Oceans represent an important source of food worldwide, they shift the balance of Planet Earth climate, they generate a large amount of oxygen at our disposal
and they are proving to be very effective in absorbing excess of carbon dioxide. Oceans are also an important factor in global economy as for tourism, fisheries, shipping market and yachting. It is vital to preserve them to ensure the continuity of life. Making them known to the new generations and to the general public is therefore the first step to be taken. The World Ocean Day we celebrate every 8th of June aims at establishing a closer network among zoos, aquariums, museums, youth organisations as well as leaders, decision makers, businesses from all sectors. This holistic community is meant to inform, train, debate about how to protect and restore ocean ecosystems. Acting the right way is the best contribution each of us can give for the blue cause. This year's anniversary is marked by some encouraging news coming from the Centre Scientifique de Monaco (Monaco's Scientific Centre).
A recent study offers a proactive overview of the Mediterranean state of health, held by a panel of experts among which Dr Nathalie Hilmi, Section head “Environmental economics” at the Centre Scientifique de Monaco, and Dr Alain Safra, PhD in Macroeconomics and International Finance, Professor at the University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis and the EDHEC Business School. The scientific article, entitled "Climate change impacts on Mediterranean fisheries: A sensitivity and vulnerability analysis for main commercial species", published by the Ecological Economics Journal clearly addresses a crucial issue. The impact on local economies of the redistribution of Mediterranean fish stocks due to climate change. More than ten most popular fish species have been identified as well as the vulnerability index of some major Countries along the Mediterranean Sea. Fishes accustomed to cold water are the most involved, notably Sprattus Sprattus (Herring family) and Solea Solea (Sole). Geographically speaking, the Southern areas are the most vulnerable to heat waves unlike France, Slovenia and Croatia that are the marine areas less involved in the climate change.
Social and economic data and indicators showcased the urgency of adopting mitigation actions to encourage "well-managed and flexible fisheries" and to avoid worse threats. Uncontrolled forms of overfishing (up to the 65% rate, FAO 2019) , in fact, cause an important depletion of large fish which provide carbon sequestration on the large scale. The consequences on the climate have been proven [Mariani et al. 2020] revealing the impacts on the entire Mediterranean. The outcome brings to light the problem contributing to the interregional debate aimed at finding solutions relatively soon. As a matter o fact, there is no time to lose considering that the Mediterranean basin is one of the warmest seas in the world.
The CSM / Chanel Red Coral programme has just announced promising results in creating the best conditions to make red coral reproduce in the sea area around Monaco. Baby corals have been found in the selected caves for the scientific experiment set at 40 meters depth. An extra reason to celebrate the World Ocean Day which put researchers from Centre Scientifique de Monaco and the Observatoire Océanographique de Banyuls in a good mood. Let's stay on the wave of Sustainability! ***
To know more about the Centre Scientifique de Monaco please visit: Monaco Scientific Center
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By Maurice Abbati
Springer International Publishing
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