• Energy Research
• 2021-2025close
• 14. Life underwater close
• Marine Policy close

The use of marine protected areas can be an effective way to simultaneously achieve both conservation and fisheries management objectives. The creation of marine protected areas, in addition to many benefits, also entails several costs, including the need for financing to maintain adequate surveillance and conservation. The recent economic crisis significantly lowered budgets for the maintenance of Spanish Marine Protected Areas, that may have had serious consequences for the marine resources sustainability. In this study we evaluated the indirect impact of the 2008 economic crisis on the conservation of fish stocks in Marine Protected Areas. We compared the number of species, abundance and biomass levels of the ichthyofauna, and abundance and biomass of selected species in two marine reserves (Cabo de San Antonio and Tabarca Island) with control areas, two years before (2008 and 2010) and two years after (2014 and 2015) the budget cut. Results in San Antonio revealed a decrease in total abundance, total biomass and number of species after the crisis, which translates into a decrease in the reserve effect. While in Tabarca no reduction has been observed in these variables, so the reserve effect was maintained after the crisis. We have found that of the 18 species analyzed, in San Antonio the abundance and biomass of 8 and 6 species respectively have decreased after the crisis, while in Tabarca the abundance and biomass of 6 and 8 species respectively have decreased after the crisis. Therefore, surveillance in marine reserves is necessary for the conservation of the species. This research was funded through the 2013 call for realization of projects of emerging research of the University of Alicante (GRE13-11) and 2014 call for carrying out R&D projects for groups of emerging research of the Generalitat Valenciana (GV/2015/117). E. Arcas was supported by FPU Grant of the University of Alicante (UAFPU2019B-07).

Abstract Blue carbon produced by marine ranching has tremendous economic and ecological value. A sound blue carbon trading mechanism, a fair market environment, and an effective supervision framework will help to transform and upgrade the marine economy through blue carbon trading. The present study develops a three-party evolutionary game model, that consists of the government supervisory agency, the blue carbon trading platform, and the news media, to analyse the evolutionary equilibrium conditions and each party’s evolutionarily stable strategy. It also performs numerical simulations on the evolution strategies. The study results demonstrate: (1) More strict supervision from the government will prevent the platform from engaging in opportunistic behaviours, and ensure fairness in blue carbon trading. (2) The news media’s participation as a watchdog can play a role in restraining the platform’s non-compliance behaviours, but a free-rider issue may also arise, which leads to an absence of supervision. (3) Consumers’ recognition of marine ranching products and the proportion of blue carbon produced by marine ranching that is available for trading will indirectly affect the platform’s course of action. Lastly, the paper makes policy recommendations for the development of a well-functioning blue carbon trading mechanism, a fair market environment, and an effective supervision framework.

Abstract Various vulnerability assessment studies have revealed the effect of climate change and related extreme weather events on the small-scale fisheries households of coastal regions. However, hardly any study assesses the economic vulnerability of the poorest coastal households to extreme climatic events. The present study attempts to fill this gap by examining the economic vulnerability of deprived coastal households through a vulnerability assessment framework developed based on the IPCC approved strategy. A gender dimension is also brought to this study by assessing the households based on the household headship. A total of 120 male headed households and 30 female headed households from two coastal taluks of Thrissur district in Kerala, the Southwestern state of India, was selected for analysis. Female headed households emerged to be the most vulnerable group in all the three aspects considered – exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. The study put forward suggestions to reduce the risks and improve the economic characteristics of poorest sections of the coastal households through women empowerment and policy intervention.

Les études sur les perspectives d'utilisation de carburants alternatifs dans l'industrie maritime ont rarement été évaluées dans le contexte des pays en développement. Cette étude évalue sept sources d'énergie pour le transport maritime dans le contexte du Bangladesh en vue de classer leurs perspectives en fonction de la durabilité et d'identifier les critères de transition énergétique. Les données ont été recueillies auprès d'experts de l'industrie maritime, y compris des gens de mer, des dirigeants de compagnies maritimes, des représentants du gouvernement et des universitaires. La méthode bayésienne Best-Worst (BWM) a été utilisée pour classer neuf critères liés à l'adéquation et à la viabilité des sources d'énergie alternatives considérées. Ensuite, la méthode PROMETHEE-GAIA est appliquée pour l'analyse prioritaire des sept alternatives énergétiques. Les résultats révèlent que le coût en capital, le prix des énergies alternatives et la sécurité sont les facteurs les plus importants pour la transition énergétique alternative au Bangladesh. En dehors du HFO de référence, le gaz naturel liquéfié (GNL), le HFO-Wind et les hybrides GNL-Wind sont considérés comme les alternatives les plus viables. Les résultats de l'étude peuvent guider les décideurs politiques au Bangladesh en termes de promotion de sources d'énergie viables pour un transport maritime durable. Los estudios sobre las perspectivas del uso de combustibles alternativos en la industria marítima rara vez se han evaluado en el contexto de los países en desarrollo. Este estudio evalúa siete fuentes de energía para el transporte marítimo en el contexto de Bangladesh con el fin de clasificar sus perspectivas en función de la sostenibilidad, así como identificar los criterios de transición energética. Se recopilaron datos de expertos de la industria marítima, incluidos marinos, ejecutivos de compañías navieras, representantes gubernamentales y académicos. Se utilizó el método bayesiano Best-Worst (BWM) para clasificar nueve criterios relacionados con la idoneidad y viabilidad de las fuentes de energía alternativas consideradas. A continuación, se aplica el método PROMETHEE-GAIA para el análisis prioritario de las siete alternativas energéticas. Los hallazgos revelan que el coste de capital, el precio de la energía alternativa y la seguridad son los factores más importantes para la transición energética alternativa en Bangladesh. Aparte del HFO de referencia, los híbridos de gas natural licuado (GNL), HFO-Wind y LNG-Wind se consideran las alternativas más viables. Los hallazgos del estudio pueden guiar a los responsables de la formulación de políticas en Bangladesh en términos de promoción de fuentes de energía viables para el transporte marítimo sostenible. Studies on the prospects of the use of alternative fuels in the maritime industry have rarely been assessed in the context of developing countries. This study assesses seven energy sources for shipping in the context of Bangladesh with a view to ranking their prospects based on sustainability as well as identifying the energy transition criteria. Data were collected from maritime industry experts, including seafarers, shipping company executives, government representatives, and academics. The Bayesian Best-Worst Method (BWM) was used for ranking nine criteria related to the suitability and viability of the considered alternative energy sources. Next, the PROMETHEE-GAIA method is applied for priority analysis of the seven energy alternatives. The findings reveal that capital cost, alternative energy price, and safety are the most important factors for alternative energy transition in Bangladesh. Apart from the benchmark HFO, Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), HFO-Wind, and LNG-Wind hybrids are considered the most viable alternatives. The findings of the study can guide policymakers in Bangladesh in terms of promoting viable energy sources for sustainable shipping. نادراً ما تم تقييم الدراسات حول آفاق استخدام أنواع الوقود البديلة في الصناعة البحرية في سياق البلدان النامية. تقيّم هذه الدراسة سبعة مصادر للطاقة للشحن في سياق بنغلاديش بهدف تصنيف آفاقها بناءً على الاستدامة بالإضافة إلى تحديد معايير انتقال الطاقة. تم جمع البيانات من خبراء الصناعة البحرية، بما في ذلك البحارة والمديرين التنفيذيين لشركات الشحن وممثلي الحكومة والأكاديميين. تم استخدام طريقة Bayesian Best - Worst (BWM) لتصنيف تسعة معايير تتعلق بملاءمة وجدوى مصادر الطاقة البديلة المدروسة. بعد ذلك، يتم تطبيق طريقة PROMETHEE - GAIA لتحليل الأولوية لبدائل الطاقة السبعة. تكشف النتائج أن التكلفة الرأسمالية وسعر الطاقة البديلة والسلامة هي أهم العوامل لانتقال الطاقة البديلة في بنغلاديش. بصرف النظر عن معيار HFO، تعتبر الغاز الطبيعي المسال (LNG) و HFO - Wind و LNG - Wind الهجينة البدائل الأكثر قابلية للتطبيق. يمكن لنتائج الدراسة أن توجه صانعي السياسات في بنغلاديش من حيث تعزيز مصادر الطاقة القابلة للاستمرار للشحن المستدام.

Seafood trade is a global business, where catches, processing, and consumption are increasingly separated. An increasingly integrated global market creates telecouplings, i.e. connections between fish stocks that are ecologically separated. These telecouplings may spread the impact of vulnerabilities, such as climate change, between unconnected fisheries. The effect of climate change on fisheries is often analyzed on a fish stock basis, which may overlook the spread of these vulnerabilities. Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) stocks, an iconic fish species, are no exception. Depending on the geographical location, stocks have been impacted differently by climate change, with North-East Arctic (NEA) cod, the stock in the Barents Sea, reaching record high biomass levels and other stocks being extremely depleted. Here, we investigate how these dynamics occurring in the ecological system affect global trade of cod. We find that the global export is fully dominated by NEA cod catches. Applying Structural Equation Modelling, we discover that the high biomass level of NEA cod has positive effects on catches and exports and leads to lower global market prices. However, zooming in on individual stocks and the countries exploiting them using correlation networks, we find heterogeneous responses of other countries, where catches for some stocks increase and others decrease in response to lower global prices. Our results highlight how changes on one fishery may have important repercussion on stocks in different ecosystems, as well as on societies reliant on them.

Funding: The study was funded by Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) under INSITE Phase II NE/T010614/1 (EcoSTAR), NERC National Capability Funding to SMRU (NE/R015007/1), and SUPER Doctoral Training Partnership studentship to MCIM (NE/S007342/1). ; Offshore man-made structures (MMS) such as oil and gas (O&G) platforms, pipelines and wind energy developments are present in shelf seas worldwide and can potentially influence ecosystem dynamics and services. The number, type and age of these structures is changing as the wind energy sector expands whilst O&G structures reach the end of economic viability and are decommissioned. The North Sea is an area which supports major offshore energy production and consequently has a particularly high density of MMS which, according to the OSPAR 98/3 decision, will need to be removed after cessation of operations. To inform effective policy decisions, a comprehensive understanding of the impact of MMS on North Sea ecosystem is required. A major challenge to this is the lack of a comprehensive MMS database with up-to-date and accurate metadata (e.g. structure type, installation date) and locations. We found that existing databases are spatially restricted and/or contain conflicting locational data and, when present, metadata. When used in scientific studies to support policy decisions, such gaps and errors limit inference and could lead to spurious results. Here we develop a comprehensive spatial database of MMS including O&G platforms, pipelines and wind turbines in the North Sea. This allowed examination of temporal trends in how North Sea MMS have changed in number, type and location. The generated database will be useful for a range of stakeholders ranging from ecologists, engineers, policymakers, industry advisors and geoscientists. Indeed, such a database is fundamental for robust research studies required to inform effective and sustainable policy decisions, including review of the OSPAR 98/3 regulation. ; Publisher PDF ; Peer reviewed

Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB Article number 105517 The EU (European Maritime and Fisheries Fund) and Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda Department of the Catalan Government provided funding for this research through the project "Advice to the CoManagement Committee of the cuttlefish of the bays of Roses and Pals for the implementation of a socio-economic program" under the grant agreement ARP163/21/000023. We acknowledge all fishers and seafood distributors that kindly participated in the project as well as we express our appreciation to all persons who shared with us their valuable knowledge by collaborating. We would also like to thank Eva Visauta, from the public administration and secretary of the cuttlefish comanagement committee, who is always available to help and provide information. Innovation in seafood marketing has multiplied, resulting in a constellation of emerging marketing initiatives from the fishing sector and seafood distributors to cope with resources scarcity, uncertainty, and climate change. Wholesalers, and retailers drawn on Social Network Sites (Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, Twitter, Youtube, TikTok) to disseminate the values associated with fish products. This study analyses the distribution network channels of the cuttlefish market in Catalonia (Spain) and the social media users. The methodology combines social network analysis, digital ethnography, and qualitative analysis based on structured, semi-structured, indepth interviews and images. Results suggest the existence of a paradox between the values of seafood products associated with "proximity," "local," and "seasonal products" cohabiting with market values adapted to the contemporary lifestyle of "convenience" and accessibility. The spread of gastronomic culture has popularised the demand for cuttlefish, increasing market diversification and growing competition between the buying and selling network actors. While distributors can obtain resources from different sources, fishers must cope with the limitations of natural resources. We conclude that management plans should consider the integration of fishers in marketing channels and media discourses to improve the marketing of seafood products in pursuit of sustainability.

The maritime shipping industry is responsible for around 3 % of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and is now under pressure to decarbonise. Until now, the shipping industry’s main regulator, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), has failed to implement sufficient policy instruments to support the emission reduction targets set in its Initial GHG Strategy introduced in 2018, and the implemented policy mix lacks consistency and comprehensiveness. This could be considered surprising given that shipping is one of few sectors with a main, global regulatory body, which should allow for a comprehensive and consistent policy mix. This is the puzzle examined in this paper. We identify three main challenges for more consistent, comprehensive and stricter regulation of GHG emissions from international shipping: (1) lack of capacity within the IMO to regulate multiple and emerging technologies, (2) uncertainty around the IMO’s regulatory mandate, and (3) lack of political consensus during negotiations. If the IMO is to play a more progressive role in mitigating climate change, these factors needs to be considered to ensure that the combination of policy instruments are able to achieve set emission reduction targets.