scholarly journals Fisheries Enforcement on the High Seas of the Arctic Ocean: Gaps, Solutions and the Potential Contribution of the European Union and its Member States

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Efthymios Papastavridis
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Fishing Activity ◽  
Central Arctic Ocean ◽  
The North ◽  
Opening Up ◽  
High Seas

Although there is no fishing activity within the central Arctic Ocean at present, commercial fishing activity does occur in the high seas areas of the North Atlantic and North Pacific, and within the exclusive economic zone of the Arctic coastal States. Climate change will most probably lead to an increase in fishing activity, through the reduction in sea ice, opening up new areas of the Arctic to fisheries, including the Central Arctic Ocean. This prospect has fuelled intensive negotiations - still ongoing - for the signing of a legally binding agreement to prevent unregulated fisheries therein. What seems missing, though, from both the ongoing negotiations on this agreement and the scholarly literature is reference to fisheries enforcement in the Arctic. Accordingly, this article identifies the most effective tools that could be employed for fisheries enforcement purposes, including port and flag State measures, and addresses their potential application in the Arctic.

scholarly journals Fisheries Enforcement on the High Seas of the Arctic Ocean: Gaps, Solutions and the Potential Contribution of the European Union and Its Member States

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 324-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Efthymios Papastavridis
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Fishing Activity ◽  
Central Arctic Ocean ◽  
The North ◽  
Opening Up ◽  
High Seas

Abstract Although there is no fishing activity within the central Arctic Ocean at present, commercial fishing activity does occur in the high seas areas of the North Atlantic and North Pacific, and within the exclusive economic zone of the Arctic coastal States. Climate change will most probably lead to an increase in fishing activity, through the reduction in sea ice, opening up new areas of the Arctic to fisheries, including the Central Arctic Ocean. This prospect has fuelled intensive negotiations—still ongoing—for the signing of a legally binding agreement to prevent unregulated fisheries therein. What seems missing, though, from both the ongoing negotiations on this agreement and the scholarly literature is reference to fisheries enforcement in the Arctic. Accordingly, this article identifies the most effective tools that could be employed for fisheries enforcement purposes, including port and flag State measures, and addresses their potential application in the Arctic.

United States Reaches Agreement to Limit Arctic Fishing

2018 ◽  
Vol 112 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-315
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Central Arctic Ocean ◽  
Precautionary Approach ◽  
Near Future ◽  
High Seas

On November 30, 2017, the United States concluded negotiations on an agreement to limit fishing in the Arctic, titled the Agreement to Prevent Unregulated High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean. Delegations from the European Union and nine countries—Canada, China, Denmark with regard to Greenland and the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Russia, South Korea, and the United States—participated in the negotiations, which began in December of 2015. According to a statement made by the U.S. State Department: The Agreement will prevent unregulated commercial fishing in the high seas portion of the central Arctic Ocean, an area that is roughly 2.8 million square kilometers in size, roughly the size of the Mediterranean Sea. Commercial fishing has never been known to occur in this area, nor is it likely to occur in the near future. However, given the changing conditions of the Arctic Ocean, the governments in question developed this Agreement in accordance with the precautionary approach to fisheries management.

scholarly journals Utilizing existing legal frameworks to implement fisheries management in the arctic

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
OCTO
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
International Law ◽  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Central Arctic Ocean ◽  
Legal Frameworks ◽  
High Seas

As climate change contributes to accelerated melting of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, areas that were previously off-limits to fishing will become accessible. While there are currently no internationally-agreed fishing regulations in the high seas of the Arctic, there is an effective moratorium on commercial fishing thanks to the non-binding “Oslo Declaration” (Declaration concerning the Prevention of Unregulated High Seas Fishing in the Central Arctic Ocean, from July 2015). The author investigates existing legal mechanisms which could be used to regulate an international Arctic fishery should commercial fishing begin.Currently, the Arctic Five (Canada, Denmark/Greenland, Norway, the Russian Federation, and the United States) plus Five (Iceland, the EU, China, South Korea, and Japan) are negotiating an agreement for fisheries management in the Central Arctic Ocean. The draft text, which has not reached consensus yet*, surprisingly does not seek to establish a regional fisheries management organization for this area. But, the Arctic 5 + 5 have agreed “to continue the moratorium on fishing on the high seas of Central Arctic until there is scientific evidence concerning sustainable fishing in the area.”The draft agreement further states, “the parties shall take measures consistent with international law to deter the activities of vessels entitled to fly the flags of non-parties that undermine the effective implementation of this Agreement.” But what measures ‘consistent with international law’ could member states adopt?

Some Icelandic Perspectives on the Agreement to Prevent Unregulated High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 268-284
Author(s):  
Jóhann Sigurjónsson
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Scientific Cooperation ◽  
Central Arctic Ocean ◽  
Fish Stocks ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
Interim Management ◽  
Ice Retreat ◽  
Sea Ice Retreat ◽  
High Seas

This paper reflects on several aspects of the Agreement to Prevent Unregulated High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean from the standpoint of Iceland, prior to, during and at the conclusion of the negotiations of the Agreement in late 2017. Particular reference is made to UNCLOS and coastal State interests, status of knowledge on the fish stocks and the importance of scientific cooperation which the Agreement facilitates. During the years 2008–2015, the so-called Arctic Five consulted on cooperation in Arctic matters including future management of fisheries in the central Arctic Ocean. These rather exclusive cooperative efforts were criticised by Iceland and other States that felt these matters were to be dealt with in a broader international context. It seems evident that Iceland’s desire to become a full participant in the process during the subsequent years was both based on legal arguments as well as fair and natural geopolitical reasons. Iceland became a participant in the negotiations in December 2015. The final version of the Agreement is a fully fledged platform for coordinating scientific research and it even allows for interim management measures until future regional management framework is in place. In essence, the Agreement can be taken as a regional fisheries management arrangement (RFMA), since most elements of relevance are incorporated in accordance with the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement. The opening of the central Arctic Ocean for fishing is not likely to take place in the nearest future, although the development of sea ice retreat is currently faster than earlier anticipated. While the Agreement is today regarded as being historic due to its precautionary approach, future may prove that it was a timely arrangement in a fast-moving world with dramatic changes taking place in the Arctic Ocean.

scholarly journals The Summer Cyclone Maximum over the Central Arctic Ocean

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 1048-1065 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark C. Serreze ◽  
Andrew P. Barrett
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
High Latitude ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Central Arctic Ocean ◽  
Middle Latitudes ◽  
The North ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Northern High Latitude ◽  
Separate Region ◽  
Summer Maximum

Abstract A fascinating feature of the northern high-latitude circulation is a prominent summer maximum in cyclone activity over the Arctic Ocean, centered near the North Pole in the long-term mean. This pattern is associated with the influx of lows generated over the Eurasian continent and cyclogenesis over the Arctic Ocean itself. Its seasonal onset is linked to the following: an eastward shift in the Urals trough, migration of the 500-hPa vortex core to near the pole, and development of a separate region of high-latitude baroclinicity. The latter two features are consistent with differential atmospheric heating between the Arctic Ocean and snow-free land. Variability in the strength of the cyclone pattern can be broadly linked to the phase of the summer northern annular mode. When the cyclone pattern is well developed, the 500-hPa vortex is especially strong and symmetric about the pole, with negative sea level pressure (SLP) anomalies over the pole and positive anomalies over middle latitudes. Net precipitation tends to be anomalously positive over the Arctic Ocean. When poorly developed, the opposite holds.

scholarly journals Northern High-Latitude Precipitation as Depicted by Atmospheric Reanalyses and Satellite Retrievals

2005 ◽  
Vol 133 (12) ◽  
pp. 3407-3430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark C. Serreze ◽  
Andrew P. Barrett ◽  
Fiona Lo
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Grid Cell ◽  
Global Precipitation Climatology Project ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Monthly Precipitation ◽  
Central Arctic Ocean ◽  
The North ◽  
Satellite Retrievals ◽  
Better Than

Abstract Monthly precipitation based on forecasts from the new 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) is evaluated for the north polar region (the region north of 45°N), the terrestrial Arctic drainage, and its four major watersheds: the Ob, Yenisey, Lena, and Mackenzie basins. Corresponding evaluations are performed for precipitation from the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis, the earlier 15-yr ERA (ERA-15), and satellite-derived estimates from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP). Evaluations rely on an improved gridded dataset of precipitation derived from monthly gauge data during the period 1979–93. The available number of gauges has declined since 1993, making it difficult to perform evaluations for later years. ERA-40 depicts monthly precipitation much better than NCEP–NCAR. This is with respect to both lower mean biases and higher squared correlations between modeled and observed grid-cell time series. Squared correlations between monthly time series of ERA-40 and observed precipitation, averaged over the four major Arctic watersheds, typically range from 0.60 to 0.90. Performance over the central Arctic Ocean is poor in winter and spring, but improves in summer and autumn when precipitation amounts are higher. While the overall performance of ERA-40 is better than NCEP–NCAR, it offers no obvious improvement over ERA-15. In some respects, ERA-15 performs slightly better in summer. This lack of improvement may relate to difficulties in assimilating satellite radiances. All of the reanalyses provide better depictions of monthly precipitation than do the GPCP satellite retrievals. This applies to both land areas and the Arctic Ocean. There is no clear improvement in the GPCP estimates after 1987 when the Television Infrared Observational Satellite (TIROS) Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) data began to be used. The GPCP estimates are best in summer.

Reactions and Overreactions to the Russian Flag on the Seabed at the North Pole

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 499-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Serdy
Keyword(s):  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
North Pole ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Law Of The Sea ◽  
Legal Certainty ◽  
Central Arctic Ocean ◽  
The North ◽  
Media Reports

Abstract Despite alarmist media reports and rhetoric from some who should know better, there is no cause for concern about Russian activities on the Arctic seabed. While the melting Arctic Ocean ice cover will have profound consequences for navigation, there is no reason for the resources regime of the continental shelf (including the part beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines) to be affected, and whatever happens on the seabed will have no effect on sovereignty over the land. The gimmickry of the flag-planting aside, most of the criticism of Russian activities incorrectly assumes they depart from the established international legal framework. In fact they are a good example of compliance with the framework that will have the beneficial effect of contributing to legal certainty about jurisdictional boundaries. Under the rules in Article 76 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea for establishing the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles, Russia and other coastal States are not making “claims” but merely technical submissions to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf on where the outer limits of their shelves run. The geological circumstances of the Lomonossov Ridge traversing the North Pole may well support the enclosure of at least part of it within Russia’s continental shelf, and possibly the same would apply to a submission by Denmark from the other (Greenland) end of the Ridge, which it has until 2014 to make. In practice, the distance of the central Arctic Ocean from markets, extreme conditions and high extraction costs make hydrocarbon exploitation there unlikely even at the high oil prices of mid-2008.

Warm Waters and Cold Shoulders: Jostling for Jurisdiction in Polar Oceans

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 465-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosemary Rayfuse
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
International Community ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Legal Basis ◽  
Legal Regime ◽  
Central Arctic Ocean ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Polar Oceans ◽  
Ocean Ecosystem ◽  
High Seas

Abstract In May 2008 the five Arctic coastal states adopted the Ilullisat Declaration in which they asserted their role as stewards, for the international community, of the Arctic Ocean ecosystem. This paper discusses the legal basis for their claim to stewardship with particular reference to the high seas portion of the central Arctic Ocean, and their assertion that no need exists for a new comprehensive legal regime in respect of those high seas waters. It is argued that while the high seas regime of the Arctic may be extensive, it is not comprehensive. Thus, the legitimacy of the claim to stewardship rests on the willingness and ability of the Arctic coastal states to work to fill the lacunae and address the shortcomings in the legal regime for the high seas of the central Arctic Ocean.

scholarly journals Incorporation of Indigenous and Local Knowledge in Central Arctic Ocean Fisheries Management

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (0) ◽  
pp. 130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentin Schatz
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Local Knowledge ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Central Arctic Ocean ◽  
Indigenous And Local Knowledge ◽  
High Seas

On October 3, 2018, the so-called “Arctic Five plus Five�1 concluded the Agreement to Prevent Unregulated High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean (CAOFA, CAOF Agreement or Ilulissat Agreement).2 The CAOFA establishes a precautionary framework for the regulation of fisheries in the high seas of the central Arctic Ocean (CAO), including a temporary moratorium on unregulated commercial fishing.3 The purpose of this debate article is not to discuss the CAOFA’s provisions on fisheries as such, but to take a look at a number of interesting and novel provisions concerning the interests of indigenous and local communities, particularly with respect to incorporation of indigenous and local knowledge into science-based fisheries management in the CAO.4

Expanding the Cenozoic paleoceanographic record in the Central Arctic Ocean: IODP Expedition 302 Synthesis

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Backman ◽  
Kathryn Moran
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Middle Eocene ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Central Arctic Ocean ◽  
The North ◽  
Thermal Maximum ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Recovered Material

AbstractThe Arctic Coring Expedition (ACEX) proved to be one of the most transformational missions in almost 40 year of scientific ocean drilling. ACEX recovered the first Cenozoic sedimentary sequence from the Arctic Ocean and extended earlier piston core records from ≈1.5 Ma back to ≈56 Ma. The results have had a major impact in paleoceanography even though the recovered sediments represents only 29% of Cenozoic time. The missing time intervals were primarily the result of two unexpected hiatuses. This important Cenozoic paleoceanographic record was reconstructed from a total of 339 m sediments. The wide range of analyses conducted on the recovered material, along with studies that integrated regional tectonics and geophysical data, produced surprising results including high Arctic Ocean surface water temperatures and a hydrologically active climate during the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), the occurrence of a fresher water Arctic in the Eocene, ice-rafted debris as old as middle Eocene, a middle Eocene environment rife with organic carbon, and ventilation of the Arctic Ocean to the North Atlantic through the Fram Strait near the early-middle Miocene boundary. Taken together, these results have transformed our view of the Cenozoic Arctic Ocean and its role in the Earth climate system.

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