Document Archive
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AAAS 2012- HallSpencer
Press Releases
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Newly Discovered West Coast Arrhythmias Cause Marine Life Die-offsFebruary 16, 2007Oceanographers, climatologists, and ecologists at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting report that unusual ocean conditions and marine die-offs are changing the way scientists think about the future of ocean resources off the US West Coast. The researchers’ new synthesis of decades of atmospheric and oceanographic data reveals that increasingly wild fluctuations in winds and currents appear to account for a series of recent anomalous ocean events – from repeated low oxygen zones larger than the size of Rhode Island to massive die offs of seabirds. The scientists say that the underlying swings in winds and position of the jet stream are consistent with climate change predictions.
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Marine Mammals Are On the Frontline of Failing Ocean HealthFebruary 2006
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New Hope for FisheriesJuly 30, 2009Scientists have joined forces in a groundbreaking assessment on the status of marine fisheries and ecosystems. The two-year study, led by Boris Worm of Dalhousie University and Ray Hilborn of the University of Washington and including an international team of 19 co- authors, shows that steps taken to curb overfishing are beginning to succeed in five of the ten large marine ecosystems that they examined. The paper, which appears in the July 31 issue of the journal Science, provides new hope for rebuilding troubled fisheries.
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Nature Cover Study Provides New Standards for Reliable FisheriesJune 2, 2010The many populations of sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay, Alaska act like a diversified portfolio of investments, buffering fisheries and incomes from the ups and downs of particular stocks. Sockeye salmon are one of the most valuable fisheries in the U.S., and since 1950, more than 60% of that value has come from Bristol Bay. A new study in the June 3 issue of Nature quantifies, for the first time, just how much depends on this “portfolio effect.” Without its current population diversity, the Bristol Bay sockeye fishery would close ten times more frequently – once every two to three years rather than once every 25 years.
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New Study Offers Solution to Global Fisheries CollapseSeptember 18, 2008A study published in the September 19 issue of Science shows that an innovative yet contentious fisheries management strategy called “catch shares” can reverse fisheries collapse. Where traditional “open access” fisheries have converted to catch shares, both fishermen and the oceans have benefited...
Consensus Statements
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Marine Reserves Consensus StatementIn 2001, a working group at NCEAS and other academic scientists developed a Scientific Consensus Statement on Marine Reserves and Marine Protected Areas. COMPASS helped these scientists draft and disseminate the consensus statement, which was written in response to repeated requests by marine resource managers, government officials, fishermen, conservation activists, and interested citizens for a succinct, non-technical summary of the current scientific knowledge about marine reserves. All 162 signatories are academic PhD scientists with expertise relevant to reserves.
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Ecosystem-Based Management Consensus Statement2005Comprehensive ecosystem-based management (EBM) was called for by both U.S. ocean commissions. This statement, signed by over 200 scientists and policy experts, highlights current scientific understanding of marine ecosystems, explains how this knowledge shapes the call for a new management approach, and provides a definition for what the scientific community envisions when it recommends "ecosystem-based management" for the ocean.
Policy Updates
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April 2010 California Policy UpdateApril 2010The “California Policy Update for Scientists” e-newsletter is a means to update California-based marine scientists on policy developments and participatory opportunities in areas related to marine and coastal ecosystems in California both at the state and federal level. The information is not exhaustive, nor does it aim to be.
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August 2010 California Policy UpdateAugust 2010The August “California Policy Update for Scientists” e-newsletter is a means to update California-based marine scientists on policy developments and participatory opportunities in areas related to marine and coastal ecosystems in California both at the state and federal level. The information is not exhaustive, nor does it aim to be.
