Sea Around Us Project

Sea Around Us Project
Name	Sea Around Us Project
Formation	1999
Type	Research project
Headquarters	Vancouver
Location	Canada
Parent organization	University of British Columbia
Leader title	Director
Leader name	Daniel Pauly

Sea Around Us Project The Sea Around Us Project is a research initiative based at the University of British Columbia that reconstructs and analyzes global fisheries catches and marine biomass to inform conservation and policy. It produces datasets, models, and maps used by agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization and non-governmental organizations like World Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace. The project engages with governments and academic institutions across regions including the Caribbean, West Africa, and the South Pacific.

Overview

The project compiles global, regional, and national-level datasets on fisheries catches, bycatch, and discards to quantify historical and contemporary extraction from oceans. It emphasizes catch reconstruction, ecosystem modeling, and spatial allocation to generate outputs such as the Sea Around Us catch reconstruction database, the Ecopath with Ecosim-compatible inputs, and global maps used by agencies including the United Nations Environment Programme and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Outputs inform assessments by bodies like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity while supporting work by universities such as Stanford University, University of Oxford, University of Washington, Harvard University, and Imperial College London.

History and Development

Founded in 1999 at the University of British Columbia under the leadership of Daniel Pauly, the project grew from collaborations with fisheries scientists at institutions including the International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management, the WorldFish Center, and the Center for Ocean Solutions. Early partnerships involved regional experts from the Philippines, Indonesia, Senegal, Chile, and Peru to reconcile official statistics from organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization with local knowledge. Over time it integrated methods from modelers at University of Miami, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Plymouth Marine Laboratory. Funding and institutional links included Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, European Union, and national agencies like Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Methodology and Data Sources

The project uses catch reconstruction that augments reported catch data from the Food and Agriculture Organization with information from archives, grey literature, and expert knowledge from regional bodies such as the Pacific Community and the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism. It integrates taxonomic references from the World Register of Marine Species and stock assessments from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea and the Regional Fisheries Management Organizations including the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission. Spatial allocation employs bathymetry and exclusive economic zone boundaries defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and sovereignty data from the International Court of Justice when applicable. Ecosystem modeling leverages tools like Ecopath with Ecosim, trophic data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, and productivity estimates used by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

Key Findings and Impact

Analyses revealed that reconstructed catches often exceed reported statistics, influencing evaluations by the Food and Agriculture Organization and prompting review by national fisheries agencies in countries such as Chile, Peru, Philippines, Ghana, and Indonesia. Studies from the project have been cited in publications from journals associated with Nature Publishing Group, Science, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; they have informed policy dialogues at World Fisheries Congress, the United Nations General Assembly, and meetings of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Findings on declining large predatory fish biomass influenced conservation planning by organizations like Ocean Conservancy, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, and regional bodies such as the European Commission’s maritime policies. The project’s global maps and datasets have been used in climate change impact scenarios by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and in blue economy planning by institutions like the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critiques have come from stakeholders including some national fisheries agencies, commercial fishing associations, and academics at institutions such as University of Bergen and University of Lisbon who questioned reconstructed catch estimates and methodological assumptions. Debates centered on the use of grey literature versus official statistics, interpretations of bycatch and artisanal catch, and the spatial allocation of catches across exclusive economic zones, sometimes involving dispute in forums like the Conference of the Parties and regional fisheries meetings convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization. Methodological disputes have been addressed through workshops with groups including the WorldFish Center, Pew Charitable Trusts, and academics at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Collaborations and Outreach

The project collaborates with international organizations, universities, and NGOs including the Food and Agriculture Organization, World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace, Ocean Conservancy, International Union for Conservation of Nature, WorldFish Center, Pew Charitable Trusts, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and the United Nations Development Programme. It maintains partnerships with regional research centers such as the Institute of Marine Research (Norway), the CIMAR (Chile), the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (Philippines), and the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (Namibia). Outreach includes data portals and policy briefs used by ministries of fisheries in countries like Mauritania, Seychelles, Mauritius, Mozambique, and Ecuador, and training workshops with universities including McGill University, University of Cape Town, and Australian National University.

Category:Marine conservation organizations