Ocean scientists share one million Swedish crowns
Oceans are essential to existence of all life on Earth, and yet perhaps
mankind’s most ruthless exploitation is taking place in the seas through
overfishing, pollution and other environmental impact that damages
biological diversity and the very basis for life both underwater and for
humans on land.
For this reason The Göteborg Award for Sustainable Development in 2010
goes to two prominent persons who have in different ways strongly
contributed to solutions for sustainable relations with our oceans.
The prize, one million Swedish crowns, will be divided equally between
Ken Sherman from the U.S.A. and Randal Arauz from Costa Rica.
Ken Sherman
Dr. Ken (Kenneth) Sherman is the director of the Narragansett Laboratory
and the Office of Marine Ecosystems Studies in NOAA’s Northeast
Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), and an adjunct professor of
oceanography in the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of
Oceanography.
In the 1980s, Dr. Sherman, together with others, pioneered the concept
of large marine ecosystems (LMEs). Sherman and his colleagues recognized
that large areas of the oceans function as ecosystems and that
pollution, unsustainable fishing practices, habitat degradation, toxic
pollution, aerosol contamination and over exploitation of living
resources, along with natural factors, influenced the varying
productivity of these ecosystems. Against this background is a growing
recognition among world leaders that positive actions are required on
the part of governments and civil society to redress global
environmental and resource degradation with actions to recover depleted
fish populations, restore degraded habitats and reduce coastal
pollution.
Unveiling the LME concept followed years of discussion, deliberation and
development by scientists, economists and marine policy makers from
around the world. They grapple with how best to understand the
variability of large ecosystems and how to manage the oceans’ living
resources for sustained productivity, and how to reach a consensus
between nations, essential for a sustainable agreement.
In addition to establishing the LME concept, Sherman has been a leader
and visionary in ecosystem research and management for more than 30
years. He became the first director of the NEFSC’s Narragansett
Laboratory and he set up the MARMAP program of (Marine Resources
Monitoring, Assessment, and Prediction) surveys which provides essential
information for scientists trying to understand marine food webs.
MARMAP has developed a long-term database for ecosystem productivity
that has proven valuable in interpreting fisheries landings data and
developing regulations for protecting fish resources.
Sherman’s work has generated a great deal of attention, in the U.S. and
worldwide. He received the Gold Medal award from the U.S. Department of
Commerce (DOC) for international leadership in developing and using an
interdisciplinary approach defining a worldwide network of Large Marine
Ecosystems. Ken has established himself as a global diplomat for NOAA
and an active advocate for marine ecosystems research and assessment
through more than 40 years of government service. His achievements are
truly remarkable and he well deserves this high award. The Gold Medal is
the DOC’s highest award and is given for distinguished and
extraordinary contributions that further the mission of the department.
Randall Arauz
Randall Arauz, a conservationist who founded the Costa Rican non-profit
NGO PRETOMA (the program for the restoration of sea turtles) in 1997,
has become a world leader in the work to ban shark finning. PRETOMA is a
marine conservation and research organization working to protect ocean
resources and promote sustainable fisheries policies in Costa Rica and
Central America.
As a turtle biologist and conservationist, Arauz worked with the shrimp
industry in Costa Rica to reduce the sea turtle casualties associated
with trawling. After some success in introducing new trawling technology
to the industry, he learned that long-line fishing boats were also to
blame for sea turtle deaths. When Arauz’s friend got a job on a
long-line shark fishing boat, Arauz asked him to film the fishing
technique. The footage he received of fishermen cutting off the fins of
living sharks completely shocked him and sparked his subsequent
commitment to stop shark finning in Costa Rica.
The practice of shark finning has been widely criticized as wasteful by
conservationists and brutal by animal rights activists. Many species of
sharks are now critically endangered. Over the last 50 years, global
shark populations have declined by 90% as a result of overfishing, which
has been made worse by the growing demand for shark fins.
In 2003, Arauz, using a secretly filmed videotape, exposed a ship
illegally landing 30 tons of shark fins, which meant the death of 30,000
sharks, late at night at a private dock. He released the footage to the
media, and the resulting shock and outrage from the Costa Rican public
and international community galvanized support for Arauz’s ensuing
campaign to enforce the country’s existing laws against shark finning.
In February 2005 a new national fisheries law went into effect that
specifically prohibits shark finning and mandates all sharks to be
landed with their fins attached. The new law also calls for fines and
jail terms for those caught landing shark fins at Costa Rican ports.
Arauz has also filed suit against the Fisheries Institute (INCOPESCA)
and the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT) at Costa
Rica’s highest court for failing to abide by the law. In 2006, the court
ruled in PRETOMA’s favor.
Throughout his campaign in Costa Rica, Arauz has worked closely with the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Congress to urge the UN to ban shark
finning and to stop all long-line fishing in the eastern Pacific’s
international waters. Since the UN recommendation was issued, Arauz has
represented Costa Rica at several UN meetings and has called for a
complete ban on shark finning. In 2007, he participated in a UN
Convention of Migratory Species meeting as an official Costa Rican
delegate and was instrumental in the election of Costa Rica as a member
of a five-country commission on international cooperation for the
protection of sharks.
Announced every April to coincide with Earth Day, the Goldman
Environmental Prize honors grassroots environmental heroes from Africa,
Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, and South and
Central America. The Prize recognizes individuals for sustained and
significant efforts to protect and enhance the natural environment,
often at great personal risk. Randall Arauz received the Goldman
Environmental Prize in 2010.
Links
Randall Arauz works for PRETOMA. Read more about them here.
In 2010 Randdall Arauz won the Goldman Prize.
See previous award that highlighted the work of Ken Sherman.
To know more about Large Marine Ecosystems, read here!
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