The Future of the Ocean Planet

A Metaphor for Our Times “Tragedy of the Commons” An article that used the metaphor of a commonly owned livestock field to explain how common ownership of property can lead to its destruction. The problem was that because the field was common property, there wasn’t much incentive to take care of it. This metaphor applies to fisheries.

There’s little dispute that fisheries are overfished, but a commonly owned ocean creates an economic problem. There is little incentive for one country to stop fishing so that fish stocks can rebound because another country will continue fishing and deplete the fishery anyway.

The Truman Proclamation in the U. S The Truman Proclamation in the U.S. and the UNCLOS established law that gave individual national responsibility for different areas in the ocean. These laws gave individual nations claim to all the physical and biological resources to the edge of the continental shelf.

Managing Biological Resources There are two approaches to using biological resources Take them until they are gone Manage them so that they are sustainable The advantage of the second is that, in exchange for taking less or nothing over the short term, and with good management, you get more in the long run.

This means not taking more than the sustainable yield. The state of the world fisheries and the decline of whales are examples of ineffective management. Shows that we can wipe out a biological resource. CA Gray Whale rebounding shows that effective management makes a difference.

Scientific research is crucial to accurately and objectively determine what the present resource levels are and what could be the maximum sustainable yield.

Avoiding the Tragedy The laws set in place have moved us away from the Tragedy of the Commons scenario, but challenges still remain. For example: It does no good for one country to reduce fishery limits if another wipes out the same fishery. Fish do not recognize boundaries. The cross-boundary effects of pollution should be addressed so that one or two nations cannot poison the seas for everyone.

Research and Opportunities There is more potential for marine research now than at any time in history. Due to: Technology Demand The ocean is the last frontier on Earth.