Human impact on the oceans: The 1990s and beyond

doi:10.1016/0025-326X(95)00099-9

Marine Pollution Bulletin

Volume 31, Issues 4–12, April–December 1995, Pages 147-151

https://doi.org/10.1016/0025-326X(95)00099-9 Get rights and content

Abstract

This article traces the effects of human activities on the sea. It looks first at the damage done to natural populations of marine animals by excessive hunting and fishing. It then documents the impacts from a wide range of contaminating inputs, including discharges from the land, atmospheric deposition and accidents. It highlights the loss of coastal habitats arising from shoreline construction related to industry, tourism and aquaculture. Against this background it assesses the current state of the marine environment and looks at the problems ahead.

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Journal of Commerce and Shipping Telegraph
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R. Arnason
The Icelandic Fisheries
M. Clark
Experience with management of orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus) in New Zealand waters, and the effects of commercial fishing on stocks over the period 1980–93
A. Coghlan
Lethal paint makes for the open sea
New Scientist
(1990)
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The State of the Marine Environment
UNEP Regional Reports and Studies No. 115
(1990)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

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Submarine outfall and new sewage treatment plant modulate the response of intertidal benthic communities in a SW Atlantic area
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Spatio-temporal responses of the intertidal macrobenthic community to the effects of a submarine outfall (SO) and a new sewage treatment plant (EDAR) were evaluated, analyzing changes in macrofaunal assemblages and community structure. Study was conducted in a SW Atlantic coastal area in 4 stages: B_SO (Before the SO), Du (During the construction of the SO), A_SO (After the SO start-up) and A_EDAR (After the treatment plant start-up). Boccardia proboscidea and Brachidontes rodriguezii contributed most to the differences between all stages at the site nearest to the discharge point. Number of individuals was highest at B_SO and Du. Richness and diversity were lowest at the B_SO and highest at the Du. Furthermore, the richness decreased slightly, and the diversity increased at A_EDAR. Evenness was highest at the B_SO and A_EDAR. The nestedness was the dominant process driving the differences between the B_SO stage community and the rest of the stages. SO affects the composition and structure of the intertidal macrobenthic community near the outfall area, as organic matter discharge further offshore favour the development of a more diverse intertidal community, including species sensitive to organic enrichment.
Metals in tissues of marine fish from the Thermaikos Gulf, Eastern Mediterranean Sea: Detection of changes with trophic level
2021, Marine Pollution Bulletin
Citation Excerpt :
Consequently, not only have ocean species been affected, but ocean properties have also been altered. The Minimata disaster of the 1950's was an accurate depiction of how the reckless disposal of wastes in the seas could contaminate fish species, and cause human casualties (McIntyre, 1995). Fish species are among the top consumers in aquatic food webs, and thus can be adversely affected by contaminants transferred along the food chain (Yilmaz et al., 2010).
Concentrations of 27 metals and elements were investigated in the tissues of 28 demersal and pelagic marine fish species from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. The analysis indicated highest concentrations of accumulation for the majority of elements in the gills, liver, and scales; whereas, lowest assimilation of elements was reported in the muscle. Pelagic fish accumulated higher concentrations of elements than demersal fish. An inverse correlation due to the growth dilution effect was revealed among element concentrations in the gills, liver, muscle, and skin tissues, and fish size. Patterns of biomagnification for Cs solely were recorded in the muscle and patterns of biodilution for most elements were evident in the gills, liver, muscle, and skin tissues. A positive correlation was determined between trophic level and element concentrations in the scales which could not only be associated with fish diet, but also with metal concentrations in the ambient environment and scales size.
Underwater noise from boats: Measurement of its influence on the behaviour and biochemistry of the common prawn (Palaemon serratus, Pennant 1777)
2016, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology
This study examined the effects of recorded boat noises on the behaviour and biochemistry of the common prawn (Palaemon serratus) in laboratory settings. The experiment was carried out in a tank equipped with a video-recording system using six groups (three control and three tested) of eight common prawns (48 animals in total). After habituation for 1 h, the behaviour of the prawns was monitored for 1 h. During the last 30 min, the animals in the test groups were exposed to noise resembling a marine area with high anthropogenic acoustic pollution.
The exposure to noise produced significant changes in locomotor patterns, presence inside or outside a shelter, total protein concentrations in the haemolymph and brain, DNA integrity, and the expression protein levels of HSP 27 and 70 in brain tissues, revealing a stressful effect of noise on this crustacean species. This study clearly reveals that invertebrates are likely to be susceptible to acoustic stimuli from boat's noise and that they are potential valuable targets for further and detailed investigations into the effects of the anthropogenic noise pollution.
Response of diatom and dinoflagellate lifeforms to reduced phosphorus loading: A case study in the Thau lagoon, France
2015, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
Citation Excerpt :
Marine eutrophication is considered a recent problem (Nixon, 1995) but one that can potentially impact coastal water bodies world-wide and is of increasing severity (McIntyre, 1995).
The basin of Thau in southern France is a shallow, weakly flushed lagoon which is an important location for oyster cultivation. Phytoplankton analyses were carried out in 1975–1976 and then (almost) continuously since 1987. We report an investigation of ‘the balance of organisms’ in phytoplankton in relation to reductions in phosphorus loading, using two new tools based on phytoplankton lifeforms: the Plankton Index for Phytoplankton (PIp); Euclidean distance in state-space. Our results show the utility of the tools for analysing changes in the ‘balance of organisms’ at the level of functional groups (in our study diatoms and dinoflagellates), but also illustrate the difficulties in demonstrating the reversal of human impacts resulting from eutrophication.
The comparison between 1987–89 and 1976 showed the expected ‘de-eutrophication’ due to the reduction in dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP), with a decrease in dinoflagellate abundance. Since 1989, year-to-year variation in annual mean concentrations of DIP may have contributed to inter-annual variability in the balance of the two lifeforms, but the data suggest that the system has remained in a dynamically stable regime because: (1) there was no long-term trend in Euclidean distance from the reference; and (2) there was no increase in inter-annual variability about the time-series mean Euclidean distance suggesting there has been no decrease in resilience which might signal a regime change.
Integrated management of human activities will be required to manage (and reduce) total P in the system. Monitoring phytoplankton and nutrients concentrations to determine how primary production and the balance of species respond to further changes in the nutrient status of the lagoon should be an integral part of any management programme.
Assessment of cumulative human pressures on a coastal area: Integrating information for MPA planning and management
2014, Ocean and Coastal Management
Citation Excerpt :
These numerous activities and their pollutants cause severe impacts in marine ecosystems such as decreases in species diversity, population declines, degradation and destruction of natural habitats as well as changes in water chemistry and temperature (Islam and Tanaka, 2004). Even if there are no areas in the ocean unaffected by human impacts (Halpern et al., 2008), it has been shown that open oceans are in good condition when compared to coastal areas (Ban et al., 2010; Halpern et al., 2008; Kelleher, 1999; McIntyre, 1995). Open oceans receive contaminant inputs mainly from the atmosphere and sea transport, while coastal zones around the world are vulnerable to a much larger array of human activities.
As recently reinforced in the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), knowledge on the location and intensity of human impacts on marine ecosystems is critical for effective marine management and conservation. Human interaction with ecosystems has to be accounted for in order to efficiently implement marine management strategies. In the present study, the main human activities occurring along the mainland Portuguese coast were identified and mapped. The cumulative impact of these activities was calculated in order to assess impacts in different zones, namely in Marine Protected Areas (MPA) and their boundaries. Higher impact values were obtained near the coast, where all the analysed MPAs are located. Furthermore, most MPAs are sorrounded by areas with very high impacts, near the largest urban settlements and the most industrialized coastal sections. These results are the first assessment of cumulative human pressures in this study area as a whole (and with this level of resolution) and might be of great usefulness to overcome the current challenges of sustainable management in marine ecosystems. Knowledge provided by this study strengthens the need for a more integrative approach to design and manage MPAs and can be useful to support the requirements of the MSFD. The approach here developed is also a powerful tool to apply in several contexts of sustainable marine management and can be developed in any geographic area.
Behavioural and biochemical stress responses of Palinurus elephas after exposure to boat noise pollution in tank
2014, Marine Pollution Bulletin
This study examined the effects of boat noise on the behavioural and biochemical parameters of the Mediterranean spiny lobster (Palinurus elephas).
The experiment was conducted in a tank equipped with a video and audio recording system. 18 experimental trials, assigned to boat noise and control conditions, were performed using lobsters in single and group of 4 specimens. After a 1 h habituation period, we audio- and video-recorded the lobsters for 1 h. During the experimental phase, the animals assigned to the boat groups were exposed to boat noise pollution (a random sequence of boat noises). Exposure to the noise produced significant variations in locomotor behaviours and haemolymphatic parameters. Our results indicate that the lobsters exposed to boat noises increased significantly their locomotor activities and haemolymphatic bioindicator of stressful conditions such as glucose, total proteins, Hsp70 expression and THC when tested both singly and in groups.

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Marine Pollution Bulletin

Abstract

References (13)

The current state of the oceans

Mar. Pollut. Bull.

Journal of Commerce and Shipping Telegraph

The Icelandic Fisheries

Experience with management of orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus) in New Zealand waters, and the effects of commercial fishing on stocks over the period 1980–93

Lethal paint makes for the open sea

New Scientist

The State of the Marine Environment

UNEP Regional Reports and Studies No. 115

Cited by (49)

Submarine outfall and new sewage treatment plant modulate the response of intertidal benthic communities in a SW Atlantic area

Metals in tissues of marine fish from the Thermaikos Gulf, Eastern Mediterranean Sea: Detection of changes with trophic level

Underwater noise from boats: Measurement of its influence on the behaviour and biochemistry of the common prawn (Palaemon serratus, Pennant 1777)

Response of diatom and dinoflagellate lifeforms to reduced phosphorus loading: A case study in the Thau lagoon, France

Assessment of cumulative human pressures on a coastal area: Integrating information for MPA planning and management

Behavioural and biochemical stress responses of Palinurus elephas after exposure to boat noise pollution in tank

Keynote paperHuman impact on the oceans: The 1990s and beyond

Abstract

Mar. Pollut. Bull.

Journal of Commerce and Shipping Telegraph

The Icelandic Fisheries

Experience with management of orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus) in New Zealand waters, and the effects of commercial fishing on stocks over the period 1980–93

Lethal paint makes for the open sea

New Scientist

The State of the Marine Environment

UNEP Regional Reports and Studies No. 115

Keynote paper
Human impact on the oceans: The 1990s and beyond