Vol. 4, No. 3 Contents
Headline Back Issues
Summer 2000
|
Protecting Troubled Waters
|
||||||||||
Evolution of an MPAJanice Harvey, who directs the marine conservation program of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick (CCNB), has first hand experience with the MPA process. Beginning in the early 1990s, the group surveyed the health of habitat in all the major estuaries from St. Croix to Lobster Bay in Nova Scotia and found that all but one had undergone significant degradation from pollution, coastal development, dams and other factors. The exception was Musquash Estuary, a diverse habitat of salt marsh, rocky ledges and seaweed beds located about 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of St. John. After the passage of the Oceans Act, CCNB began a long campaign to have the estuary nominated as an inshore MPA. The group garnered the support of the Fundy North Fishermen's Association, local residents and community organizations. Two years ago, CCNB nominated Musquash under the MPA process. In February, DFO accepted the estuary as an "Area of Interest," the first step toward final MPA designation. If designated, the estuary will become the first MPA in the Bay of Fundy. Getting this far, Harvey says, entailed a mix of political savvy and persistence. "We just kept carrying on, and on," she says. "And we just won't let it drop." The proposal for the estuary accepts some low impact fishing but would prohibit expansion of the scallop fishery and any new fisheries such as urchin dragging, aquaculture or rockweed harvesting. No industrial development or modifications to the salt marsh area would be allowed. Harvey adds that as the fishing industry declines and more excavation, oil and gas companies look to the Bay for resources, a network of areas designed to protect its viability is critical. "The time to act is now," she says. The Conservation Law Foundation recently released one of the most comprehensive reports to date on marine protected areas, The Wild Sea: Saving Our Marine Heritage. The nearly 120-page publication begins by examining the human and natural history of the Gulf of Maine, the impact of overfishing and the overall stress human activities have placed on the marine ecosystem. "It is becoming increasingly apparent that the sustainable production of commercially valuable fish may not be possible without protecting the habitats of these species and the diversity of marine life that sustain them," the report states. From there the authors build a case for MPAs by illustrating examples of national and international efforts, including successes and failures. The report ends by outlining strategies and recommendations for designing a system of protected areas in the Gulf of Maine. They include completing an official MPA inventory and seascape mapping of the Gulf of Maine, and developing better legislative authority over MPAs through existing or new laws. The book's appendix contains a survey of U.S. federal and state laws and regulations to protect marine areas. CLF in collaboration with other organizations including World Wildlife Fund Canada, which has undertaken its own planning program for MPAs, expects to launch a region-wide campaign to educate the public about the Gulf of Maine environment and the need for marine protected areas. Priscilla Brooks, an economist with CLF and one of the authors of The Wild Sea, says establishing an MPA system is still years away, but that given the declining state of the marine environment, "ultimately we're going to end up going there." |
|||||||||||
Letter from New ZealandThough supporters say the Gulf of Maine region is way behind schedule in developing a plan for marine protected areas, few are advocating the idea of marine reserves, which prohibit fishing or any commercial activities. "Little potential for success," says one conservationist. Still, many admire and even envy the work of Dr. William Ballantine, a marine biologist at the University of Auckland in New Zealand and a staunch supporter of marine reserves. In the mid-1960s Ballantine started the ball rolling by going out "and talking to anyone that would listen." His grassroots campaign involved people at all levels. Today there are 16 no-take reserves in New Zealand and at least 25 more under consideration. Ballantine's goal is to convert 10 percent of the country's marine habitats to reserves. "Children, grandparents, farmers and office workers find it easy to believe that the experts do not know everything yet, that the planners have not got it perfect yet, and that the politicians are a little confused sometimes," Ballantine told the Gulf of Maine Times in an e-mail exchange. "So the idea of adding some insurance, some buffer, some natural base-line, some untouched reserves seems like a good idea to them. They do not need special reasons. They just want to do it on principle." As voters, Ballantine continued, "they can impose sense first on the politicians by just force of numbers. The politicians then push the administrators, managers and planners, who in turn realign the scientists." Referring to his campaign as "a long, hard slog," Ballantine added, "Thirty-five years after we started talking about marine reserves, 25 years after the first one was established, 13 years after a government department to look after them was created, we have finally reached the point where the politicians think it is a good idea and compete for the credit." Ballantine has fond memories of the Gulf of Maine from several visits and as a guest lecturer on both sides of the border over many years. "It is a great part of the world," he wrote. "It should have a system of marine reserves. It probably will one day - but being 63, I am not confident I will live to see it. But I bet my grandson will - he is 10." You can visit Ballantine's web site at http://www.marine-reserves.org.nz. |
|||||||||||
Resources:The Wild Sea: Saving Our Marine Heritage is available through the Conservation Law Foundation for U.S. $20. To obtain a copy contact CLF at 62 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02110-1016; or phone (617) 350-0990. Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Center for Marine Conservation Department of Fisheries and Oceans Gulf of Maine International Ocean Wilderness Proposal |
|||||||||||
