A review of assessment methods for river hydromorphology

The work leading to this paper has received funding for the EU’s FP7 under Grant Agreement No. 282656 (REFORM

Global Impacts Report 2017

Our fifth Global Impacts Report reflects on the progress of the MSC over the past 20 years, examines the sustainability performance of certified fisheries around the world and highlights areas of future interest

Carting Away the Oceans 9

The Carting Away the Oceans report, released annually since 2008, identifies which major grocery chains are leaders in sustainable seafood and which are falling behind.The findings are telling.In the latest update, Whole Foods, Wegmans, Hy-Vee, and Safeway topped the list for their sustainable seafood practices. Roundy's, Publix, A&P, and Save Mart were the worst ranked companies. Publix and Kroger, both top ten supermarkets based on their annual sales, sell more Red List species than any other U.S. grocery chain.Applauding industry leaders and exposing those lagging behind is key to getting supermarkets to take responsibility and play their part in protecting our oceans and the people who depend on the

Trawl-induced Damage to Sponges Observed From a Research Submersible

Three experimental trawl paths subjected to a single pass with the trawl in 1996 in about 200 m of water on the eastern Gulf of Alaska continental shelf were revisited in July 1997, 1 year post-trawl. Many large, erect sponges, the taxa impacted most significantly, had been removed or damaged by the trawl. Sponges in the cold, deep water of the Gulf of Alaska were slow to recover from trawling effects. These findings contrast with recovery times for shallow, warmwater sponges and may have fishery management implications for cold-water regions

The 10-tenets of adaptive management and sustainability: an holistic framework for understanding and managing the socio-ecological system

The three basic principles of sustainable development, relating to ecology, economy and society, have long been embedded within national and international strategies. In recent years we have augmented these principles by a further seven considerations giving rise to the so-called 10-tenets of sustainable management. Whilst theoretically appealing, discussion of the tenets to date has been largely generic and qualitative and, until the present paper, there has been no formal and quantitative application of these tenets to an actual example. To promote the concept of successful and sustainable environmental management there is the need to develop a robust and practical framework to accommodate value judgements relating to each of the tenets. Although, as originally presented, the tenets relate specifically to management measures, they may also be applied directly to a specific development or activity. This paper examines the application of the tenets in both of these contexts, and considers their incorporation into an assessment tool to help visualise and quantify issues of sustainability

How One California Aquarium is Developing an Ocean Conservation Strategy with Global Impact

This article discusses the ways in which the Monterey Bay Aquarium is pursuing its mission “to inspire conservation of the ocean”—including and beyond its visitor programs and education initiatives. The Aquarium is reshaping the global seafood supply chain by integrating its scientific research with the Aquarium’s growing influence in ocean policy. With the world’s life-sustaining aquatic ecosystems in decline, there is no time to lose

Ocean acidification: summary for policymakers

This paper presents a summary of the state of knowledge on ocean acidification.Summary of outcomes:The ocean continues to acidify at an unprecedented rate in Earth’s history. Latest research indicates the rate of change may be faster than at any time in the last 300 million years.As ocean acidity increases, its capacity to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere decreases. This decreases the ocean’s role in moderating climate change. Species-specific impacts of ocean acidification have been seen in laboratory and field studies on organisms from the poles to the tropics. Many organisms show adverse effects, such as reduced ability to form and maintain shells and skeletons, as well as reduced survival, growth, abundance and larval development. Conversely, evidence indicates that some organisms tolerate ocean acidification and that others, such as some seagrasses, may even thrive. Within decades, large parts of the polar oceans will become corrosive to the unprotected shells of calcareous marine organisms. Changes in carbonate chemistry of the tropical ocean may hamper or prevent coral reef growth within decades.The far-reaching effects of ocean acidification are predicted to impact food webs, biodiversity, aquaculture and hence societies. Species differ in their potential to adapt to new environments. Ocean chemistry may be changing too rapidly for many species or populations to adapt through evolution.Multiple stressors – ocean acidification, warming, decreases in oceanic oxygen concentrations (deoxygenation), increasing UV-B irradiance due to stratospheric ozone depletion, overfishing, pollution and eutrophication – and their interactions are creating significant challenges for ocean ecosystems. We do not fully understand the biogeochemical feedbacks to the climate system that may arise from ocean acidification. Predicting how whole ecosystems will change in response to rising CO2 levels remains challenging. While we know enough to expect changes in marine ecosystems and biodiversity within our lifetimes, we are unable to make reliable, quantitative predictions of socio-economic impacts. People who rely on the ocean’s ecosystem services are especially vulnerable and may need to adapt or cope with ocean acidification impacts within decades. Shellfish fisheries and aquaculture in some areas may be able to cope by adjusting their management practices to avoid ocean acidification impacts. Tropical coral reef loss will affect tourism, food security and Katharina Fabricius shoreline protection for many of the world’s poorest people.Authors: Wendy Broadgate, IGBP; Ulf Riebesell, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany; Claire Armstrong, University of Tromsø, Norway; Peter Brewer, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, USA; Ken Denman, University of Victoria, Canada; Richard Feely, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, NOAA, USA; Kunshan Gao, Xiamen University, China; Jean-Pierre Gattuso, CNRS-UPMC, Laboratoire d’Océanographie, France; Kirsten Isensee, IOC-UNESCO; Joan Kleypas, National Center for Atmospheric Research (Climate and Global Dynamics), USA; Dan Laffoley, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Switzerland; James Orr, Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et l’Environnement, France; Hans-Otto Pörtner, Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany; Carlos Eduardo de Rezende, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminese, Brazil; Daniela Schmidt, University of Bristol, UK; Ed Urban, SCOR; Anya Waite, University of Western Australia; Luis Valdés, IOC-UNESCO

Sea of Distress: The Foodservice Industry, Ocean Health and Seafood Workers

This report is Greenpeace's first assessment of foodservice companies, a $700 billion industry feeding millions of people every day who dine outside the home.Unfamiliar to many, companies like Sysco, US Foods, Performance Food Group, Compass Group, Aramark, and Sodexo work to feed people in K-12 to university university cafeterias, corporate dining halls, restaurants, sports arenas, amusement parks, hospitals,  and home. These companies provide food and services for many clients from Disney World to Walmart, Google, Yosemite National Park, Red Lobster, and even the U.S. Congress.This report identifies which major foodservice companies are leaders in sustainable, ethical seafood and which are failing. The findings indicate foodservice companies are failing millions of consumers on sustainable, ethical seafood.Sodexo, Compass Group, and Aramark, topped the list for their sustainable seafood practices; however, each company received a low passing score and must work hard to improve its operations. Each of the remaining 12 profiled companies failed, including Sysco, U.S. Foods, Performance Food Group, Delaware North, and Centerplate.Several companies procure destructive and potentially unethical canned tuna from Thai Union Group (owner of Chicken of the Sea), including Sysco, Compass Group, Gordon Food Service, and Shamrock Foods. Many companies have questionable records regarding their treatment of U.S. workers and respect for labor rights, and must do more to guarantee any seafood they provide is not implicated in labor or humans rights abuses.Applauding industry leaders and exposing those lagging behind is key to getting foodservice companies to take responsibility and play their part in protecting our oceans and the people who depend on them

Oceanus.

v. 28, no. 1 (1985