The Center for Ocean Solutions and Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station released a scientific consensus last month which revealed the dangerous consequences of inaction in reversing the threats of overfishing, pollution and habitat destruction, while providing a road map to recovery.
As per the report there is an urgent need for measurable improvements to the Pacific Ocean’s health by 2020, and it fulfills a key objective set by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s “Pacific Ocean 2020 Challenge.” Tegan Hoffmann, an Oakland, Calif.-based consultant, observed that this is the first time where there have been scientists and experts around the world saying, ‘These are threats, these are the solutions. Let’s take some action’.
Davies informed that it took a holistic approach to understanding the ecological health of the Pacific, with the promotion of human well-being at its heart. He added that a non-obvious finding was that many of the same challenges are felt across this vast and diverse region. Destroying marine and coastal habitats for development or through poor agricultural practices was next on the list, followed by commercial and recreational overfishing.
Meg Caldwell, interim director of the Center for Ocean Solutions in Monterey, California, opined that the consensus statement is really giving voice to the scientific community. She said that there are scientific underpinnings to support strong policies. It is mentioned that there should be a straightforward solution for protecting the size of fish populations while also supporting commercial and recreational fishing, for example, is the creation of what are called marine protected areas.
