‘Nature Article: Summary The ocean contains unique biodiversity, provides valuable food resources and is a major sink for anthropogenic carbon. Marine protected areas (MPAs)are an effective tool for restoring ocean biodiversity and ecosystem services1,2, but at present only 2.7% of the ocean is highly protected3. This low level of ocean protection is due largely to conflicts with fisheries and other extractive uses. To address this issue, here we developed a conservation planning framework to prioritize highly protected MPAs in places that would result in multiple benefits today and in the future. We find that a substantial increase in ocean protection could have triple benefits, by protecting biodiversity, boosting the yield of fisheries and securing marine carbon stocks that are at risk from human activities. Our results show that most coastal nations contain priority areas that can contribute substantially to achieving these three objectives of biodiversity protection, food provision and carbon storage. A globally coordinated effort could be nearly twice as efficient as uncoordinated, national-level conservation planning. Our flexible prioritization framework could help to inform both national marine spatial plans4 and global targets for marine conservation, food security and climate action.’ Click here to read the Nature article

Commentary from Charles Clover – Blue Marine Foundation

TRAWLING DISCOVERED TO HAVE MASSIVE CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT

March 18, 2021 by Charles Clover

A study has challenged the often-stated contention of the fishing industry that it has one of the lowest carbon footprints of any form of food production.

The first study to look into the climate change impact of bottom trawling, a damaging fishing method used worldwide that drags heavy nets across the ocean floor, has found that its global emissions are equivalent to those from the entire global aviation sector.

Previous studies have looked at the emissions from the fuel burnt, not the carbon stirred into the water column or the damage trawling causes to plants and animals on the seabed that can soak up carbon.

The study by 26 scientists published in Nature finds that the amount of carbon dioxide released into the ocean from the practice of trawling is larger than most countries’ annual carbon emissions – and the UK is one of the top ten countries in whose waters the damage is being caused, with others being China, Russia and Italy.

Dr Trisha Atwood of Utah State University, a co-author of the paper, said: “The ocean floor is the world’s largest carbon storehouse. If we’re to succeed in stopping global warming, we must leave the carbon-rich seabed undisturbed. Yet every day, we are trawling the seafloor, depleting its biodiversity and mobilizing millennia-old carbon and thus exacerbating climate change.

“Our findings about the climate impacts of bottom trawling will make the activities on the ocean’s seabed hard to ignore in climate plans going forward.” Click here to read more