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by Brian Halweil on September 21, 2007
The most inspiring thing I’ve read lately about the oceans is “10 Solutions to Save the Ocean,” a series of short, upbeat, and to-the-point essays in the latest issue of Conservation magazine.
Featuring such oceans luminaries as Daniel Pauly of the University of British Columbia’s Sea Around Us Project and Carl Safina of the Blue Ocean Institute, the essays neatly capture the major threats facing the planet’s marine life. And they honestly describe the relatively simple solutions that can diffuse those threats—assuming that politicians, the fishing industry, and seafood companies can muster the will.
Consider this idea: alter harvesting laws that encourage fishers to go after the biggest fish. Based on assumptions that protecting small, juvenile fish is the best way to protect a fish population, fishing regulations often set a size limit under which fish cannot be caught. But marine scientists now realize that the bigger fish are the most effective breeders, and current regulations are leading to schools of fish of ever-declining age, size, and sexual maturity, which could cause fishery yields to dropby as much as 50 percent within only a few generations.
Among the other low-hanging fruit: give microloans to women in poor coastal communities, make fishers take responsibility for bycatch through tradeable permits, eliminate fuel subsidies to fishing fleets, establish international ocean zoning, and mandate simple modifications to fishing gear that dramatically reduce unwanted catches of turtles, sharks, seabirds, and other species (but which aren’t used because they cost a bit more and aren’t required).
For a detailed assessment of these and other threats to ocean life, check out Worldwatch's latest release in parnership with Greenpeace International's oceans campaign, Oceans in Peril: Protecting Marine Biodiversity, released on Tuesday.
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Marine
Marine scientists should turn their attention on pollution and hunting of endangered sea species .
Marine Reserves--and then some organic food on the side...
Hi, Brian.
I'm actually a student in the Earth Systems program at Stanford. I've been trying to find your contact info, although I could just ask Julie or Deana. But then I saw your blogs and got intrigued. I'm in a class (with Prof. Terry Root) that takes general audience questions about environmental issues and, like Dear Abby or Ask Umbra, tries to answer them in a nonbiased, informative, and interesting way. I have to answer the question of how we can make organics (or even better, local sustainable foods) affordable to low-income families--an issue your posts and other people's posts have missed. Please let me know the best way to contact you because I'd love to talk about the practicalities of distributing organic/local-and-sustainable foods.
And to make this more of a blog rather than an email--what are your thoughts on marine reserves as one of the solutions for curbing overfishing? I've seen some good evidence that, when done properly (i.e. with sound science and involving all stakeholders), reserves can have enormous benefits, but they're so new that not enough time has passed yet for us to tell definitively.
thanks!
overpopulation
Present the overpoplation issue in terms of being the macho "in" thing to do.
1-2-child families should be the "sexy" image: <2 children can become richer and better caretakers of parents than large poor families. Providing healthy food and clean water for 1-2 children is easier. Both Parents and children have better opportunities, and longer, more interesting lives in small families.
Look at rich families for examples; they usually have 1-2 better educated, richer children and build more successful communities.
CHILDREN, PARENTS, FAMILIES, LOCAL COMMUNITIES, STATES, AND NATIONS HAVE BETTER LIVES WHEN FAMILIES ARE SMALL. CONDOMS BOTH SAVE LIVES AND MAKE LIVING STANDARDS BETTER.
ALSO: feature the wide assortment of contraceptive methods available today; make it T H E image to be succeasful with a 1 child family.