2015 AAAS Annual Meeting (12-16 February 2015)

February 12 - 16, 2015

Can Our Ocean Commons Be Sustainably Managed? Innovative Strategies for the High Seas

The high seas, or areas beyond national jurisdiction, are the last great oceanic commons. But management is failing. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, two-thirds of high seas fisheries are depleted or overfished, including highly valuable straddling stocks such as bluefin tuna. This interdisciplinary panel brings together biology, law, economics, and science communication to present the latest and most innovative strategies toward sustainability on the high seas. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources has been leading the way toward high seas marine protected areas (MPAs), as has the United Nations in its work on an implementing agreement for conserving areas beyond national jurisdiction. Dynamic MPAs that move in space and time to protect migratory species have yet to be implemented on the high seas but are receiving increasing attention as a valuable management tool. Others have argued for more bold action, such as closing the high seas to fishing altogether. This symposium also highlights the powerful role of media in galvanizing public support and creating policy pressure toward generating the world’s largest MPAs, particularly in the Antarctic. By bringing together leaders in oceans academia, policy, and media, our symposium will present the newest and boldest ideas in marine conservation on the high seas, while providing hope that we can reverse the downward trend and move toward sustainably managing this last great oceanic commons.