CONTENTS
- The Earth and Its People
- Pollution and Health Risks
- Feeding a Future World
- Freshwater: Lifeblood of the Planet
- Oceans in Decline
- Forests: The Earth's Lungs
- Endangered Biodiversity
- Toward a Livable Future
HIGHLIGHTS
- Can development be sustained?
- Scientists point to environmental distress syndrome
- Cities grow ever larger
- Global temperatures rising
- Are we setting the stage for our own extinction?
- World population must stabilize
Population Reports is published by the Population Information Program, Center for Communication Programs, The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 111 Market Place, Suite 310, Baltimore, Maryland 21202-4012, USA
Fall 2000
Series M, Number 15
Special Topics
Oceans and Fisheries
Almost everywhere, coastal cities dump their untreated wastes into the sea, often creating virtual cesspools so thick with pollution that almost no marine life can survive. No place in the world's seas is immune, as ocean currents transport pollutants to the far corners of the world (269).
In the Gulf of Mexico an environmental "dead zone" now covers over 7,700 square miles and appears to be expanding. Agricultural and industrial pollution from the Mississippi River Basin is responsible (159). In Calcutta, Bombay, and other cities of developing countries, raw sewage and untreated municipal wastewater flow into coastal waters in large amounts (94). In Chile untreated effluents, mostly from copper mines, pulp and paper mills, fish processing plants, and oil refineries, flow directly into the Bays of Valparaiso and Concepcion (229).
Rapid population growth along coasts has boosted demand for fish, while mounting pollution has threatened marine habitats. Over 80% of all commercial fish are caught within 320 kilometers of land, and many within just 50 kilometers. A combination of over-fishing and pollution has contributed to lower productivity in all but 4 of the world's 15 major fishing regions (148). In the hardest-hit regions catches have fallen by more than 30% since as recently as 1989 (270). In Southeast Asia nearly all waters within 15 kilometers of land are over-fished (89).
According to FAO, 69% of the world's commercial marine fish stocks are "fully exploited, over-fished, depleted, or slowly recovering" (77). Two-thirds of commercially valuable ocean species are in decline and in urgent need of management (59). Landings of the most valuable species of fish, including cod, tuna, and haddock, have dropped by one-quarter since 1970 (149).
 D. Hinrichsen |
| In a small fishing village near Shanghai, people sort through the day's sea catch. As in many places, China's coastal waters are becoming polluted as cities dump untreated wastes into the sea. Most of the world's coral reefs are being threatened, while pollution and over fishing have depleted many valuable ocean species. |
What Can Be Done?
In 1994 the Law of the Sea Convention established a foundation for sustainable ocean management. The Convention affords all states the right to manage marine resources within their 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs). Most developing countries do not have the means to enforce regulations over such a vast expanse of sea, however (3).
In 1998 the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) prepared a blueprint for sustainable management. Their suggested approach involves six principles:
- Plans for conserving marine biodiversity must take account of human needs.
- Educating the public and raising awareness must play a role in better marine management.
- Communities must have the opportunity to protect and manage their own coastal resources.
- Social and economic incentives must be created for conservation and sustainable use of ocean resources.
- Policies must reflect the fact that the world's oceans are connected.
- Governments must take the lead in managing their own waters, while cooperating with neighboring states.
Coastal resources are not easy to manage. Around the world, 177 nations have coastlines, but only 92 have coastal management plans. While this number is nearly twice that in 1992, most countries have yet to move from planning to implementation (204, 205).
