Less gold in the mines. Unrest in the camps. And a new fishery for the giant Murray cod which decimated their population. The 19th century gold rush has left a bad environmental legacy.
One of the greatest challenges facing our oceans is illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. And a vital tool against this is problem is context-specific fisheries transparency.
Karen Fisher, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Marine governance in New Zealand is fragmented, with several agencies operating under various statutes. But a more collaborative, ecosystem-based approach to better protect the ocean is emerging.
One of the most damaging invasive species in the oceans has breached a major barrier – the Amazon-Orinoco river plume – and is spreading along Brazil’s coast. Scientists are trying to catch up.
Over 100 shark and ray species were recently added to an international treaty, known as the CITES list, to protect them from the threat of unsustainable and illegal trade.
To fish the oceans sustainably, nations must reduce bycatch, or accidental catches. But fishermen often resist changing gear or techniques that kill nontargeted species.
The declining salmon and whale numbers raise a critical question: Is the southern resident killer whale population solely reliant on the abundance of salmon? And, if so, since when?
There is a need for nuanced discussions around the role of fisheries subsidies — even those that may be nominally harmful — to avoid further inequity and marginalization of small-scale fishers.
As nations pledge to preserve swaths of ocean within their territorial waters, a marine scientist explains why some marine protected areas shelter ocean life more effectively than others.
Creating opportunities to meaningfully engage women in governance and decision-making is necessary to achieve gender equality in small-scale fisheries.
Professor James J Bell, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Alice Rogers, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Francesca Strano, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington, and Valerio Micaroni, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
You may not have heard of ‘temperate mesophotic ecosystems’, but science is beginning to understand the vital role these ocean zones play – and the need to protect them.