A Deep Dive into Our Oceans
Our oceans are home to an incredible diversity of marine life, but there are several threats that could have an impact on this distinct environment, including overfishing, pollution, and climate change.
In this article, we look at the impact of overfishing and legal action being taken to address this, the innovative technologies that are being developed to reduce the damage caused by dredging, and the potential of lab-grown meat to reduce the demand for octopus’ meat.
The Impact of Overfishing
Overfishing in UK waters is causing a decline of species, with over a third of all fish stocks being in extreme danger. Although illegal fishing has some impact, the issue stems from a lack of control on Government fishing quotas.
The Government sets annual catch limits, known as Total Allowable Catches (TAC), for commercial fishing covered by the Fisheries Act 2020 and countries that share their fisheries, such as the EU, may negotiate their catch limits.
However, over 50% of the catch limits agreed by the Government are out of line with recommendations from scientists and they are failing to publicly explain why they are not following this advice. Charities such as the Blue Marine Foundation want the Government and the European Council to admit that they are breaching the legal duty to conserve fish stocks by setting fishing quotas higher than the scientific evidence.
Currently, the Government has counter-argued that their actions comply with the Fisheries Act.
If fishing continues at its current rate, several species are at risk of becoming extinct which threatens the health of coastal habitats, will cause a decline in biodiversity and is ultimately unsustainable.
Dredging Alternative
Decades of extracting fossil fuels by the oil and gas industry has caused irreversible damage to the environment; however, it has inspired pioneering technology that can be developed to reduce the devastation caused by seabed harvesting.
Ava Ocean, an ocean technology company based in Norway, have created a technique for harvesting scallops whilst decreasing the negative impact on the habitat. The traditional method of dredging is harmful and destructive, with a cage being dragged along the seafloor to catch scallops, and everything else in its path.
However, the new technology involves suctions pipes that hover a metre above the seabed, gently sucking up the scallops. By utilising AI and built-in cameras, they can comb through the catch to return any unwanted species to the ocean floor.
Another technology, created at Heriot-Watt University, looks to add ski-like mechanisms to the bottom of a standard scallop dredge, lifting it 10cm off the floor, reducing damage by 15%.1 This seemingly small modification demonstrates that negative impacts to the seabed environment can be reduced.
Scallops are an integral part of fishing in the UK, and whilst the Government has imposed seasonal closures and mesh size limits, concerns on how dredging reduces coral biodiversity and harms species such as shrimp means that traditional methods need to be reviewed and changed.
Lab Meat to Save the Octopus
Demand for octopus meat is rising, having doubled from 1980 to 2019, negatively impacting the octopus population and its habitat.
However, a group of researchers may have found a solution to this. Cell4Food is Portugal’s first commercial organisation creating lab grown meat, that mirrors the texture and taste of octopus.
The meat is created by taking a few cells from a living octopus and allowing them to grow in a nutrient-rich broth. These cells, now a mass of muscle and fat, are then textured to resemble the animals’ flesh.
The next stage of their trial is to shape the meat so that it resembles an octopus’ tentacle. However, they have not yet applied to the Food Standards Agency for approval, which will be one of the final steps to rolling out the lab grown meat to the public.
Robots Grow Seaweed
Seaweed is a common food source for many people around the world, and although seaweed farming has a low impact on the environment, it is a labour-intensive task.
However, new robot technology removes the need for direct human intervention by monitoring the seaweed growth, checking for damage and sending alerts if assistance is required. This means that seaweed farms can be located in distant offshore locations, such as between the wind turbines in the North Sea.
The next step is for the robots to be improved to allow the direct harvesting of the seaweed, saving hundreds of hours in labour. As some seaweeds are used as fertilisers on farms this would displace the need for fossil fuel-based products.
Outlook
Although there are many human activities that damage the environment, new technology is continually being developed to address these issues, paving the way for a sustainable future. These technologies work to minimise pollution, conserve resources and promote sustainable fishing practices.
