocean — and Easter Island — was like hundreds of years ago. This extraordinary baseline will be key to measuring the impact of human activities on Easter Island and elsewhere,” said Dr. Enric Sala, marine ecologist and National Geographic Fellow.

The expedition was preceded by a preliminary scientific expedition to the Salas y Gómez Island in March 2010, supported by the Waitt Foundation. That trip provided information that prompted the Chilean government to create the 150,000 square-kilometer Motu Motiro Hiva Marine Park, which covers an area larger than Greece.

“The creation of the marine park that now surrounds the Salas y Gómez Island allows Chile to extend the surface of protected marine areas from 0.03 percent to 4.4 percent of its exclusive economic zone. This figure should reach 10 percent by 2020 if we are to fulfill Chile’s commitment to the Convention on Biological Diversity,” said Carlos Gaymer, professor at Universidad Católica del Norte and a member of the expedition.

In order to study the marine ecosystems of Motu Motiro Hiva Marine Park and surrounding areas, including Easter Island, the expedition will use high-tech equipment including a remotely operated vehicle that can capture high-definition images 300 meters below sea level, four spherical drop cams for remote deep-water filming to 4,000 meters below sea level, and three satellite tags for tracking the migratory movements of sharks.

Additionally, the OPV Comandante Toro has its own high-tech equipment for low fuel consumption and emissions that comply with international regulations. The vessel can operate for 30 days without refueling and cover approximately 16,000 kilometers — the equivalent of two round trips from Valparaíso to Easter Island.

According to the ship’s captain, Andrés Rodrigo Ramírez, “With this unit and its twin, the Piloto Pardo, the Navy now has a more permanent presence and can better protect our marine resources. We aim to patrol and control marine activities in territorial waters, the exclusive economic zone, and the so-called Chilean sea.”

Hugh's Fish Fight

2011-02-11T09:15:00.000Z

I just wated the 1st episode for the second time. Just shocking and inspiring at the same time. The insanity of discaring has to end. It's still on for a few days here:

http://www.youtube.com/show/hughsfishfight

A change in direction for the UN - will it lead to a change in communities?

2011-02-08T18:40:00.000Z

A recent article by the Guardian highlights a change in direction for the UN from global negotiations on climate change to more inclusive development of a 'green economy'. In a major shift, the UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon will redirect efforts from trying to encourage movement in the international climate change negotiations to a agenda of promoting clean energy and sustainable development. The article notes that the change in focus reflected Ban's realisation, after his involvement with the failed Copenhagen summit in 2009, that world leaders are not prepared to come together in a sweeping agreement on global warming – at least not for the next few years. I agree completely.
This change from the UN follows views by many commentators and activists that global political dialogues have failed to deliver a meaningful outcome on climate change. After the failed Copenhagen summit, the recent Cancun summit made some progress to keeping a deal alive, but as we have come to expect from such international grandstanding events, international politics holds sway and very little progress is achieved. The realisation of the UN is a continuation of the trend that individuals, communities, markets, and national governments can make the most difference in pragmatic action on climate change. The article notes:

"Others inside the UN system as well as in world capitals have been circling towards a similar conclusion as Ban: that gains in clean energy technology and energy efficiency could do more in the near future to reduce emissions. They could then drive the overarching deal that the UN still sees as necessary. 'The idea that the world will gather together and parcel out emissions cuts among the various nations is probably a non-starter at this point,' said Reid Detchon, vice-president for energy and climate at the United Nations Foundation, a Washington thinktank. "Whether it is in 2012 or 2013, the political consensus does not exist for a top-down approach."

While an international framework is still important, if not critical, to align global economies to carbon trading initiatives and equitable carbon cutting targets, the emphasis on local, regional and national initiatives needs to mature and 'push upwards'. Increasingly we are hearing the rhetoric of a 'green economy' being used in policy circles but the reality is still a long way off. While renewable energy development is considered the driver of a green economy, it is simplistic, if not dangerous to consider it as the only development of relevance to a green economy. If fact, the debate of what a 'green economy' will look like has not achieved national or even local consensus and has been dominated to date by the large (renewable) energy interests. While I would not deny that renewable energy has a central place in this future vision, its scale and scope, its geographical placement, its role in community development or dislocation (particularly at the periphery) is still a matter for debate and definition. The vision for a green economy still needs to debate the extent and pace of ecological modernisation and how it will be achieved. In the rush to build renewables, there are gaps emerging in the argument - for example, what is the role and place of radical resource efficiency across all systems of production? What is the role of community led innovation, skills development and employment? How can systems of production and consumption be changed to reflect ecological limits and reduce global impacts?

The question of a green economy is much more than the expansion of the renewable energy industry. It is a question that cuts to the heart of social organisation, innovation and development..

New research on Eco-labelling and Certification

2011-01-12T14:41:00.001Z

Over the past decade, the Marine Stewardship Council has moved from the periphery to the centre of fisheries management and debate globally and in the UK. Through its eco-labelling initiative, the MSC has made improvements in fisheries practice and has raised the profile and the implementation of the ecosystem approach. However, despite these successes, the credibility of the MSC is under challenge over some of the fisheries it assesses and runs the risk of certifying ‘sustainable fisheries within degraded ecosystems’.

In the public sphere, a ‘fragile optimism’ for MSC eco-labelled products exists alongside an engaged but increasingly competitive and conflict-ridden industry that is split over management actions and maintaining the resource. The role of the MSC in this dynamic will be increasingly important for improving fisheries sustainability and marine conservation - but is an approach that is increasingly controversial.

Dr Tavis Potts from The Scottish Association for Marine Science explores these issues in depth in the following report.

LINK TO THE REPORT

Record Blue Fin Tuna sale

2011-01-09T12:38:00.002Z

Last week, a bluefin tuna fetched a record 32.49m yen (£254,000) today at the first auction of the year at Tsukiji market in Tokyo. The 342kg tuna easily beat the previous record, set exactly 10 years ago when a 202kg fish fetched 20.2m yen. The tuna, one of more than 500 shipped in from around the world, will be divided between two sushi restaurants which joined forces at the auction.

The fish, caught from the coasts of norther Japan, was bought from a partnership of a Hong Kong and Tokyo restaurant. While caught locally, this extraordinary price reveals the surging demand in China and HK for Bluefin Tuna that could lead to commercial extinction. In the Atlantic, recent efforts to reduce catch limits by International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) have failed to adhere to sceintific advice. In November, ICCAT cut the bluefin catch quota in the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic from 13,500 to 12,900 tonnes, a woefully small cut that presently increases the risk of the stock crashing.

According the Guardian Bluefin's popularity in Japan shows no sign of abating. Top-grade otoro – the fattiest cut of tuna – can sell for as much as 2,000 yen (£16) a piece at exclusive Tokyo restaurants. The flesh on today's record-breaking tuna will go for 95,000 yen (£740) a kilo.

Overcapitalised fleets and farms continue to chase dwindling stocks while overfishing, illegal fishing and high market prices drive the species toward commercial extinction. International political will to save the species is low (as demonstrated in the 2010 CITES meeting) as nations for and against conservation clash. The game continues, and hopefully this iconic ocean species will not become a victim of unsustainable fishery practices and market forces.

A sobre note to start the new year on.. But one, we hope, that will be turned around.

Humanities and the sciences

2010-12-18T12:20:00.002Z

The following post by Darian Meacham about the humanities and the sciences on the Open Democracy blog, while not directly related to the marine environment, is critically important - and great reading! Funding cuts to universities aside (we've heard a lot about that of late) the broader question of linking the natural and social sciences, or broader still, natural and social systems, is fundamental to thinking and feeling our way towards sustainable societies.

The two go hand in hand, science often provides the technical know how for adaptation, invention and knowledge, while the role of creativity, the arts, humanities and society can provide the foundation for driving driving innovation (and inspiration!). When thinking about marine issues, the resolution of many problems, including local conflicts, climate change, MPAs, or renewable energy, will require a mix of technical/scientific and human/social approaches. Take for example renewable energy - the industry is leaping ahead in innovative and technical terms, market forces are reducing costs, and we are seeing infrastructure appearing on land and water (the scientific side). On the other had, public acceptance of renewables is still an open issue, the responses of communities to development sometimes breeds conflict and uncertainty, and the politics behind marine planning is embryonic (the social dimension).

This social side of the equation has recently become the subject of a revival .The idea of phronesis is an interesting drive in the social sciences, and concerns deliberation, context, values and decision making. Hand in hand with natural science, the following questions and actions can be pursued in a particular context :

Where are we going?
Who gains and who loses, by which mechanisms of power?
Is this development desirable?
What should we do about it?

'White-anting' the social sciences and humanities (in the UK) in favour of the natural sciences will not bring us any closer to sustainable seas, coasts , and communities. Natural science is obviously critical in understanding natural systems and providing the technical innovation for sustainability. The social sciences, the other side of the coin and an equal partner, bring the people with us.

Mackerel war hots up....

2010-12-14T17:13:00.000Z

The European Fisheries Commissioner is to seek action that could lead to an EU-wide ban on Icelandic and Faroese mackerel.

Both Iceland and the Faroes have walked away from recent talks with the EU and Norway on a new international deal that would help safeguard the future of the mackerel fishery.

With the December EU Fisheries Council underway yesterday, Commissioner Maria Damanaki told Member States she was consulting with colleagues on how restrictions on landings of Icelandic mackerel in EU ports could be applied. The Commissioner also said that she would push for new regulations that could result in a ban on fish imports from any state acting outwith international fishery agreements, such as the Faroe Islands.

This is the latest in an ongoing conflict over the management of the mackerel resource in the NE Atlantic. With a lack of agreement over quota sharing, a result of the mackerel stock migrating into warmer northern waters off Iceland, the debate appears to be hardening on all sides. In addition the Marine Stewardship Council, which has certified several mackerel fisheries, has indicated that sustainable certification could be lost if the debate is not resolved and the stock is overfished due to the additional quota taken by Iceland and the Faeroe Islands.

The dispute appears far from over.

WIkileaks and Chagos - what we suspected was true.

2010-12-10T09:51:00.000Z

"Establishing a marine reserve might, indeed, as the FCO’s Roberts stated, be the most effective long-term way to prevent any of the Chagos Islands’ former inhabitants or their descendants from resettling in the BIOT. End Comment." - HMG Cable May 2009 (09LONDON1156)

According to US information released under the Wikileaks programme on the Chagos Islands, the recently established marine park over the Chagos Is was a deliberate ploy to maintain US-UK defence relations and prevent the return of the islands inhabitants.

The islanders, who were forcibly removed from their Indian Ocean homes from 1968 make space for the US Airforce base of Diego Garcia, have pressed for a right of return across various legal fora. Currently the case is sitting before the European Court of Human Rights. The cable shows that the MPA had been proposed by Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials to preserve the Chagos Archipelago – officially part of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) and and home to one of the world's most abundant coral reefs – as a military outpost, and prevent the native Chagossians from returning.

The BIOT “has had a great role in assuring the security of the UK and U.S. -- much more than anyone foresaw” in the 1960s, Roberts emphasized. “We do not regret the removal of the population,” since removal was necessary for the BIOT to fulfill its strategic purpose, he said. Removal of the population is the reason that the BIOT’s uninhabited islands and the surrounding waters are in “pristine” condition."

In addition, the cable specifies, in language eerily reminiscent of colonialism, that "there would be "no human footprints" or "Man Fridays" on the BIOT's uninhabited islands." Establishing a marine park would
"put paid to resettlement claims of the archipelago's former residents". The cable also highlights that the environmental lobby was used to support the case for the park:

"Responding to Polcouns' observation that the advocates of Chagossian resettlement continue to vigorously press their case, Roberts opined that the UK's "environmental lobby is far more powerful than the Chagossians' advocates."

A sobering but illuminating outcome - but one that may provide additional support to the legal case in the ECHR. The environmental lobbies that supported the MPA should focus their considerable lobby power on supporting the Chagosian right to return and become the owners and managers of the MPA - or the MPA should be revoked and removed in its entirety. This important piece of informaton from Wikileaks has been very useful in illuminating what many of us suspected in the first place - the FCO used conservation as a means to masquerade and reinforce defence relationships and avoid the resolution of an issue that damages the UK's reputation for human rights.

Make no mistake - the Chagos MPA is NOT about sustainability or conservation.

Sustainable Seas will watch with interest.

Sustainable Seas makes the top 100

2010-11-30T14:53:00.000Z

We are happy to announce that Sustainable Seas has made it onto the “100 Best Blogs for Studying the Ocean”.

The list, which is a great resource for reading and research, can be found at:

http://publicpolicydegree.org/100-best-blogs-for-studying-the-ocean/

Onwards and upwards!

Isle of Man bans Scottish scallop dredgers

2010-11-02T20:47:00.000Z

Interesting press release by the Scottish Government. This is no surprise considering the move by Isle of Man scallop fleet to go for MSC certification and recognise the value of conservation, including putting into place significant closed areas, as a means of securing the future of the industry. The Scottish scallop fleet has been very reluctant to engage in either the MSC program or a conservation agenda - the fleet would do better by engaging, learning and applying the lessons to its own waters rather than undermining the attempts of the Isle of Man fleet to secure its fishing future. Read on....

Scallop fishing 02/11/2010

Following a by-law by the Isle of Man excluding part of the Scottish scallop fleet from its waters, it has not been possible to reopen Luce Bay to scallop fishing this month. The action by the Isle of Man Government mean that all vessels over 300 Horsepower that have not fished at least 50 days in the area over the past 18 months are now excluded from its territorial seas.

Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said: "The Scottish Government believes that the Isle of Man by-law is unnecessary and unwarranted and I have been in contact with the Isle of Man Fisheries Minister - and UK Ministers who gave the go-ahead - to make my concerns clear. "This measure excludes many Scottish scallop vessels from Isle of Man waters that generate part of their earnings in that fishery. Although a number of Scottish vessels are still able to continue fishing in Isle of Man waters those that have been excluded are being deprived of their historic fishing rights.

"Despite vigorous objections from Scotland over many months, the UK Government chose to sanction the new bye-law in the absence of robust scientific evidence."

Luce Bay in the south west of Scotland, within close vicinity of the Isle of Man, is a designated Special Area of Conservation and under a wider Irish Sea agreement scallop dredging is banned from June to October each year. With Isle of Man territorial waters now closed to a number of vessels that would normally fish there the extension of this ban for a further four months, with industry support, has been necessary to stop Luce Bay being damaged.

"Luce Bay would normally re-open to scallop fishing at this time of year. But the actions of the Isle of Man Government have dramatically increased the risks to Luce Bay if a fishery were to be permitted.The Fisheries Agreement between the administrations that has been in place for decades has been ignored and the Scottish Government is arranging urgent meetings with DEFRA and Isle of Man to discuss the absence of the scientific case to justify this new bye-law and how we manage the scallop fishery from now on in a way that does not discriminate against Scottish vessels. The Isle of Man scallop fishery in the Irish Sea usually opens to the UK scalloping fleet at this time. Last week the Isle of Man Government enacted a bye-law that will exclude half larger vessels in the Scottish scalloping fleet from its waters. The Isle of Man measures are said to be to reduce scallop fishing, however banning larger vessels alone is without any scientific basis and excludes half of the Scottish scallop fleet."

Vessels that would normally have fished off the Isle of Man will be obliged by the bye-law to go elsewhere if they are to stay in business. The bye-law bans from Isle of Man territorial seas any fishing vessel of over 300 Horsepower, unless it fished there for more than 50 days over a period of 18 months up to May this year. In 2009, the total catch by such vessels registered in Scotland is estimated to have been worth 750,000 pounds.

Luce Bay is a designated Special Area of Conservation and is included in a wider area of the Irish Sea where scallop dredging is prohibited from 1 June to 31 October each year under the Irish Sea Order 1984. The extension of the scallop fishing closure has been necessary to stop the features of European importance for which Luce Bay has been designated being damaged by mass displacement of scallop fishing effort.

--------------------------------------------

Sometimes a picture says a thousand words..from the Marine Scotland Fisheries Status Report 2010

Once more to the Deep?

2010-10-20T04:35:00.003+01:00

On 19 September 2010 BP’s ill-fated Macondo 252 well was declared “effectively dead”, almost five months since it began to gush oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The world’s largest accidental oil spill followed an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on 20 April which resulted in 11 fatalities. It is estimated that of 4.9 million barrels of oil vented from the stricken well, around 4.1 million barrels were released into the Gulf of Mexico (the remainder being captured for example with containment caps). To provide a sense of perspective, the latter figure is equivalent to around 16 times that which spewed from the stricken tanker Exxon Valdez off Alaska in 1989.

The disaster has meant that deepwater drilling for seabed hydrocarbons appears, momentarily at least, to have lost its allure. Several governments have imposed a moratorium (wholly or partially) on deepwater drilling activities. Perhaps unsurprisingly the U.S. led the way. Opposition to offshore energy exploration and exploitation, especially on the part of environmental and community groups, has by no means been confined to the U.S. however, with events ranging from a chain-of-hands protest on the Thai island of Koh Samui over drilling activities in the Gulf of Thailand to the occupation of a drilling rig off Greenland by Greenpeace activists. That said, investment in deepwater drilling was already in decline prior to the Deepwater Horizon accident – global upstream oil and gas investment budgets were cut by US$90 billion in 2009 compared with the previous year.

So is deepwater drilling firmly off the agenda? Hardly. The present pause in activity is likely to prove to be no more than a brief hiatus. The key reason why investment in deepwater projects slowed is the same reason why investment in other expensive, unconventional oil sources such as tar sands slowed, and that is the GFC. In essence, the business case for developing tar sands and deepwater oil went out the window when demand fell with economic activity, causing oil prices to collapse back to around US$35 (from a peak of US$147) per barrel.

It appears highly likely that the oil price is set to become more volatile, especially in the context of peaking oil production and growing demand. In theory this should ultimately lead to a shift away from oil as the prime source of our energy requirements and a compelling case for the need to do so can be made. Indeed, it is no co-incidence that, at the time the moratorium on deepwater drilling in US waters was introduced, President Obama framed this as a call to reduce America’s reliance on oil.

The reality, however, is not so straight forward. There is precious little sign that on a global scale we are moving away from our reliance on oil in a meaningful way. Oil remains critical not only for the transport sector but for manufacturing, agriculture, defence, health, and just about every aspect of our daily lives. We are addicted, and to some extent we are locked in. ‘Lock in’, however, is more of a political barrier than a technical one. Vehicle fleet turnover times are longer than election cycles. Short-term political interests are therefore served by keeping oil cheap. In Southeast Asia, for example, many countries subsidise oil, whereby encouraging its inefficient consumption in the face of scarcity.

Such policies further entrench dependence, increase emissions and will ultimately cost more in the future. They will also tend to increase geopolitical supply risk as sources of oil supply are concentrated to countries characterised by very poor political stability and regulatory quality indicators as defined by the World Bank. Ironically, prior to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, deepwater developments in the Gulf of Mexico were being portrayed as critical from a U.S. national, albeit myopic, energy security perspective. For example, five deepwater wells came on stream in 2009, boosting Gulf production by 400,000 barrels/day (b/d), equating to about 4% of US imports.

As oil prices rebound in response to plateauing and declining production coupled with increasing demand, deep and ultradeep water drilling for seabed hydrocarbons will become attractive once again and in all likelihood will increase significantly in the future. We already depend on offshore sources for over 60% of global oil supplies (though not, it should be emphasised, reserves). There has also been notable ‘pushback’ against restrictions on drilling from those with an interest in letting such projects proceed. Perhaps counter-intuitively this has included opposition to a ban on offshore drilling emanating from the southern US states whose coasts on the Gulf of Mexico have been worst impacted by the spill. After all, the oil industry is a big player in the economies of these states and numerous jobs and livelihoods depend upon it. Such arguments were deployed by the UK government when it approved the first deepwater drilling to take place in the North Sea since the Gulf spill on 1 October 2010, in defiance of EU opposition and the protests of environmental groups.

Until we are able to wean ourselves off oil, demand is likely to be increasingly met by more costly, dirty, and technically challenging resources that carry increased environmental and political risks. Recent examples of oil exploration in such ‘frontier’ provinces include activities off Greenland, in the Arctic, and in the vicinity of the disputed Falkland Islands. This is the case even though the development of such resources does not offer a ‘silver bullet’ solution to the peak oil challenge. It is notable that since US oil production peaked in 1972, no advances in extraction technology or additional discoveries have managed to restore production rates. This is also true for the overwhelming majority of post-peak countries. Developing unconventional oil resources (whether deep water or tar sands) is a case of running faster to stand still, or more accurately, to slip backwards.

The good news is that, as with any such calamity, the Deepwater Horizon spill is likely to lead to enhanced regulation of deepwater drilling, the imposition of additional safeguards, coupled with technological advances designed to minimise the possibility of a similar accident occurring in the future. Nonetheless, accidents do happen and there are likely to be far more deepwater wells operating in considerably more remote and hostile marine environments in the future which must be a significant cause for concern. As production concentrates to unstable countries, most Government’s want to find other solutions, including options that don’t include the pursuit of unconventional oil from fragile marine environments. Unfortunately, it seems that a bigger shove than the Gulf of Mexico disaster is needed.

Nick Owen and Clive Schofield

Severn barrage tidal energy scheme dropped

2010-10-18T16:10:00.000+01:00

The BBC reports that controversial £30bn plans for a Severn estuary barrage tidal energy project have been scrapped.

Supporters had claimed the 10-mile (16km) dam stretching from Somerset to south Wales would produce up to 5% of the UK's energy.
Energy Secretary Chris Huhne said a study had found there was "no strategic case" for the scheme.
Mr Huhne also announced eight potential sites for building new nuclear power stations by 2025.

The Severn is one of the tidal energy hotspots of the world.The Estuary has the second-largest tidal range in the world with 42ft (12.8m) tides.

The feasibility report found it would be difficult to attract private investment and the project represented "high risk". The possibility of the barrage as a longer term option in the future, if market conditions improved, is still a possibility. However, in temrs of generating energy and attracting investment, smaller barges may be feasible to environmentalists and investors by reducing the risks to birdlife and providing less risk intensive investments.

Land, water, sea...sustainability.

2010-10-12T20:19:00.000+01:00

The Sydney Morning Herald recently posted a great article for thought on sustainability and water resources. While it pertained to terrestrial environments and fresh water (or more to the point a lack of it) the article points out the difficulties of finding 'balance' between social, economic and natural systems. The use of the word 'sustainability' has permeated the discourse on environment and resources for decades, and has strived to achieve balance between competing concerns. As stated in the article, sustainability is a dangerous word, but one to which politicians are irresistibly attracted. It has a wonderful ring to it and drips with virtue. Can you think of anyone who would admit to supporting anything that wasn't sustainable? Yet when it comes to the crunch of actually delivering on sustainability, its meaning can evaporate as decision makers struggle in attempts to balance competing views, conserve the environment, or both. Usually it is easier to stick your head in the sand, make a few token gestures and hope the whole thing will go away.

While the article explains the complex and passionate debates surrounding water in Australia, the lesson is the same for the marine environment. How far can we push its limits? Many resources such as fisheries are degraded as are coastal ecosystems - reducing the capacity for those systems to sustain human economies. While this may seem drastic, the evidence is clear - take for example the ruinous state of the Firth of Clyde (in Scotland) a once productive ecosystem that supported multiple whitefish fisheries - now degraded system that supports limited dredge and trawl fisheries for prawns and scallops.

The sustainability of the ecosystem is, in the end, is non-negotiable. It's not a question of being reasonable, of politicians splitting it down the middle and everyone going away grumpily satisfied. It's not even a question of imagining we can put the interests of communities ahead of the ecosystem. Communities are the ecosystem - they link and flow to each other and their fates are bound together. For radical and necessary measures to work, we must take communities with us, but the choice is not a three way race between ecology, society and economy. It lies in the recognition that natural systems have limits, that those systems are important to our wellbeing, and that we must look for long term and bold solutions that restore the ability of those systems to support biodiversity and coastal communities. While we can wax and wane about sustainability as much as we like, the important thing is doing something tangible about it.

2010-10-06T23:06:00.006+01:00

Tagathon is on again!! Support Scottish Sustainable Recreational Fisheries!

2010-10-04T09:45:00.001+01:00

Remember, remember, the 13/14th of November - It's Tagathon 2010

A reminder for all you 'taggers',

Tagathon 2010 is part of the Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network's (SSACN - www.ssacn.org) ongoing campaign to allow the stocks of spurdog and common skate in Lochs Sunart and Etive and surrounding waters to regenerate by protecting their habitats which are thought to be important breeding and pupping grounds.

The event will take place on the weekend 13/14th November and will be based around two main participation centres on Loch Etive and Loch Sunart. Both of the centres will be manned by SSACN volunteers on a daily basis.

To participate simply fill in the form at http://www.tagsharks.com/tagathon-2010; any queries, email us at contact@ssacn.org

As with all SSACN tagging events. Tagathon is a fun event with an equal emphasis put on demonstrating to the local residents the real value of angling tourism to their community, as inshore fish populations could be completely sustainable and of far more value when used to support locally based sport fishing centres.

By doing this it is our sincere belief that “people power” will help us win the argument for greater conservation of inshore fish stocks for the benefit off the majority.

To make this event a success we once again need your help.

Please consider coming along with your mates, boat, kayak and/or your beach casters to help us with this important conservation work.

Thanks and regards

The Tagathon Team

Arctic Sea Ice minimim

2010-09-16T19:50:00.000+01:00

Arctic sea ice appears to have reached its annual minimum extent on 10 September. The trend of decreasing sea ice is continuing, this season the ice extent was the third-lowest in the satellite record, after 2007 and 2008. The image below is courtesy of the National Snow and Ice Data Centre.

The ramifications of decreasing sea ice in the Arctic are important for Arctic states and will have global impacts. Decreased sea ice may open up long sought trade routes 'across the top of the world' for example connecting northern Europe with Japan and China via the Northern sea route across Russia. In addition the retreating ice opens opportunities for oil and gas exploitation, new fisheries, and tourism in the Arctic. The potential economic gains could have major impacts on the Arctic marine ecosystem and northern indigenous communities.

On September 10, 2010 sea ice extent dropped to 4.76 million square kilometers (1.84 million square miles). This appears to have been the lowest extent of the year; sea ice has now begun its annual cycle of growth.
The 2010 minimum ice extent is the third-lowest recorded since 1979. The 2010 minimum extent is 240,000 square kilometers (93,000 square miles) above 2008 and 630,000 square kilometers (240,000 square miles) above the record low in 2007. This is 340,000 square kilometers (130,000 square miles) below 2009. The 2010 minimum is 1.95 million square kilometers (753,000 square miles) below the 1979 to 2000 average minimum and 1.62 million square kilometers (625,000 square miles) below the thirty-one-year 1979 to 2009 average minimum.

For the full report and analysis, including the conditions in their climatic context, see the NSIDC Arctic minimum site.

The Chagos Island dillema continues...

2010-09-14T15:06:00.000+01:00

THe debate on the return of the Chagosian Islanders continues, after a letter (see below) highighted a government turnaround on the policy. The letter signalled that the case scheduled for the European Court of Human Rights would be dropped (where the UK is defending its actions of not returning the Islanders who were forcibly evicted in the 1960's) and a compromise would reached where 'steps would be taken to ensure their return' and a 'just settlement'. However, soon after issue, the the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, claims that that the letter was issued by Dr Cable's constituency office in error, and a new letter will be sent out.

The UK Coalition Government (particularly the LibDens) have previously supported the right of the Chagosians to return, however this also appears to have been ditched. In addition, on the 1 of April decision concerning the establishment of the marine protected area also remains quiet.

The only thing that seems clear at this point is that an internal debate exists within the Government over the decision of whether to proceed with the EU case and the response to the plight of the Chagosians. This may indicate a potential split in the Coalitions ranks over the issue. On the MPA issue - a declaration that this blog did not support on social and sustainability grounds and that clashes with UK marine policy principles - things continue to remain quiet.

We will watch with interest.

Its all about the networks....

2010-09-08T15:37:00.000+01:00

A recent UN study highlights the world should safeguard coral reefs with networks of small no-fishing zones to confront threats such as climate change, and shift from favoring single, big protected areas.

The UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health describe how smaller effective networks of MPAs may be more effective in conservation than large areas - the dominant approach.

Fish and larvae of marine creatures can swim or be carried large distances, even from large protected areas. It is often best to set up a network of small no-fishing zones covering the most vulnerable reefs (or other important habitats or breeding grounds) with catches allowed in between. Closing big zones can be excessive for conservation and alienate fishermen who then ignore bans.

While the research relates to reefs, the lessons are clear irrespective of the habitat to be protected. We must take an ecosystems approach to protection of marine habitats, that takes into account the ecology of the features under protection, and critically, the activities of humans in the system.

Sustainable Seas added to the Top 50 blogs on ocean acidificaiton awareness.

2010-08-18T14:53:00.003+01:00

Sustainable Seas has been added to the 50 Best Blogs Leading Ocean Acidification Awareness (at number 15!) A link to the original site with links to many great blogs is here.

As the ph levels in the ocean drop, ocean acidification takes place. This has happened rapidly in the past three decades and is linked to fossil fuels and cement production. This carbon cycle is comprised of both organic and inorganic carbon, with the latter being the primary culprit. Dissolved carbon dioxide has been found in ocean samples. These blogs are helping raise ocean acidification awareness, which requires rapid change now in order to save our oceans.

Ocean Acidification Awareness Blogs

Learn about ocean acidification from these blogs. Some are by scientists, while others are by concerned citizens looking to improve the state of our planet for future generations.

1. Oceana Blog : This organization aims to protects the oceans of the world and has an extensive blog explaining ocean acidification and preventative measures.

2. Ocean Acidification : This blog has one goal – to educate on ocean acidification and provide facts in a concise manner, making it a must-read for those learning about the subject.

3. Real Climate : This site is about climate change and penned by climate scientists. We love it because it leaves politics alone and focuses on the issues
4. AccuWeather – Climate Change : This climate blog explores several topics, including ocean acidification.

5. Pew Trusts : This non-profit organization examines public policy to improve environmental laws and to make sure they’re enforced.

6. Sea Nursery : This fascinating blog will keep you busy for hours as it explains the importance of taking care of our oceans and how sea life is managing major changes.

7. Deep Sea News : Devoted to the ocean and what we can do to save it. We love it because it’s written in dialogue we understand, making it far more interesting and effective.

8. Oceanic Defense : The name says it all. This blog teaches us that with each decision we make, we’re”either helping or hurting our oceans” and gives us approachable pointers for leading a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

9. EPOCA Arctic 2010 : This blog tracks the 2010 experiment EPOCA is conducting in the Arctic.

10. NRDC : The Natural Resources of Defense Council has this blog which covers all natural resources, but has an extensive set of articles discussing ocean acidification.

11. Ocean Carbon & Biogeochemistry : This site promotes research and study of the ever-changing ocean and shows what the priorities should be for attempting to tame this beast of high CO2 absorption.

12. The Daily Ocean : While many blogs on this list are written by scientists, this one’s penned by a teacher looking to do some good in the world and protect our oceans.

13. Rise Above Plastics : Fossil fuels are where the problem for ocean acidification starts. This blog shows you easy ways to lower your fossil fuel usage by cutting down on gas and plastic consumption for the long run.

14. Eco-Compass Island Press : It’s all ocean talk at this site, which examines the drastic change the ocean is facing due to CO2.

15. Sustainable Seas : While other ocean awareness blogs steer away from politics, this blog is ready to take policies head-on and discusses the effects of ocean acidification from a frank perspective.

16. Fake Plastic Fish : Reduce your plastic consumption and help the ocean. It’ a simple fact that’s further explained at this insightful blog.

17. Who — Ocean Acidification : This serves as an ocean acidification news feed with articles posted from various credible sites around the web.

18. Stanford – Ocean Acidification Virtual Lab This interactive site shows how ocean acidification is taking place and where the ocean ranks on the acidity scale in comparison to battery acid and drain cleaner.

19. EurOceans Films : Check out the 30+ films on ocean and climate change at this informative site.

20. EPOCA Project : This blog is ran by the European Project On Ocean Acidification. The site is available in several different languages and serves as one of the best resources on the web for the topic.

21. Abandon Fear : This blog raises awareness how sharks are quickly adapting and changing their lifestyle due to ocean change.

22. Shark Angels Blog : Ocean acidification is changing the eco system, killing sharks in the process. Check out the archives of this blog to learn more about saving these great creatures.

23. Climate Shifts : It’s all environmental talk at this site, which explores climate change and the state of the ocean.

24. The Reef Tank : This blog aims to save reefs and has several posts over ocean acidification awareness.

25. The Petition Site : Oceana heads up this petition that citizens can sign to enforce lower CO2 emissions in an attempt to slow ocean acidification.

Ocean Acidification Awareness Articles and Videos

Learn more about ocean acidification with these articles from various science publications that are looking to raise awareness on the subject.

26. Mongabay : Read about how stopping ocean acidification could save billions. Includes interesting diagrams that will help you grasp the process of ocean acidification.

27. Science Progress : Take a look at this article, which links to a report by the Royal Society of London on how long it will take to change the ph levels back after the damage we’ve done.

28. Algae Energy : This blog’s all about algae, but you’ll appreciate this article that examines how ocean acidification is changing eco systems for the worst.

29. Science – Ocean Acidification : Read about the various plant life under the sea that is under siege due to ocean acidification.

30. The Other CO2 Problem : This animated short film shows how CO2 is effecting our oceans.

31. Ocean Change and Acidification : A video over the various signals the oceans are sending that is contributing to the change in ocean life.

32. Science Daily – Scientists and Ocean Acidification : This article delves into why scientists are up in arms about stopping ocean acidification.

33. Discover Magazine – Ocean Acidification : You’ll read this lengthy article from start to finish and come out with a better understanding of why ocean acidification must be stopped ASAP.

34. Skeptical Science – Ocean Acid : This site aims to debunk science skeptics. This article picks apart a recent article that tried to ride off ocean acidification as a slight annoyance versus a serious issue.

35. PhysOrg – Rate of Ocean Acidification : See the rapid rate that ocean acidification is wrecking our oceans and marine life.

36. Nature – Ocean Acidification : A quick abstract on ocean acidification and links to resources for further reading.

37. Science Daily – Ocean Acidification and its Effects on Organisms : This eye-opening article will show you how ocean acidification is effecting pivotal organisms under the sea.

38. Northwestern University – Climate Change and the Ocean : This video illustrates how global warming and the ocean are linked.

39. Ocean Acidification : This video displays the changes on the ecosystem courtesy of ocean acidification.

40. NRDC Interview with Philippe Cousteau : An interview with the grandson of the great Jacques-Yves Cousteau, the pioneer of ocean study. This interview concerns ocean acidification and took place to promote the NRDC film on the subject .

41. Bioacid : This German site is looking to raise awareness by displaying their five part research plan for readers to learn from. Each step is dubbed a theme and is accompanied by diagrams, making the ideas easy to follow.

42. Oceanography – Acidification : A bevy of articles on ocean acidification and the consequences can be found at this site.

43. Acidification : This interesting article is short and sweet and explains ocean acidification in a way that’s easy to follow.

44. NRDC – Ocean Acidification Film : If you don’t need ocean acidification broken down to a cartoon, this film from the NRDC touches on the seriousness of the subject and what must be done now to aid our oceans.

45. Cold Ocean Acidification : See diagrams and images of organisms in water with normal ph levels versus those with high acidity.

46. Earth Trends : This 2007 article shows the process of ocean acidification with diagrams that are easy to understand, even if you’re a newcomer to the topic.

47. Ocean Acidification and its Consequences : This informative report is a PDF file available in English and French.

48. Encyclopedia of Earth – Ocean Acidification : A simple, yet thorough article on ocean acidification, plus links to further resources on the subject.

49. Science – Ocean Acidification Box1 : This fascinating article shows the iron theory that could return the ocean’s ph to pre-industrial age levels.

50. Digital Journal : Scientists are adamant about many environmental issues, but this article explains why the science community is going after ocean acidification in a major way.

The Internet has served as an amazing platform for raising ocean acidification awareness. Scientists and environmentalists are able to reach out to the public and work towards a better future for the planet.

Marine consultations in the UK

2010-08-17T17:00:00.001+01:00

Info release from Defra

Please be advised the public consultations and supporting documents on the Marine Policy Statement, the Marine Planning System and Marine Licensing are now live and can be accessed on the following links:

The Marine Policy Statement (UK) will be the first part of new systems of marine planning being introduced around the UK. It will provide the high level policy context within which Marine Plans will be developed, and set the direction for marine licensing and other relevant authorisation systems.

The Marine Policy Statement will be the overarching policy framework for the UK marine area.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/marine-policy/index.htm

The Marine Planning System consultation sets out the marine planning system in England for the new Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and other interested organisations and persons. It aims to provide a context for the Marine Policy Statement consultation by outlining the planning system in England as a whole.

This document is far reaching and, as such, Defra invites the views of all coastal, marine and terrestrial stakeholders who will be affected by this new system. This includes, amongst others, those in the fields of industry, research, nature and heritage conservation, town-planning, regeneration, recreation and tourism.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/marine-planning/index.htm

A new Marine Licensing System introduced by the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 will be launched in Spring 2011. The consultation (England only) sets out policy proposals for the implementation of the new system, covering key aspects including the application process, appeals against licensing decisions, and exemptions.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/marine-licensing-system/index.htm

The summary of responses to the Marine Plan area consultation can be accessed on the following link:

The consultation sought views on the proposed marine plan area boundaries for English inshore and offshore regions and the criteria for selecting the order in which the Marine Management Organisation should begin planning within those regions. A summary of responses to the Marine Plan area consultation can be found on the following link:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/marine-plan/index.htm

‘Special Area of Conservation’???

2010-07-28T07:43:00.004+01:00

The Moray Firth Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is designated ‘west of a line from Helmsdale to Lossiemouth’ and contributes to a network of sites, Natura 2000, set up in response to the EC Habitats Directive (one of the ECs major contributions to the Biodiversity Convention agreed by over 150 countries at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit). It was first proposed for designation in 2006 to help protect the resident population of bottlenose dolphins, which is considered to be rare in a European context. The dolphins live a long time and reproduce slowly, and because the Moray Firth population is relatively small and isolated, it is extremely vulnerable.

There are a lot of stakeholders in the SAC Management Group, which includes representatives from the following ‘relevant authorities’: The Cromarty Firth Port Authority, The Crown Estate, Department of Energy and Climate Change, Fisheries Research Services (Marine Laboratory), The Highland Council, Inverness Harbour Trust, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Moray Council, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Scottish Natural Heritage and Scottish Water. The University of Aberdeen provides independent scientific advice to the group and the Fisheries Association Ltd provided advice on fisheries related issues.

The success of the Management Scheme which maintains this ‘Special Area of Conservation’ depends not just on the Relevant Authorities but on the input and co-operation of everyone with an interest in the Firth. It has therefore been developed through a consultative process, involving a wide range of organisations and businesses and members of the public.

So far so good...but...

Monday 27th July 2010: ‘’...agreement by the UK government to allow two companies to begin seismic surveys in preparation for potential future oil and gas development in the Moray Firth, Scotland has been condemned by groups including the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) as being a decision based on heavily flawed environmental assessments, and one that fails to take into consideration the potential for negative long term impacts on the dolphin population that resides in what is supposed to be a Special Area of Conservation.’’ (Press release by the Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society).

Seismic Suspicions:

Lindy Weilgart from Dalhousie University provided the following case studies:

1. The Bahamas, March 2000 – ‘’ 17 whales were stranded, mainly beaked whales, following 5 U.S. Navy ships transiting the (adjacent) channel using sonar’s. The whales suffered hemorrhaging around brain, inner ears and acoustic fats. The US Navy concluded its “mid-range frequency sonar’s...were the most plausible source of this acoustic trauma”.

2. Canary Islands, September 2002 – ‘14 whales stranded, of 3 beak whale species, all suffering from (symptoms of) decompression sickness. There was reported Naval use of mid-frequency sonar which coincided with the strandings.’

In addition: Seismic air guns damage fish ears 500 m to several km from seismic source and show no recovery after 58 days (McCauley et al. 2003).

There are lots more reports – just go to Google.

So, where’s the law in all this? Well for the offshore area in the UK the ‘Offshore Petroleum Activities (Conservation of Habitats) Regulations 2001’ and the ‘Offshore Petroleum Activities (Conservation of Habitats) (Amendment) Regulations 2007’ are there to protect our marine biology, but there’s a caveat - the Secretary of State can issue a licence for exploration despite the following inclusion in the 2001 Regulations:

‘’ Protection of certain creatures -10. Subject to regulations 13 and 14 below, a person shall not carry out UKCS oil and gas activities in such a way as -
(a) deliberately to kill, capture or disturb any creature in the wild which is a member of any species listed in Annex IV(a) of the Habitats Directive;(b) deliberately to destroy or take its eggs from the wild; or(c) to cause deterioration or destruction of breeding sites or resting places of any such creature.’’ Annex IV of the Habitats Directive lists 'Cetacea: All Species', defined as: 'Animal and plant species of Community interest in need of strict protection'

Confused? Well these are Offshore Regulations and the Moray Firth isn’t exactly ‘Offshore’. So maybe that’s OK then...

To express your opinion you have options:

You can make your views known by notifying The Department of Energy and Climate Change by October 12th via e-mail (marked "Block 17/3 Appropriate Assessment") to;mailto:mfaa.2010@decc.gsi.gov.uk.Or by letter to; Irene Thomson, The Department of Energy and Climate Change, 4th Floor, Atholl House, 86-88 Guild Street, Aberdeen AB11 6AR. Fax: 01224 254019

If you want more information, why not go to:

http://www.morayfirth-partnership.org/work-2-sac.html

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2001/20011754.htm

http://www.wdcs.org.uk/index.php

If you want to support the UK Marine Environment, check out the Marine Conservation Society: www.mcsuk.org/

Nothing in this Blog post is original, so thanks to the authors for making it possible.

The flipside of marine renewables...

2010-06-15T10:50:00.002+01:00

The final post from our Marine Resources students, Jirina Stehlikova:

Switching the kettle on in the morning or using a car for commuting - we need energy for everything. We take it for granted. We can’t see the consequences - for example mines, power stations and even the exhaust gas produced by an engine is ‘invisible’. Fossil fuels are not infinite and need to be substituted.

Burning fossil fuels produces CO2 which is blamed for global warming but there are controversial opinions about energy options such as biofuels. First of all, deforestation in order to grow rapeseed or palm oil for biofuel is responsible for releasing CO2 into the atmosphere again. Is this ‘saving the planet’ when introducing monocultures and reducing biodiversity is the result? What will happen to the communities and ecology.

On top of that, what is the point of planting crops for biofuels when there is so many people starving and food security is a major issue? Does the sea and it resources hold the key?

Scotland has enormous potential in generating offshore-wind, tidal or wave power. The government and the EU are legislating to make use of renewable energy and by 2020 the target is for about 50% to be sourced from renewable sources. Building the sites and producing energy should bring also jobs to coastal regions and help rural economies through energy employment.

However, there is a question what will happen to productive and biodiverse coastal zones after putting these initiatives into action. How it will be in case of farming seaweed for biofuels? How this is going to influence the environment? What about the possible erosion after the harvest? Even putting power-stations of any kind away to the ocean may not necessarily be a good thing – the consequences are largely unkown. Another problem to solve is the efficiency of tidal or wave energy plants.

The question is: wouldn’t it be better to investigate the other side? How we can cut down the amount of energy we are using? Changing society or people’s thinking is a long-term goal - we need to move towards consideration of future generations and options for a clean energy future and have energy efficiency at the heart of any strategy.

– LEGISLATORS AGREE GLOBAL MARINE RECOVERY STRAGEGY TO ADDRESS COLLAPSE OF WORLD FISHERIES

2010-06-09T16:29:00.001+01:00

London, Tuesday 8th June, On World Oceans Day 40 senior Members of Parliament from 15 key fishing nations and regions, including Japan, US, Europe, Canada, Indonesia, Mexico and Brazil agreed a Global Marine Recovery Strategy on world fisheries intended to reverse the decline of global fisheries. The legislators were advised by the world’s leading scientific and policy experts who presented a bleak outlook for fishery stocks if immediate political action was not taken.

The meeting was organised by the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment, (GLOBE) to challenge the current international political failure to address the rapid decline of global fisheries stocks. The legislators each pledged to advance the Strategy through their respective parliaments and participants included the former UK Biodiversity Minister, Barry Gardiner MP, the Chair of the European Parliament Fisheries Committee, Patrao Neves Maria MEP, the Vice President of the Brazilian Senate, Senadora Serys Slhessarenko, the Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian Upper House, Representative Laode Ida, the Chairman of the South African National Assembly Committee on Fisheries, Mlungisi Johnson. The Chair of the United States Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, Senator Maria Cantwell and Committee Member Senator Daniel Inouye both submitted addresses to the meeting and offered their support for the Strategy.

The GLOBE Fisheries Commission Chairman and former UK Biodiversity Minister, Barry Gardiner MP, said, “Due to the failure of existing international political processes to address the collapse of global fisheries, GLOBE, has convened legislators from the world’s major fishing nations and those countries most affected by current policies.

“The science is clear we must act now and we must act decisively and today as parliamentarians from fishing nations we have agreed a package of far reaching measures. We begin today to advance this strategy through our parliaments and into our governments. Ultimately, this Strategy offers a sustainable future for those that depend on fisheries for their livelihoods, be it for food or employment. If we do not act we will see the collapse of fish stocks over a very short period of time.”

‘Since the industrialisation of fishing in 1950s, global fish stocks have been dramatically decreasing. Thirty percent of fish stocks have already collapsed, with other high profile species, such as the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna rapidly approaching extinction in whole areas of our oceans. As the oceans are a global common good, it is essential that there is a coordinated response by the world’s key fishing nations to restore the marine environment to a healthy and productive state.”

The Strategy set out the following Priority Actions:

Parliamentary Legislation
• Ratify and adopt robust implementing legislation for all existing UN and FAO international fishery agreements.
• Redirect inappropriate fishing subsidies into programmes that improve fisheries management.
• Implement flexible rights-based management schemes for both coastal and high seas fisheries.
• Prevent fisheries authorities from setting catch limits above scientific recommendations.
• Involve the fishing industry in data collection and co-management of fisheries.
• Mandate environmental impact and stock assessments for all commercially fished species.
• Integrate fisheries and environment policy within government.
• Provide economic incentives for industry initiatives to source legal and sustainable fish.
• Introduce legislation to ban the import and domestic trade of illegally-caught fish (e.g. US Lacey Act).
• Implement a ‘Cap and Restore’ approach for all severely depleted fisheries.
• Adopt modern MPA network targets to propel domestic implementation of MPAs that link in to national and regional networks, alongside comprehensive fisheries management outside of protected areas.

Regional Cooperation

RFMO Members
• Review and reform of RFMO conventions to promote sustainable, ecosystem-based management of marine biotic resources.
• Construct new RFMOs or expand existing RFMOs to manage species and areas currently unmanaged.
• Implement UNFSA requirements for a precautionary, ecosystem-based approach.
• Agree new RFMO rules that prevent decision-making bodies from setting catch limits above scientific recommendations.
• Incentivise RFMO membership by linking it to capacity-building assistance, and agree economic sanctions against non-compliant states.
• Establish RFMO mandates for all flag states to ensure their vessels carry tamper proof monitoring and surveillance equipment.

Coastal and Port States
• Increase and harmonise sanctions against illegal fishing and transhipment vessels across coastal and port states in key regions.
• Establish regional agreements for sharing data on fishing activities and resources for monitoring and enforcement, especially in developing country coastal and port states.
International Actions
New Agreements
• Mandate the UN to review and monitor RFMO performance based on existing benchmark standards for RFMOs in the UNFSA.
• Support the development of a multilateral and enforceable agreement on fishing subsidy reform within the World Trade Organisation.
• Require all fishing and reefer vessels to carry unique identification, such as IMO numbers.
• Hold non-compliant states accountable using the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea.
• Adopt modern MPA network targets to propel the creation of marine reserves and networks globally.
• Investigate a new Global Framework Agreement for Marine Spatial Planning in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
New Multilateral Institutions
• Continue and increase support for the International Monitoring Control and Surveillance Network, expanding its mandate to conduct and coordinate global high seas fisheries intelligence-gathering.

The Luddites Lament

2010-05-25T16:30:00.001+01:00

If, contrary to all modern trends, we were to adopt the opening stance that the profits of the ‘fruits de mer’ should be distributed as widely as to afford its ‘fruit pickers’ a fair living – we might chose to distribute that wealth through the medium of jobs, such that we would look to marine management systems that delivered the maximum sustainable employment, as well as the maximum sustainable yield.

Unfortunately, the unstoppable march of the machine has produced such hi-tech vessels, capable of gargantuan catches with just a hand full of operators, that even these jobs are vulnerable as their catching efficiency threatens the long-term viability of the stocks. These vessels are far beyond the means of mere mortals, so behind their helms sits a bevy of bankers looking for a quick return on their investors money, with little concern for maximum sustainable yields, and even less for maximum sustainable employment.

In search of a management regime that could protect jobs as well as stock, I have long been intrigued by the luddite tendencies of the Port of Truro oyster fisheries, where dredging is only allowed under sail. Could such draconian management systems protect stock levels, maximise employment potential, as well as providing a spin off benefit to the tourist industry? Perhaps there could be long line fisheries from rowing boats, lobster fisheries where only hand hauled pots were allowed, or shallow scallop grounds restricted to free diving? Or maybe we should consider the electronic fishing aids - how about banning ‘fish-finders’ from pelagic fisheries?

Such artificial measures applied across the market place might be able to increase the market price and hence the profitability and employment potential of a fisheries sector, though such a system would seem more suited to the un-mechanised fisheries of the developing world. It may be unrealistic to think that such restricted fisheries could ever be economically viable in competition with more mechanised fisheries, however, with low licence costs, low initial investment (no banker cut), limited competition, increased stocks and specialised niche marketing -perhaps such fisheries management systems could prove to be profitable and even find a toe hold in our ‘winner takes all’ system.

Posted: Owen Kilbride, H2 Marine Resources

Is the Oil Spill the Final Nail in the Coffin for Bluefin Tuna?

2010-05-10T16:55:00.002+01:00

This is the first post from our undergraduate students, Kirsty Hill, in the H2 Marine Resources course at the Scottish Associaiton for Marine Science. Every year we give the students an opportunity to post a blog to raise awareness about different marine issues.....

The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has raised concerns for the already crucially endangered Atlantic bluefin tuna stock. The impact of this environmental hazard has again, highlighted the fears for the levels of stock of this highly sought after fish. At present, the gulf is an important spawning site for the fish and the tuna larvae will be highly susceptible to the toxic effects of the oil. The spill is estimated to be churning out oil into the ocean at a rate of 210,000 gallons per day.
This area of the Gulf region is thought to be especially attractive to bluefin tuna because of the long, flat continental shelf which then flows into a dramatic slope. The warm currents that enter the area produce eddies that create perfect spawning conditions for the fish. This areas, however, happens to also be a favourable area for deep-sea oil drilling
The tuna appear in this area at this time of year for only about a month. It is not only bluefin that may be affected by the spill, but an estimated 600 other marine species may be at risk and could continue to be for months until the oil can be contained.
Bluefin tuna are already at serious risk of permanent extinction with the population already down to just 10 - 15% of originally recorded spawning biomass levels. This has stemmed from overfishing, especially in Japan, as their meat is sought after for sashimi and other delicacies.
The eventual repercussions will depend on several interlinked variables that can include the weather, ocean currents, the properties of the oil involved and the success or failure of the frantic efforts to stifle the flow and reduce its effects on the environment.
Not only does this raise issues for the ecosystem but also for the implications of deep-sea oil drilling. This is just the beginning of the clear up and we may not know the final outcome for many years to come.

UK election and a hung parliament.

2010-05-07T17:01:00.004+01:00

I apologise that this is not directly related to sustainable seas...well...actually it may well be. The future of democracy in the UK, and the ability to deliver represtative and democratic governance is at the heart of our marine reforms. Participatory action and decision making is at the heart of marine spatial planning, estbalishing MPAs, and implementing a national, regional and local vision for the sea that leads to concrete practical action - support by effective government. This is an important chance to reform the system of governance for all citizens and by extension, our ability to govern human use of the sea.

So read on....

-----------------------------------------------
George Monibot - THe Guardian
General election 2010: Grasp the opportunity for reform

So now the real fight begins. If, as seems almost certain, we are to have a hung parliament, the UK's locked-down politics has suddenly been flung wide open. For the first time in living memory, we have a chance to smash our antediluvian system. If we can seize the opportunity a hung parliament offers, to deliver proportional representation and party-funding reform, we will change politics in the UK for ever.

Now we have the chance to be counted: metaphorically and literally. Our votes need never be wasted again.

But it won't happen by itself: nothing ever does. We will change this system despite most of the men and women who have just taken seats at Westminster, not because of them. Radical constitutional reform will happen only if we demand it, so loudly and so doggedly that parliament and government, whatever their composition might be, can no longer fend us off.

The fight starts tomorrow, with rallies in London, Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol, Middlesborough, Oxford and possibly other cities. It is being coordinated by the kind of wide-ranging coalition we've needed for years, as almost all the major reform campaigns – Power2010, Make Votes Count, Unlock Democracy, the Electoral Reform Society, Ekklesia, Compass, Hang 'em, Vote for a Change and others – have settled their differences and come together. (The only name missing from the list is 38 Degrees, which appears to have decided that its real enemies are other democracy campaigns.) Most encouragingly, some of the big environment groups – Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, the New Economics Foundation – have joined the coalition, knowing that much of what they hope to achieve is impossible under the corrupt old system. Greenpeace and FoE bring mass membership to the campaign, and their presence should encourage other NGOs to join.

So, now the UK has its own colour revolution. The colour is purple (my call for ginger sadly bit the dust). A few hours ago, at midnight, the coalition launched its site – www.takebackparliament.com – and this time, we're not expecting someone else to jump. In 1997, political reformers assumed they had got the result they wanted, and waited for the new government to reform our rotten system, as it had promised to do in opposition. And waited…

Now we aren't waiting any longer. Patience at times like these is no virtue. We'll beat down the doors of parliament until it gives us a fair, representative system, which is governed by the political choices of the whole nation, not just those of a few thousand swing voters in tight constituencies.

If you want your vote to count in future – in fact, if you care about any political outcomes – join up. It's the first chance we have had in generations. And it could be the last.

New report highlights decline in UK fisheries

2010-05-04T18:12:00.004+01:00

A new report in the journal Nature Communications has highlighted the massive increase in effort needed to maintain UK fisheries and the significant decline of stocks against historical benchmarks.

Figures gathered by the UK government since 1889 showed fishing vessels today have to work 17 times as hard to land the same number of fish as they did in 1889. The data suggests technological developments in the fleet and their movement to new fishing grounds enabled them to fish further, deeper and faster – masking the decline in UK waters. The study calculated the "landings of fish per unit of fishing power", comparing the effort put in with the amount of fish caught.

Overall, the UK trawl fishing fleet landed twice as much fish in 1889 than it does today, the researchers from the University of York and the Marine Conservation Society said. Landings peaked in 1937 - when the catch was 14 times what it is today.
Improvements in technology and movement to new fishing grounds masked severe declines in fish stocks.

The report highlights that some species populations were only 1% or 2% of historically levels. The crash has been huge for some species - with the rate at which halibut were being caught declining 500 times and haddock by more than 100 times. Both species have declined by more than 99%, while hake and ling declined by more than 95% and cod have fallen by 87%, the researchers said.

As the move to reform the EU Common Fisheries Policy gathers pace, it is critical the the emphasis be on restoring stocks to previous productive and diverse levels - levels that sustain communities AND marine ecosystems.

The full paper can be read here.

US Oil spill

2010-04-30T14:32:00.005+01:00

The consequences of oil extraction along the US coast have dramatically risen as the oil from a massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico is beginning to wash ashore near the mouth of the Mississippi. The slick is threatening wildlife along Louisiana's islands and barrier marshes, and is potentially catastrophic to the productive ecosystems and fisheries in the region.

Yesterday the coastguard said up to 5,000 barrels a day were flowing into the sea, five times the rate previously estimated after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig last week. President Obama, who said yesterday that BP was "ultimately responsible" for the spill, and the joint chiefs of staff are being briefed regularly on the situation.

Fingers of oil began reaching the Mississippi river delta late last night, lapping the shore in long, thin lines. Thicker oil was expected today. Fears are growing that the oil slick could become the nation's worst environmental disaster in decades, threatening to eclipse the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill. Hundreds of species of fish, birds and other wildlife are in danger along the Gulf Coast – one of the world's richest seafood grounds. For updates see the Guardian environment blog.

Sustainable Sea's awarded reccomended reading medal by the Reef Tank..

2010-04-21T15:53:00.000+01:00

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New report: Social and Economic Objectives for a Scottish Marine Plan

2010-04-14T23:27:00.003+01:00

What are the social and economic challenges facing marine governance? How do marine plans incorporate social concerns, economic challenges and structure indicator systems. How do we revolutionise 'stakeholders' into 'contributors' and change the dynamics of coastal conflicts?

Recently Ruth Brennan and Tavis Potts from the Scottish Association for Marine Science published a timely report for Marine Scotland on establishing Social and Economic Objectives for marine planning. The report goes into detail about international, EU and Scottish policy drivers for marine governance with a focus on the social, economic, cultural and governance dimensions. It is a timely report that takes on board a critical (but often unexplored) issue: how to place people and communities at the heart of the marine planning process.

The report is downloadable for free from the Marine Scotland website.

The Chagos declaration and UK High Level Marine Objectives

2010-04-07T15:06:00.006+01:00

Governments like to talk about marine sustainability. It’s a process we all support, in particular the idea of setting clear objectives and principles that outline our approach to oceans governance. But what happens when we apply these principles to the actual processes, 'on the ground'?

Recently the Foreign and Commonwealth Office declared, a no-take marine protected area in the Chagos archipelago, in the heart of the Indian Ocean (called the British Indian Ocean Territory). This move received support and condemnation. Support has come from primarily the conservation sector that has endorsed the principle of establishing a no take zone in the unspoilt and pristine Chagos region. Condemnation has arisen due to the fact that the FCO decision has principally ignored the human rights issue at the centre of the debate – that a native population was forcibly removed from Chagos, and to this day, wishes to return, but is repeatedly blocked by the UK government, partially due to geopolitical interests that revolve around a US airbase that is present on the main island, Diego Garcia.

In my opinion (one voice among many) the declaration represents several problems: prescriptive neo-green colonialism, a lack of recognition of the human element of marine conservation, ignoring the principles of sustainability that links social and ecological systems, and a fundamental issue of human rights - principles that the UK has supported and endorsed in many fora.

In 2009, the UK released Our Seas A Shared Resource: a series of 'high level objectives' for UK seas. The objectives 'steer Administrations and the public in (joint) achievement of sustainable development in the marine area. In relation to Chagos and other territories, the principles 'underpin the UK approach to negotiation and implementation of European and international marine policy'.

While the declaration satisfies the ecological side of the objectives, it fundamentally ignores several key objectives, agreed by all administrations, concerning social outcomes. They include:

Ensuring a strong, healthy and just society
• The use of the marine environment is benefiting society as a whole, contributing to resilient and cohesive communities that can adapt to coastal erosion and flood risk, as well as contributing to physical and mental wellbeing.
• There is equitable access for those who want to use and enjoy the coast, seas and their wide range of resources and assets and recognition that for some island and peripheral communities the sea plays a significant role in their community.

Promoting good governance
• All those who have a stake in the marine environment have an input into associated decision-making.

The supporting consultation identified that a significant proportion of responses challenged the notion of a no take MPA without discussing the human rights issue at its heart. The final declaration by the FCO however, makes no mention of this issue. The social part has simply been ignored. This has serious ramifications the high level principles....are they just a paper exercise?

On a final note...the Declaration of the Chagos MPA comes at a time when governments are rushing to meet international targets to create linked marine reserves by 2012. One would hate to think this was a cynical exercise in dramatically increasing the size of the 'UK' marine reserve estate, particularly when establishing MPA's around the UK coast is such as difficult and complex exercise. Whatever the case may be, all the High Level Marine Principles should be central to decision making and governance...that is, after all, why they were developed.

Is spatial planning for salmon on the agenda?

2010-03-26T12:58:00.003Z

A recent BBC report highlights potential marine spatial planning issues ahead for farmed salmon. In recent comments, the Salmon and Trout Association states that a list of sites protected from fish farming development is needed to preserve wild stocks in Scotland.

A recent report prepared by the STO said a review of scientific research suggested parasites and pollution caused by excrement from farmed fish were killing wild salmon and sea trout. The body has called on the Scottish government to help with the list.

The Scottish Salmon Producers' Organisation (SSPO) said farming was not to blame for wild fish declines with Technical director Dr John Webster said global warming was mainly responsible for falling numbers.

Chief executive Paul Knight said the list of "ultra sensitive" sites where fish farms should not be built in the future was needed urgently.

This is clearly another issue that will fall within the remit of the recently passed Scottish Marine Act (2010) and could fall under the remit of a Scottish National Marine Plan or Reginal Marine Plan. Coastal regions will be planned in the next 2 to 3 years through stakeholder driven processes, but the actual means of devleoping plans has not been finalised. The issue of spacially allocated areas for salmon farming will no doubt be one of the many marine issues raised in the planning process. Work has already been in place for discussing and planning a common approach through the tripartite working groups established in 2002. Interstingly the Salmon and Trout Assoc. was not a member of this forum. A successor to the working groups is currently being planned.

Bluefin Tuna voted down

2010-03-19T08:23:00.003Z

Nations in CITES has voted against the listing of Bluefin Tuna onto Appendices 1, despite the actions of Monaco, the EU and the US. Strong lobbying from Japan swayed many poor nations into a vote against the proposal.

This is a disappointing development for Bluefin stocks that are estimated at 10-15% of original biomass and facing heavy fishing for export to sashmi markets. Management actions will remain in the international organisation ICCAT and with national governments that have failed to restore stocks.

This does open the door to more market oriented approaches targeting consumers, and much more work now remains to be done in easing pressure on, and restoring Bluefin stocks in the face of significant pressure from the fishing industry and nations in favour of fishing down this endangered species.

The full report is here.

Further comments and analysis welcome and we'll be posting these in the next few days.

A critical vote for Bluefin Tuna....

2010-03-15T10:56:00.009Z

In the next few days. the Convention in international Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, will vote on listing the endangered Bluefin Tuna onto 'Appendices 1' - the highest level of protection afforded to species that essentially bans commercial trade except for strict scientific purposes. The treaty, among 175 countries, provides an enforceable tool to prevent the depletion and eventual disappearance of species subject to trade. It limits or prohibits international trafficking in plants and animals that are at risk owing to such trade. If populations recover and sustainable use can be demonstrated, restrictions may be removed.

The debate at the latest meeting in Doha has centered on a move to impose a total ban on the fishing of bluefin tuna. Numbers of the fish have plummeted in the past decades with estimates of up to 90 percent of Atlantic stocks being lost as the result of over fishing. Reports range between 18% and 28% of Atlantic bluefin remaining in the sea others estimate that there are fewer than 10% remaining from historical levels. The best hope for the Bluefin is to be put on the CITES Appendix I list of worldwide trade banning.

The move, tabled by Monaco, is being fiercely contested by Japan, where 80 percent of the world’s bluefin tuna is consumed. The EU and the US have (somewhat surprisingly) unified behind the proposal. In Japan, Bluefin is the mainstay of the high grade sashimi industry, with prices for a single fish able to reach upwards of $100,000.

Other species including several sharks and polar bears are on the agenda at CITES. Eight species of sharks will be considered for a Appendices 2 level of protection that does not ban trade but requires export permits once trade is confirmed to be legal and sustainable. As many as 73 million sharks are killed every year for their fins. This will be an important step in pushing towards systems that can monitor and conserve shark species.

This is a critical weekend for marine conservation and the potential use of a non fishery management approach to regulate a commercial marine species. It is a radical approach - taking fishery management from regimes that have failed to restore stocks, and moving it to a broader system based on regulating trade - it may be the Bluefin tuna's last chance.

The Chagos Dilemma

2010-03-04T18:42:00.003Z

We all like to discuss, debate, and move towards sustainable seas - its a given and in many cases we have a clear vision of what we are aiming for. However...sometimes the language of sustainability can be confusing, or when it comes down to specifics on the ground, the idea of a 'ecological - economic - social' balance or 'trade-off' can lead us to the messy reality of how do we actually implement sustainable seas?

One clear example is the issue facing the Chagos Islands or what it became: the British Indian Ocean Territory. The history of this difficult and socially myopic affair is illustrated in this BBC report.

This past cold war affair has led to a messy reality for the Chagos Islanders living in poverty in nearby Mauritius. Despite being allowed to return in 2000, this was overturned by the British Government in 2004. Now the debate has turned again to marine conservation.

The region is quite simply a marine paradise. It is a healthy, dynamic, stunning ecosystem - a group of isolated coral islands teeming with wildlife which is considered to be among the least polluted marine locations on Earth. It is clearly a candidate for environmental protection - and is supported by many groups.

While certainly a place that should be considered for protection - and the economic benefits protection can achieve - including sustainable fisheries - any conservation project cannot move forward without the support of the local community, or in this case, be isolated from the social dimension. The equity of restoring a people's homeland AND ensuring that it is protected in the way that they see fit and that works for them, is at the heart of sustainability thinking. In this case social justice and ecological sustainability need to work hand in hand and the reality of what this means needs to be acknowledged.

A final note: one must question why there is a debate on establishing an MPA in the Indian Ocean? Should not the focus be on establishing MPAs around the (inadequately protected) UK coasts and seas first?

2010-02-14T13:52:00.001Z

The European Parliament has backed proposals to ban the trade in bluefin tuna in a bid to prevent the stock from being fished to extinction.

The vote in favour of a trade ban comes as the EU attempts to create a common position ahead of the upcoming CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) meeting in Qatar, on 13-25 March which will discuss the fate of more than forty endangered species including sharks and bluefin tuna.

Ultimately, it will be for national governments to decide the EU’s negotiating position at the CITES conference, based on a proposal from the EC. The European Commission has yet to submit a proposal, because its fisheries and environment departments have been split over a tuna ban; at the moment, 23 of the EU’s 27 member governments have come out in favour of a ban, including France and Italy.

However, MEPs want traditional fishing boats to be exempt from the trade ban and also called for EU money to be made available to crews that lose out from the ban; unsurprisingly, commercial fishing interests say “a trade ban would be illogical and unreasonable”.

For more details: http://media-newswire.com/release_1112350.html

and the EU Parliament debate.

Scottish Marine Bill passed unanimously

2010-02-09T17:19:00.002Z

The Scottish Marine Bill was passed unanimously last Thursday by Members of the Scottish Partliament (MSPs). Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead described it as a "momentous" day for the Scottish marine environment, stating that "Our first Marine Bill marks the beginning of a new era for our seas." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8499466.stm

The main measures in the Bill, which was passed by MSPs yesterday afternoon, include:

A National Marine Plan to give greater clarity to decision making in the marine environment and encourage investment
A simpler licensing system to cut bureaucracy and introduce efficiencies to encourage economic investment and growth
New powers to select and manage Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to enhance marine biodiversity and preserve historic assets
Improved protection for seals, including a comprehensive licence system and tougher penalties for those who harm seals
New responsibilities for safeguarding the health of all Scottish waters out to 200 nautical miles (nm) - in addition to responsibility for marine planning out to 200 nm

Convenor of Scottish Environment LINK Marine Task Force, Calum Duncan particularly welcomed “the duty to protect and enhance our seas, a marine planning system that includes environmental targets and a duty to deliver a network of marine protected areas.”

The National Marine Plan will designate Scottish marine regions and regional plans in order to devolve the implementation of regional marine spatial planning to partnerships made up of local stakeholders and local authorities.

Alaska pollock fishery recommended for MSC recertfication

2010-01-14T16:45:00.002Z

The Alaska pollock fishery has been recommended for MSC recertification as part of a mandatory 5 year review of its original approval in 2005 as a sustainable and well-managed fishery. The recertification assessment, which has been carried out by the certification body, Moody Marine, and a team of three independent experts, is now open to public comment. There has already been stakeholder consultation as part of the re-assessment process and the report has been peer-reviewed by 2 independent experts. The fishery has been evaluated and approved on 3 MSC principles: the sustainability of the fish stocks; ensuring the structure, productivity, function and diversity of the ecosystem on which the fishery depends; and the effectiveness of the fishery management system to respond to changing circumstances and maintain sustainability. Many environmental NGOs are opposed to the fishery's recertification, claiming that it is overfished and has by-catch problems.

Scottish Government calls for CFP to be scrapped

2010-01-05T12:05:00.002Z

The Scottish Government has called for the Common Fisheries Policy to be scrapped rather than reformed in its response last month to the European Commission's Green Paper on the reform of the CFP. Scottish ministers wish to see national control of fisheries restored to Member-States and have adopted the return of such decision-making powers to Scotland as their guiding principle throughout the debate on the future of the CFP which will take place during 2010 and 2011.

The Commission's Green Paper offered countries the opportunity to set out their principles on European fisheries policy in a consultation that ended on 31 December 2009. In its response (www.scotland.gov.uk/cfp), the Scottish Government has set out its vision for Scotland to manage her own seas and to deliver improvements for Scotland's fishing fleets and fish stocks through managing stocks in partnership with other nations who share those stocks.

Measures spelled out in the Scottish Government response include:

management measures to end discards
co-management of Scotland's seas with industry and marine stakeholders
management measures aligned with marine environmental and planning objectives
a model that respects each country's historic fishing rights and prevents quota being sold to other countries

Looking at "Life outside the CFP", the Scottish Government's response points toNorway, a country with a population similar in size to Scotland, as an example of a country which sucessfully manages its fisheries outside the CFP - Norway engages in bilateral negotiations with the EU and is able to establish joint management of stocks based on "equal partnership".

The report states that the Government's response has been informed by stakeholder and public consultation, which has revealed the following themes which the Government believe must be addressed inorder to achieve meaningful reform:

decision-making delegated to those closest to the fishery
changes to fisheries management to bring about an end to discards
efforts of Member States and stakeholders to manage fisheries recognised, encouraged and incentivised
improvements to the data underlying fisheries management decisions.

The SNP's call for the scrapping of the CFP has been dismissed by Liberal Democrat fisheries spokesperson Liam McArthur as "just more pointless grandstanding" (www.fishingnews.co.uk 25 December 2009).