Most of the world’s oceans remain entirely unprotected and subject to rapid depletion by modern factory fishing, all kinds of pollution, climate change acidification, coral reef die-off, toxic oil spills, giant plastic dumps, multiplying Dead Zones, etc

Marine habitats – from species-rich reefs to fragile deep-sea ecosystems – are being fundamentally altered by exploitative practices like over-fishing, dredging

In the last twenty years alone, 90% of large fish species (like sharks, tuna and swordfish) have vanished globally – with 22 mammals and fish threatened in UK’s waters alone.

UK to get Marine Reserves

After a long hard campaign there’s good news from the UK which could serve as an example.

In this case there has been wide consultation. But we don’t yet know if this will be tailored to corporate profits or saving the seas and community use.

Protection for key nature sites in UK seas has come a step closer with the unveiling of proposals to create over 100 Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs).

The zones range from tiny stretches of coastline to large tracts of sea floor.

The proposals stem from the 2009 UK Marine Bill and cover seas abutting the English coast and waters around Wales more than 12 miles from the coast.

They will be assessed by an expert panel

before the government makes its final decision, probably next year.

The government and its advisors hope that in part, the protection measures will benefit industries such as tourism and fishing, by securing features that divers like to visit and by providing secure “nurseries” for juvenile fish.

“All MCZs should be fully protected from damaging activities and bottom-towed fishing gears, and our work has shown overwhelming public support for this stance,” commented Melissa Moore, senior policy officer with the Marine Conservation Society (MCS).

“Fully protected sites have been shown to yield a fourfold increase in the weight of marine species, whilst species diversity increases by 20%.”

While some proposed areas have already been struck off the list by industry concerns, she said, conservationists welcomed the proposals that “are desperately needed so that marine habitats and ecosystems can begin to recover from decades of degradation.”

Campaign damaged by manipulation

To halt the destruction of the Oceans, we need better regulations and areas where all ocean life, including fish, is fully protected – not caught and eaten. ClientEarth, Greenpeace UK, the Marine Conservation Society, the Pew Environment Group and Zoological Society London want to stop this degradation of our oceans. And so together they’ve formed a coalition to create the joint Manifesto for Marine Reserves.

However this coalition has failed  the Chagos islanders, exiled to create the Diego Garcia war base,  where the huge new reserve was made without the consent of the ex residents, or of Mauritius which claims sovereignty. According to Wikileaks cables sent from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office(FCO) to the U.S. Embassy, setting up the marine reserve effectively “stymied the return of the former islanders.” This confirms that the Chagos reserve is a cynical ruse by the UK Govt to bury the claims of the expelled islanders, and the excellent Greenpeace Campaign for worldwide Marine Reserves has been badly badly tarnished by their implication.

Ocean Devastation

In the Pacific partial agreements on a Yellowfin Tuna  reserve are largely ignored.

In the Atlantic the scandal of ‘re labeling’ pirated fish stocks for the EU continues. See Phil Stebbings great film HERE. http://www.facebook.com/TheDeadlinefilm?sk=info

In the Indian Ocean European factory ships have had to flee from destitute local fisherman turned into the successful Somali pirates. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1892376,00.html

Also off California the proposed Marine Reserve is seen to be managed by Big Oil interests  (See: Why Is A Big Oil Lobbyist In Charge Of California’s Marine Protection Program?)

Most of the world’s oceans remain entirely unprotected and subject to rapid depletion by modern factory fishing, all kinds of pollution, climate change acidification, coral reef die-off, toxic oil spills, giant plastic dumps, multiplying Dead Zones, etc 

The UK Marine proposals are a step forward, the details and trade-offs remain to be seen, but they do include a wide consultation process and hopefully will be copied in many countries.