Fisheries and Deep Sea Mining

Average human fish consumption

20 kg/year

Percentage of animal protein consumed that is fish

around 20%

Problems of aquaculture

• Pollution

• Food source for the fish

• Antibiotics

• Genetic porblems if the fish escape

Standard representative sampling technique for fish abundance

Fish/100 hooks

Fishing down the web

When we have completely expoloited the top predator fish we will just catch and eath their prey and so on

Difficulties with fisherie managmenet

• Environmental: uncertain and uncontrollable external influences (like el niño)

• Political: Quota instead of effort regulation

• Economical: Prudent exploitation does not pay

• Biological: Complexity of marine communities

• Methodological: Old-fashioned approaches without clear ecological basis

Quota regulation

A total amount of fish biomass is allwoed to be caught yearly. Benefits fishermen

Effort regulation

A total number of fishing vessles (nets, motor power, etc.) is allowed to be active for a fixed number of hours per year. Benefits fish

Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY)

How much can we fish in a sustainable way

ISA

International Seabed Authorithy

International Seabed Authorithy

Organization through which States Parties to UNCLOS organize and control all mineral-resource-related activities in the Area for the benefit of mankind as a whole. In doing so ISA has the mandate to ensure the effective protection of the marine environment from harmful effects that may arise from deep-seabed related activities

ABNJ

Areas beyond national jurisdiction

APEI

Areas of particular environmental intersest, currently not allowed to mine there but uncertain how long this will stay this way

Main environmental impacts of mining

• Removing of mineral resources: habitat loss, fragmentation and modification

• Sedimental plumes by vehicles: burial, clogging of fitler apparatus, toxic effects

• Sound and light

Mitigation hierarchy

• Avoidance

• Minimisation

• Rehabilitation/restoration

• Biodiversity off-set

Avoidance

completly avoid creating impacts such as spatial or temporal actions

Minimisation

 reduce duration, intensity and/or extent of impacts that cannot be avoided

Rehabilitation/restoration

Rehabilitate/restore ecosystems following exposure to impacts that cannot be avoided/minimized. Emphasizes the reparation of ecosystem processes, productivity and services/reestablihsment of the pre-existing biotic integrity in terms of species composition and community structure

Biodiversity off-set

compensate for significant residual adverse biodiversity impacts after mitigation measures have been taken. Goal non net loss and preferably net gain of biodiversity

Scientific knowledge needed for efficient mitigation

• Baseline studies on diversity and connectivity

• Studies on community recovery after distrubance

• Environmental management (spatial managment, restoration)

Inactive vents

Where the channels are naturally blocked, are spatially clsoe to active vents and are geologically and biologically connected, support corals and sponge communities

History of atlantic cod

• Attracted europeans to go to North America for fishing trips →enticed them to stay

• Used to be highly abundant and was the most valuable export good of New England at some point

• Might have been an essential source of food for slaves in Latin America