Abstract
The ocean is a dynamic environment with ocean currents and winds
moving surface waters across large distances. Many animals that live in
the ocean, particularly in offshore regions, are mobile in space and in time,
as are most human users. Spatial management responses have typically
partitioned the ocean into different regions with fixed management
boundaries. In some regions a particular activity may be forbidden, in
another it may be permitted but regulated, and in others it may be allowed
without any regulation. In contrast, dynamic ocean management (DOM)
changes in space and time in response to the shifting nature of the ocean
and its users. DOM techniques have been applied in a limited number of
situations around the world—notably for fisheries—to regulate or restrict
the capture of a particular marine species. DOM requires scientific,
technological, management, legal, and policy capacity across a range of
elements. The article outlines seven of these elements and describes
requirements and challenges for their implementation. Specifically, the
elements considered are: (1) tools and data collection, (2) data upload and
management, (3) data processing, (4) data delivery, (5) decision-making,
(6) implementation, and (7) enforcement. Not all elements may be required
and not all management, policy, and legal issues will be relevant to all
applications. However, these elements represent major considerations in the
application of DOM. Overall, we find that the scientific and technological
capacity for DOM is strong but there are a range of underutilized policy
applications. We give examples of how these policies could be expanded to
provide for a broader application of dynamic ocean management. There are
distinct regional variations in the capacity to implement these elements
whether on a voluntary or compulsory basis. To use DOM effectively, the
science and technology required for DOM needs to be better integrated with
the enabling policy.
moving surface waters across large distances. Many animals that live in
the ocean, particularly in offshore regions, are mobile in space and in time,
as are most human users. Spatial management responses have typically
partitioned the ocean into different regions with fixed management
boundaries. In some regions a particular activity may be forbidden, in
another it may be permitted but regulated, and in others it may be allowed
without any regulation. In contrast, dynamic ocean management (DOM)
changes in space and time in response to the shifting nature of the ocean
and its users. DOM techniques have been applied in a limited number of
situations around the world—notably for fisheries—to regulate or restrict
the capture of a particular marine species. DOM requires scientific,
technological, management, legal, and policy capacity across a range of
elements. The article outlines seven of these elements and describes
requirements and challenges for their implementation. Specifically, the
elements considered are: (1) tools and data collection, (2) data upload and
management, (3) data processing, (4) data delivery, (5) decision-making,
(6) implementation, and (7) enforcement. Not all elements may be required
and not all management, policy, and legal issues will be relevant to all
applications. However, these elements represent major considerations in the
application of DOM. Overall, we find that the scientific and technological
capacity for DOM is strong but there are a range of underutilized policy
applications. We give examples of how these policies could be expanded to
provide for a broader application of dynamic ocean management. There are
distinct regional variations in the capacity to implement these elements
whether on a voluntary or compulsory basis. To use DOM effectively, the
science and technology required for DOM needs to be better integrated with
the enabling policy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 125-165 |
| Number of pages | 41 |
| Journal | Stanford Environmental Law Journal |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |
