The European Community chose, in 2008, to designate May 20 each year as a day to celebrate the importance of seas and oceans to the European people. By that action, the combined nations of Europe recognized that Europe is as much a maritime continent as a land continent.
Consider these facts about the relationship of Europe to its coasts and marine environments. 23 of the EU’s 28 nations have a coastline. Europe has 70,000 km of coastline in all, bordering the Mediterranean, North, Baltic, Norwegian and Black Seas. That coastline is seven times as long at the U.S. coastline and 4 times as long as Russia’s. Almost half of Europe’s population lives in maritime regions, and 40% of the GDP comes from there. Europe’s maritime region is the largest of any nation in the world. In fact, Europe controls more marine territory than terrestrial territory!
However, that marine territory, although still highly productive, is not in good shape environmentally. About two-thirds of marine habitats and one-quarter of species conditions were deemed “unfavorable” by the EU in its latest report on ocean conditions. Invasive species are on the rise, with 320 new non-native species observed since 2000. Half of commercial fish stocks in European waters are fully or over-exploited, and fish catches have been declining over the past decade. Marine pollution continues to grow, with increasing worries about noise from shipping, renewable energy development and oil drilling. Plastic litter is also being recognized as an emerging issue, with most litter originating from land-based activities.
As a consequence, the EU has enacted an Integrated Marine Policy, or IMP, to govern uses and conservation of marine areas. The first objective of the IMP is “maximizing the sustainable use of the oceans and seas….” The objective includes efforts to reduce and adapt to climate change and reduce all forms of pollution. For fisheries, the objective includes eliminating discards of unwanted catches; outlawing harmful fishing practices; reducing illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; and developing aquaculture that does not threaten wild fish stocks or create localized pollution.
Read MoreApril is Keep America Beautiful Month
Back in 1971, The Keep America Beautiful organization teamed up with the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to create Keep American Beautiful Day. It was expanded in 1982 to a week, and then to the entire month of April in 1984. As spring takes hold of the weather and the landscape awaken with the greening of trees and grasses, the blooming of wildflowers and the melodies of nesting songbirds, we, too, ought to take special notice of our beautiful environment—and do something to, as they say, keep it beautiful.
Read More