On the Management of Blue Marlin and White Marlin in the Atlantic: Implications for Foreign Longlining and Domestic Sportsfishing

The twentieth century has wjtnessed the exponential growth of world-wide populations, and with it the over-exploitation of previously abundant resources. The limits inherent in terrestrial food production have necessitated increased utilization of wor1d marine resources. Improved technology has enabled fishing fleets to harvest with a level of efficiency that in many cases has endangered the existence of commercial fishstocks. In the northwestern Atlantic, the price of ever-increasing harvesting has been the near decimation of several species. Haddock, herring and bluefin tuna are only a few stocks which have suffered from over-fishing. Blue marlin and white marlin are two species which have similarly been exploited with greater and greater frequency, but for very different reasons. Being large, predatory fish that are often found in association with yellowfin and other tunas, marlin are susceptible to being caught as by-catch in fisheries primarily directed at tuna. That the incidental by-catch of non-tuna species on longline is in high proportion to total catch is not news, but that this incidental catch might seriously affect fishstocks is only now becoming apparent. In fact, until L .J. Hoey presented his dissertation on the composition of longline by-catch, virtually nothing was known about how longlining activities in the north Atlantic might be affecting the ecology of the region

Coral decline threatens fish biodiversity in marine reserves

The worldwide decline in coral cover has serious implications for the health of coral reefs. But what is the future of reef fish assemblages? Marine reserves can protect fish from exploitation, but do they protect fish biodiversity in degrading environments? The answer appears to be no, as indicated by our 8-year study in Papua New Guinea. A devastating decline in coral cover caused a parallel decline in fish biodiversity, both in marine reserves and in areas open to fishing. Over 75% of reef fish species declined in abundance, and 50% declined to less than half of their original numbers. The greater the dependence species have on living coral as juvenile recruitment sites, the greater the observed decline in abundance. Several rare coral-specialists became locally extinct. We suggest that fish biodiversity is threatened wherever permanent reef degradation occurs and warn that marine reserves will not always be sufficient to ensure their survival

Taking climate-smart governance to the high seas

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ)—the BBNJ Agreement—was adopted in 2023 and subsequently signed by nearly 90 nations (1). This agreement calls for integrated approaches to high seas governance (2) and tools to sustain ocean ecosystems, such as marine protected areas (MPAs) and strategic environmental assessments (3). Although highly protected areas can be effective in conserving marine biodiversity in specific locales, in the face of a changing climate, comprehensive climate-smart marine spatial planning (MSP) (4, 5) must be pioneered in the high seas to deliver long-term resilience of all marine ecosystems and species. At their May 2024 meeting, Parties to the Antarctic Treaty can consider climate-smart MSP and seize an opportunity to demonstrate a collaborative approach to ocean management in ABNJ

Ocean planning in a changing climate

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Key components of sustainable climate-smart ocean planning

Planning of marine areas has spread widely over the past two decades to support sustainable ocean management and governance. However, to succeed in a changing ocean, marine spatial planning (MSP) must be ‘climate-smart’— integrating climate-related knowledge, being flexible to changing conditions, and supporting climate actions. While the need for climate-smart MSP has been globally recognized, at a practical level, marine managers and planners require further guidance on how to put it into action. Here, we suggest ten key components that, if well-integrated, would promote the development and implementation of sustainable, equitable, climate-smart MSP initiatives around the globe

A concept for biological valuation in the marine environment

In order to develop management strategies for sustainable use and conservation in the marine environment, reliable and meaningful, but integrated ecological information is needed. Biological valuation maps that compile and summarize all available biological and ecological information for a study area, and that allocate an overall biological value to subzones, can be used as baseline maps for future spatial planning at sea. This paper provides a concept for marine biological valuation which is based on a literature review of existing valuation criteria and the consensus reached by a discussion group of experts

A sustainable ocean for all

Welcome to the opening editorial of npj Ocean Sustainability. This new interdisciplinary journal aims to provide a unique forum for sharing research, critically debating issues, and advancing practical solutions to achieve ocean sustainability. The ocean and people are deeply interconnected. Thus, decision-makers require integrative, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary knowledge to design solutions and approaches based on the multitude of visions for what a sustainable ocean entails. For that reason, the journal recognizes the benefits of knowledge pluralism and equally welcomes research from natural and social sciences; from marine ecology to Indigenous Studies; from the legal, policy, and management sciences to medical sciences, to arts and humanities. We acknowledge the fundamental need to understand and integrate the environmental and human dimensions into ocean research and management to effectively ensure long-term sustainable ocean use and conservation. We also acknowledge that while the ocean is “one” from a biophysical standpoint, there is a “plurality” of values and relationships between humans and the ocean, emerging from multiple geographical and historical specificities that need to be accounted for

Transforming Management of Tropical Coastal Seas to Cope with Challenges of the 21st Century

Over 1.3 billion people live on tropical coasts, primarily in developing countries. Many depend on adjacent coastal seas for food, and livelihoods. We show how trends in demography and in several local and global anthropogenic stressors are progressively degrading capacity of coastal waters to sustain these people. Far more effective approaches to environmental management are needed if the loss in provision of ecosystem goods and services is to be stemmed. We propose expanded use of marine spatial planning as a framework for more effective, pragmatic management based on ocean zones to accommodate conflicting uses. This would force the holistic, regional-scale reconciliation of food security, livelihoods, and conservation that is needed. Transforming how countries manage coastal resources will require major change in policy and politics, implemented with sufficient flexibility to accommodate societal variations. Achieving this change is a major challenge – one that affects the lives of one fifth of humanity