Janis Searles Jones, vice president of the Ocean Conservancy, said in the article “she also hopes the move will serve as a model for other policies.”

Living Seas Hong Kong hopes that an approach such as this would be taken in Hong Kong. Conservation of resources has to come first, NOT exploit and hope or pray that everything will be okay.

The post Commercial Fishing Is Barred in Parts of Arctic appeared first on Living Seas Hong Kong.

There will be a special showing of the globally acclaimed documentary, Sharkwater, to highlight the critical issues that the ocean ecosystem faces, partly due to the shark finning industry.

When:  Wednesday, November 19th, 8:30pm (the movie is about 80min)

Where:  Philia, 4 Arbuthnot Road (just above Cafe O)

How:  You will need to RSVP to reserve a seat, you can send us a note via Contact Us and we will send a note to the organisers.  There are about 50 seats. 

Cost:  HK$100 as a donation to the HK Shark Foundation.  Cash bar with free snacks served.

Why:  Because it is almost too late…….

There will be a short discussion of the issues and people’s interests/experiences afterwards

Sent us a note via CONTACT US and we will forward to the organisers.

For a link to the trailer…… http://www.sharkwater.com/index.php

The post Sharkwater video showing 19th Nov 2008 appeared first on Living Seas Hong Kong.

The report stresses that figure of US$50 billion represents a conservative estimate – it excludes losses to recreational fisheries and marine tourism as well as losses due to illegal fishing.”

The article also points out the growing usage of “right based fisheries” aimed to provide incentives for responsible and sustainable stewardship.

The full SCMP article can be found click HERE

The report from the United Nations FAO can be found click HERE

An interesting article on the Rights Based Fisheries can also be found click HERE, at a simple level the concept is that rights are given to fish certain areas, the rights to fish an area are transferable and therefore there is an inherent incentive to ensure that that particular area is sustainably managed.

So a simple question would be about what this means for Hong Kong fisheries.  Could we setup areas where the rights to fish areas are given to fisheries co-operative groups to actively manage these areas…?

The post UN report on fisheries cost and the growing trend of “rights based management” of fisheries appeared first on Living Seas Hong Kong.

The article points to overfishing which causes an imbalance in the ecosystem, raising pollution cause an inbalance vital for coral reefs to survive.

Coral reefs are of course a marine ecosystem vital to the health of our Oceans and of the animals that live there.

Global warming is the topic on the tip of everyone’s lips, but in terms of conservation it is only part of the equation.  More action is needed to setup true marine protected areas, to stop over fishing and to stop exploitation of endangered marine species.

Full article can be found click HERE

The post Pollution and overfishing – the biggest threat to coral reefs appeared first on Living Seas Hong Kong.

The zone was set up in 2003 and is being monitored by a team of professional scientists who, over a five-year study period, are looking into the effects of the zone on the habitats and species it is designed to protect.  The no-take zone is small covering a total area of 4 km²  (Note: Hong Kong’s only no-take marine reserve is 20 hectares or 0.07km²)

The latest results show that there has been a significant increase in populations of lobsters and crabs and that increasing number of juveniles are seen outside the protected area.  It is envisaged that in a year or two these will be of harvestable size for the local fishermen.

BBC audio report can be found by clicking on the following:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7509000/7509529.stm

Ban boosts Lundy sea species
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7509765.stm

The post UK: Lundy island – Do fishing no-take zones work? appeared first on Living Seas Hong Kong.

A report from the BBC reports on the “signficant revival in sea life” as a result of five years of restricted fishing off Lundy island. The Eastern coast of Lundy Island is currently the only “No-Take” zone in UK waters.

Significantly increased numbers of lobsters and also larger specimens in surrounding areas supports the claims that “no-take” zones can help the fisheries industry.  Fishermen are however still opposed to increasing the size of the “no-take” zones, saying the size will be “uneconomical”.

Fishermen do deserve to be able to earn a living and to supply to consumer needs.  However they need to be willing to compromise and to show more longer term thinking.  We all know the consequences of short-term mass exploitation.

Full article can be found click HERE

The post UK: Lundy Island – Fishing ban brings seas to life appeared first on Living Seas Hong Kong.

Whitetip reef sharks, are not listed as threatened…. yet

The report lists the following recommendations for governments.

1. Establish and enforce science-based catch limits for sharks and rays
2. Ensure an end to shark finning (removing fins and discarding bodies at sea)
3. Improve the monitoring of fisheries taking sharks and rays
4. Invest in shark and ray research and population assessment
5. Minimize incidental catch (‘by-catch) of sharks and rays
6. Cooperate with other countries to conserve shared populations

Full story can be found HERE

Everyone can also help by ensuring that they do not consume sharksfin soup, the major cause of the species decline.

The post 11 sharks and rays newly listed on the IUCN redlist appeared first on Living Seas Hong Kong.

This network will link into the European “Special Areas of Conservation” and “Special Areas or Protection”.  The two existing Marine Reserves in the UK (Lundy and Skomer) will be converted in MCZ’s.

Some of the key areas of the legislation include

1. The setup of a Marine Management Organisation which will be a centre of expertise in marine management and will deliver on the objectives of the bill.
2. Marine Planning.  Strategic marine planning with the aim of clarifying marine objectives and priorities.
3. Marine Licensing.  Provide the vital link between planning and enforcement.
4. Marine Nature Conservation.  Introduction of new tools for conservation.
5. Fisheries Management and marin enforcement.  Strengthen fisheries and environment management.
6. Environmental Data and information.  Provision of sound evidence for making informed policy and management decision.

I wonder whether the  UK Marine Bill can be  adapted to local requirements to fill in the obvious gaps in the protection and management of Hong Kong’s fisheries and in the conservation of marine habitates and species.  Thoughts or comments welcome…?

More details on the UK Marine Bill can be found at the following website.

>http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/latest/2008/marine-0403.htm Â

The post UK Marine Bill offers new protection appeared first on Living Seas Hong Kong.

Click on the following URL a fantastic and very informative website.

http://www.phoenixislands.org/index.php

A map of PIPA can be found HERE

The post Kiribati: Phoenix Islands Protected Area appeared first on Living Seas Hong Kong.

There is increasing interest globally in setting up no-take zones and properly managing marine resources.

Full article can be found HERE

The post Scotland sets up fishing-ban marine reserve appeared first on Living Seas Hong Kong.