Thanks for calling out a serious flaw which can be found in ordinances or regulations. Namely, how to enforce. A small, local example for me is our nearby beach ordinance prohibiting dogs. Owners don’t always clean up after them and, if not on a leash, they can disrupt shore birds, sea turtle nests and other wildlife. Yet there is little enforcement. The haughty, defensive responses I receive if I happen to say something to offenders makes me want to go vigilante! Your essay is aimed, of course, at a more expansive, critical issue of our oceans. Thanks for shining a spotlight.
Really great topic to bring up. Something hopeful to add to the monitoring discussion is the use of Distributed Acoustic Sensing, which allows for up to 100km lengths of fiber optics to be used to measure vibrations on the sea floor. This is already in place for underwater cable monitoring to ensure that anyone anchoring or trawling nearby will be warned before snagging the cable.
I am hopeful that as this technology is integrated into ocean science more that it will lead to a better bottom monitoring system.
Thanks for calling out a serious flaw which can be found in ordinances or regulations. Namely, how to enforce. A small, local example for me is our nearby beach ordinance prohibiting dogs. Owners don’t always clean up after them and, if not on a leash, they can disrupt shore birds, sea turtle nests and other wildlife. Yet there is little enforcement. The haughty, defensive responses I receive if I happen to say something to offenders makes me want to go vigilante! Your essay is aimed, of course, at a more expansive, critical issue of our oceans. Thanks for shining a spotlight.
Really great topic to bring up. Something hopeful to add to the monitoring discussion is the use of Distributed Acoustic Sensing, which allows for up to 100km lengths of fiber optics to be used to measure vibrations on the sea floor. This is already in place for underwater cable monitoring to ensure that anyone anchoring or trawling nearby will be warned before snagging the cable.
I am hopeful that as this technology is integrated into ocean science more that it will lead to a better bottom monitoring system.
I worked in South India, where trawlers have wrecked the livelihoods of traditional artisanal fishers, while stripping the ocean bare.
https://terralingua.org/langscape_articles/marine-biodiversity-cultural-diversity-in-the-coastal-communities-of-trivandrum-kerala-india-iysc/
As a contrasting glimmer, here's a tiny hopeful initiative in UK that was derided and blocked for years but is now gathering public support. People are becoming more ready to hear about the sea now - thanks for this piece. https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/13/steve-allnutt-rewilding-kelp-forests-west-sussex-from-his-garage