Northeast Atlantic: another fine mess.

The fishery on the European side of the North Atlantic appears to be in a mess. A scientific survey in the summer of 2000 said the survival of all species is threatened by pollution and overfishing. Carried out by OSPAR, an international marine pollution commission, the survey paints a grim picture:

* Fishing levels for 40 of the 60 commercially exploited species are too high, and their spawning and distribution patterns are being dangerously disrupted. Cod, mackerel, sole, sardines, and monkfish are already fished "outside safe biological limits."

* A switch to exotic deep-sea fish is putting those species are risk. Deep-water fish such as orange roughy grow slowly, can have a life span of several decades, and do not start breeding until they are several years old -- even then with only irregular success;

* Pollution and loss of habitats are resulting from offshore oil and gas fields;

* Each year, 43 million cubic metres of sand and gravel are dredged from the North Sea and from beaches, destroying spawning grounds;

* Large-scale dumping of plastic at sea by ships kills birds, turtles, whales, and dolphins;

* The dumping of sewage sludge spreads diseases;

* Anti-fouling paints applied to ships' hulls, oil spills, sinkings, and losses of chemical cargoes are a major threat to fish and seabirds;

* The dumping of ballast water by ships introduces alien species and harmful algae;

* Radioactive discharges, heavy metals, pesticides, and synthetic chemicals are toxic to marine species.

* New "hormone-disrupting compounds" that are routinely used in cosmetics, condoms, and some plastics are causing sexual abnormalities in fish and shellfish;

* A rise in sea level of between 25 and 95 centimetres is predicted by 2100. This will cause ocean currents to change, water temperatures to rise, and storms and flooding to increase. All marine life will be affected adversely.

The report also warns: "The assessment has also shown that in spite of the major scientific efforts of OSPAR [members] over the last 25 years, there are still major gaps in our understanding of the marine environment." In the greater Atlantic, the survey highlights damage from pollution and uncontrolled overfishing on "fragile deep-ocean communities" of fish. A lack of proper monitoring "carries the risk that environmental deterioration will not be detected in good time."

International Council for the Exploration of the Sea - http://www. marine.gov.uk/ices.htm

North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission - http://www.neafc.org

Ospar - http://www.ospar.org/eng/ html/welcome.html

Seas at Risk - http://www. seas-at-risk. org

BOOM AND BUST CYCLE

The demise of marine fisheries is occurring on an unprecedented global scale, yet the collapse of individual fisheries has occurred many times throughout history -- a boom and bust cycle familiar to many fishery managers. As described by Michael Weber and his co-authors (Fish, Markets, and Fishermen: the Economics of Overfishing), fishers discover an unexploited and plentiful fish stock, which then attracts an increasing number of boats to a fishery. The `boom' part of the cycle begins as many fish are landed and for a while everyone prospers. Eventually fish are taken out of the ocean at a rate faster than they can reproduce. As the fish become scarcer, more effort is added to catch them. Fishers invest in larger boats with more gear and more sophisticated fish-finding technology. As the more powerfully equipped boats compete for the remaining fish, the stocks decline even faster along with the catch. Finally the cost of hunting down the remnants of a once- plentiful stock becomes prohibitive and the fishery goes bust.

FACT FILE

The Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Northeast Atlantic (OSPAR Convention) was opened for signature at the Ministerial Meeting of the Oslo and Paris Commissions in Paris on 22 September 1992. The Convention has been signed and ratified by all of the Contracting Parties to the Oslo or Paris Conventions (Belgium, Denmark, the Commission of the European Communities, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom), and by Luxembourg and Switzerland, and entered into force in March 1998.