UN officials, elected officials representing countries whose economies depend on the ocean, heads of large companies and scientists will meet in Montreal in the coming days to participate in a global summit on the oceans.
What compromises must governments, industries and communities accept to protect and restore the health of the oceans? How can companies and investors continue to make profits while respecting biodiversity protection agreements?
These are examples of questions that the approximately 800 people expected at the Montreal Convention Centre on Wednesday and Thursday for the « World Ocean Summit & Expo » will try to answer.
« This annual summit is usually organized in large cities, such as Abu Dhabi, Lisbon or Tokyo, major global maritime hubs, » remarked Marine Mammal ecology researcher Lyne Morissette, in an interview with La Presse Canadienne.
« If it is held in Montreal, it is probably because Canada is also strategically considered a hub, » added the researcher who will participate in this summit whose objective is to « reconcile the economy and the protection of our planet ».
Innovation at the service of whales
Lyne Morissette will take part in a panel on the use of innovation and the integration of artificial intelligence in fishing gear. In particular, she will discuss Canadian technologies that use « on-demand » buoys, which reduces the risk of often fatal entangling of whales in fishing gear.
The vertical ropes used by fishermen to bring crab traps to the surface have caused the death of several whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in recent years.
But the new « on-demand » buoy systems use acoustic signals emitted by fishing boats and software to trigger the rise of the traps and thus limit the use of ropes in which cetaceans, especially North Atlantic right whales, were bogged.
« It allows you to go fishing in places where there are whales without having rope curtains all over the environment » and « it really makes a difference, because the number of tangling has really decreased, » Lyne Morissette explained to La Presse Canadienne.
Several threats to ocean health
Surangel Whipps JR, President of the Republic of Palau, an island nation whose existence is threatened by climate change, is the only head of state who is one of the guests of the summit.
The « World Ocean Summit & Expo » is an initiative of the British group that owns The Economist magazine. Many business leaders and representatives of industries that depend on the oceans will be present, but also scientists and environmentalists.
« I could well spend my life wanting to protect whales, but if I don’t work with fishermen who get up every morning to make a living and who have the most potential for positive or negative impact on these species, well, it won’t move forward, » and « if I decided to participate only in scientific conferences with other researchers who passively describe what is happening in the oceans, it wouldn’t allow me to move forward either, » explained Lyne Morissette, stressing the importance of bringing together participants from a variety of horizons in order to put in place solutions to the threats to the health of the oceans.
These threats, as the researcher points out, are numerous. « There is climate change, of course, which has all kinds of consequences both in terms of the increase in water temperature and the displacement of species due to changing ecosystems. »
Overfishing is also a major problem, because « many species are fished until their near-extinction or until it is too late for these species to return ».
Noise pollution and loss of biodiversity also represent significant dangers. « It is always human activities that are at the heart of these threats and these issues are interconnected. So, to be able to discuss these issues at a summit and see how we can modulate human activities to limit our impact on the oceans is more important than ever. »
The Minister of Fisheries and the Secretary of State for Nature will be present. Liberal MP Nathalie Provost, who holds the title of Secretary of State for Nature, is to take part in the event. The MP’s press officer told La Presse Canadienne that she was not available to discuss her participation in the conference.
However, the MP’s office sent this statement by email: “Canada’s role at the Global Ocean Summit reflects our commitment to the protection, conservation and sustainable management of the oceans. As part of the 30×30 goal, we aim to protect 30% of our oceans by 2030. »
The Secretary of State for Nature will participate in a panel « that will examine how to raise capital for marine conservation projects and sustainable ocean industries, while ensuring benefits for communities and returns for investors ».
The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Joanne Thompson, will also be present. She must give the opening speech.
source : macotenord
