Introduction
The Atlantic Ocean has remained a victim of imperfect political allegiances that arise from different activities such as fisheries, tourism, agriculture, and shipping that take place in the massive waters. The Atlantic community boasts of the ocean’s deep-sea basins, especially at the North Atlantic section. Such distinctive sea basins promote the existence of biodiversity.
These characteristics have led countries to raise significant interests in the Atlantic Ocean. Political imbalance that has arisen amongst the regular users of the Atlantic waters has posed diverse impacts on the condition of the ocean.
Practices such as overfishing and ocean pollution that result from marine human activities have posed a great threat to biodiversity in the Atlantic Ocean. As a result, many governments have attempted to set coast-to-coast designations and intercontinental laws that govern the use of the Atlantic Ocean. This paper provides an overview of the political problems that face the Atlantic Ocean by reviewing the existing laws that govern the use of the Atlantic Ocean.
Political Instruments
Marine activities such as fishing, shipping, and tourism have drawn numerous political interests from global nations that have access to the Atlantic waters. However, these human activities have posed a menace to the ocean’s life, a situation that has led to the development of international ocean policies that include laws, guidelines, and conventional practices to enhance the life of the ocean’s biodiversity. The shared ecosystem has prompted governments to devise frameworks for effective ocean management in an attempt to promote sustainable ocean activities in the Atlantic region (Boon 13).
However, different political forces have impinged the attempts to conform to certain regulatory frameworks that governments have set to manage the Atlantic Ocean effectively. For instance, the establishment of environmental advocacy organizations has influenced the management of the Atlantics waters. The Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) is one of the leading organizations that address overfishing, industrial development, pollution, and climate change issues in the Atlantic Ocean. The organization plays a critical role to promote sustainable marine activities to save the biodiversity of the Atlantic.
However, Sesini (12) reveals that the organization faces various political controversies that impinge its operations on the England’s Atlantic coast. Opponents of the organization have challenged the developments of the organization on the Atlantic. They claim that the design of the project has unsound and obsolete conservational framework. In addition, Jacques and Smith (47) reveal the establishment of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Ocean Planning Framework that pinpoints the various issues that can be resolved under ‘Regional Ocean’ planning. The authors emphasize the need for governmental agencies to collaborate in an effort to ensure effective management of the Atlantic Ocean’s resources by establishing strong governance.
Atlantic Ocean Pollution
Despite the various efforts by governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to curb ocean contamination, there has been increased pollution in the Atlantic Ocean. Careless disposal of industrial effluents, plastics, and other foreign solid wastes has contributed to the contamination of the Atlantic Ocean (Jacques & Smith, 45).
The authors unveil the existence of uncontrolled landfills sited on the ocean inlet channels together with industrial dumping and littering. These practices have increased the rate of ocean pollution in the last five years. Sesini (14) emphasizes that overusing of these landfills has led to general poor management of the ocean’s coast, a situation that has significantly contributed to the amount of marine debris that enters the ocean through the inlet rivers.
There is increased garbage patch that mainly consists of plastic materials and industrial trash that enter the ocean through ocean activities such as fisheries, tourism, agriculture, and shipping. In an attempt to alleviate ocean pollution, the government and non-governmental organizations have carried out an evaluation of the various effects of ocean pollution on the Atlantics biodiversity. Boon reveals a research carried out by the Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution to investigate the extent of the impact of pollution on sea life (6).
The research indicated a decrease in biodiversity due to poisoning effects. Furthermore, ocean accidents that occur due to shipping activities sometimes lead to oil spills that have harmful effects on ocean life. The vulnerability of marine life to oil threatens its existence in the oceans. Marine life researchers have concluded that oil spills lead to migration, reduced reproduction, and death of marine animals.
Fisheries Disputes and Overfishing
Overfishing is a marine activity that has led to unending political debates that touch on various regulations and biodiversity management practices. Overfishing befalls when fishing exceeds the reproduction rate of the fish in the ocean. Undoubtedly, there is an ever-increasing demand for seafood around the globe. In the modern world, with the emerging lifestyle diseases, the community uses fish for food and medicinal purposes. As a result, there is evident overfishing in the Atlantic Ocean. Boon reveals the decline of the Atlantic Bluefin tuna species, which is one of the superior predators in the Atlantic waters.
The author unveils that the species is likely to vanish in a period of three years if political debates that revolve around the fisheries industry continue for a similar period. Statistical findings show that the overall percentage of the Bluefin tuna reduced from 4.4 percent in 1965 to 1.3 percent in 2000. Thereafter, up-to-date, there has been feared extinction of the fish species, as its percentage has dropped below 1 percent. A fall in fish population has severe implications on the fisheries industry.
Jenssen reveals that many countries depend on the fisheries industry for the generation of a considerable amount of revenue (198). In addition, the industry employs very many human populations from around the globe. A falling fish population will not only mean decreased revenue for dependent countries but also loss of jobs for fishers. Nevertheless, political vagueness in the Atlantic Ocean has led to difficulties in the implementation of ocean management strategies. Different governments have proposed contradicting ocean regulations that do not match the international conventions for ocean management (Boon 11).
Ocean Management Policies and Non-Governmental Organizations
Global political forces and domestic policies have had a significant influence on the implementation of conventional ocean management laws in the Atlantic Ocean. Despite the socio-economic, ecological, and scientific interest that different countries have in the Atlantic waters, researchers have suggested the need to agree on common ocean management laws to preserve the ocean’s flora and fauna. The management of the Atlantic’s fisheries resources should be a mandate of every nation that participates in the Atlantic’s marine activities.
International organizations have attempted to merge their conventions with domestic policies to establish comprehensive ocean pacts pertaining to environmental conservation and management of fisheries. Jacques and Smith reveal that the Atlantic Fisheries Policy Review (AFPR), a policy framework for the management of fisheries on Canadian Atlantic Coast, has established effective control of fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean (18). Non-governmental organizations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) have been on the frontline to preserve biodiversity and maintain sustainable fishing activities in not only the Atlantic Ocean but also other oceans, seas, and waters of the world.
Jenssen reveals that the WWF is the largest and active non-governmental organization that commits its efforts to the protection of sea life by managing ocean pollution and fisheries (198). The NGO’s objective in the Atlantic Ocean is to improve the numbers of the endangered Bluefin tuna fish species. Another organization that works together with the WWF is the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). These organizations implement sustainable marine practices that encompass broad aspects such as fish harvesting techniques and ecosystem sustainability.
Conclusion
Competition for ocean resources without proper marine management practices is a devastating approach to the benefits of the ocean. Unsound ocean management leads to diminishing resources due to uncontrolled human activities that affect every sphere of the ocean. Fisheries, shipping, and tourism activities in the Atlantic Ocean together with relentless political misalignments, have had noteworthy effects on the ocean’s biodiversity.
Despite the attempts made by various environmental organizations around the globe to ensure effective ocean management, governments have to work closely with these organizations to simplify the implementation of sound marine practices in the Atlantic Ocean.
The prevalence of special political groups threatens the workability of organizational sound management systems due to identified socio-economic, ecological, and scientific interests in the Atlantic, especially the deep-sea sections. For sustainable marine activities, governments, environmental organizations, and ocean teams in the Atlantic and other parts of the world need to campaign tirelessly for sound ocean management practices.
Works Cited
Boon, Kristen. “Overfishing Of Bluefin Tuna: Incentivizing Inclusive Solutions.” University Of Louisville Law Review 52.1(2013): 1-38. Print.
Jacques, Peter, and Zachary Smith. Ocean politics and policy: A Reference Handbook. United States of America. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2003. Print.
Jenssen, Bjørn. “Marine pollution: the future challenge is to link human and wildlife studies.” Environ Health Perspect 111.4(2003): 198–199. Print.
Sesini, Marzia. The Garbage Patch In The Oceans: The Problem And Possible Solutions, 2011. Web.