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21 - The relationship between science and ocean policy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

By
Carl Safina  and
Marah J. Hardt
Edited by
Villy Christensen  and
Jay Maclean
Carl Safina
Affiliation:
Stony Brook University, USA
Marah J. Hardt
Affiliation:
OceanInk, USA
Villy Christensen
Affiliation:
University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Jay Maclean
Affiliation:
Fisheries Consultant
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Summary

Science and policy share a dynamic relationship, at times shunning one another, at times bound in uneasy co-dependency, or enjoying mutual cooperation. The tone of the relationship determines reality: sustainable fisheries or decimated populations, protected coastlines or overrun beaches. Like it or not, scientists have the opportunity, and responsibility, to influence the outcome. Our choices help determine which histories will repeat.

Policy needs science in order to meet its mandates effectively. The goal is not to return nature to a pre-human, pristine state. Instead, it is to achieve sustainable use of our natural resources so that our children, the unborn, and we are able to benefit from them. Whether we use nature for commerce, recreation, appreciation, or evolution, all of these values are better served by abundance than by scarcity. Science does not determine or set these values, society does. But science can inform these values so society's policy goals are fulfilled.

WHEN SCIENCE IS IGNORED OR DISMISSED

When science is ignored or dismissed to support industry ideologies, it often results in the loss of a once plentiful resource. One of the most well-documented and still unresolved examples is the case of the Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus). These fish are truly giants of the sea, growing to over 700 kg, swimming at up to 80 km per hour, and traversing ocean basins. Their speed, agility, and power have inspired art and legend. Their unique circulatory and fine-tuned navigation systems have amazed scientists.

Type
Chapter
Information
Ecosystem Approaches to Fisheries
A Global Perspective
 , pp. 315 - 321
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

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References

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