Monthly Archives: June 2020

Oceans cover 70 per cent of the Earths surface. But, because many of us spend most of our lives on land, the 362 million square kilometres of blue out there arent always top of mind.

While vast, oceans are not empty. They are teeming with life and connected to society through history and culture, shipping and economic activity, geopolitics and recreation.

But oceans along with coastal people and marine species are vulnerable, and good ocean governance is critical to protect these expanses from pollution, overfishing and climate change, to name just some of the threats.

The laws, institutions and regulations in place for the oceans are a multi-layered patchwork and always a work in progress.

Some characterize oceans as the common heritage of humankind. As such, the United Nations plays a critical role in ocean governance, and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is a key international agreement. The agreement grants coastal and island states authority over swaths of ocean extending 200 nautical miles (360 kilometres) from the shore. These are called exclusive economic zones (EEZ).

EEZs are domestic spaces. Countries enshrine law and delegate authority to state agencies that lead monitoring, management and enforcement in these zones.

Indigenous peoples also assert jurisdictional authority and coastal peoples hold critical insight about coastal and marine ecosystems. Governance is improved when state agencies share power and collaborate.

For example, during the Newfoundland cod collapse, inshore fishermen had local ecological knowledge about changing cod stock dynamics that might have helped avoid the disaster.

A vast portion of the ocean lies beyond EEZs: 64 per cent by area and 95 per cent by volume. These regions are often referred to as the high seas. The high seas are important for international trade, fishing fleets, undersea telecommunications cables and are of commercial interest to mining companies. The high seas also host a wide array of ecosystems and species. Many of these are understudied or altogether unrecorded.

Read more: Getting to the bottom of things: Can mining the deep sea be sustainable?

UN agreements identify high seas using a technical term areas beyond national jurisdiction that refers to the water column. The sea floor is identified separately and called the area. UNCLOS and other pieces of international law regulate activity in these spaces and are responsible for ensuring that no single country or company dominates or benefits unfairly.

Other multilateral, sector-based arrangements manage particularly complex resources. For example, regional fisheries management organizations bring nation states together to collaborate on monitoring and managing fish stocks, like tuna, that have large ranges and cross multiple borders and boundaries.

Currently, international law does not meaningfully address biodiversity monitoring and conservation in the high seas. This biodiversity governance gap has been of concern for the past two decades.

Without a binding mechanism under international law, countries are not obligated to co-operate on developing and implementing conservation measures in the high seas. In addition, monitoring the impacts of various economic activities, such as fishing and mining, on biodiversity is piecemeal and inadequate. Marine species or even entire ecosystems could be lost before we have had a chance to identify and understand them.

Read more: Artificial intelligence makes fishing more sustainable by tracking illegal activity

On Dec. 24, 2017, the UN General Assembly voted to convene a multi-year process to develop a treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Three of the scheduled negotiation sessions have taken place, while the fourth and final one, scheduled for March 2020, was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Some progress has been made. Notably, the draft treaty addresses four key areas: marine genetic resources; area-based management tools, including marine protected areas; environmental impact assessments and capacity building and the transfer of marine technology.

Yet, many disagreements remain.

For example, countries diverge on the extent to which governance should prioritize the principle of oceans as the common heritage of humankind. Very pragmatic questions underlie this tension: should marine genetic sequences be commercialized? If so, how would this work and will it be possible to agree on a way to share benefits fairly? These are critical and how they are addressed will determine if persistent inequities between the Global North and Global South are lessened or exacerbated.

Another challenge relates to marine protected areas (MPAs), especially how they are defined and implemented. What levels of protection are needed for an area to count as an MPA? How much should the treaty predetermine processes used to establish new MPAs and how will MPA rules be enforced?

Has postponing the final round of negotiations cut high seas biodiversity negotiations adrift? A European research team is surveying participants and experts to learn what impact the disruption may have. However, it is unlikely that the treaty will fall completely by the wayside. Delegates and negotiators may well continue to informally discuss options with one another and refine positions with an eye towards reaching consensus when rescheduling is possible.

A ratified treaty covering biodiversity in the high seas would be an exciting layer to add to the ocean governance patchwork.

But, delegates and negotiators always have to make concessions during talks, and disagreements often persist after the treaty has been signed. Implementation can be as challenging and contentious as negotiation itself. Various human dimensions and economic challenges will also continue to need attention, including human trafficking, perverse fishing subsidies and our collective responsibility to small island states that may be submerged as sea levels rise.

These challenges point to other international forums the World Trade Organization, International Labour Organization and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and serve to remind us of the myriad ways that we are all connected to, and by, oceans.

Read more here:

How a global ocean treaty could protect biodiversity in the high seas - The Conversation CA

Fishing trade groups representing Argentinean and Spanish fishing businesses have formed a framework for management of FAO zone 41, an area of ocean located just outside of Argentinas exclusive economic zone.

The area is rich in hake and squid, which has been targeted by between 22 and 26 Spanish fishing vessels for the past 37 years. Recently, it has come under intense fishing pressure from Chinese, Korean, and Taiwanese ships, according to Cepesca, an association representing 725 Spanish fishing companies.

On 1 June, Cepesca joined with the National Association of Hake Fishing Freezer Vessel Owners (ANAMER), representing a 34-ship fleet that fishes for hake and cephalopods in FAO zone 41, as well as the Organization for the Protection of the Resources of the Southwest Atlantic (OPRAS), a nonprofit established in 2018 with the goal of promoting sustainable fisheries management in international waters, to sign an agreement outlining a process for bringing the area of the high seas in question under a legal management framework.

The agreement calls for the implementation and international recognition of a defined fishing area as a regulated marine ecosystem in the Southwest Atlantic. It also creates a technical commission tasked with identifying areas and species within the zone that should be prioritized for conservation or protection.

In 2019, a similar agreement was signed between ANAMER, CEPESCA, and SINDIPI, the Chamber of Shipowners and the Fishing Industries of Itajai and Regiao of Brazil a country with an EEZ that also borders FAO zone 41. Both agreement have been forwarded to the United Nations and FAO to encourage those organizations to establish management mechanisms for international waters, which are currently unregulated, the groups said in a press release.

Today, OPRAS, ANAMER, and CEPESCA sign an important agreement, ratifying the commitment of our organizations to achieve order and necessary governance in the exploitation of high seas resources in the Southwest Atlantic, OPRAS President Alan Mackern said. Holding principles of legality, rationality, and sustainability for the development of the legitimate fishing of the industry, its companies and associate members; charting the path to be followed in a region of the high seas that lacks regulations and that presents certain risks of depredation due to the irrational abuse of supposed freedoms that exceed international standards.

The OPRAS project aims to assume a greater role and promote to organizations and governments the need to push the application in this area of the essential regulations for the management and conservation of fisheries on the high seas, as a formula to eradicate both abusive practices and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the organization said.

Juan Manuel Liria, president of ANAMER and CEPESCA, said the Spanish vessels fishing in the area are subject to European Union regulations that require them to obtain a special fishing permit, have fisheries observers on board, and to avoid fishing in areas declared as vulnerable marine ecosystems. The fleet also was required to conduct mapping of the seabed in the entire area in which it planned to fish before it was certified to fish in the area by the E.U.

Liria said his groups were seeking to maintain environmental balance and the health of the area's marine ecosystems as the only formula for guarantee the future of the fishing ground.

For the Spanish fishing sector and by extension for the European Union, it is vital to be part of and push initiatives like this, since we are convinced that only a sustainable fishing activity can ensure its future and this happens, inexorably , for eradicating abusive practices and any type of illegal fishing, he said.

The agreement seeks to avoid coverage of maritime spaces susceptible to disputes or controversies related to pending issues of jurisdiction or sovereignty or that are within the scope of existing regional fisheries treaties or organizations.

The three organizations involved in the signing are encouraging other organizations involved in the global fishing industry to adhere to the principles of this agreement and to commit to its objectives, they said.

Photo courtesy of Cepesca

Read this article:

Fishing trade groups push for regulation of high seas off Argentina to fight IUU - SeafoodSource

Dropping anchor back in 2018 on Xbox One and the Microsoft Store, Rares Sea of Thieveswill finally venture into the high seas of Steam. This new launch on Valves digital storefront brings Sea of Thievesand all of its content to a new batch of pirates. While there is no big update to the game that accompanies this change, it is still awesome to see it make its way to another platform.

Despite its lukewarm reception at launch, Sea of Thieveshas only gone from strength to strength. Developer Rare has supported the game steadily with more content for over two years now. This included the Ships of Fortune update in April. That brought a new Emissary system that gave players the ability to carry out diplomatic missions in Sea of Thieves.

New players can jump into that as well as the latestLost Treasures update, which arrived on May 27. It changed up some of the story bits in the game, as well as adding Daily Bounties as a source of constant reward.

Of course, if you are subscribed to Xbox Game Pass for PC, you will already have the game via the Microsoft Store. However, if you decide to jump over to Steam, the price of $39.99 remains the same for Sea of Thieves.

Players looking for a leg up on their fellow new pirates can tune into Twitch to get some Twitch Drops. Watching partnered streamers will unlock the Mutinous Fist ship set parts, Onyx equipment, and various emotes for your own adventures.

After linking your accounts youll be able to grab each days gear by watching a partnered streamer complete their Daily Bounty, or by simply tuning in for 30 minutes, a tweet by Sea of Thieves explained.

It is rare for games that suffer a bad launch to keep at it and turn it around. However, whenever it happens, it is great to see developers sticking to their guns and making it work. The likes ofNo Mans Sky andSea of Thieves are great examples of hard work bringing success and more fun times for players. We look forward to seeing even more pirates join with this new Steam launch.

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Sea of Thieves on Steam now, inviting you into uncharted waters - PC Invasion

We have been in Anatolia for a thousand years under the roof of the Turkish State. There has never been any other state, empire or civilization in this most distinguished part of the world that has achieved such a long reign, and whose geopolitical fate had ever lasted forever in this land. There were some ups and downs during this time. The peak, stagnation and decline, all had begun on the seas. The period of decline, which began with Lepanto (1571) on the seas and with Karlowitz (1699) on the land, had brought our ancestors to a point of losing their homeland and their state for the first time, with the invasion of Istanbul on the morning of November 13th 1918, with a total of 55 warships. As if it was not enough, on May 15th, 1919, the Greek armies had landed on the shores of Izmir.

The Ottoman Empire, which ruled by dogma rather than technology, science or reason, was a backward agricultural empire that surrendered its trade to foreign powers going into the First World War, its point of extinction. It did not have enough strength to resist the invasion from the sea, where the forward defenses should have always begun, in the face of the firepower of the Steel Empires. Nevertheless, the only reason that had delayed its earlier annihilation was its unique geography. It was being held as a buffer state against the industrialized and strengthened Tsarist Russia, while it was carving its way across Mediterranean and therefore to India, threatening the British Empire. But this did not last for too long.

Its fate was determined, with the transition from coal to petroleum in the industry and in the navy, and with the growing mercantile interests, and eventually partitioned. The Talks of Reval 1907, 1916 Sykes-Picot and 1917 Balfour were the breaking points. Sevres, signed by the Ottomans at the end of the First World War in 1920, had not only torn the empire apart, but had also dragged it away from the high seas. It was turned into a tiny state sharing a coast with Armenia, while its coastline was shrunk only to 500 km, having access only to the Black Sea.

The Ottomans, while drifting away from reason, also drifted away from the seas. The navy fell victim to the capitulations, imperialism and a backward continental mindset on the home front over the past years. They adapted to the age of sailing 100 years behind the rest of the world, only in the sixteenth century. The heavy costs of having only 20-30 professional naval ministers/Commander-in-Chiefs of the Navy out of total 216 in the entire 600-year-old imperial history was paid for heavily in the Battles of Chesma, Navarino and Sinop with defeats. The Ottoman Empire, which had drifted away from science and industrialism, a key point to establish a maritime power, was unable to produce industrial goods as well, and was doomed to collapse. It had to fight with its blood, against their steel. Entireties of Egypt, Cyprus and Libya were lost before the Balkan Wars; and then the Adriatic and Aegean were lost after, then Danube and Suez basins were completely disconnected from the Anatolian peninsula. In the First World War, the invading navies faced no difficulty when coming to Gallipoli, and on the morning of April 25th 1915, Commander of the 19. Division Lt.Colonel Mustafa Kemal, had to order the 57. Regiment to die, in Ar Burnu.

The Treaty of Sevres, which was written to clear off the Turks from much of the Thrace and Anatolia, was torn apart on the morning of September 9th, 1922 by the troops under Mustafa Kemals command. Thus, the unity of the Anatolian peninsula with Thrace was preserved with this War of Independence. They were to protect all their four seas and their 8,300 km long coastlines. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk had seen that Anatolia could not survive without a navy, but naval power alone would not be enough either. The Turks and Anatolia must be maritimized along with the state and state institutions. The first line of defense must begin at the sea.

It must have switched to the facade of a maritime civilization, despite its 900 years old continental characteristics. The Eternal Commander-in-Chief, Mustafa Kemal Atatrk, quickly established a navy that will be the first line of defense of the new republic, despite that the state did not even possess an operational vessel, let alone possessing a qualified admiral or a navy at full combat readiness. In order to close this gap, he had founded the Ministry of the Navy and put his best friend, the former President of the Independence Tribunals, Retired Artillery Major Ihsan Eryavuz in charge. Eryavuz, who had accomplished very important works, by taking a significant share of the state budget in a short time, became the focus of envious and reactionists within the state. He was drawing a lot of attention, especially his relations with the Prime Minister Inonu which brought a lot of contention.

Thus, the Ministry that was established on December 30th, 1924, was closed on January 16th, 1928. The so-called corruption scandal called Yavuz-Havuz (Floating Dock) was raised with the consent of the Prime Minister and the Chief of the General Staff Marshall akmak and with the propagation of the media; almost all the staff testified and Eryavuz was sentenced for two years in prison. Thus, our maritime policies and our Navy were governed by the General Staff in Ankara for 21 years, until the Naval Forces Command were eventually established in 1949. Ataturk maintained his support for the development of the Navy, despite all these difficulties. He had honored the Navy at every opportunity he could get. In 1937, while the national avionic boom in aeronautics was experienced, the Navy built its first ship at Golcuk Shipyards and named the oil tanker after Golcuk.

After November 10th, 1938, Turkey had experienced a sharp geopolitical dispersion. Efforts to develop the national defense industry significantly plummeted. Turkey, after being a part of the Atlantic Alliance after World War II, was armed with the tanks, aircraft and ships, phased out by the US Army and the Navy. The new force structure of military forces has also affected the concepts and doctrines of Turkish military might. Turkey had become a part of strategic plans created by the United States in order to contain the Soviet Union from the south, as a rimland country. The states most important institutions went under full control of the Atlantic Alliance and the US-led military political doctrine when it entered NATO in 1952. Turkey could not focus on its own national geopolitical priorities, given the Cyprus and Aegean crises. Although during the successful Intervention in Cyprus and the Aegean Continental Shelf crisis, it might have acted outside the control of imperialism, it was still never allowed for the Turkish state to leave its main course of NATO and Western interests.

They did not achieve this with a foreign intervention. They used the pro-mandate groups in the homefront. On the one hand, they managed to demote the founding values and the Ataturk himself, sliding away from its essential ideological format into a personality cult. But most importantly, they made the Turks lose their confidence. This insecurity persisted until the end of the Cold War. After the 90s, Turkey gradually began to explore itself, its own geography, and the Turkic World. It was a fast-paced process. Turkeys contribution to the security of NATO and the West diminished after the USSR and the Warsaw Pact disintegrated. Turkey, meanwhile, had to face the painful truth that it could not hand its national security over to another state or an institution. Then it started working on its own, which disturbed imperialism. They had come up with the second version of the Sevres when they no longer needed Turkey.

American Imperialism has initiated major projects in our region with no limits after September 11th, 2001. The result was devastation, blood and tears. Turkey had taken great steps, especially in regards to the Navy. It has strengthened its geopolitical position in the Aegean, the Black Sea and in the Eastern Mediterranean. The defense industry has kicked into high gear. Unfortunately, this process has been awash in nefarious plots.

The plot set up by the treacherous FETO network did not eliminate the naval force structure by neutralizing it with sudden attacks as had occurred in the past, but rather by gradually paralyzing the command structure. Turkey, where up to 15 Admirals and hundreds of other officers were arrested overnight, did not even blink an eye. Taking actions in the name of imperialism, FETO has chosen the navy as its primary target in line with the principle if you were going to take over Anatolia, you have to take over the Navy first.

Has not history already proven this? The patriotic section of the Anatolian people responded to these plots at massive rallies on December 13th, 2012 and on April 8th, 2013, when they had come to tear down the Walls of the Silivri Prison. Those walls were torn down in the spring of 2014. The spirit of National Power (Kuvay-i Milliye) was reborn. FETO responded to Turkey by opening fire on civilians on the night of July 15th, 2016, when it had just begun to take a path of independence again. The Turkish Nation had suffered casualties but did not surrender their state. Since then, the activities carried out under the name of FETO purges have continued.

Turkey has achieved some great and important successes in the fight against FETO, but the strategic level of the purges is still in question. Many journalists, politicians and thinkers associated and affiliated with imperialism and with FETO continue their activities. The most important sign of the severity of the FETO activities will be whether Turkeys actions to protect its interests in the Eastern Mediterranean, Aegean and in Cyprus are preserved in the coming days or not.

This is the reason that these areas are some of the most important strategic areas for Turkey in terms of combatting imperialism. Imperialism, while ready to exploit the social and economic crises created because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will also use FETOs soft power, either by some shady social media accounts, or through some pro-mandate groups within us. On the other hand, it should be no surprise if these activities intensify after the ousting of Admiral Cihat Yayci, an important name in the fight against FETO. In this regard, some signs are being shown on FETO-affiliated websites, YouTube channels and news articles that were published abroad. For example, the Blue Homeland is being defined as part of Turkish imperialism. Greek media also defined it as Turkish revisionism and neo-Ottomanism.

Some journalists in Turkey can say that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Armed Forces are greatly disturbed by the concept of Blue Homeland. In other words, imperialism is trying to tell Turkey Do not try to protect your maritime jurisdiction areas, just surrender them by fugitive FETO thinkers and inside pro-mandate groups. We can already predict that in the coming days, the topics of the Blue Homeland, the Maritime Border Agreement with Libya and the developments in defense cooperation with Libya will be devalued, while some intense smearing and discrediting campaigns from FETO social media accounts will take charge. In the context of Turkey shifting away from its traditional Western/NATO line, these points can be brought up as a possible solution: unconditional rapprochement with Greece, suspending the idea of the Blue Homeland, a federal solution for Cyprus, full surrender to the US plans in Syria, and the deactivation of the S-400 systems.

Pixabay

Turkey is secure and prosperous when the navy is stronger; and in fear and devastation when the navy is weak. Remember, those who came to partition Anatolia have always come by the sea. Every time when the Navy was strengthened, it was hit either by imperialism or by internal opposition elements. History should not repeat itself in the 21st century. Imperialism should never be given this opportunity again, especially given that the Navy is experiencing its strongest, and its most active period ever. July 15, 2016 should always be on top of our compasses as a warning beacon. New betrayals and new deceptions must never be allowed. It should be noted that the path set by Mustafa Kemal Ataturks is the only one that will take us to our righteous port, with the lessons we learned from our recent past, regardless of the circumstances, when drawing new routes. That path passes through the Blue Homeland in the 21st century.

See more here:

From the Blue Homeland, to the High Seas - United World International

Working on a fishing vessel has its fair share of challenges but most Fijian seafarers have grown accustomed to it like Captain Josefa Kopeta, a Class 5 Master holder.

While most people would think being a crew member onboard a fishing vessel is not interesting, Capt Kopeta says working onboard those vessels allows seafarers to put food on the table for their families after they return from the sea and it helps them meet their daily needs and obligations.

Capt Kopeta, who is commonly known as Capt Jo in the fishing industry, says sailors like him have faced so many challenges with some even losing their lives out at sea.

As a captain, I didnt go through all that, but Ive heard about seafarers who are thrown overboard or have lost their lives because of disputes onboard the vessels they work on.

There are a lot of disputes that happen onboard that can lead to a sailor getting injured and communication can be a barrier on foreign vessels at times.

He said as captain on either local or foreign vessels he always tried to maintain a balance between his crew members.

I always try to make things work for everyone on board, its important when we are out at sea.

I make sure jobs are delegated well and works are done especially handling of fish stock that is caught. This fish stock is a big priority to us because its what gets us paid at the end of the day.

For my crew and I, working conditions are fine. Ive heard about other seafarers that are working in not so fine working conditions.

He said he hoped to see changes occur in the sector.

I hope more can be done about working seafarers on fishing vessels because its these seafarers who go out every day and try to earn a living and also try to survive in those tough working conditions.

He said hes from a community full of seafarers who board fishing boats in local and international waters so stories are often shared about working conditions.

He added talking about it allowed their voices to be heard about the challenges they faced.

Here is the original post:

The Fiji Times SHIPPING TIMES: Life on the high seas - Fiji Times

This article is part of a special report on Climate Solutions.

For the artisanal fisherman Gustavo Yaez, setting out in his modest vessel to hunt the jumbo flying squid that roam the deep fathoms of the southeast Pacific is no mere act of subsistence.

It is a spiritual enterprise.

From his dock in Valdivia, in central Chile, he and his intrepid crew begin their day at dusk during the high summer season. As darkness envelops their boat, they venture 25 to 70 miles from shore before dropping their jigs. Luminescence at the tips of these sturdy fishing lines attracts the mighty and aggressive diablo rojo, as the squid is reverentially known.

When caught, the creatures thrash violently aboard the deck, furiously spewing ink that douses the crew, who, clad in protective gear, let the mess roll off.

It is a way to disconnect, Mr. Yaez said of these Melvillian nocturnal adventures, a trip to the psychologist, a daily therapy. To fish is to be privileged to be in contact with the sea, with nature, with living beings, with God.

Economics, meantime, is such fishers temporal guiding star. There is good money in squid, with the price soaring about 40 percent from 2016 to 2019.

A fearsome marine predator so ravenous it is prone even to cannibalism, the jumbo squid can top out at over 100 pounds and 12 feet in length during a life span of only a year or two.

That is a lot of meat for the Asian market in particular, which since 2017 has imported an annual average of about $365 million in squid from Peru and $55 million from Chile.

Climate change, scientists suggest, has been fueling the squid bounty where Chile in particular is concerned.

Two decades ago, South Pacific jumbo squid fishing was a mainstay industry in Peru, but the cephalopod went largely unfished in Chilean waters to the south. Since the early 2000s, the squids range has shifted farther and farther down Chiles 2,700-mile coastline. It has also pulsed farther west into the high seas away from Peruvian shores.

Multiple studies, including one published in Current Biology in March, have found that climate changes striking impact on the oceans through warming, acidification, declining oxygen content and shifts in currents is driving marine-creature territories in a mass shift away from the tropics and toward the poles.

On May 25, Nature Ecology & Evolution published a paper that estimated the average poleward migration rate at 37 miles per decade, while Nature Climate Change published a complementary study that projected that the pace would accelerate with particularly intense velocity among creatures like the jumbo squid that favor lower ocean layers.

The impacts of climate change and variability are playing out much more dramatically in the ocean than on land, said Malin Pinsky, an ecologist at Rutgers University, noting that the oceans, which have warmed by nearly one degree Celsius since 1850, absorb 93 percent of the excess heat from industrial output. Its a largely unseen and yet incredibly dramatic redistribution of where animals live. Those effects ripple all the way through global trade and to our dinner plates.

The jumbo squids southward shift has been a lifesaver for small-scale Chilean fishermen such as Mr. Yaez, who have suffered major losses as overfishing and, likely, climate change have compromised many important fish stocks.

But the squids arrival has also provoked intense domestic conflicts in Chile, including riots, as artisanal fishermen, Mr. Yaez included, have fought with their industrial counterparts over the rights to the catch.

Then there are the international tensions that so often arise as fish stocks migrate.

By crossing international borders in greater numbers and thus exposing itself to new groups of fishers, the jumbo squid population has wound up at risk for overfishing. The Chilean take declined in 2019. In an ideal world, nations would mitigate such risk by coordinating more sustainable fishing practices.

There is an absolute need for sustainable wild-ocean fisheries, to help feed an increasingly hungry planet, said Doug Rader, chief oceans scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund, especially the three-plus billion people who depend on the ocean for protein.

The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea guarantees individual countries exclusive economic zones (E.E.Z.s) that extend up to 200 nautical miles from their shorelines and within which nations maintain sole fishing rights. Globally, nearly 90 percent of all wild seafood is caught within the zones.

In mid-March, the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization, one of about 20 such groups around the world that coordinate sustainable fishing practices in international waters, took the first steps toward establishing a management and conservation agreement between national members for sustainably fishing jumbo squid on the high seas.

While the agreement, which goes into place in January, does not yet stipulate limits on the squid catch, it requires the gathering of data and samples to inform fishery records and vital scientific inquiries into the valuable marine creature.

Ideally, states should be able to align both in science and management, and the same should apply in international waters, said Alfonso Miranda, the Lima, Peru-based president of Calamasur, a new industry group that advocates for sustainable jumbo squid fishing.

In a 2018 paper in Science, Dr. Pinsky projected that compared with a scenario of reduced emissions, the current fossil fuel emissions trajectory would result in 23 percent more fish populations crossing international boundaries by 2060.

According to at least the preponderance of international fishing agreements, though, it is as if no such upheaval is underway.

For a paper published in Nature Sustainability in February, Kimberly L. Oremus, a marine policy expert at the University of Delaware, reviewed 127 such agreements and found that not one had language explicitly addressing climate change-driven losses of fishing stocks from exclusive economic zones.

Global fishing regulation is instead predicated on an increasingly outdated concept of fish populations as static in their historical ranges and renewable within national jurisdictions.

Seeking to develop a global model for managing ocean resources in the face of climate change, the Environmental Defense Fund is coordinating a sprawling research effort among South American scientists to better understand the evolution of fisheries within South Pacifics Humboldt Current, which sweeps north from Chiles midpoint to southern Ecuador and then flows westward, driving about 20 percent of worldwide fishing.

Kristin Kleisner, a senior scientist at the fund, is testing models that could permit more accurate projections of how the jumbo squid and other marine life within the current will fluctuate from year to year.

The willingness on the part of scientists from Ecuador, Peru and Chile to share data analysis and collaborate on this research front has imbued Dr. Kleisner with optimism that they can make the major strides necessary to best inform sustainable fishing practices in the region.

This cooperation, Dr. Kleisner said, is actually really amazing because Chile and Peru had a maritime border dispute up until 2014.

If policies dont adapt to account for climate changes effects on fish ranges, the global fishing industry could be thrown progressively into chaos.

Nations, especially those in the tropics, that face fish-stock losses could wind up having minimal incentive to fish sustainably and might tap as much of the resource as they can before it has fully departed. And nations that gain stocks, and thus lack specific agreements with other nations to manage them well, might fish them without respecting U.N. policies that demand sustainable fishing practices worldwide.

In the most famous example of such imbalance, the Northeast Atlantic mackerel that historically swam within a range managed by the European Union, Norway and the Faroe Islands started showing up in the Icelandic E.E.Z. in the mid-2000s. Unbound by a treaty, Icelandic fishers went after the stock without cooperating with the other parties, giving rise to still-simmering tensions known as the Mackerel Wars.

The worst case is theres no cooperation and we catch most of the fish that are out there, Dr. Pinsky said of the future of global fishing regulation.

And the last century of sustainable fisheries management goes out the window. In the best case, fisheries may become a bit less productive. And any given country will catch different species. But there will still be fisheries; theyll still feed millions of people, and provide jobs for hundreds of thousands of people.

As for Mr. Yaez, the Chilean squid fisherman, he prays that sustainability measures will keep alive a tradition that runs deep in his blood. He envisions a day when his children and grandchildren will suit up and take to the night waters in search of a rich bounty of squid drawn from the mysterious fathoms below.

Read the rest here:

Managing the Majestic Jumbo Flying Squid - The New York Times

To say that we are living in strange times is a great understatement. COVID-19 has changed the way we view what is normal.

This time of year is especially hard because our high school and college seniors who would be graduating are looking for new ways to celebrate their achievements.

I pray that we all attempt to see the positive possibilities of being Christlike in a world that is scared and seems to thrive on bad news. Jesus Christ is good news yesterday, today, and forever.

A few years, my church sponsored a cruise called, Salt and Light. The idea comes from the Scripture in Matthew 5:13-14, when Jesus described his followers as Salt and Light.

I believe a follower of Christ can make a positive difference anywhere, and the more believers you have in one place, the greater chance you have to inspire someone to come to Christ.

The cruise line that we selected knew that we met every day for prayer, praise and Bible application time. They provided us with a room and prepared for our meeting. We had several guests who had heard about our Bible time and joined us for this special meeting while we were on the high seas.

For me, it is the only way to go on a cruise, to have a group of Christian people who want to enjoy the beauty of Gods creation and to worship him on the ship.

I would encourage even the greatest of land lovers to give this a try and not to be worried about getting seasick, because they do make medicine for stuff like that. My doctor gave me a small patch that I wore behind my ear to stop motion sickness, or at least to slow it down. I have been on four cruises and have never gotten sick. I believe the main reason I have fought off seasickness is because I keep my mind on the positive reasons I am on the ship, namely to represent Jesus Christ.

Something else that I also look forward to is the food. If the ship never left dock, the different foods you get to try are worth the trip. You can order anything on the menu and many times as much as you want.

I am familiar with some of the food, while other foods are items that I cannot even pronounce. However, that has never stopped me from at least giving foods from different parts of the world a chance to tickle my taste buds.

One such item that I have encountered on the menu is something called vichyssoise which to us regular folks is cold soup. I realize that there is more than one temperature to eat something or drink something. I will drink hot tea as well as ice tea. I enjoy chocolate at room temperature, cold, and even melting hot, why should soup be any different?

Well folks, it is different, and I dont mean in a good way. It is like trying to eat something that somebody else has already tried to eat but they didnt like it, even when it was hot. Even a fancy foreign word cant convince me that I am taking a stab at culture and improving my IQ by eating something that my palate is telling me to throw overboard and feed to the fishes. Some things should never be served cold.

A few days ago while I was studying my Bible, I came across a passage of Scripture that brought back the idea of cold soup. In Matthew 24, Jesus was describing the events of the Last Days. Verse 12 says, And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

As I prayed about this Scripture I realized that a person does not have to participate in lawlessness to be affected by it. If the devil can get you to take your eyes off Jesus and place them on all the crazy things that are taking place in the world, your heart will grow cold. God never intended for your heart to be cold towards him or to the needs and challenges of this world. The only way you can check yourself for a cold heart is to look into the use of your time, talents, tithes and offerings. How much time do you give to spend with God in prayer? How do you use your talents for Gods glory and for the encouragement of others? How do you use your finances to honor God by giving back to him what he has given to you? If you have an excuse in any of these areas for not giving your best to God, chances are you have a bad case of the Cold Heart.

The only cure for the cold heart is to get where Jesus is and stay close to him. Jesus will make sure your heart stays at the right temperature every day of your life. Remember, dont give in to sin. Think about it.

Vince Hefner is pastor of First Baptist Church in Cherryville.

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Faith column: Cold soup and other strange things - McDowell News

By Peter Hummers on June 4, 2020

In 1718, Edward Teach, the pirate popularly known as Blackbeard, was killed off Ocracoke Island, becoming an icon of the Outer Banks. Much fiction has been generated from his life; here are three shows in which he stars, or appears.

CROSSBONES (Amazon.com; on demand on Prime Video and other services) 2014 [TV14]

The brainchild of Neil Cross (Luther), James V. Hart (Hook), and Amanda Welles, Crossbones is an adaptation of Colin Woodards book The Republic of Pirates, in which Blackbeard (John Malkovich) presides over the island of Santa Compaa, home to pirates, thieves, and cutthroats. The British Empire believes Teach dead, but he is in hiding, calling himself Commodore.

Tom Lowe, a British spy, receives a mission from his commander William Jaggerkill the Commodore. According to Jagger, the man he killed eleven years earlier at Ocracoke was not the real Blackbeard but a double. Lowe poses as a surgeon aboard the HMS Petrel, a ship bound for England that is attacked by pirates looking to steal a prototype of an important navigation device called the longitude chronometer and its inventor Frederick Nightingale. And thats just the first episode.

With characters called Wild Man, and antics such as the trepanning of a paranoid Blackbeards skull, and scripts by Neil Cross, the ten episodes of Crossbones are every bit as entertaining as they might sound. Heres the NBC trailer.

Captain Flint and John Silver are up to no good in Black Sails. (IMDb.com)

BLACK SAILS (Amazon.com; Hulu) 2014-2017 [TVMA]

1715 West Indies.The pirates of New Providence Island threaten maritime trade in the region.The laws of every civilized nation declare them hostis humani generis. Enemies of all mankind.In response, the pirates adhere to a doctrine of their ownwar against the world.

So begins Black Sails, a prequel to Treasure Island that opens with a pirate attack on a three-master. The ships cook tears a page from the log and hides it, before it ultimately lands in the possession of roguish John Silver, who signs on with the pirates. Pirate captain Flint believes the missing log page holds the clue to the whereabouts of a Spanish treasure ship.

This plot device intersects with a threatened mutiny aboard Captain Flints ship, one of many based on the island of New Providence, comparable to the Santa Compaa of Crossbones, a republic of pirates. Many historical pirates are name-checked, including Blackbeard in season three. The business of the island is described, with Eleanor Guthrie, daughter of the islands most successful merchant, coordinating attacks and finding buyers for stolen booty while wrangling the pirates.Heres the first trailer for this delicious Starz series.

Blackbeard wreaks havoc on the high seas looking for Captain Kidds treasure. His dark presence causes controversy in the local port town of New Providence. (IMDb.com)

BLACKBEARD THE PIRATE (Amazon.com; Prime Video; YouTube; Tubi; Google Movies & TV; Apple TV) 1952 [TVPG]

This colorful Raoul Walsh swashbuckler lays its escapist intentions out right after the opening titles: The meeker the man, the more pirate he/Snug in his armchair, far from the sea,/And reason commends his position:/He has all of the fun and none of the woes,/Masters the ladies and scuttles his foes,/And cheats both the noose and perdition! The Armchair Pirate, Anon.

The film follows British Navy Lieutenant Robert Maynard, who sets out to earn a reward by proving that privateer Henry Morgan also engages in piracy.

Maynard poses as a surgeon on board the ship of pirate Charles Bellamy, who he believes is in league with Morgan. Once Maynard and fellow spy Briggs come on board, they discover that the pirate Blackbeard has murdered Bellamy and taken over as captain. Maynard, however, remains fixed on finding Morgan.

Between Robert Newtons ecstatic delivery of lines like Arrgh! A fiery wench, then! and minor roles filled by William Bendix (The Life of Riley) and Irene Ryan (The Beverly Hillbillies), this beautiful film is tailor-made for a bucket of popcorn. There are sailors hung from yard-arms, cannon duels, kidnapped ladies, and mutinies planned, all as it should be. Heres a trailer.

Next time, its all in the game. Email me and follow Stream On OBX on Twitter.

(Pete Hummers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to earn fees by linking Amazon.com and affiliate sites. This adds nothing to Amazons prices.)

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Stream On: Three pirate shows, all rated Aargh! - The Outer Banks Voice