Ocean Management最新文献

The paper deals with highly migratory species of fish and the coordination of fishery policies within certain Exclusive Economic Zones of the South Pacific Region. The main biological characteristics of highly migratory fishes present in the Region and particularly in the eastern South Pacific are discussed. Highly migratory species fisheries of Ecuador, Peru, and particularly Chile are discussed. The conflictive aspects of highly migratory species and future management problems are pointed out. The need for fishery policies coordination and interregional links are stressed. It is proposed that the coordination of national jurisdiction policies within the Region, in connection with highly migratory fishes, with the goals of mutual advantage and efficiency, could prove to be the most suitable set-up from the point of view of international relations as well as biological and economic considerations. Coordination within the South Pacific Region (eastern and southwestern portions) could be initiated on the basis of specific studies and exchange of information.

One of the basic tenets of the 200-mile regime is that a particular part of the ocean is allocated to the coastal states depending on the length of their coast lines. This situation is creating and will create new inequalities in regard to access to marine resources, even though attempts have been made in successive drafts of the Law of the Sea Treaty to address these inequalities.

One of the most important traits of the marine living resources is their migratoriness. Fish of a stock move freely across boundaries between EEZs as well as between an EEZ and the high seas, making the management of them by a single coastal state difficult.

Examples are given from the Japanese Fishery of two migratory species and one demersal species complex to argue that regional systems could be expected to manage a particular stock or stocks or parts of an ecosystem for international use of them while paying attention to the benefits to the developing countries.

This paper describes some of the claims made by states over the continental shelves at the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea and examines the political problems that have arisen from such claims. The definitions of the continental shelf adopted in the 1958 Convention and those debated at UNCLOS III are examined, and there is also a discussion of the eventual compromise formula adopted in the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea. Finally, there is discussion of two specific examples of boundary disputes from Southeast Asia (the Gulf of Thailand and the waters north of the Natuna Islands) which exemplify some of the political problems described in the first part of the paper.

The salient features of the Southern Ocean ecosystem are detailed and its special characteristics are outlined. The key role of krill (principally Euphausia superba) is emphasized. The current state of knowledge of the living resources, with special reference to krill, squid, fish, and whales, is detailed.

Information on exploitation of these resources with special reference to the past two decades is analyzed and the impact of this exploitation on the stocks of krill, fish, and whales is evaluated. Ecosystem changes following the decline in whale stocks are detailed and potential ecosystem changes that may result from intensive krill harvesting are considered.

The history of the development of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources is outlined and the salient features of the Convention are discussed. This Convention is unique among fisheries conventions, in that it adopts an ecosystem approach to the management of living resources. The main features of this Convention are outlined and the management principles that stem from it are detailed. Problems involved in the adoption of an ecosystem-management approach are considered.

Finally, the information needs for management are examined with special reference to the international BIOMASS research programme. The prospects for achieving the objectives of the Convention are considered.

Intensive research activities of the past 20 years have revealed certain new ocean mineral resources, such as the ferromanganese deep-sea nodules and crusts as well as the massive sulphide deposits formed along parts of mid-ocean rift systems. Deep-sea metallic deposits might be mined in the 1990's, when various economic and technical factor become more favourable. First, a balanced solution for the legal problems should be found through the UN Conference on the Law of the Sea to safeguard the interests of both industrialized and developing countries. A more liberal regime for marine scientific research and the incorporation in tenets of ocean governance of more economic considerations related to the exploration and exploitation of the deep-sea deposits would enhance benefits for all countries and for the international community as a whole.

Hydrothermally formed massive sulphide occurrences have been described in the axial regions of the East Pacific Rise and the Galapagos Rift system. Some of these deposits have contents of up to 21% Cu, 50% Zn, and 45% Fe and may sometimes be located within the 200-mile limits. The principal marine minerals of great economic potential are ferromanganese nodules and crusts. Although it has been estimated that there are some 10¹² tons of nodules in the Pacific Ocean alone, only a small percentage of these deposits contains 2% of Ni + Cu + Co and occurs in abundances greater than 10 kg m⁻² over an area sufficient for the production of a “20-years mine site”. The highest quality nodule fields with respect to metal grade (Ni + Cu) and abundance exist in the NE Pacific nodule belt. The chemical composition and distribution of nodules and crusts are controlled by certain geochemical and environmental factors. Types of nodules and crusts reflect different processes for formation and different sources of metals. Ferromanganese encrustations from seamount regions are particularly rich in Co and exist in shallower water depth. Considering the regional abundance, there is no indication that economic-grade nodule fields occur within national EEZs; however, Co-rich ferromanganese seamount deposits are sometimes located close to 200-mile limits.

A generic view of solar energy schemes demonstrates that ocean thermal energy represents an optimum integration of solar energy. It is shown that experimental results for both energy and aquaculture have equaled or exceeded the optimistic estimates of protagonists. Resistence to the development of ocean thermal energy is identified as political and not economic. It is concluded that an economic form of OTEC must be demonstrated in the near future if the realization of this major form of energy is not to be deferred.