International Marine Conservation Summit 2020 International Marine Conservation Summit 2020

International International Marine Marine

Conservation Conservation Summit 2020Summit 2020

Reviewing progress since the International Year of Biodiversity -2010

Statistics

Fishing rates currently over 2.5 times greater than the sustainable level

Statistics

Statistics

Recovering

Sea Bass

StatisticsBy 2048 – ALL species currently fished for as food will collapse

Tuna

Atlantic Cod

Sward F

ish

Salmon

CausesTechnological advancements

Advanced Tracking

Bigger Nets

Faster Ships

CausesTechnological advancementsToo many fleets

o Over 4 million commercial fishing vessels in 2005 Unfair Fisheries Partnership Agreements

o Allow foreign fleets to over fish in the waters of developing countries

Pirate FishingBycatchDestructive techniquesLack of conservation

Consequences

Consequences

Fisho Decline in Population

o Possible extinction of specie

Food Chaino Decline in species higher up the food

chain

Consequences

Food Chaino Decline in species higher up the food

chain Including:

Consequences

Dolphins

Sea Otters

Sea BirdsWhales

Seals

Food Chain

o Humpback whales in Canada's Bay of Fundy appear to be suffering from lack of food due to competition with fishing fleets for herring (wwf)

ConsequencesHumpback

WhalesCase-Study

Food Chaino Decline in species higher up the food chaino Greater number of smaller organism – those

previously eaten by commercial fisho Decline in some species further down the

food chain as fishing fleets and larger predators change their target catch

Consequences

Humanso 1 in 5 people rely on fish as their main source of

protein o World’s poorest suffer mosto 200 million people world wide rely on the ocean for

their lively hoodo Over fishing by large international corporations leave

local fishermen without fish

Consequences

Food ChainConsequences

Newfoundland Case-Study

For centuries was a thriving fishing town In the early 1990s, the fishing industry

provided employment for 110,000 people

Food ChainConsequences

Newfoundland Case-Study

“Waters so rich that one had only to let a basket into the water and it would be filled with cod”

Mid 1950s – 1980s experienced mass over fishing

Food ChainConsequences

Newfoundland Case-Study

o 1992 – Cod fishery officially declared collapsedo 40,000 people lost their jobs overnighto A further 70,000 became unemployed as a resulto Canadian government spent billions in relief

packages o A Great Bank cod fishing moratorium was

implemented immediately – this ban has continued on and off ever since

o 28 years later – Cod still not recovered

Food ChainConsequences

Newfoundland Case-Study

Humanso Annual global economic loss as a direct result of over

fishing -- $36 Billion o Annual global economic loss when potential economic

gain from wider industry (distributors, supermarkets, boat builders etc) is taken into consideration -- $72 Billion

o Loss from non-industrial use of ocean -- $45 Billion Including:

• Whale-watching• Diving• Sports fishing

o Mass unemployment

$$

SolutionsSolutions

Ecosystem-Based Management

o Improve Fishing Managemento Reduce the impact of fishingo Develop and support sustainability

Three Goals:

Improved Fishing Management

Marine Protect AreasLike National Reserves… except for the sea

A protected area in which no fishing is permitted

Fish Responses to Marine Reserves

Marine Reserves Increase Fish Biomass

Since the IYB2010 2020

~ 5, 000 MPAs around the world

~ 9,000 MPAs

8% of world’s oceans protected

10% of worlds oceans protected

Target 11: By 2020, at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well connected systems of protected areas

Kenya: Case-Study

Reduce Impact

Bycatch – Definition Organisms not of the target species that are caught and killed unintentionally during fishing

BycatchIn total, 1 in 3 fish caught is wastedEvery year 29 million tons of fish,

seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals are killed and discarded into the sea as incidental or unwanted by-catch

Wasted

BycatchIs the single largest cause of cetaceans

mortalityHas pushed dozens of species to the point

of extinction

Over 300,000 small whales, dolphins, and porpoises

100 million sharks20 percent of the seafloor fauna and flora over

which a trawler has passedAround 100,000 albatrosses

Annually kills

Ratio of intended catch to bycatch

1:20

Bycatch by Gear Type

SolutionsSetting bait hooks in longline fishing nets

below 100mPingers

Electro-acoustic devices attached to nets – alert cetaceans to the presence of the net – less likely to become tangled

SolutionsCircular Hook – reduces turtle deathsChange in hooks on long nets – has

drastically reduced death of sea birds

Bycatch

Since 2010Change in fishing gear70% of costal states have banned dynamite

fishing in their waters

Since 2010Change in fishing gear70% of costal states have banned dynamite

fishing in their watersStrong movement away from trawlers

Since 2010Change in fishing gear70% of costal states have banned dynamite

fishing in their watersStrong movement away from trawlers (20%

less)Encouragement of scuba-fishing especially

for shallow water shrimp and lobster. Regulations on net size – allows infant fish to

escape

Develop and Support

Sustainability

Fish Farming2010 -- Provided one-third of the fish people

consumed2010 -- worth US$58 billion globally2020 – worth US$70 billion globally

Farmed

Mass of Farmed Seafood

Year

Sea

food

fro

m F

ish

Far

ms

(mt)

Types of Fish Farming

In the Ocean

Types of Fish Farming

On Land

Types of Fish Farming

NEW A

GE

Acidification of Acidification of the OCEANthe OCEAN

1. Atmospheric carbon dioxide is absorbed into the ocean

2. This CO2 combines with seawater (H2O) to form carbonic acid (H2CO3), lowering the pH and thus making it more acidic

3. This raises the concentration of hydrogen ions in the water hence decreasing the concentration of carbonate ions making it harder for organisms to obtain carbonate ions which are needed for them to build shells.

Process of acidification

What is it? What is it? As the name implies acidification

of the ocean refers to the phenomena of lowering pH in the ocean.

How it HappensHow it Happens Acidification of the ocean occurs

when CO2 in the atmosphere is absorbed into the ocean

Carbonic AcidCarbon Dioxide Water

CO2 is being absorbed into the worlds oceans at a rate of over 22 million tons per day.

StatisticsStatistics

22,000,000

Tons/Day

CO2 is being absorbed into the worlds oceans at a rate of over 22 million tons per day

¼ of human induced CO2 emissions are absorbed into the ocean

Statistics Statistics

Absorbed

CO2 is being absorbed into the worlds oceans at a rate of over 22 million tons per day

¼ of human induced CO2 emissions have been absorbed into the ocean

Ocean surface pH dropped approximately 0.13 between 1750 and 2000:

Statistics Statistics

8.25 8.12 1750 2000

CO2 is being absorbed into the worlds oceans at a rate of over 22 million tons per day.

¼ of human induced CO2 emissions have been absorbed into the ocean

Ocean surface pH dropped approximately 0.13 between 1750 and 2000:

This constitutes a 30% raise in ocean acidity since pre-industrial times

Statistics Statistics

StatisticsStatistics

“ “This rate is 100 times faster than any change in ocean acidity in the last 20 million years”(Thomas Lovejoy, former chief biodiversity advisor to the world bank)(Thomas Lovejoy, former chief biodiversity advisor to the world bank)

Downward SpiralDownward Spiral

CO2 released into atmosphere

¼ absorbed into oceans

Oceans become acidic & therefore corrosive

Lowers carbonate saturation

Organisms shells corrode and dissolve

Without protection these species quickly decline

Entire food chain affected

It is harder for calcareous organisms to make their shells

Acidification continues and water become corrosive

Mass extinction

Dead Seas

ConsequencesConsequences

Millions of marine species build shells for themselves using calcium (Ca) and carbonate (CO3) molecules from seawater.

However, increased acidity results in a decrease in the availability of carbonate molecules and hence it becomes increasingly difficult for these organisms to build their shells.

Low AcidityHigh Acidity

Acid

Carbonate

Water

ConsequencesConsequences

They have less able to do other activities such as feed and reproduce

decline in population of species

ConsequenceConsequence: : they must spend more energy on making their shells

ConsequencesConsequences

Greater ThreatGreater Threat

Even after 250 years of acidification Even after 250 years of acidification pH is still greater than 7 – the water pH is still greater than 7 – the water is alkali is alkali

However… if pH < 7 water becomes However… if pH < 7 water becomes corrosive corrosive

Shells will actually dissolve

Affected OrganismsAffected OrganismsInclude:Include:

Sea Urchins

Calcareous phytoplankton

Mussels

Coral

Coral ReefsCoral Reefs

Coral ReefsCoral Reefs

Take Millions of Years to form Home to ¼ of marine species Extremely sensitive to change in pH Require very high amounts of carbonate to build

skeletons

Acidity = corrosion of coral

Already being seen in most reefs around the world. Left unaddressed will result in extinction of coral.

Acidity = corrosion of coral

The loss of coral reefs will be devastating for both the biodiversity of this planet and the millions of people who rely on them for a living and protection

Where we standWhere we stand

Cold water coral reefs are almost entirely goneCold water coral reefs are almost entirely gone Coastal communities in such places as Kenya, Coastal communities in such places as Kenya,

the Caribbean and Fiji are suffering as tourism the Caribbean and Fiji are suffering as tourism has decreasedhas decreased

Where we standWhere we stand

For the last 2 decades coral reefs have been For the last 2 decades coral reefs have been declining at an alarmingly fast rate and if the declining at an alarmingly fast rate and if the current trend continues will completely gone current trend continues will completely gone in less than 25 yearsin less than 25 years

Polar Polar RegionsRegionsFirst Affected

● Acidification is particularly high in the polar oceans because gas dissolves more easily into cold water

Polar SeasPolar Seas

● Effects already beginning to be seen

Polar SeasPolar Seas: 2010: 2010

Polar SeasPolar Seas: 2010: 2010● Calcareous phytoplankton – an

important species at the bottom of the food chain – declining because of acidification

Polar SeasPolar Seas: 2010: 2010

● Terrapod shells in arctic dissolving● First signs of dead oceans

Polar SeasPolar Seas: 2010: 2010

Where We StandWhere We Stand

Despite the Aichi targets CO2 Despite the Aichi targets CO2 emissions have continued to rise since emissions have continued to rise since 2010 and reached an all time high in 2010 and reached an all time high in December of 2017. December of 2017.

In last 2 years – COIn last 2 years – CO22 emissions/capita emissions/capita begun to decline due to:begun to decline due to:• LegislationLegislation• Improved farming techniques Improved farming techniques • Implementation of renewable energyImplementation of renewable energy

Where we StandWhere we Stand

However: CO2 still greater than in 2010

Global CO2 Emissions

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020

Where we StandWhere we Stand

However: CO2 still greater than in 2010 Levels still too high to stop ocean

acidification

SolutionsSolutions

Preserve

Coral Banks Coral Banks - Take samples of coral - Take samples of coral species to be preservedspecies to be preserved

Preserve

AquariumsAquariums Creates desire within population for ocean Creates desire within population for ocean

preservationpreservation Allow people to see what no longer exists Allow people to see what no longer exists

in the wide in the wide

Preserve

Unfortunately these actions do not solve the Unfortunately these actions do not solve the problem.problem.

However, they do ensure that species will survive However, they do ensure that species will survive for future generations to see as well as medicinal for future generations to see as well as medicinal purposespurposes

Reduce CO2

Acidification can only be Acidification can only be prevented by reducing prevented by reducing atmospheric COatmospheric CO22

Reduce CO2

2010 CO2 Emissions 2010 CO2 Emissions

Air 2%

2010

Solutions

Renewable Energy SourcesRenewable Energy Sources

Changing the way we get energy has been a key Changing the way we get energy has been a key factor in reducing global CO2 emissionsfactor in reducing global CO2 emissions

International International Marine Marine

Conservation Conservation Summit 2020Summit 2020

Thank-Thank-youyou