Overfished and Under-protected Human effects on global fisheries and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

E N V R 6 1 0 : F O U N D A T I O N S O F E N V I R O N M E N T A L P O L I C Y P E T E R G . B R O W N M A R K G O L D B E R G T O M N A Y L O R D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 3 A L E X L Y N C H

Overfished and Under-protected

Human effects on global fisheries and the regulation and management efforts

Thomas Henry Huxley (1883)

“The cod fishery, the herring fishery, the pilchard fishery, the mackerel fishery, and probably all the great fisheries, are inexhaustible: that is to say that nothing we do seriously affects the number of fish. And any attempt to regulate these fisheries seems consequently, from the nature of the case, to be useless”

Source: Graham M., 1943

Sail was replaced by steam powered vessels in 1880s

Introduction of Trawling 18th century Development of Factory Trawling 1940s The application of war technologies to fisheries

Significant Points in History

Source: Holm P., 2012

Source: FAO 2005

Total Global Fishing Effort (1950–2010)

Source: Anticamara et al, 2010

— 15% low or moderately

exploited

— 53% fully exploited — 28% overexploited — 3% depleted — 1% recovering from depletion

Source FAO 2010

Food and Agriculture Organization: The Status of Fishery Resources 2010

Comes from three data sources 1) Biomass Estimates 2) Stock Status Reports 3) Catch Data Limitations

• Only represents 80% of global fish stocks
• 13% -32% of global catch data is unreported
• 8% of catch is discarded (no commercial value, over quotas)
• Illegal fishing efforts unaccounted for

Factors of Changing Global Fish Stocks

— Overcapacity – Fishing Effort — Institutional Framework — Ecosystem Overfishing — Alteration/Destruction of Marine Habitat — Pollution — Introduced Species — Global Climate Change

¡

Ocean Acidification

¡

Coral Reef Collapse

Overcapacity of the Global Fishing Industry

Overcapacity, i.e. too many fishing boats for the volume

• f fish that can be caught

— 2.1 million powered fishing vessels around the world

(FAO 2009)

— Needs to be cut by 40% to meet sustainable yield — Consequences

¡ Excessive impacts on marine ecosystems ¡ Competition for limited resources

— Causes

¡ Government subsidies ¡ Lack of clearly defined property rights

Source: (Watson et al., 2012)

Global Fishing Industry Subsidies

— As much as one-quarter of total industry revenue

comes from subsidies

¡ Work Bank estimates $14-20 billion dollars annually

— Subsidies create fishing capacity

¡ Examples: Fuel subsidies, boat construction renewal, etc.

— Reduced fishing costs à Increase in profit à

Incentive for participationà Overcapacity

Source: Sumaila, 2003

Global Marine Fisheries Institutional Framework

— International Marine Organization

¡ Oversee safety of fishing vessels

— Food and Agriculture Organization and the World

Bank

¡ Provide management advice ¡ Collect data

— Regional Fisheries Management Organizations

Regional Fisheries Management Organizations

1) Manage fish stocks by region 2) Manage migratory fish species, mainly tuna Source: FAO, 2010 Exclusive Economic Zones

• 200 Nautical Miles
• Sovereign Rights

Limitations to Current Management Scheme

— Regional Fisheries Management Organizations

¡ 1) Regional whereas the problem is global ¡ 2) Only regulate fishing effort ¡ 3) Based on where the fish are, not the fishing effort ¡ 4) Compliance

— Fail to address overcapacity of the industry — Can create overcapacity through the “Balloon Effect”

Source: Barkin, J.S. et al. 2013

Rebuilding Global Fisheries

— Gear Restrictions — Area Closures — Catch Shares — Subsidy Reduction — Total Allowable Catch Reduced — Reduction in Quotas — Undermined by:

¡ Illegal and unreported catches ¡ Fishing effort shift to developing world

Source: Worm et al., 2009

Conclusion

— sustain verb [<L. sub-, under + tenere, hold] 1. to

keep in existence: maintain or prolong 2. to provide nourishment for 3. to support; carry the weight 4. to endure; withstand

— consume verb [<L. com-, together + sumere, take]

• 1. to destroy, as by fire 2. to use up (time, money etc.)
• 3. to eat or drink up

Source: Gyenis A., 2004

References

—

Anticamara J.A., Watson A., Gelchu D., Pauly, Global fishing effort (1950–2010): Trends, gaps, and implications, Fisheries Research Volume 107, Issues 1–3 2011 131 – 136, Retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2010.10.016

—

Barkin S. J., 2013, International Fisheries Governance that Works: The Case for a Global Fisheries Organization, Governance and sustainability issue brief series, Retrieved from: http://cdn.umb.edu/images/centers_institutes/center_governance_sustain/Issue_8.pdf

—

Food and Agriculture Organization, 2010, The State of the World Fisheries and Aquaculture, Retrieved from:http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/aquaculture/docs/ aquaculture_docs/2010_fao_state_of_world_fish_aq.pdf

—

Food and Agriculture Organization, 2007, Future Prospects for Fish and Fishery Products, Retrieved from: http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/ah947e/ ah947e00.HTM

—

Graham M., The Fish Gate (London 1943), p 111; see also T. H. Huxley, “The Herring,” Nature (London), 1881.

—

Gyenis, A., 2004, Sustainable Consumption, Retrieved from: http://www.wordsareimportant.com/sustainable.htm

—

Holm, P., 2012, World War II and the Great Acceleration of North Atlantic Fisheries, Retrieved from: http://www.globalenvironment.it/holm.pdf

—

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Exclusive Economic Zones, Retrieved from: http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/generalinfo/eez.htm

—

Sumaila, U. R., 2003, A fish called Subsidy. Science and the Environment, 12(12). Online, available at: http://www.downtoearth.org.in/fullprint.asp. Last accessed August 25, 2006.

—

Watson et al., 2012, Global marine yield halved as fishing intensity redoubles, Fish and Fisheries, Retrieved from http://www.seaaroundus.org/researcher/ dpauly/PDF/2012/JournalArticles/GlobalMarineYieldHalved.pdf

—

Worm et al., 2009, Rebuilding Global Fisheries, Science, Retrieved from: http://wormlab.biology.dal.ca/ramweb/papers-total/Worm%20et%20al. %202009_Science.pdf

Thank You

Source: SMH, 2009