Marine Policy Makers Research Articles

Bridging shores: Leveraging green finance, financial globalization, and human capital for a cleaner environment in G-20 marine ecosystems using the fishing ground capability curve theory

The G-20 nations, that are industrializing at the fastest rate in the world, are dealing with serious environmental issues, particularly those pertaining to marine habitats. Because economic activity is affecting these environmental and marine ecosystems drastically, it is necessary to probe the factors that can promote sustainable development in developed and developing nations. Thus, understanding the possible effects of financial globalization (FG), green finance (GFN), and economic expansion on marine health is paramount. The study uses advanced methodologies to examine potential intersections between economic growth (GDP) and FG on the marine ecosystem of the G-20 countries between 2000 and 2022 in the context of fishing grounds load capability Curve (FGLCC) framework by showing a nonlinear relationship between marine conditions and income levels. Human capital is exerting positive impacts of (5.640–6.743 %) but FG is impacting (-4.182 to −5.490) on FGLCC. Furthermore, the work emphasizes the necessity of policies that strike a balance between the G-20's marine environmental sustainability and economic development, stressing the significance of deliberate legislative and strategic interventions. It is necessary to enact laws that favor sustainable fishing methods rather than focusing solely on boosting GDP through intensive fishing. Possible actions may involve allocating resources towards research and development in efficient fishing techniques, advocating for the adoption of environmentally friendly fishing equipment, and helping for the adoption of technologies that minimize unintended catch and damage to habitats. These discoveries have important ramifications for marine policymakers as they tackle marine environmental issues in the face of economic development. They are essential for improving marine requirements and safeguarding the health and well-being of future generations.

Environmental protection is more important to European citizens of all political persuasions than economic growth: A 14-country study in the marine context

To focus on voters' priorities, Bill Clinton's campaign famously used the slogan, “It's the economy stupid.” With growing environmental crises, is this still true? We explored this issue for the marine sector, using representatively-weighted survey data from 14 European countries (N = 11,130). Citizens were asked about their own and policy makers' (perceived) preferences for marine-related economic, environmental, and human health policy goals. Results found the public consistently prioritised environmental protection and, to a lesser extent, health over economic growth. However, the public believed that policy makers cared less about the environment and health, but more about the economy than they did themselves. These patterns were consistent across all countries, all points of the political spectrum, and among coastal and inland residents. Marine policy makers who care about public opinion, may want to start considering that, at least for the European public, it is increasingly about “the environment, stupid!”.

Advancing the initiatives of sustainable coastal and marine areas development in Pakistan through marine spatial planning.

Coastal states are currently transitioning their traditional socio-economic activities into a single platform to address the emerging issues of the coast and marine environment. For countries like Pakistan, managing multiple coastal and marine activities is a significant challenge. The lack of proper management policies and an inefficient decision-making process put various types of pressure on the ecological functions of Pakistan's coastal and marine areas. The Government of Pakistan has not yet prioritized coastal and marine affairs in its policy agenda, resulting in a halt to the process of sustainable development. Moreover, a lack of financial allocation for large-scale coastal and marine projects, a shortage of trained human resources, insufficient coordination among organizations, and unstable political decisions and governance impede the sustainable delivery of the projects. This paper discusses Pakistan's coastal and marine policy targets and highlights various issues through PESTLE analysis, which encompasses political (P), economic (E), social (S), technological (T), legal (L), and environmental (E) factors that limit the advancement of sustainable coastal and marine development. This paper aims to determine the advantages of adopting marine spatial planning (MSP) in Pakistan and how its implementation can bring social, ecological, and economic prosperity. The study provides a baseline for the country's coastal and marine policymakers regarding the advancement of a blue economy through MSP.

Visualizing the annual transition of ocean policy in Japan using text mining

Research on evidence-based marine policymaking is still immature, especially regarding the utilization of text data. This study visualized the transition of ocean policy in Japan using text mining technique applied to the text data of three annual reports: the Fishery white paper from 2007 to 2020, Environmental white paper from 2008 to 2020, and Ocean white paper from 2004 to 2020. The results of the analysis were compared with the expert interviews on each subject. Based on latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) topic model analysis, significant differences in topics were observed among these white papers, while they all clearly responded to the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred in 2011 with their unique topics. Major transitions in topics occurred several times over the years for all white papers. For the Fishery white paper and Environmental white paper issued by the government agencies, notable transitions occurred in 2011, 2013, 2017 and 2012, 2018, respectively, which were mainly caused by the revisions of relevant laws; while for the Ocean white paper issued by non-government organization, transitions occurred in 2009 and 2016, which were closely related to the development of worldwide ocean initiatives. The expert interviews revealed that the experts’ views on the topics and the transitions of policy focuses were generally consistent with the unsupervised analysis results. Automated visualization of policy transition in each organization accelerates the extraction of their directions and roles in policymaking which will help provide scientific evidence for identifying future opportunities for inter-organizational collaboration.

A method for evaluating operational implications of regulatory constraints on Arctic shipping

Development of effective marine policy necessitates evidence-based, data-driven evaluations of the effects of regulatory constraints on operations. This is essential to better understand implications of policy decisions on complex socio-technical systems. This paper demonstrates a generalized methodology for evaluating operational implications associated with implementing maritime regulations. The method combines a ship performance model, regulatory constraint models, and multi-criteria pathfinding and optimization algorithms to evaluate and compare the operational implications of different regulatory constraints. The method is applied to Arctic shipping. The Polar Operational Limit Assessment Risk Indexing System (POLARIS) and the Arctic Ice Regimes Shipping System (AIRSS) are considered. POLARIS and AIRSS are regulatory guidelines used to assign structural safety constraints on ships in ice. Four approaches for assigning structural safety constraints are modelled: 1) POLARIS, 2) AIRSS, 3) speed limits established through a first-principles ship-ice interaction model, and 4) navigation in the absence of structural safety constraints. Operational implications are measured as distance, voyage time, and fuel consumption. Route optimization is validated against expert opinion of Arctic ship captains. Results indicate AIRSS is the more conservative regulatory guideline, yet associated with decreased voyage time and fuel consumption. Implications for marine policy and safe navigation are that, while POLARIS offers flexibility to operate in more severe ice conditions, it increases voyage time, fuel consumption, and the risk of vessel damage. Competent Arctic seafarers are critical for safe and efficient operations. The generalized methodology provides marine policy-makers and industry stakeholders with a means to evaluate operational implications of maritime regulations.

Bridging the gap between commercial fisheries and survey data to model the spatiotemporal dynamics of marine species.

Monitoring and assessment of natural resources often require inputs from multiple data sources. In fisheries science, for example, the inference of a species' abundance distribution relies on two main data sources, namely commercial fisheries and scientific survey data. Despite efforts to combine these data into an integrated statistical model, their coupling is frequently hampered due to differences in their sampling designs, which imposes distinct bias sources in the estimator of the abundance distribution. We developed a flexible species distribution model (SDM) that can integrate both data sources while filtering out their relative bias contributions. We applied the model on three different age groups of the western Baltic cod stock. For each age group, we tested the model on (1) survey data and (2) integrated data (survey + commercial) as a means to compare their differences and investigate how the inclusion of commercial fisheries data improved the spatiotemporal abundance estimator and parameter estimates. Moreover, we proposed a novel validation approach to evaluate whether the inclusion of commercial fisheries data in the integrated model is not in direct contradiction with the survey data. Following our approach, the results indicated that the use of commercial fisheries data is suitable for the integrated model. Across all age groups, our results demonstrated how commercial fisheries supplied additional information on cod's spatiotemporal abundance dynamics, highlighting sometimes abundance hot spots that were not detected by the survey model alone. Additionally, the integrated model provided a reduction of up to 20% and 10% in the uncertainty (SE) of the predicted abundance fields and fixed-effect parameters, respectively. The proposed model represents thus a valuable benchmark for evaluating spatiotemporal dynamics of fish, and strengthens the science-based advice for marine policymakers.

From sea-level rise to seabed grabbing: The political economy of climate change in Kiribati

This paper presents a critical political economy perspective on recent and ongoing developments in the Pacific atoll country of Kiribati, where the issue of rising sea levels has become an incrementally politicised concern. Semi-structured interviews (n = 30) with decision-makers, policy advisors, scholars, and community elders were conducted in multiple sites to scrutinise the politics that frame the country's environmental predicament. Findings indicate that: (1) irrespective of considerable scientific uncertainties and data inconsistencies, previous governments have fervently abided by a ‘sinking nation paradigm’, unreasonably constraining political visions of the nation's future; (2) consequentially, ‘adaptation’ has become a metaphor for economic development conceptions, which are tied to mounting budgetary requirements; (3) climate aid is sought for adaptation initiatives irrespective of the needs and desires of island communities; (4) incentives to develop a blue-green economy have facilitated the emergence of highly problematic deep-sea mineral (DSM) initiatives, which this study regards as precursors to seabed grabbing. The paper, therefore, posits that marine policy makers in Kiribati – and other small-island developing states (SIDS) – need to be more vigilant to wider political economic agendas when considering options for ocean and coastal governance. Researchers and practitioners have an important role to play in this regard by privileging preferences and perceptions from coastal communities, to ensure well-informed policy decisions in times of ecological uncertainty.

European Marine Biodiversity Monitoring Networks: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats

By 2020, European Union Member States should achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) for eleven environmental quality descriptors for their marine waters to fulfill the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). By the end of 2015, in coordination with the Regional Seas Conventions, each EU Member States was required to develop a marine strategy for their waters, together with other countries within the same marine region or sub-region. Coherent monitoring programs, submitted in 2014, form a key component of this strategy, which then aimed to lead to a Program of Measures (submitted in 2015). The European DEVOTES FP7 project has produced and interrogated a catalogue of EU marine monitoring related to MSFD descriptors 1 (biological diversity), 2 (non-indigenous species), 4 (food webs) and 6 (seafloor integrity). Here we detail the monitoring activity at the regional and sub-regional level for these descriptors, as well as for 11 biodiversity components, 22 habitats and the 37 anthropogenic pressures addressed. The metadata collated for existing European monitoring networks were subject to a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis. This interrogation has indicated case studies to address the following questions: a) what are the types of monitoring currently in place?; b) who does what and how?; c) is the monitoring fit-for-purpose for addressing the MSFD requirements?, and d) what are the impediments to better monitoring (e.g. costs, shared responsibilities between countries, overlaps, co-ordination)? We recommend the future means, to overcome the identified impediments and develop more robust monitoring strategies and as such the results are especially relevant to implementing coordinated monitoring networks throughout Europe, for marine policy makers, government agencies and regulatory bodies. It is emphasized that while many of the recommendations given here require better, more extensive and perhaps more costly monitoring, this is required to avoid any legal challenges to the assessments or to bodies and industries accused of causing a deterioration in marine quality. More importantly the monitoring is required to demonstrate the efficacy of management measures employed. Furthermore, given the similarity in marine management approaches in other developed systems, we consider that the recommendations are also of relevance to other regimes worldwide.

Modeling expert judgment to assess cost-effectiveness of EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive programs of measures

The EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) requires all Member States to establish a program of measures to achieve or maintain Good Environmental Status (GES) of their marine waters, which should be justified on economic grounds. So far, however, only limited efforts exist to support, from a scientific perspective, marine policy- and decision-makers to this direction. This paper describes a first effort towards closing this gap and improving existing marine policymaking processes as regards the prioritization and selection of measures and policies towards coastal and marine resources management. More specifically, the paper presents an expert judgment-based weighting framework named ‘MeTaLi’. The tool provides a cost-effectiveness ranking algorithm of alternative measures (e.g. command-and-control, economic, etc.) within the framework of MSFD by means of fuzzy and stochastic analysis. A pilot application of ‘MeTaLi’ in Greece for three selected MSFD descriptors is also discussed, aiming to evaluate the tool and allow drawing conclusions for real conditions. Finally, the paper concludes with a discussion of research findings and methodological challenges related to marine policy issues.

Communicating environmental information to the stakeholders in coastal and marine policy-making: Case studies from Nova Scotia and the Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy region

This study examined the awareness of, use by, and influence on stakeholders in coastal and marine policy-making in Eastern Canada and the United States of environmental publications produced by government agencies. Research was conducted in collaboration with government agencies and the publications evaluated were: (1) The 2009 State of Nova Scotia's Coast Report , released by the Government of Nova Scotia; and (2) The State of the Gulf of Maine Report , released by the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment. Studying the use and influence of such reports is essential to assure accountability for use of public funds and for environmental protection. Interviews and surveys, web analytics, media scans, and citation analysis were conducted shortly after public release of the reports. The views of multiple stakeholders were considered, including policy and decision makers, scientists, industry, and the public. While produced for different audiences and in different formats, the two reports are important sources of baseline information on regional coastal issues. The methods used to promote awareness of the reports targeted the “interested public”, which included individuals and groups who usually respond to government requests for input, who may be better able to inform policy, and who are already active in coastal zone conservation. Raising awareness and use of information was challenged by the need to communicate environmental information to diverse audiences and to engage the general public (stakeholders and individuals outside of established networks). Results are presented within the context of communication and information pathways at the “science-policy interface”. ► Studies of government initiatives were conducted to increase the use of their marine publications. ► Studying the use and influence of environmental publications can assure accountability. ► Multiple ways of communicating information increases public participation in decision making. ► Methods for promoting use of reports are more effective in reaching the “interested public”. ► Reaching audiences outside of networked interest groups continues to be a challenge.

Resilience: What is it and what does it mean for marine policymakers?

Abstract Marine policymakers are facing increasing calls to consider the resilience of communities that rely on coastal and marine ecosystem goods and services, and the resilience of natural systems themselves. These calls are in response to increasing threats to coastal communities from external factors such as coastal hazards, possibly associated with climate change, reductions in natural capital often caused by over-fishing and invasive species, and drivers that act to change local and regional economic conditions leading to changes in employment and inequality. However, most communities have had little experience in explicitly managing for resilience. Similarly, our understanding of the factors that make a natural or social system resilient is also somewhat limited. Furthermore, there is a lack of consensus-based definitions and performance measures for assessing resilience. These factors, along with other barriers, will need to be overcome before effective resilience-based management can be implemented.

Ocean zoning in the Northwest Atlantic

A workshop held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, brought together marine policy makers, resource users and experts to discuss spatial planning in the marine environment. Participants explored concepts of ocean zoning and learned from other jurisdictions and related integrated management initiatives. An ocean user perspectives panel featured plenary addresses on the significance of ocean zoning to various sectors. Discussions at the workshop emphasized the need for involving all key players and clearly defining terms used in the spatial planning process.

Abundance to Scarcity: A History of U.S. Marine Fisheries Policy

The management of coastal and ocean fisheries is highly contentious. Industry interests focus on maximizing catches while conservationists and marine scientists have become increasingly concerned about dramatic declines in fish stocks and the health of ecosystems. Besides attempting to mediate among these interests, government agencies have pursued their own agendas, which have often lagged behind shifts in scientific understanding and public attitudes about the productivity of the oceans and uses of marine wildlife.From Abundance to Scarcity examines the historical evolution of U.S. fisheries policy and institutions from the late 19th century to the present day, with an emphasis on changes since World War II. Based on archival research and interviews with dozens of key players in marine policymaking, it traces the thinking, legislation, mandates, and people that have shaped the various agencies governing fisheries in the United States. The book: discusses the development of federal programs in marine biological sciences and the evolution of scientific understanding about marine wildlife populations describes the work of federal fisheries programs in promoting the interests of the fishing industry considers the response of agencies to factors such as dam-building and coastal development that have led to increased pollution and habitat loss examines the shifts in understanding and values that underlie major legislation including the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and the Sustainable Fisheries Act examines the evolving relationship between federal agencies, the fishing industry, communities, and nongovernmental conservationorganizations, with an eye toward future management practice From Abundance to Scarcity sheds light on the sets of interests that have shaped U.S. fisheries policy, lending historical depth to current debates and providing a fuller understanding of current laws and regulations, and administrative structures and mechanisms. It offers an insightful overview for professionals involved with fisheries management or the fishing industry, conservationists working on marine issues, and students and scholars of marine policy and affairs, environmental policy and law, or public policy and administration.

Policy implications and reconstruction of marine institutional architectures: the regional indigenous organization (RIO) option

Global marine policy-making and related institutional architectures have been within the domain of the United Nations system in general and its specialized agencies (FAO, IMO, UNESCO/IOC, UNEP) in particular. At the regional and country levels there are a large number of organizations and agencies that are involved in various marine issues in the programme areas of Regional Indigenous Organizations (ASEAN, CARICOM, SPF., organizations belonging to these regions). The paper reveals that the United Nations system represents a top-down policy making and institutional approach, whereas a combination of nation-state and their regional indigenous organizations represents a bottom-up approach. The paper outlines some inefficiencies of the United Nations system and provides an option for improving the effectiveness of regional indigenous organizations.

Pattern development for vessel accidents: a comparison of statistical and neural computing techniques

This paper describes a sample of over 900 vessel accidents that occurred on the lower Mississippi River. Two different techniques, one statistical and the other based on a neural network model, were used to build logical groups of accidents. The objective in building the groups was to maximize between-group variation and minimize within-group variation. The result was groups whose records were as homogenous as possible. A clustering algorithm (i.e., a non-inferential statistical technique) generated sets of three, four and five groups. A Kohenen neural network model (i.e., a self-organizing map) also generated sets of three, four and five groups. The two sets of parallel groups were radically different as to the relative number of records in each group. In other words, when the two sets of groups were constructed by the respective techniques, the membership of each comparable group within the two different sets was substantially different. Not only was the respective record count in each group substantially different, so were the descriptive statistics describing each comparable set of groups. These results have significant implications for marine policy makers. Important policy variables include safety factors such as weather, speed of current, time of operation, and location of accidents, but mandatory utilization of a voluntary vessel tracking service may be subject to debate.

Essay: The roles of science in U.S. marine policy: Some regional applications

In the United States, the President, Congress, federal and state courts, state governors, state legislatures, coastal local governments, ports, and federal and state marine, environmental, and resource agencies all play important roles in establishing and implementing marine policy. The roles science plays in marine policymaking varies tremendously both with the particular issue and the institution making the policy decisions. While the goal of making marine policymaking more scientific deserves support, there are limits to how scientific marine policymaking can become because the roles of scientists and policymakers are different. Both scientists and marine policymakers should bear those differences in mind as they proceed with the important task of improving the management of the nation's and the world's marine resources. Regional research plans prepared under the Mitchell bill provide marine scientists with an opportunity to coordinate regional marine research in policy‐relevant ways.

Satellite oceanography: a new tool for marine policy makers

Satellite oceanography: a new tool for marine policy makers