Oceans Presentation

Oceans

Rob MillsFebruary 23rd, 2010

What Are Oceans?

Souce: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/bathymetry/predicted/explore.html

Major Problem Areas

• Pollution• Overfishing

– Fish Population– Bycatch– Dredging/Trawling

• Whaling• Global Warming• Mineral/Gas Exploitation

Framing the Ocean

Source: http://www.thekepka.com/Painting%20Photos/ocean-mist-big.gif

Major Frames

– Geopolitical Framing– Economic Framing– Strategic Framing– Survival Framing– Cultural Framing– Environmental Framing– Aesthetic Framing

OCEANS ARE INTERNATIONAL

and legally complicated!

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

• Signed by 21 (U.S.) • Not Signed by 18• Ratified by everyone

else.

Source: http://www.un.org/Depts/los/reference_files/chronological_lists_of_ratifications.htm

Defining the Territory

• The UNCLOS (from now on, LOS) seeks to define the littoral (LOL) “territory” of the ocean– Territorial (12 miles) – Nations Laws– Contiguous (12-24 miles) – Pollution Laws– Exclusive Economic Zone (200 Miles)– International waters (200+ Miles)

Section V

Exclusive Economic Zone

“1 (a): Sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring and exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources, whether living or non-living, of the waters superjacent to the seabed and of the seabed and its subsoil, and with regard to other activities for the economic exploitation and exploration of the zone, such as the production of energy from the water, currents and winds”

Source: http://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/closindx.htm

Section XI

Use of International Waters

-aka- Resource Exploitation

“Activities in the Area shall, as specifically provided forin this Part, be carried out in such a manner as to foster healthy development of the world economy and balanced growth of international trade, and to promote international cooperation for the over-all development of all countries, especially developing States, and with a view to ensuring…”


Section XII

Protecting the oceans (sort-of)

Article 193: States have the obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment.

Article 194: States have the sovereign right to exploit their natural resources pursuant to their environmental policies and in accordance with their duty to protect and preserve the marine environment.


Section XII

Protecting the oceans (actually)• Vessel / installation pollution (dumping, toxic

runoff, ballast)• Control runoff• Obligation to work with regional partners• Reporting / Monitoring


Rhetorical Treaties

• Understanding law is key to effective advocacy

• International nature of Oceans• Shows us a lot about the way the ocean is

framed• LOS is a salient political issue, especially

regarding ratification in the US• The treaty itself is a rhetorical artifact

JUST KEEP SWIMMING

or “17 trillion California Rolls to go, please”

“Fish Stocks” Are Declining

Pew Research Center

claims that, if

overfishing doesn’t stop,

we will see the complete

collapse of fisheries by

2048.

Source: Pew Center, 2008 http://www.oceanlegacy.org/pdfs/ocean-conservation-2008.pdf]

Fishing Related Threats

2/3 of Greenpeace’s “Ocean Threats” are related to fishing

• Overfishing• Factory Fishing• Bottom Trawling• Bycatch• Fish Farming• Pirate Fishing

Source: http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/campaigns/oceans/threats

Fishing Kills Fish, Surprisingly

Pew Center claims that in the last 50 years of industrial fishing large predatory fish populations (sharks, swordfish, tuna) have decreased 90%.

Image Source: http://www.earth-policy.org/index.php?/indicators/C55/

http://www.earth-policy.org/index.php?/indicators/C55/

Fishing Kills Non-Fish

• Sponges• Coral• Whales• Plankton • Ocean Fauna

Aquaculture

• “Fish Farming” – Introduces messed up species into the oceans that

out compete native species– Does reduce our involvement with trawling– Helpful for Developing Nations– Viable and sustainable alternative to fishing

PETA: Save the Sea Kitten!

DON’T YOU LOVE WHALES?

I actually think they’re pretty ugly. Dolphins too. I prefer SharKat.

Americans Love Whales

Despite Monstro in Disney’s Pinnochio, Americans seem to love whales.

They’re smart, non-threatening, big, mysterious. Save the whales.

International Whaling Commission

• International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling – 1964

• 1986 Moratorium on Whaling (Japan, Norway, Russia, and Peru)

• “Scientific Whaling” Licenses

US Enforcement

• IWC has no enforcement arm• US Packwood-Magnuson and Pelly

Amendments• Japan Whaling Association v. American

Cetacean Society (1986)• Winter v. Natural Resources Defense

Council, Inc. (2008)

Threats to Whales

• Whaling• Bycatch• Environmental Destruction• Boats• Low Frequency Active Sonar (LFA)

Current Whaling

• Explicit Commercial Whaling (2009): – Iceland: 38 Minke Whales– Norway: 536 Minke Whales

Source: http://www.iwcoffice.org/conservation/table_objection.htm

• “Scientific Whaling” (2009):– Japan Only– 1 Fin, 2 Sperm, 100 Sei, 50 Bryde’s, and 851

Minke WhalesSource: http://www.iwcoffice.org/conservation/table_permit.htm

Aboriginal/Subsistence Whaling

• Allowed under the IWC: – W. Greenland: 14 Fin, 153 Minke– E. Greenland: 1 Minke– St. Vincent/Grenadines: 2 Humpback– Russia: 130 Gray, 2 Bowhead– United States: 50 Bowhead

Source: http://www.iwcoffice.org/conservation/table_aboriginal.htm

Whale Advocacy

• “Save the Whales” Campaign• Whale Wars• Environmental Terrorism• South Park• “Dolphin Free Tuna” (also whale free,

please)• Whale Watching

Education

Oceans Presentation