From MacLean's magazine, March 27, 1995: Read what the reports were like in the midst of the Turbot War and Canada's actions against the Estai.

You can read the full (1998) ruling by the International Court of Justice (Spain v. Canada) here.

The Judicial ruling from the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs one decade later can be found here.

An interesting and relevant thesis on the subject can be found here.

Take a look through this very comprehensive site and organization.
To achieve real benefits for the oceans, Oceana conducts focused, strategic campaigns. Each campaign has a specific timeframe and objective that will make a significant difference to the oceans. Each campaign combines scientific, legal, policy and advocacy approaches to reach its goal. Saving the oceans may take decades, but in each of our campaigns we aim to accomplish an important milestone in that effort within two to five years.

Linda Greenlaw was the swordfish captain of a vessel involved in The Perfect Storm. She has written several books and has always maintained that there are not issues with over-fishing of swordfish. She uses long-lining as a fishing method.

She was arrested within Canada's 200 nm EEZ yesterday for illegal fishing. There is an article on the CBC about it, but I will be posting more about this.

Marine Affairs Program Seminar
The Faculty and Students of Marine Affairs invite you to the seminar :
"The search for whale-fisheries competition in the Lesser Antilles pelagic ecosystem"
Paul Fanning
Project Manager, Lesser Antilles Pelagic Ecosystem Project UN Food and Agriculture Organization
Monday, October 6, 2008
Room 3089
Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building
6100 University Avenue, Dalhousie University Campus
12:30 - 1:30 PM
For more information, contact the Marine Affairs Program, Marine.Affairs@dal.ca, 494-3555

The SRES Seminar this week features Kathleen Martin who will be presenting on "Peace and conflict in conservation: Lessons from leatherbacks."
Everyone Welcome!
Kathleen Martin
Executive Director, Canadian Sea Turtle Network
formerly Nova Scotia Leatherback Turtle Working Group
Friday, September 26, 4:00 p.m.
Room 1014, Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building
6100 University Avenue
People who understand the value of conservation are often frustrated by the legions of people--including politicians, business leaders, the general public, and perhaps most important, resource users--who seem unable to understand its value. Real environmental change will come only when we are able to effectively communicate and work with these groups. In this seminar, I'll talk about what I've learned in this regard from a decade of working with commercial fishers to conserve the endangered leatherback sea turtle.

This was the Film Festival Opener last year. This year, the film festival will begin October 22. You can read more about it here. Maybe one day some of you might go to it. Maybe one day one of you might have a film in it.

Read the online article from the National Post (September 18, 2008) here.
What do you think?

So you've already completed one assignment (worth 10%). You next 10% assignment involves the South China Sea, as I had hinted at in class today. Use the links and resources in the powerpoint lecture 3 (on the p:drive).

1.To what extent does res communis and/or res nullius apply to the South China Sea?
2. What nations have made claims to the waters of the South China Sea?
3. What is the issue that involves the greatest amount of debate?
4. Using UNCLOS, what nation or nations would you think that international law would favour in this case?
5. How do you see the future of these claims and disputes being resolved?
6. What would your recommendations be?

Please incorporate your responses to these or other pertinent questions that you come up with to write a short essay (no more than 5 pages, double-spaced, and fully referenced). You must work with at least one other person on this assignment and only submit one written essay (electronically) between the two of you. I would highly recommend that you decide on a specific "division of labour" to tackle this assignment.

The assignment will be due by the end of day on Friday, October 3.

Thanks to one of you (I love receiving links and interesting information related to the course), I wanted to share this web site with you regarding Canada's efforts to prepare a submission to the United Nations to define the limits of its extended continental shelf. Read about it here and here.

Take a look at the extent of the ice cover change in the Arctic here.

You may also find it interesting to track the oceanographic research ships that are at sea at present.

From the US National Weather Service: this is a warning to pay attention to! I am worried for the people who stay behind in Galveston, Texas!

ALL NEIGHBORHOODS...AND POSSIBLY ENTIRE COASTAL COMMUNITIES...WILL BE INUNDATED DURING THE PERIOD OF PEAK STORM TIDE. PERSONSNOT HEEDING EVACUATION ORDERS IN SINGLE FAMILY ONE OR TWO STORY HOMES WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH. MANY RESIDENCES OF AVERAGE CONSTRUCTION DIRECTLY ON THE COAST WILL BE DESTROYED. WIDESPREAD AND DEVASTATING PERSONAL PROPERTY DAMAGE IS LIKELY ELSEWHERE.VEHICLES LEFT BEHIND WILL LIKELY BE SWEPT AWAY. NUMEROUS ROADS WILL BE SWAMPED...SOME MAY BE WASHED AWAY BY THE WATER. ENTIRE FLOOD PRONE COASTAL COMMUNITIES WILL BE CUT OFF. WATER LEVELS MAY EXCEED 9 FEET FOR MORE THAN A MILE INLAND. COASTAL RESIDENTS IN MULTI-STORY FACILITIES RISK BEING CUT OFF. CONDITIONS WILL BE WORSENED BY BATTERING WAVES. SUCH WAVES WILL EXACERBATE PROPERTY DAMAGE...WITH MASSIVE DESTRUCTION OF HOMES...INCLUDING THOSE OF BLOCK CONSTRUCTION. DAMAGE FROM BEACH EROSION COULD TAKE YEARS TO REPAIR.

I'll be posting more about Ike through the day. Stay tuned.

So you should have read through Chapter 1 of Song for the Blue Ocean by this point. Perhaps you've put some thought into my blog post questions from a few days ago. Now you can dig a little deeper. Take a look at the SeaChoice web site. Go to the Ratings for seafood: there are three categories: "Best Choice", "Some Concerns" and "Avoid". Which categories do tuna reside within? What's the main difference between those that might be listed in each of the categories.

You might also want to start thinking about going to Carl Safina's blog. Not only will you find more up-dated information about the status of tuna, but other marine organisms as well. You'll also have the opportunity to learn more about him and witness some of his amazing journeys.

You will be reading Song for the Blue Ocean by Carl Safina this semester. The book was written a decade ago, so it should be interesting to see how things have progressed since then. On page 13 of the book Safina introduces the "International Commission for the Conservation of the Atlantic Tunas" (ICCAT), which he says would more aptly be named the "International Conspiracy to Catch All the Tunas". Read through the first chapter of the book (to p.24). Browse through the ICCAT web site. Do a bit of "digging". What do you think?

Take a look at what these guys did!
Learn even more from their blog.

Check out what this woman did!
Maybe someone in the class would like to row across Halifax Harbour to raise local awareness?!
Joking.
But then again...

Take a look at this article: it relates to the shrinking ice in the Canadian Arctic, which is obviously linked to climate change. The response from our Prime Minister is interesting.
What do you think?