Russia and Norway: You’ve 'saved' the Arctic, now it’s time to protect the Antarctic

An official statement released on January 23rd by Russia’s Federal Agency for Fisheries, announced that “Russia and Norway will sign a declaration on preventing unregulated fishing in the Arctic Ocean, helping to conserve the Arctic”.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation & Head of the Federal Agency for Fisheries, Ilya Shestakov was quoted saying that:

“Creating an effective mechanism to regulate fishing in the region is an urgent task, because the Arctic is the last major region in respect of which have not yet developed international agreements in the field of fisheries.”

“Last major region” is an interesting choice of words - at the other end of Planet Earth is another “major region” which has a developed set of international agreements, but as of yet, not protection: the Southern Ocean, surrounding Antarctica. Just this week, Interpol has issued three “purplenotices” against illegal fishing vessels operating in the Southern Ocean, while both the New Zealand Navy and activist group Sea Shepherd have had separate runs with the pirate fishing boats. 

While commending both Russia and Norway for their Arctic cooperation during a difficult period for international diplomacy, and agreeing that the protection Arctic marine biodiversity is of utmost importance, we here at the Antarctic & Southern Ocean Coalition think it's time to remind Minister Shestakov and his Norwegian colleague, Leydulvom Namtvedtom, that both nations also have a responsibility to ensure creation of marine protected areas in the Antarctic. We note that while history was made over the weekend at a UN meeting, with countries agreeing to create a global treaty for protection of world's oceans, Russia was one of the countries reluctant to commit. 

For several years, two comprehensive plans for widespread protection of the Antarctic marine ecosystem, across the Ross Sea and East Antarctica have been on the table at meetings of the Commission for the Conservation of Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). While most strong Antarctic nations are backing the protection urgently needed for this important ecosystem, home to penguins, whales, seals, and other incredible creatures, at four consecutive meetings, Russia has blocked adoption of the proposals, which, if agreed, would create the largest marine reserves on Earth.

Yet, in October 2014, journalist Alice Lagnado wrote in an article about the CCAMLR deadlock:

“The Russian source close to the government said: ‘Russians want an overall solution to the governance of the Antarctic and the Arctic regions. That’s the problem, not the issue of individual marine sanctuaries. So Russia would prefer to let sleeping dogs lie, and let this simmer quietly for now.’”

If this statement by Russia means that it truly has no problem with individual marine sanctuaries, why not sign up for them, as a piece in the puzzle of Antarctic governance?

Governance of the Antarctic continent was solved with the 1959 signing of the Antarctic Treaty signing by Russia and eleven other nations - including Norway. Now it’s time to sign up an international agreement with 23 other countries (also including Norway) and the EU.

With the 200th anniversary of Captain Bellinghausen’s historic 1819 Antarctic expedition approaching, President Putin and Minister Shestakov have an opportunity to make history by putting signing up to Antarctic marine protection. What do they have to lose?

Meanwhile, Norway has a strong role to take on Antarctic issues. With a great Antarctic history stretching back to Amundsen’s reaching of the South Pole in 1911, Norway also has a foot in both polar regions. In February of this year, King Harald of Norway will visit Antarctica, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Norwegian Scientific Research base Troll. En route to Troll, the King and his delegation will fly over the wild waters of the Southern Ocean. While a strong player at CCAMLR, Norway must take a stronger stand on the conservation of these waters - and Foreign Minister Børge Brende must convince his Russian counterparts to echo their joint exploits in the Arctic by agreeing to the creation of permanent marine protected areas in the Ross Sea and East Antarctic.

So, Russia and Norway. You’ve prevented unregulated fishing in the Arctic Ocean. Will you do the same for Antarctic waters?

Dave Walsh, Communications Director, Antarctic & Southern Ocean Coalition

Sign the petition with 300,000 others to protect the Antarctic Ocean

Not this again

Periodically we get wind of rumblings of interest in putting all those pesky, useless icebergs floating around to good use. But most of these ideas seem pretty outlandish and are easy to dismiss. Now we hear about a plan credible enough to be reported on by a New York Times blogger. According to the article, many of these icebergs eventually find their way to warmer waters and melt, so why not extract them for human consumption? Maybe. I suppose it's possible that the "billions of gallons" supposedly contained in these 'bergs wouldn't be missed. Plus, humans have such a great track record when it comes to removing things from ecosystems, right?

My recommendation would be that humans put that same mental energy currently being used to plot how to bring icebergs to hot climates towards how to conserve water and ensure we have enough for truly important things. It is a finite resource and we don't always use it intelligently. Whether it's farmers using cheap water to grow crops in areas the plants aren't really suited to, or cities draining rivers to support large populations in dry areas, or (a personal pet peeve of mine) people dumping gallons of water onto lawns to keep them green in the peak of summer, it's clear we don't have our priorities straight. So many people on this planet still don't have clean water to drink and yet the world's wealthy have all the water they require, for whatever frivolous purpose they desire.

Take India for example. Many Indians don't have access to the water they need - not because India doesn't have enough water, but because it's not well managed. And in many places in the U.S., despite the widespread availability of safe tap water, people insist on buying bottled water, which requires water for its production! In many cases, we already know of strategies that can reduce waste, and policies that encourage responsible water use. With sufficient political will, we can invest in infrastructure to deliver safe water to the poor and eliminate incentives for the well-off to use as much water as they like. We don't need to waste time dragging icebergs around the ocean.

Martha T. Muse Prize

Nominations recently opened up for the Martha T. Muse Prize for Science and Policy in Antarctica. This honor is awarded to individuals who show clear potential for sustained and significant contributions that enhance our understanding of Antarctic issues and promote Antarctica’s preservation.

Last year’s winner, Helen Amanda Fricker, was recognized for her work with iceberg calving and basal melting and freezing, which has major global climate change implications. She is also known for her work with the hydrology of Antarctica’s subglacial lake systems. Steven Chown, the first prize-winner, was recognized for his research on the effects on Antarctica from humans, climate change and invasive species.

You can learn more about the prize here.

Guest Post!

Over at ASOC headquarters, our fall intern Rachel Belkin has been writing up a storm, developing new content for the ASOC website (coming soon!). But she graciously took the time to share an experience that many people even within ASOC have yet to experience - a visit to Antarctica. Her experience helped solidify a lifelong desire to work to protect the environment.

Antarctica through the eyes of a preteen

By Rachel Belkin

Most kids asked for big parties and lavish gifts for their Bar or Bat Mitzvah - I however was begging my parents for a trip to Antarctica. I was a 12-year-old science nerd with a love of penguins and whales and my biggest goals were not to mess up my torah reading and to somehow make it to the ultimate whale and penguin paradise, Antarctica. My parents, who raised my sister and me with the intention of having us be travelers, easily gave in and the year following my Bat Mitzvah we were on our way. It has been almost 7 years since that two-week trip but I am still feeling the effects that a trip to Antarctica leaves on people, a desire to conserve and protect the icy continent.

The type of experiences I had while traveling to Antarctic on a Russian icebreaker range from life changing to hilarious situations. On the boat there were several other kids around my age. This was extra exciting due to the fact that I found other kids who preferred to go whale watching to going to the mall. We formed a tight group and like all preteen friendships we were all instantly the best of friends. Together we passed the time while cruising through the Drake Passage hanging out with the captain, exploring the ship and learning some Russian from the crew. After we actually got to Antarctica we did everything together and took advantage of everything offered to us.

During those two weeks, we visited research stations, penguin colonies, traveled past icebergs and icepacks crowded with leopard seals and penguins, I rode on a zodiac next to a minke whale, visited the only Antarctic post office and even did the ultimate polar bear plunge on New Year’s day. I made great friendships, learned a thing or two about Antarctica and had legitimately the experience of a lifetime.

As I mentioned before, my trip to Antarctica left a lasting impression on me. Since then I have continued to travel and take advantage of every opportunity given to me. I am majoring in Environmental Science and Policy mainly to conserve the places that I have seen while traveling. I know exactly what is at risk if we don’t work towards protecting fragile ecosystems like Antarctica and that is not a risk anyone or I should be willing to take.

The Aussies and Antarctica as a World Heritage Site

Those Australians - always thinking about Antarctica! Whatever else you might think about Australians and Australian politics, you've (well, I've) gotta love the fact that Antarctic protection is a relevant political issue. The Australian Green Party is showing its annoyance that the continent does not yet have World Heritage Site status. Unlike other sites, Antarctica is already under international control so listing it would seem to be uncontroversial. Sometimes, governments might be concerned that listing something as a World Heritage Site would invite international scrutiny even though the designation doesn't change ownership. But there are the somewhat prickly issues of the unresolved claims to Antarctica by various countries, including Australia. These concerns could prevent other signatories to the Antarctic Treaty that governs Antarctica from supporting the designation.

I'm not even sure how an international site gets listed. The difficulty of doing so might be what has kept the ruling Labor Party in Australia from pursuing it as they promised. Too much trouble for too little gain. There aren't any voters in Antarctica to support them in a subsequent election. The Labor Party has already taken Japan to court over whaling - why ruffle any more feathers? In any case, making Antarctica a World Park (different than World Heritage but similar idea) used to be a major goal of ASOC, and we're glad to see that the debate's not dead. At the same time, it's a bit depressing that protecting an area with no permanent inhabitants and a negligible contribution to the economy (through tourism and fishing) is still difficult and controversial. If we can't save Antarctica what can we save?