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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
NON-FICTION ASSIGNMENT
DIRECTIONS: Read and annotate the article from Upfront below and complete the
assignments that follow. This assignment is DUE on FRIDAY, 2/10!!
Scientists worry that
overfishing and pollution
have damaged the
world’s oceans.
CREDIT: Pascal Kobeh/NPL/Minden Pictures
Saving the World’s Oceans
Half the planet is covered by international waters, yet only a small percentage is protected.
By Mary Kate Frank | January 30, 2017 Upfront Magazine
The World’s Declining Coral Reefs
In the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean
lies an area known as the Sargasso Sea.
Thick clumps of seaweed float on its
surface, providing shelter for baby sea
turtles. This stretch of water also functions
as a breeding ground for endangered eels, a feeding stop for migrating whales, and a home for
hundreds of other species—some found nowhere else on the planet. Its ecosystem is so complex
that the Sargasso Sea (see map below), is often called a “floating rainforest.”
It’s a critical habitat that scientists say is in need of protection. Its marine life is threatened by
overfishing and plastic debris. And because the Sargasso is so far from any country’s shores, no
single nation has the legal authority to fully protect the area.
More than half of the world’s ocean waters are in the same boat: They’re too far from land to fall
under the governance of any one country. Under international law, countries control only the
waters within about 230 miles of their shores. The waters beyond that—known collectively as
the high seas—belong to everyone.
The high seas cover about 80 million square miles and contain some of the most important and
threatened ecosystems in the world. Only about 1 percent of those waters are protected—and
very few rules exist about what can and can’t be done there.
However, a new United Nations (U.N.) treaty could change that. Conservationists hope the pact
will allow for the creation of new protected areas on the high seas and require those who want to
engage in commercial activities there, such as fishing or drilling, to assess any possible
environmental impact.
Those measures would be a step toward helping the oceans recover from damage that has already
been done. Habitat destruction, overfishing, pollution, and climate change are “pushing the ocean
system to the point of collapse,” according to a 2014 report by the Global Ocean Commission.
By the Numbers
“People assume that the ocean is going to go on and on, but it’s really in very desperate shape
due to human activities,” says Peggy Kalas of the High Seas Alliance, a partnership of more than
30 environmental groups. “If this treaty goes forward, it will be a game changer for the ocean
and the way that it’s regulated down the road.”
Humans couldn’t live on Earth without the ocean. It produces much of our food and more than
half of the planet’s oxygen. It regulates the climate, both by trapping the sun’s heat and by
absorbing some of the carbon dioxide we release into the atmosphere. The ocean gives us energy
in the form of wave, wind, and tidal power. It’s also critical to our economy: More than 90
percent of the world’s trade—products ranging from TVs to jeans—travels by sea.
The high seas play an essential role in all those areas. But one of the most important things the
waters offer, scientists say, is their wealth of biodiversity.
Early explorers thought the open ocean was barren, but it’s actually full of life. Sharks, whales,
sea turtles, and seabirds are just a few of the animals found in these waters. Beneath the waves
lie deep-water coral reefs, vast mountain ranges, and creatures that haven’t yet been discovered.
With nearly every deep-sea voyage, scientists find new species. And there’s still plenty to
uncover: As much as 95 percent of the ocean remains unexplored.
CREDIT: Jim McMahon (map)
The Law of the Sea
The main international agreement regarding the ocean was negotiated in the 1970s, before much
deep-sea exploration had occurred. That treaty set rules for everything from shipping to
navigation. Perhaps most important, it established that each country has the sole right to the
natural resources within roughly 230 miles of its shores. The treaty didn’t go into detail,
however, about the natural resources that lie beyond those areas.
So who oversees the high seas? The answer is a host of groups, each of which handles only a
very specific issue. The International Maritime Organization, for example, regulates shipping.
The International Seabed Authority is in charge of deep-sea mining. And various regional
organizations manage fishing. There’s little coordination between the different agencies, making
it difficult to safeguard the high seas.
‘There are few rules and no sheriff’ on the high seas.
Marine scientist Lisa Speer is director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s International
Oceans Program. She likens the open ocean to the Wild West. “There are few rules and no
sheriff,” says Speer. “It’s basically a free-for-all.”
One example: Commercial fishermen are taking too many fish from the high seas. As much as
90 percent of some large fish species, such as tuna and swordfish, have now disappeared from
the ocean. The heavy nets used to catch the fish scrape the seafloor, destroying coral and other
delicate marine life.
The new U.N. treaty could create new rules for industries on the high seas. It may require anyone
planning potentially damaging activities there to submit a report about possible consequences.
The findings would then be made available to the public.
The new treaty could also allow for the creation of more marine protected areas on the high seas.
These are areas of water that are safeguarded for conservation purposes. Some allow activities
such as swimming or fishing, while others are much more restrictive. The United States has more
than 1,200 marine protected areas.
Deep-Sea Sanctuaries
Establishing such sanctuaries is very difficult. But in October, after years of negotiations, a
group of more than 20 nations did just that. They signed an agreement, set to take effect in
December, to protect about 600,000 square miles of the Southern Ocean off the coast of
Antarctica. That will create one of the world’s largest marine protected areas. Environmentalists
hope this example will lead to more joint efforts in the future.
Protected areas provide a refuge for marine life and critical habitats. They can also help improve
the overall health of the ocean. That’s key because the ocean is working overtime to absorb extra
carbon dioxide that most scientists say is contributing to climate change.
Already, the ocean has absorbed about 30 percent of the carbon dioxide humans have generated
since the Industrial Revolution and more than 90 percent of the additional heat we’ve generated
since the 1950s. These changes are making ocean waters warmer and more acidic, threatening
animal and plant species.
Creating a network of large, well-managed protected areas in the high seas would give
ecosystems a chance to recover, experts say.
“I think one of the most important things we ever did was to create a system of national parks,
like Yellowstone,” says Kalas of the High Seas Alliance. “It’s something that’s important to do
now for the ocean.”
Challenges Ahead
Getting every country to agree on a new treaty won’t be easy. One of the toughest issues to be
resolved centers on what might be found in the ocean. If, for instance, one country uncovers
cancer-curing (or even pimple-curing) algae in the high seas, should every country share in the
financial rewards? Or is it a case of finders keepers?
It’s a complex issue, not least because some countries lack the technology and funds to comb the
ocean floor for the next medical breakthrough.
“There’s only a handful of countries in the world that can actually go to the bottom of the sea
and extract things,” explains Jessica F. Green, an environmental studies professor at New York
University. “Developing countries are really interested in making sure that if extraction occurs,
they benefit from it, even though they’re not capable of actually doing it.” Developed countries
like the U.S. and Japan, on the other hand, may not be so eager to share profits if they’re doing
most of the work.
U.N. delegates are now meeting to discuss what provisions might be included in the new high
seas pact. If all goes smoothly, the agreement could be adopted in the next few years.
So far, the U.S. has supported the treaty. That could go a long way toward getting other
governments on board as well. If the treaty is adopted, nations will then face the challenge of
figuring out how to implement it. Though enforcement isn’t easy in a space as vast as the high
seas, conservationists say it’s important to try.
“You need sheriffs, you need rules, you need control over what people do,” says Speer, the
marine scientist. “That concept applies to the ocean as well as to land.”