From: Journal Gazette
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Tuesday will announce his intent to make a broad swath of the central Pacific Ocean off limits to fishing, energy exploration and other activities, according to senior White House officials.
The proposal, slated to go into effect later this year after a comment period, could create the world’s largest marine sanctuary and double the area of ocean globally that is fully protected.
From: Phys.org
Rerouting ships to open up areas for offshore wind development could save billions of dollars in construction and operating costs for the renewable energy source, according to new findings by the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment (CEOE).
The savings come at a relatively small expense for sending commercial ships slightly farther out to sea when traveling between Mid-Atlantic ports, the research shows. The analysis was part of an economic study on societal costs and benefits of allocating ocean space off the coast for wind energy development.
From: European Commission
Innovation and research in the maritime economy can drive a European growth and jobs recovery whilst securing a sustainable future for Europe’s seas, oceans, and all those whose livelihoods depend on them. That is the focus of this year’s European Maritime Day held in Bremen, Germany, on 19-20 May which will host an exchange of ideas between experts, stakeholders from all maritime sectors and policy makers from across the EU.
From: European Parliament
The European Parliament today endorsed a Directive for Maritime Spatial Planning which should help Member States develop plans to better coordinate the various activities that take place at sea, ensuring they are as efficient and sustainable as possible. In coastal and maritime areas, many activities compete for the same space and resources: fishing grounds, aquaculture farms, marine protected areas exist alongside maritime infrastructures such as cables, pipelines, shipping lanes and oil, gas and wind installations. The new Directive will help avoid potential conflicts between such diverse uses and create a stable environment attractive to investors, thereby contributing to sustainable growth.
From: Voxy
People are being asked what they do on the Hauraki Gulf in a survey to go live from Monday 3rd March.
The survey (www.seachange.org.nz/survey) has been developed and will be run by AUT University’s Institute of Applied Ecology New Zealand to provide extra information for SeaChange – Tai Timu Tai Pari, a two year partnership project by Auckland Council, the Department of Conservation, mana whenua, Waikato Regional Council, the Hauraki Gulf Forum and the Ministry for Primary Industries to develop a new spatial plan for the Hauraki Gulf.