Sea Around Us Project
Encyclopedia
The Sea Around Us Project (SAUP) is an international research group based at the University of British Columbia
Fisheries Centre
that is devoted to studying the impacts of fisheries on the world's marine ecosystems. To achieve this, project staff have used a Geographic Information System
(GIS) to map global fisheries catches from 1950 to the present, under explicit consideration of coral reefs, seamounts, estuaries and other critical habitats of fish, marine invertebrates, marine mammals and other components of marine biodiversity. The data presented, which are all freely available, are meant to support studies of global fisheries trends and the development of sustainable, ecosystem-based fisheries policies.
Members of the Sea Around Us Project uncovered that China
was overestimating its catches and showed that, when such distortions were removed from overall fisheries catches, global fisheries were actually declining since the late 1980s. The Project also showed that the biomass of large fish in the North Atlantic is one tenth of what it was only a century ago. Aquaculture
, according to another study with members from the Project, cannot be expected to compensate for overfishing but is instead likely to exacerbate the problem due to the reliance on wild fish for fishmeal. In other words, without serious long-term planning, the oceans might get a lot worse before they get better.
Initiated and mainly funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts in Philadelphia, the Sea Around Us Project documents human impacts and proposes policies to mitigate them. The Project contributes to global initiatives such as the Convention of Biological Diversity (through the development of the Marine Trophic Index) and the United Nations Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
. The Sea Around Us Project also communicates to broad audiences to convey the urgency of reducing excess fishing capacity, the need to eliminate subsidies and create extensive networks of marine protected areas, and reconsider the current model of carnivorous aquaculture
.
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
Fisheries Centre
Fisheries Centre
The Fisheries Centre, located at the University of British Columbia, promotes multidisciplinary study of aquatic ecosystems and broad-based collaboration with maritime communities, government, NGOs and other partners...
that is devoted to studying the impacts of fisheries on the world's marine ecosystems. To achieve this, project staff have used a Geographic Information System
Geographic Information System
A geographic information system, geographical information science, or geospatial information studies is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographically referenced data...
(GIS) to map global fisheries catches from 1950 to the present, under explicit consideration of coral reefs, seamounts, estuaries and other critical habitats of fish, marine invertebrates, marine mammals and other components of marine biodiversity. The data presented, which are all freely available, are meant to support studies of global fisheries trends and the development of sustainable, ecosystem-based fisheries policies.
Members of the Sea Around Us Project uncovered that China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
was overestimating its catches and showed that, when such distortions were removed from overall fisheries catches, global fisheries were actually declining since the late 1980s. The Project also showed that the biomass of large fish in the North Atlantic is one tenth of what it was only a century ago. Aquaculture
Aquaculture
Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the...
, according to another study with members from the Project, cannot be expected to compensate for overfishing but is instead likely to exacerbate the problem due to the reliance on wild fish for fishmeal. In other words, without serious long-term planning, the oceans might get a lot worse before they get better.
Initiated and mainly funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts in Philadelphia, the Sea Around Us Project documents human impacts and proposes policies to mitigate them. The Project contributes to global initiatives such as the Convention of Biological Diversity (through the development of the Marine Trophic Index) and the United Nations Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, released in 2005, is an international synthesis by over 1000 of the world's leading biological scientists that analyses the state of the Earth’s ecosystems and provides summaries and guidelines for decision-makers...
. The Sea Around Us Project also communicates to broad audiences to convey the urgency of reducing excess fishing capacity, the need to eliminate subsidies and create extensive networks of marine protected areas, and reconsider the current model of carnivorous aquaculture
Aquaculture
Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the...
.
See also
- Rachel CarsonRachel CarsonRachel Louise Carson was an American marine biologist and conservationist whose writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement....
, author of The Sea Around Us (1951) from which the project takes its name - Daniel PaulyDaniel PaulyDaniel Pauly is a French-born marine biologist, well-known for his work in studying human impacts on global fisheries. He is a professor and the project leader of the Sea Around Us Project at the Fisheries Centre at the University of British Columbia. He also served as Director of the Fisheries...
- Fisheries CentreFisheries CentreThe Fisheries Centre, located at the University of British Columbia, promotes multidisciplinary study of aquatic ecosystems and broad-based collaboration with maritime communities, government, NGOs and other partners...
- The Pew Charitable TrustsThe Pew Charitable TrustsThe Pew Charitable Trusts is an independent non-profit, non-governmental organization , founded in 1948. With over US$5 billion in assets, its current mission is to serve the public interest by "improving public policy, informing the public, and stimulating civic life."-History:The Trusts, a single...