Posted by jossc — 20 April 2007 at 2:03pm
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The North Sea, once one of the most productive in the world, is now amongst the most degraded. Oil extraction, waste dumping and chemical pollution have all taken their toll, and relentless commercial fishing has pushed some fish stocks - such as cod - to the brink of collapse.
Which is why our ship Arctic Sunrise is once again heading out into the North Sea to campaign for the urgent creation of marine reserves - national parks at sea where marine life can get some respite from commercial exploitation.
The Marine Strategy Directive (MSD) is a piece of European legislation designed to have a more holistic approach to the way Europe's oceans are managed. It sets out a framework for how oceans management can take into account the different issues like industry, recreation, and - crucially - the environment. The Directive offered an important opportunity to enshrine a strong environmental protection within the new legislation, including laying the groundwork for a network of Marine Reserves throughout Europe's seas.
Archive content: get an update on the Marine Bill here
The UK government is proposing a Marine Bill, to bring together all of the legislation covering our seas and the activities that take place there. As with the EU's Marine Strategy Directive, this is an opportunity to make oceans management more holistic, and an opportunity to make sure that protection of the marine environment is taken seriously.
A report looking into the role of marine reserves in boosting ecosystem resilience to climate change.
The IPCC (Integovernmental Panel on Climate Change) is warning that we have eroded the ocean's ability to cope with and mitigate the consequences of global warming. They recommend that we reduce our exploitation levels of marine fish and other maritime activities in order to improve the resilience of our seas and oceans and ultimately safeguard their role in stabilising the climate.
