Developing achievable alternate futures for key challenges during the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development

Graphic abstract In the age of the Anthropocene, the ocean has typically been viewed as a sink for pollution. Pollution is varied, ranging from human-made plastics and pharmaceutical compounds, to human-altered abiotic factors, such as sediment and nutrient runoff. As global population, wealth and resource consumption continue to grow, so too does the amount of potential pollution produced. This presents us with a grand challenge which requires interdisciplinary knowledge to solve. There is sufficient data on the human health, social, economic, and environmental risks of marine pollution, resulting in increased awareness and motivation to address this global challenge, however a significant lag exists when implementing strategies to address this issue. This review draws upon the expertise of 17 experts from the fields of social sciences, marine science, visual arts, and Traditional and First Nations Knowledge Holders to present two futures; the Business-As-Usual, based on current trends and observations of growing marine pollution, and a More Sustainable Future, which imagines what our ocean could look like if we implemented current knowledge and technologies. We identify priority actions that governments, industry and consumers can implement at pollution sources, vectors and sinks, over the next decade to reduce marine pollution and steer us towards the More Sustainable Future. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11160-021-09674-8.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cleaner seas: reducing marine pollution

Willis

Serra-Gonçalves

Richardson

et al. 2021

“…Hence, it is essential to focus on several physiological biomarkers with clear mechanistic bases related to a given degree of impairment of life history traits to better understand direct links between environmental conditions, physiological biomarkers, and individual life history traits to predict population-level outcomes. Therefore, bridging the gap between physiology and fishery science has the potential to improve our understanding of exploited species' population dynamics, enhance our ability to predict population responses to environmental changes, and hence support management decisions (Martino and Houde 2010;Madliger et al 2016;Nash et al 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiological biomarkers and fisheries management

Brosset

Cooke

Schull

et al. 2021

The benefits of physiological biomarkers, knowledge and concepts are well-established in fish and wildlife management as they confer the ability to understand mechanistic processes, identify cause-and-effect relationships, and develop predictive models. Although this approach is gaining momentum in the context of species conservation, the use of physiological biomarkers in exploited marine fish stock management and recovery plans remains relatively rare. Here, we present five essential issues to consider to implement physiological biomarkers in fisheries management: (i) choice of relevant biomarkers that have a well-known mechanistic basis, (ii) identification of species-specific biomarkers reflecting a meaningful timespan for management, (iii) selection of biomarkers compatible with data collection during routine scientific fisheries surveys, (iv) use of biomarkers as early-warning signals and complementary indicators of population-level changes in life history traits and (v) how physiological biomarkers may help to refine long-term population dynamic projections under climate change and management scenarios. Overall, if based on well-established mechanisms linked to individuals’ fitness, a focus on physiological biomarkers should help to better understand the mechanisms behind stock declines, changes in stock characteristics, and thus more efficiently manage marine fisheries and conserve populations. As this approach is transferable among species, locations, and times, the integration of physiological biomarkers in fisheries science has the potential to more broadly enhance assessments and management of fish stocks.

“…A Preface (Mustonen et al 2021), this Editorial, and a detailed methods article (Nash et al 2021a), provide information on our approach, and frame the Special Issue. The Traditional and Indigenous Peoples' Working Group was motivated to draft the Preface as 'before we begin, we should have a beginning-a place where the dialogue is equal'.…”

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confidence: 99%

Future Seas 2030: pathways to sustainability for the UN Ocean Decade and beyond

Pecl

Alexander

Melbourne-Thomas

et al. 2022

Self Cite

on more than 'just' additional data and knowledge. Moreover, public support for science appears at an all-time low (Kreps and Kriner 2020) and the sciencepolicy gap is growing (Cvitanovic and Hobday 2018). "The ocean we need for the future we want" requires scientists and decision-makers to identify how to facilitate the use of available science and encourage the uptake of behaviours and the implementation of policies-at individual, local and global scales-that will leverage greater environmental benefit. This Future Seas 2030 Special Issue is the product of a large-scale inter and transdisciplinary collaboration that includes ecologists, psychologists, public health and education experts, philosophers, oceanographers, climate modelers, economists, social scientists, engineers, mathematicians, natural resource managers and information and communications technology researchers, as well as governance, ethics, finance and insurance, and law and policy experts from 12 countries and 25 nationalities. A unique and fundamentally important aspect was the involvement and collaboration with Traditional knowledge holders and Indigenous scholars and Elders from 13 First Nations around the world through a Traditional and Indigenous Peoples' Working Group.Collectively, this Special Issue explores possible futures for our oceans by 2030 for a series of 'key' societal challenges, from climate change, food security and biodiversity, through to issues of ocean governance, ocean literacy and the blue economy. Most papers explore a 'business-as-usual' future-what