How Humans Manage the Marine Environment

The first marine environmental treaties were established to prevent the exploitation of fish stocks. Early treaties between Great Britain and France (1839) and the North Sea states (1882, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK) set the stage for negotiations between states to address marine environmental issues. Treaties ensued on fur seals in the North Pacific (1911), whaling (1946), and fishing gear restrictions (1946). The first convention to specifically mention the conservation of living resources was the Law of the Sea Convention in 1958. Other conventions followed in order to arrest and clean up oil pollution (1971), prohibit dumping (1972), and address regional marine environmental issues (1974—Baltic Sea).

Currently, there are approximately 100 treaties and agreements (also termed conventions) that govern how humans use the oceans; however, a number of seminal international agreements govern human activities on two-thirds of the world’s surface. They are (in chronological order):

TABLE 10.1. Key International Agreements

Conclusion.Unlike terrestrial environments, humans lack a comprehensive understanding of how many parts of the oceans function. As such, problems are often well-advanced by the time they are discovered, and their causes are challenging to confirm.

Extensive progress has since been made toward rectifying many of these thorny problems—establishing marine protected areas, reducing greenhouse gases from shipping, and regulating pollution are merely three examples of headway in this area. The Law of the Sea and other major environmental conventions have improved both the health of the oceans and the plight of people who depend on them. However, there is much work to complete before humanity can conclude that impacts on the world’s oceans are understood and are being addressed. Mark Zacharias.

FURTHER READING:Airoldi, Laura, David Balata, and Michael W Beck. 2008. “The Gray Zone: Relationships between Habitat Loss and Marine Diversity and Their Applications in Conservation.” Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 366(1-2): 8-15.

Clark, R. B., Chris Frid, and Martin Attrill. 2001. Marine Pollution, 5th ed. Oxford, UK, Oxford University Press.

FAO. 2011. Review of the State of World Marine Fishery Resources. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper No. 569. Rome: FAO. Accessed January 23, 2017. www.fao.org/docrep/015/ i2389e/i2389e.pdf

FAO. 2014. FAO Global Capture Production Database. Rome: FAO. Accessed January 23, 2017. http://www.fao.org/3Za-i4883e.pdf