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 he ocean is one of the Earth's great "commons."
Coral reefs, kelp forests, and other ecosystems of the sea not only support
dolphins, sea turtles, albatrosses and other marvelous creatures. They also
provide essential "goods and services," such as fish, minerals,
waste conversion and even the moderation of our climate.
 Creating sustainable fisheries and
reducing overfishing, which scientists have identified as the most serious
threat to marine biodiversity, are key priorities in protecting the world's
oceans. Some fisheries have been managed sustainably, but many others have
not. About 70 percent of the world's major fisheries are either fully exploited,
depleted, or recovering from depletion. In the United States, overfishing
and habitat degradation have left many fish populations unable to produce
maximal yields. Thousands of jobs and millions in revenue are lost as a
result.
In relatively well-managed fisheries
there is often a poor understanding of fishing's effects on marine biodiversity
and ecosystem health. Fish are vital components of marine ecosystems. Overfishing
can have profound unintended effects, ranging from algal blooms that can
destroy coral reefs to the starvation of seabird chicks that depend on fish
for survival.
To halt and prevent overfishing,
we need continued advances in the scientific understanding of fishery management
and improved conservation goals and we must hold resource managers accountable
to these goals. We must also replace the strong existing incentives to overexploit
with equally strong incentives to conserve.
Managing fisheries will always be
an uncertain art, despite such exciting advances as the ability to predict
El Niño events, the discovery of long-term cycles in ocean circulation
and productivity and better understanding of how marine ecosystems function.
Because of the complexity of these ecosystems, the high level of natural
variation of the ocean, and limited funds for research, uncertainty will
remain. |
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EDF is advancing a promising hedge
against uncertainty: the idea of "no-take" marine reserves, in
which fishing is banned a kind of underwater wildlife refuge. No-take reserves
reduce economic pressures to overfish, protect marine ecosystems and, ultimately,
increase fishery yields. Stock assessments and projections of fishing effort
are often wrong, but no-take reserves will protect fish populations and
habitats. Models and catch limits protect "paper" fish; marine
reserves protect real fish.
The critical need is for networks
of no-take marine reserves, analogous to wildlife corridors on land. No-take
marine reserves can yield dramatic benefits, including increased fish abundance,
often by several-fold and sometimes within just a few years. No-take reserves
also tend to contain more large fish, because in areas that are open to
fishing, fishermen often target the largest fish first. Having a diversity
of ages and sizes, including plenty of older, larger fish, appears to be
critically important for many fish species. Big fish produce many more eggs
than small fish; for example, it takes about 200 small adult snappers (typical
of a heavily fished population) to produce as many eggs as one large snapper.
Well-designed marine reserves should enhance fisheries in adjacent waters
by exporting both baby fish and older fish.
Effective no-take marine reserves
are also needed on the high seas and in the territorial waters of other
countries. Although there are more than 4,500 protected marine areas, they
cover far less than 1 percent of the ocean's surface, and most are relatively
ineffective because of lax enforcement and weak public support. Few are
closed to fishing; in fact, to win fishing industry support, many so-called
marine sanctuaries were set up under implicit or explicit agreements to
impose few limits on fishing.
EDF is working with fishermen, other
environmental organizations, scientists, SCUBA divers, and community leaders
of all types to build support for creating networks of no-take marine reserves.
This scientific concept is ready for prime time. |
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The authors of this article are leaders
in the effort to establish no-take marine reserves.
As President of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science at the 1997 AAAS meetings, Lubchenco called
for setting aside 20 percent of the world's ocean areas as permanent biological
preserves.
Fujita has advocated marine reserves
in the United States since 1990 and helped establish a no-take reserve in
the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. He is working with a broad coalition
in California to develop and pass legislation that would mandate the creation
of a network of marine reserves.
EDF recently organized a series of
marine reserve workshops in major coastal areas of the United States. Dr.
Bill Ballantine, who pioneered the establishment of marine reserves in New
Zealand, led the workshops, which were hosted by local environmental groups,
dive organizations, business associations, and others in New England, Newfoundland,
Florida, California, and Oregon.
Ballantine, who is professor of marine
ecology at the Leigh Marine Laboratory, University of Auckland, New Zealand,
won the prestigious Goldman Award for his work on marine reserves.  |
Dr. Rod Fujita is a marine
ecologist with Environmental Defense Fund's Oceans program, and EDF Trustee
Dr. Jane Lubchenco is professor of marine biology at Oregon State University.
A subscription to the bimonthly EDF LETTER (an 8-page newsletter with photographs and postage-free Member Response Form) is included with annual membership. (Regular membership is $24 per year; student, senior, and limited income rate: $10 per year. Outside USA: $35 per year. Contact EDF Membership at 257 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010; (202) 387-3525; fax: (202) 234-6049; email: members edf.org; www.edf.org |
