productive oceans partnership
The Productive Oceans Partnership works to help the seafood industry confront ocean acidification. This global threat to ocean productivity has been called “the evil twin” of global warming, because both arise from human emissions of carbon dioxide.
Mainly produced by burning fossil fuels, CO2 emissions now exceed 32 billion tons per year (Manning, IPCC 2007). Every year about a third of this flux of CO2 mixes into the oceans. In seawater the gas forms carbonic acid, reduces ocean pH, and undercuts growth and survival of many plankton, coral, and shellfish species. This weakens marine food webs that sustain many fisheries.
Protecting the productive capacity of the oceans is a critical challenge for the seafood industry. But this industry need not be merely a “canary in the coal mine.” Seafood producers and marketers have time and again demonstrated their ability to influence ocean policy, and therefore have the potential to be a powerful constituency to address marine acidification.
Though acidification is global in scale, it is most acute in the North Pacific, where it has begun to affect near-surface waters (as shallow as to 100 meters) that feed Alaska’s major fish stocks. Fortunately, this region is comparatively well positioned to confront the problem proactively. With strong research institutions and effective harvest management, Alaska fisheries generate more than half the U.S. catch and represent a leading voice in the world seafood industry.
SFP has convened major producers and vessel owners in the region, brought in scientists and carbon policy experts to explain the problem and potential solutions, and recommended that the industry pursue several policy goals:
- Reduce global emissions of CO2. The future of marine fisheries depends on achieving this goal. The seafood industry is a small contributor to total global emissions, but it can be a powerful advocate for sound carbon policies. To ensure its credibility in this vital task, we are also encouraging the industry to tackle its own CO2 emissions.
- Boost research on impacts of increased ocean CO2. The better they understand the problem, the more skillfully management authorities can conserve fisheries in a changing ocean—and the better prepared they will be to avoid unnecessary and costly “panic button” decisions. Boost research on “green” energy technology and strategies for adapting seafood production. Meeting rigorous emissions-reduction goals will require development of technologies to produce carbon-neutral energy, to use it more efficiently, and to scour and safely sequester CO2 from air and sea. At the same time, ensuring future seafood supplies may require adaptation. In a high-CO2 world, some species are likely to thrive better than others, and some production and management systems may prove more resilient.
- Identify and pursue appropriate economic incentives. Every industry, including seafood, will face costs to curb emissions, but returns can also be substantial. Fortune 500 companies already report cost savings from climate initiatives that reduce their fuel bills. They also are now promoting a U.S. national policy that will expand markets for carbon credits. Creating the right incentives now may speed progress in emissions reduction and, at the same time, foster new opportunities on the waterfront.
We are now working with the industry in a variety of ways to implement these recommendations.