Aug 99 Newsletter
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Living Oceans Society Newsletter No. 1 August 1999 Baja to B.C. to Bristol Bay Living Oceans Society works towards a network of marine protected area for the Pacific Coast of North America OCEAN CREATURES ARE NOT GUIDED BY POLITICAL According to the Food and Agriculture habitat for many species including rockfish. Organization of the United Nations (FAO), almost BOUNDARIES. The magnificent grey whales migrate 70% of marine fish are now over fished. In BC the from Baja, Mexico to the waters of Alaska, Living Oceans Society believes that a network of abalone fishery is closed and the rockfish California Sea Lions follow the herring north to BC marine protected areas, with a core of no-take populations are declining precipitously. In in the spring, and the endangered Pacific Smelt areas, from Baja to BC to Bristol Bay will help Washington state some stocks of salmon have been range from southern California to BC’s Central rebuild fish stocks, conserve biological diversity, be declared endangered and in Mexico the Coast. In addition, rockfish nursery areas in the and provide insurance against the failure of processing facilities are operating at only 50% of Strait of Georgia produce juveniles that live the fisheries management policies. their capacity. rest of their life in the Strait of Juan de Fuca , sea turtles born on the southern tip of Baja Mexico The establishment of a network MPAs on the become an importantBristol part of the California Pacific Coast of North America is a lofty goal and not one that can be accomplished easily or ecosystem, and salmon born in BC rivers will pass British Canada by any one organization. This will require through Alaska before returning to their spawning Bristol Bay grounds. ColumbiaBritish partnership building within and between countries. However with 17% if the worlds’ protein being The fluid and dynamic nature of large marine derived from fish, we cannot afford to let our ecosystems means that management of the ocean United fisheries collapse and our ocean become barren. must be a coordinated effort amongst countries, States Therefore, the Living Oceans Society is currently states, and provinces. This is not a new concept. identifying some of the challenges we will face and The Pacific Salmon Treaty, in place in various forms investigating ways we can contribute to resolving Mexico them. since 1930, has attempted to coordinate the Baja harvest of salmon stocks in the Pacific Northwest. Often the subject of much criticism these days, this At Living Oceans Society we realize that we only treaty was quite effective in sharing the salmon until understand part of the challenges and only know 1988. The International Halibut Commission, in a fraction of the work that is being done to which Canada and the US are partners, successfully establish marine protected areas. Therefore we Conservationists and scientists have been calling manages the harvest of halibut from Alaska to welcome information and updates from groups for ecosystem management of our marine resources Washington State. working to establish MPAs on the coast of Mexico, for some time now. It is no longer possible to harvest the US, or Canada. We will run a regular column a species without considering how this will impact However these are fisheries management treaties in our newsletter that highlights projects in the the marine ecosystem as a whole. The extirpation that focus on determining how much of a specific different areas. You can contact us at of sea otters from BC provided the opportunity for species can be caught. This species specific [email protected] or 250-973-6580. sea urchins to diminish the kelp forests as they approach to marine resource management is failing. foraged for food. Kelp forests are very important Continued on page... 6 Living Oceans Society Newsletter, August !999 1 From the Executive Director In 1998 the federal and habitat. Protecting habitat is a form of excluded from vast areas of the ocean. Fishing provincial government protection that has been fairly successful on is an economic and cultural mainstay of our released the draft land and hence governments are quick to adopt coast and must remain so. However this does Marine Protected similar theories for the ocean. However, since mean that within large MPAs, there must be Areas Strategy for the primary goal of protected areas is to protect core no-take areas that protect spawning Pacific Canada. In this the plants and animals, minimum protection grounds, rearing areas, and areas of high document, the two governments commit to standards must be designed to do so. On land biological importance. Activities outside of the estblishing a network of marine protected the greatest threat to the plants and animals is core no-take areas must be managed to ensure areas (MPAs) in BC by the year 2010. Living loss of habitat from logging, mining, and hydro they do not compromise the no-take areas. Oceans Society is very pleased with this development activities. Therefore terrestrial World wide, the establishment of no-take areas commitment. protected areas in BC prohibit these activities, has proven beneficial to commercial and preserving habitat and, by default, the plants recreational fisheries and it is time we started There are some details in the draft MPA and animals. applying this knowledge in our own backyard. Strategy that we would like to see improved. The most significant of these is the An equivalent approach in the ocean would be Therefore Living Oceans Society believes that development of minimum protection to protect the seabed habitat and this is exactly a network of MPAs must include a core of no- standards. In its current form, the MPA what the federal and provincial governments take areas and prohibit aquaculture, dumping, Strategy reccommends that only dumping, are striving to do in the MPA Strategy. However dredging, extraction of non-renewable dredging, and oil and gas development would because the nature of resource use in the ocean resources, and bottom trawling. In November be prohibited in all marine protected areas. is different then that on land, we cannot limit 1998 we were joined by scientist and There is mention of applying additional levels ourselves to habitat protection. The largest conservation organisations from around the of protection but no commitment to do so. resource use of the ocean in BC is fishing, and world in calling on the federal and provincial At the Living Oceans Society we feel this is a commercial and recreational fisheries can governments to improve the MPA Strategy to very weak approach to marine protected areas deplete rockfish populations without touching include these minimum standards. We are and could result in more “paper parks” that the rocky reef habitat. Therefore it is imperative thankful that the government has released this fail to protect marine biological diversity and that, in addition to protecting the seabed strategy for public review and we look forward promote sustainable fisheries. habitat, we protect some areas from all to seeing our comments incorporated in the commercial and recreational fishing. final MPA Strategy. The minimum standards outlined in the draft MPA Strategy focus on protecting seabed This does not mean that fisherman will be Jennifer Lash SEAS THE DAY: A CALL FOR ACTION INDIVIDUALS In August 1998 the federal and provincial 2. Has minimum standards for all MPAs Endorsements are from individuals. Institutions are that prohibit: finfish aquaculture, governments released the draft MPA Strategy listed for identification purposes only. and requested public input. Living Oceans bottom trawling, ocean dumping, Society was joined by 150 scientists and 40 dredging, extraction of non renewable Richard Appledorn, Ph.D., University of Puerto Rico conservation organizations from 16 countries resources. Russ Babcock, Ph.D.,Unversity of Auckland, New Zealand around the world in calling for improved Robin W. Baird, Ph.D., Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia minimum protection standards. Some of the Bill Ballantine, Ph.D., University of Auckland, New Zealand signators are listed below. For the full list please Jim Estes, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Cruz, USA check our website at www.livingoceans.org GROUPS Rod Fujita, Ph.D., Environmental Defense Fund, USA American Oceans Campaign, Centre for Marine Michael G. Hadfield, Ph.D., University of Hawaii, Hawaii Conservation, Cetacean Society International, Richard Haedrich, Ph.D., Memorial University of Newfoundland, The undersigned call upon the governments of Cousteau Society, David Suzuki Foundation, Ecology Canada British Columbia and Canada to commit, in their Action Centre, Environmental Defence Fund, Jon Lien, Ph.D., Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada joint MPA Strategy, to establish a network of Federation of British Columbia Naturalists, Georgia Don McAllister, Ph.D., Ocean Voice International, Canada marine protected areas within the 200 mile limit Strait Alliance, Living Oceans Society, Marine Elliott Norse, Ph.D., Marine Conservation Biology Institute, USA of Canada’s Pacific coast by the year 2010 that: Conservation Biology Institute, Natural Resources Irene Novaczek, Ph.D., Pattimura University, Ambon Defense Council, Northwest Ecosystem Alliance, Daniel Pauly, Ph.D., University of British Columbia, Canada 1. Has a core network of no-take marine Raincoast Conservation Society, Sierra Club of BC, Cheri Recchia, Ph.D., Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, protected areas covering all habitat types. Sierra Club US, The Wildlands Project, Australia West Coast Environmental Law Association, Callum Roberts, Ph.D., University of York, England Michael Soule, Ph.D., Conservation Biology Institute, USA 2 Living Oceans Society Newsletter, August 1999 ABOUT LIVING OCEANS SOCIETY OUR MANDATE WHERE ARE WE ? The Living Oceans Society is a non-profit organization committed to the preservation of marine biological diversity and creation of sustainable fisheries through the establishment of a network of marine protected areas and ecosystem Mailing Address management of our ocean.