Major Results of the WG 5: A Sustainably Harvested

and Productive Ocean

Co-conveners: Hiroaki Saito, Somboon Siriraksophon & Cisco WernerRapporteurs: T. Schaefer, S. Bograd, D. Tommasi, P. Woodworth-Jefcoats

Regional Planning Workshop for the North Pacific & Western Pacific Marginal SeasFriday, August 2, 2019, Tokyo, Japan

WG 5: A sustainably harvested and productive oceanensuring the provision of food supply and alternative livelihoods

“Society now depends on the ocean more than at any time before. It is a vital source of nourishment, supporting directly the livelihood of about 500 million people, especially in the poorest nations, and, indirectly, the global population.

The Decade should create a better understanding of the interactions and interdependencies of the environmental conditions and processes, the use of resources and the economy. A major task in context of the development of the ocean economy will be in documenting the potential impacts from environmental changes on the established and emerging maritime industries and their ability to generate growth, especially for LDCs (Least Developed Countries) and SIDS (Small Island Development States).

Defining safe and sustainable thresholds for economic operations in the ocean will help policy-makers and stakeholders in implementing a truly sustainable blue economy. New research should develop and flesh out sustainable blue-green growth agendas and link it to efforts in ecosystem protection.”

Objectives of WG 5 discussions• identify the knowledge gaps and science questions that need to be addressed in

the region through the Decade to achieve the six societal outcomes;

• develop an understanding of existing and potential scientific international initiatives, programmes, partnerships and resources relevant to addressing these knowledge gaps and science questions;

• elaborate on the role of cross-cutting themes in addressing the science questions: capacity development and marine technology transfer; financing and partnership; data and information sharing and knowledge exchange, communication and awareness, and share good practices if any;

• identify, if needed, additions/modifications to R&D priority areas for inclusion in the Decade implementation plan.

Participation, structure of WG 5 discussionsDiscussions built on:

• Questionnaire (~20 responses received – not all complete)

• Uniqueness for the N. Pacific and W. Pacific Marginal Seas. Diversity of:• Ecosystems, climate effects, fisheries (effort, dependence, IUU), land use• Sheer magnitude of fisheries (80% of world effort relevant to address several SDGs (e.g., 1&2)

hunger/poverty); highest number of regional fishery bodies in world; significance of aquaculture locally but also global impact (through markets)

• Human communities, values, multi-sectoral uses (fisheries, aquaculture, artisanal, energy, extraction, etc.)

• Management and governance structures

• Categorize/prioritize decadal activities based on two criteria (consider time-dependence)• Importance (ecological, economic, food security, cultural)• Feasibility (scientific capability, scale, available data, political will, etc.)

• Plenary (>30 attendees) and breakouts into two groups• Climate & Ecosystems• Socio-ecological Systems

UniquenessOverexploitationinsomeregions,IUUfisheries,differentfisherymanagementsystemsbyregions

Highfisheries&aquacultureproduction.Increasingdemandsonseafood

HighpopulationdensityHighpopulationgrowthrate

Rapidlygrowingeconomy,increasingmultisectoraluseofocean,e.g.,windfarming,oil,tourism,port,transportation

Highbiodiversity,understudiedecosystemstructure&dynamicsinW.Pacmarginalseas

Changingecosystemsbyglobalwarmingandhumanactivitiesbutdifferentprocesses&speedbyregions

UniquenessMarineCaptureProduction(2016):World 63.94Millionton1China 15.22Indonesia 6.13Russia 4.94Peru 3.85India 3.66Japan 3.27Vietnam 2.78Norway 2.09Philippines 1.910Malaysia 1.6

13Korea 1.414Thailand 1.316Myanmar 1.2

AquacultureProduction(2016):World 80.03MilliontonChina 49.2India 5.7Vietnam 3.6Bangladesh 2.2

Japan 1.1

AquacultureproductsareexportedovertheworldSeafoodisalsoimportantforhumanhealth

Worldemploymentforfishersandfishfarmers

World59,609x1000

ASIA 50,468N.Am 218Oceania 342

Participation, structure of WG 5 discussionsDiscussions built on:

• Questionnaire (~20 responses received – not all complete)

• Uniqueness for the N. Pacific and W. Pacific Marginal Seas. Diversity of:• Ecosystems, climate effects, fisheries (effort, dependence, IUU), land use• Sheer magnitude of fisheries (80% of world effort relevant to address several SDGs (e.g., 1&2)

hunger/poverty); highest number of regional fishery bodies in world; significance of aquaculture locally but also global impact (through markets)

• Human communities, values, multi-sectoral uses (fisheries, aquaculture, artisanal, energy, extraction, etc.)

• Management and governance structures

• Categorize/prioritize decadal activities based on two criteria (consider time-dependence)• Importance (ecological, economic, food security, cultural)• Feasibility (scientific capability, scale, available data, political will, etc.)

• Plenary (>30 attendees) and breakouts into two groups• Climate & Ecosystems• Socio-ecological Systems

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Feasibility(scientific capability, scale, available data, political will, etc.)

7)Considering:Culture,diet/nutrition,economic,poverty,hunger,farming,fishing,survival,foodsecurity,

8)Considering:a) Resilienceofcommunity,b) artisanal,c) Industrial,d) gender,e) governance,f) space(MSP)Lowfeasibility:duetohighdiversitySmallscale

9)Considering:Reducetheconflict:needthe(MSP)a) Nearshoreb) Offshorec) Touristd) Recreatione) Fishingf) Miningg) Transport

10)Blueeconomy

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Samplegraphic

Knowledge gap and science questionsBreakout on Climate and Ecosystems (1/4)

Ecosystem Structure & Function: Effective management and maintenance of a sustainable ecosystem requires improved understanding of trophic linkages and impacts of climate variability and change.

o Develop and share advanced technologies with standard methodologies to improve ecosystem monitoring;

o Define ecotypes and monitor biodiversity & ecosystem structure;o Improve modeling to understand spp. interactions and food web structure,

population dynamics of target and keystone spp.

Knowledge gap and science questionsBreakout on Climate and Ecosystems (2/4)

Sustainable Fishery: A primary goal to reduce overfishing and realize sustainable use of marine ecosystem services.

o Improve identification of ecosystem thresholds (MSY, tipping points, etc); o Build capacity in EBM;o Improve stock assessments, especially for data-limited species, shared across

the region; o Improve monitoring of fishery removals, including on-vessel and remote

monitoring; o Develop indicators of sustainability;o (Improve enforcement of management - governance)

Knowledge gap and science questionsBreakout on Climate and Ecosystems (3/4)

Aquaculture: Primary goal to provide food security through ecologically-friendly and sustainable aquaculture.

o Define chemical & biological impacts, including introduced spp;o Establish guidelines: waste treatment, chemical substances, GMO &

endemic spp., monitoring and evaluation, food safety;o Improve regional and biogeochemical modeling to assist aquaculture

siting.

Knowledge gap and science questionsBreakout on Climate and Ecosystems (4/4)

Climate change impacts: Sustainability requires understanding impacts on fishery production, distribution, community structure, and catch, as well as on human societies.

o Improved observations and data dissemination;o Improved coupled physical-biological modeling, including forecasts and

projections;o Ecosystem impacts of extreme events;o Process studies on impacts of OA, deoxygenation.

Knowledge gap and science questionsBreakout on Socioecological Systems (1/2)

Understanding future of food production (aquaculture and fishing): importance differs by region. • WPac, coastal/small scale, high per capita fish consumption and high dependence on fisheries for

livelihoods, diet, nutrition, poverty, survival, hunger, food security cultural/subsistence/food security in SIDS (link to SDGs);

• Indigenous communities, subsistence fisheries, among others • NPac important as an economic driver (e.g., Bering Sea)

Understanding social structures to enhance resilience of coastal communities and reduce vulnerabilities. [Issues include: resilience/vulnerability of communities, artisanal and/or industrial fisheries, gender, governance/political will, etc.]

• Social justice and equity issues to identify effective policies in light of future climate change (or other, e.g., increase multiuse of ocean resources). Understand relationship between people and resource.

• Feasibility varies by community. Small scale diversity in social structure and social vulnerability. • Importance varies with social vulnerably of community: important to understand social structure for

artisanal fishery/first nation community but different for industrial fishing.

Knowledge gap and science questionsBreakout on Socioecological Systems (2/2)

Understanding trade-offs between different uses of the ocean and its resources. Valuation of ecosystem services. Requires development of marine spatial planning (MSP), as well as a temporal component (e.g., temporary closures). Fundamental to decision-making. Feasibility varies by communities and availability of information/knowledge. Issue is not only about trade-offs but also about synergies – consider rewording the title.

• Impacts of blue economy sector activities on fisheries (but also of fisheries on blue economy sector). Perhaps could be titled “Interactions of fisheries and other blue economy sectors” – related to trade-offs (see Knowledge Gap above).

Links between ocean health and human health – Existing and emerging issues affecting physical health (red tides, mercury, etc.), as well as psychological health (loss of way of life, loss of culture). Importance and feasibility are scale- and location-dependent. (Coordinate with WGs 1&2)

Note: several of the issues relevant and cross-cutting with other WGs.

GAPs ExistingProgram/PARTNERS Potentialprogram/PARTNERS

ProposedModificationonRoadMap

1)SustainableFishery

• WESTPAC,PICES,PICES-FUTURE• SEAFDEC,NPAFC,NPFC,WCPFC,CTICFF,etc.• SPC,IMBeR,IUCN,WWF• OceanMegasite Center(CAS):blueocean,

sustainabledelelop.Aquaculture,infrastructure• ASEAN,APEC• Ecolabel(fortraceability&sustainability)

• BBNJ• Enforcement

initiative/collaborationbtwcountries,particularinhigh-seas

• Groupoftechnologydevelopmentformonitoringcheaper

• XPRIZE,ortechsectorsrelatedinitiatives

• MechanismsforCBandTBT,tobedevelopedearlyphaseoftheDecade

2)Ecologically-friendlyAquaculture

• PICES• SEAFDEC,• IUCN• SCOR-HABs• FAO• Ecolabel(fortraceability&sustainability)

§ Internationalcoordinationforaquaculture(esp.forWpac)

§ Mechanismsforconsideringgeneticmodifiedspecies>?

§ Strainselectionnurseryandcultivationtechnique

§ GMOdevelopmentorregulation

§ Culturesystems

3)ClimateChange • IPCC,WESTPAC,SEAFDEC,PICES• FUTUREEARTH,NPAFC,FAO• BecauseoftheOcean,• FriendsoftheOcean,LMEs

§ Internationalinitiativesforadaptationtotheclimatechange

§ None

4)EcosystemStructureandFunction

• PICES,IPBES,WESTPAC• IMBeR,NPAFC,NCEAS,OBIS• CTICFF• WWF,NGOs

• Developtoolsandmethodsforecosystemstructureobservation/monitoringformarineranchingtechnology

• Marineranchingtechnologyanditsimpactonmarineecosystem

Working Group 5: Climate/ecological systems

GAPs ExistingProgram/PARTNERS Potentialprogram/PARTNERS ProposedModificationonRoadMap

5)Foodproduction • PICESspecialactivitieswithRFMOs(e.gIYS)

• MSEAS• SEAFDEC• GEF/UNEPonRefugia

§ TBD

6)SocialStructure • PICESspecialproject• GEF/UNEPforSCS,YSLprojects• PEMSEA• MSEAS(ICES/PICES)• SEAFDEC

FOUNDATIONS(PEW,MOORE,NIPPON)

§ TBD

7)Trade-off+Blueeconomy

• ORSP• PEMSEA

§ TBD

8)FoodSafety • SEAFDEC• WESTPAC• MinamataConventiononMercury

§ TBD

Working Group 5: Socio-ecological Systems

Potential initiatives/programmes/resources• Newprogramsmustmergenaturalandsocialsciencestobeuseful• Newinitiativesshouldbecommunitybased,bottom-up,andlocallyfocused(e.g.SeaGrant)

• DevelopaWesternPacificinitiativeforecologically-friendlyaquaculture

• DevelopaXPrize toaddressscienceneedsoftheregionandtoleverageprivateandpublicfunding

• Enforcementinitiative/collaborationbtwcountries,particularinhigh-seas

• Mechanismsforconsideringgeneticmodifiedspecies• Toolsandmethodsforbiodiversityobservation&datasharing

If possible, please identify contact point(s) for potential initiative(s)

Cross-cutting themes:Capacity building and technology transfer • To create citizen scientists, increase awareness of environmental change, participate in decision-making process, etc.

• Using social media to reach more people (provide internet access) • Increase science communicators (build scientists’ capacity to communicate to the public)

• Expand use of emerging technologies (low cost, low power, easy to maintain – to be used in remote areas)• Standardizing methods for technology transfer and interoperability, e.g., coastal habitat mapping and others• Training to empower women in the conduct and delivery of ocean science research and ocean science governance and

diplomacy scientists (e.g. WMU partnership with Canada and Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute)• Training on regional and global models and use of climate forecasting products

Partnerships and Financing• Engage foundations, support multidisciplinary projects on social structures and tradeoffs• Engage private industry to support work on tradeoffs

• Partnerships between developed and SIDS or LDCs and new financing mechanisms from private sector will be the key to realize sustainable blue-green growth.

• Global/regional collaboration involving academia, researcher, policy maker and development partner

Cross-cutting themes:

Access to information, data, and knowledge • Large amounts of freely data already exist, e.g., Sentinel-2 and LANDSAT. Make the data findable and accessible. Understand what

the key barriers are to making data findable and accessible and what can be done to lower those barriers, would be useful, e.g.,• NOWPAP Data and Information Networking Regional Activity Center (DINRAC) provides data and information for NOWPAP

region• Coastal habitat maps can be used for artisanal fishermen and local people: map on small seagrass distribution for fishermen in

one island, Indonesia is used to explain not to deploy gillnet for preventing dugongs from getting entangling up in the net• Statistical data on ocean related industries should become more readily accessible in the Decades to evaluate the status of blue

growth.• Developing and using more social media and Apps as tools for data access and raising awareness

Communication and awareness raising• Raise awareness through:

• Development and increased use of social media and Apps, e.g., Eye on the Reef, International Coastal Cleanup Campaign• Advance citizen science programs• Engagement with NGOs

• Provide for communication amongst stakeholders

Additions/modifications to R&D priority areas, if needed

Contents

Other issues/suggestions Contents