Page 465 - Environment: The Science Behind the Stories

• Consumers can encourage good fishery practices by shopping Evaluate marine protected areas and reserves as
for sustainable seafood. (p. 460) innovative solutions
• Marine biodiversity loss affects ecosystem services. (p. 460) • We have established fewer protected areas in the oceans
than we have on land, and most marine protected areas
• Traditional fisheries management has not stopped declines,
so many scientists feel that ecosystem-based management allow many extractive activities. (pp. 461–462)
is needed. (p. 461) • No-take marine reserves can protect ecosystems while also
boosting fish populations and making fisheries sustainable.
(p. 462)

testing your Comprehension

1. What proportion of Earth’s surface do oceans cover? 6. Why are coral reefs biologically valuable? How are they
What is the average salinity of ocean water? How are being degraded by human impact? What is causing the
density, salinity, and temperature related in each layer of disappearance of mangrove forests and salt marshes?
ocean water? 7. Discuss three ways plastics affect marine life.
2. What factors drive ocean currents? Give an example of 8. What does it mean that we are “fishing down the food
how a surface current affects climate regionally. chain”?
3. What is causing ocean acidification? What consequences 9. Name three industrial fishing practices, and explain how
do scientists expect ocean acidification to bring about? they create bycatch and harm marine life.
4. Where in the oceans are productive areas of biological 10. What are the factors to be considered when trying to
activity likely to be found? design a marine reserve in the best way possible?
5. What are the two main ecosystem divisions of the marine
environment? What factors provide variation within these
divisions?

Seeking Solutions

1. What benefits do you derive from the oceans? How does has closed the fishery for three years, and scientists are
your behavior affect the oceans? Give specific examples. pushing for a permanent marine reserve to be established
2. We have been able to reduce the amount of oil we spill on your former fishing grounds. You have no desire to
into the oceans, but petroleum-based products such as move away from your village, so what steps will you
plastic continue to litter our oceans and shorelines. Dis- take now? Will you protest the closure? What compen-
cuss some ways that we can reduce this impact on the sation will you ask of the government if it prevents you
marine environment. from fishing? Will you work with scientists to establish
a reserve that improves fishing in the future, or will you
3. Describe the trends in global fish capture over the past oppose their attempts to create a reserve? What data and
55 years and over the past 20 years, and explain several what assurances will you ask of them?
factors that account for these trends.
6. thINK It thROUGh You are mayor of a coastal town
4. Consider what you know about biological productivity in where some residents are employed as commercial fishers
the oceans, about the scientific data on marine reserves, and others make a living serving ecotourists who come to
and about the social and political issues surrounding the snorkel and scuba dive at the nearby coral reef. In recent
establishment of marine reserves. What types of ocean years, several fish stocks have crashed, and ecotourism
regions do you think it would be particularly appropriate is dropping off as fish disappear from the increasingly
to establish as marine reserves? Why?
degraded reef. Scientists are urging you to help establish
5. thINK It thROUGh You make your living fishing on a marine reserve around portions of the reef, but most
the ocean, just as your father and grandfather did, and as commercial and recreational fishers are opposed to this
most of your neighbors do in your small coastal village. idea. What steps would you take to restore your commu-
Your region’s fishery has just collapsed, however, and nity’s economy and environment?
464 everyone is blaming it on overfishing. The government

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