Oceanic Public Goods
Jake Dexter
Outline
• Basics
– KEY ISSUES
• Fisheries
• Coral Reefs
• Offshore Drilling
• Security Issues
– Food and Energy
Basics
• The environment must be conceptualized as a
global public good
• Commoditization has occurred throughout all
aspects of the environment (soil, timber, oceans,
wildlife, etc)
• Consumerism and Conservation
• Globalization, population increase, and
technological advancements are increasingly
taking their toll
Fisheries
•Fish must be understood as a global public good
•Fish have been a dietary staple of both coastline as well
as inland populations
•Economically, fish have always historically provided
income for millions of fisherman. Currently 36 million
people rely of fisheries for their livelihood
•Technology, lack of preservation, increased catch have
resulted in the depletion of many species
A Case Study
• Ecological and economical dangers of overfishing is found in
Newfoundland, Canada. In 1992 the once thriving cod fishing
industry came to a sudden and full stop when at the start of
the fishing season no cod appeared. Overfishing allowed by
decades of fisheries mismanagement was the main cause for
this disaster that resulted in almost 40.000 people losing their
livelihood and an ecosystem in complete state of decay.
Cod Decline
Asian domination of the fish
Asia consumes the most fish world wide consumption
based on diet, location, population, and
fishing practices.
During early periods of legislation, (early
1980’s) many Asian counties made it a
priority to secure fish supply
IN EAST CHINA SEA
in 2006, overfishing and pollution resulted
in the complete destruction of one of the
world’s great fisheries in the Great China
Sea.
“Despite the fishing ban introduced in the
sea area during the fish spawning season
to sustain aquatic species for over a
decade long, fishing resources in the
Zhoushan Fishery, one the world's largest
natural fishing farms, is unable to support
the livelihood of 210,000 local fishermen,
according to the fishery authorities in east
China's Zhejiang Province”
• Scientists agree that at
Fishing Down The Food Web
current exploitation rates
It's not only the fish that is many important fish stocks
affected by fishing. As we
are fishing down the food
will be removed from the
web the increasing effort system within 25 years
needed to catch something
of commercial value
marine mammals, sharks,
sea birds, and non
commercially viable fish
species in the web of
marine biodiversity are
overexploited, killed as
bycatch.
APPROX 44 Billion LBS
Coral Reefs
• The oceans most taxonomically
diverse ecosystem, coral reefs,
At least 500 million
are also under extreme threat.
people rely on
• While it may not be expected, coral reefs for food,
coral reefs support of a wide coastal protection,
variety of human needs. and livelihoods
• They provide shoreline
protection, opportunities for
tourism, house 25 percent of
the world fish population, and It is estimated that
yield medicines needed to treat coral reefs provide
some of the world’s most $375 billion per
deadly diseases year around the
world in goods and
services
Maldives
In the absence of coral
reefs many coastal
communities are left
exposed to the dangers of
the ocean. One example of
this exposure occurred in
the late 1980’s in the
Maldives. After a reef was
completely destroyed the
government was forced to
contract a massive sea wall
around the capital island of
Male.
• “There are 90 World Bank
There are many other
socio-economic client countries with coral
concerns at play. reefs as part of their
Many countries that natural capital. While some
are in close proximity
to reefs are
have achieved significant
considered developing economic growth from
nations. coral reef related tourism
This has resulted in a and fisheries, a third of
viscous cycle of
increasing poverty and these countries are among
in turn further coral the poorest in the world.”
reef degradation, from
over-fishing and
unsustainable land use
Offshore Drilling
• A steady stream of pollution from
offshore rigs causes a wide range of
health and reproductive problems for
fish and other marine life.
• Offshore drilling exposes wildlife
to the threat of oil spills that would
devastate their populations.
• Offshore drilling activities destroy
kelp beds, reefs and coastal wetlands.
• Over its lifetime, a single oil rig
can
• Dump more than 90,000 metric
tons of drilling fluid and metal
cuttings into the ocean;
• Drill between 50-100 wells, each
dumping 25,000 pounds of toxic
metals, such as lead, chromium and
mercury into the ocean
This steady growth is a result of new ultra deepwater targets becoming increasingly
viable.
Although the systems have improved, they are far more risky for the environment
Concluding Thoughts
• The fishing industry, which services millions of people, is clearly at a turning
point-Cod collapse and East China Sea have shown us fish are a finite
resource
• Coral reefs absorb the powerful forces of the ocean and in instances where
they have been destroyed, such as the Maldives, erosion and flooding
became a national security concern
• Thus, state security is compromised by lack of protection from the oceans, as
well as competition over food resources
• Offshore drilling is yet another manifestation of resource consumption and
state security. Control of world oil is an extremely important factor of
interstate relations, as well as security. Essentially, the oceans offer
opportunity to maximize control over energy and food and therefore must be
protected rather than exploited
• Hence the need for understanding of oceans as global public goods
