Marine Issues 1 Flashcards
Why are so many dolphins killed in the Pacific?
Fisherman use dolphins to locate and catch tuna, and they are killed for damaging equipment or scaring the tuna away
How is tuna fishing equipment changing?
New nets have ‘dolphin hatches’ and some countries (inc USA) require them by law
What is GATT?
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1947-1994)
Aimed to reduce barriers to international trade
Reduced tariffs and protected intellectual property rights
What is WTO?
World Trade Organisation (1995-present)
Adapts the GATT principles
150 members states
What are the principles of the WTO?
No discrimination of trade partners
Freedom for negotiations
Predictable and competitive
Beneficial for less developed countries
What is product vs process?
Not possible to control imports because of the process of the product
How much of Earths surface so oceans cover?
2/3rds
Property rights of the deep ocean?
Open access resources
Who regulates that deep oceans?
UNCLOS
When did deep sea mining begin?
1960s
Where are many of the elements located?
Near China,
North Pacific Ocean
What are the mineral resources available in the deep seas?
Polymetallic nodules, colbalt rich ferromanganse crusts, hydrothermal polymeallic sulphides
How do they form?
From precipitation of trace metals in seawater
What base metals are available?
Copper, zinc, nickle, cobalt, platinum, lead, gold, silver
What are the risks of deep sea mining?
Benthic disturbance
Sediment plumes
Toxic effects on the water column
Ecological disruption of fisheries and heavy metals in food chain
Who is posed to benefit most from deep sea mining?
Richer countries as it involves large capital investmentW
What is the worry about deep sea mining future?
Environmental legislation is making slow progress to regulate it and the economics of mining are likely to override the environment
What is the tuna that is being fished in the pacific?
Yellow fin tuna
Which species of dolphin are most at risk?
Pan tropical spotted, spinner and common dolphin
What is the number of dolphins killed since 1950s estimated to be?
Over 6 million
When was dolphin safe tuna introduced?
1994 by USA (largest market of canned tuna)
What has happened to populations since 1990s?
Recovering but remain low due likely to;
Stress and induced abortion
Separation of mothers and calves
Long term population changes
How are dolphins killed?
Suffocated due to entanglement of flippers, fluke and/or rostrum, or crushed by the weight of tuna
How large are the nets used?
3/4 mile long, over 300 ft deep
How much tuna was caught in 1965?
48,673 tonnes
How much tuna was caught in 1980?
189,426 tonnes
How have the US reduced by-catch/deaths?
Backdown method, finer mesh nets
How was this reflected in policy?
Congress passed the marine mammal protection act in 1972 which legally required fisherman to use these techniques
What is the estimate cost of applying these techniques to existing Mexican fishing boats?
$25 million
What is the economic value of the Mexican tuna fishing industry?
$450 million
What did GATT rule?
Found US to have violated Article XI by adopting quantitative restrictions on imports
What is MSC?
Marine Stewardship Council (1996)
Main independent 3rd party certified eco-label that covers wild-catch fisheries
Joint initiative of WWF and Unilever
When is deep sea mining expected and why is the demand so high?
From 2009 due to advances in mining technology, sky rocketing metal prices and depletion of mineral rich terrestrial mines
What have a number of studies recommended about deep sea mining?
Impacts are unpredictable and threaten unique ecosystems and fisheries
How many deposits have been identified so far?
250 globally
