Ocean Expedition Starts Discussion On Conservation
HALIFAX — You can traverse Nova Scotia from coastline to coastline and it will be near impossible for you to meet someone who isn’t impacted by the beautiful ocean at our doorstep. Maybe it’s someone who goes on an occasional boat cruise or a person who simply enjoys the view.
Then, of course, there are the many local industries that rely on the ocean and created billions in revenue; fishing, transportation, energy development, and tourism.
But, over the years, humankind’s use of the ocean for profit and development has often led to abuse. Unless we do something to combat water pollution and climate change, the people who rely on the ocean lose their livelihoods.
Between September 7th and 29th, the Students on Ice Foundation (SOI) took 100 people on a voyage on the MV Polar Prince, a Mi’kmaq-owned expedition vessel, around the eastern shore of Nova Scotia and into the Bay of Fundy. The group contained First Nation youth, industry representatives, academics, and more to promote collaboration and stewardship when it comes to ocean conservation.
“We just thought, wouldn’t it be amazing to connect all these different voices and actors?” said Geoff Green, the founder and president of SOI. “I think we would make progress on some of the needed measures ahead.”
“We asked everybody at the very beginning ‘what does the ocean mean to you?’”
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At the heart of the matter is finding the right balance between industry and conservation, something that has proven difficult in the past.
“How do we balance conservation with a sustainable blue economy?” asks Green. “Livelihoods are deeply connected to the ocean, so how do we have a sustainable blue economy going forward?”
“We have the longest coastline of any country in the world which makes us the country that should be a leader in ocean management. And that hasn’t been the case for a long time.”
Green points out that Canada has a lot of work to do in living up to its obligations. The nation has promised to protect 30 percent of its ocean by 2030. Right now, it is less than halfway to that goal.
But the SOI expedition may have at least started an invaluable conversation with some of the most important ocean stakeholders. One of the industry guests aboard MV Polar Prince was Kendra MacDonald, the CEO of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster.
It can be easy to assume that the wants of industry players and conservationists don’t align but Green says this trip showed there is more common ground than one might think.
“I’ve never met a person who doesn’t want to help the ocean,” said Green. “And that’s amazing. Fishermen want to help the ocean. Mariners don’t want to hit whales. They don’t want to pollute the ocean.
“And commercial interests and conservation interests are very much aligned. When you get down to the bottom of it. The discussion was very positive. And it was looking for solutions as opposed to pointing fingers and casting blame.”
Although there was one subject aboard that ship that proved to still be sticky in the ocean-industry world: the controversial practice of aquaculture. Aquaculture has become a major industry throughout the world, and the Maritimes is no exception. One of the biggest New Brunswick companies right now is Cooke Aquaculture. But the practice is known for coming with environmental risks.
“There’s people digging in on both sides of that. Most of the people directly involved in the expedition were not big proponents of aquaculture, but we were totally open-minded.”
When the expedition reached the Bay of Fundy, those aboard got to see a true natural wonder and a place that has massive potential for clean industry. The tides of the bay are legendary, and tourists from all over the world come to see its immense power.
That power has the potential to accelerate the push toward greener energy. Earlier this year, Sustainable Marine delivered power into Nova Scotia’s grid using floating tidal power- enough to power 200 homes.
“The Bay of Fundy is globally extraordinary, in so many ways,” said Green. “I as a Canadian, have really underestimated the Bay of Fundy and the Nova Scotia coastline as well.”
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But the Bay of Fundy is an example of how vulnerable the ocean can be. Despite its power, Fundy is being heavily affected by climate change.
“Climate Change is the elephant in the room, which cannot be ignored. Bay of Fundy in particular is one of the fastest warming parts of the global ocean. And so that is playing a big role. It’s impacting species.”
Derek Montague is a Huddle reporter in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].