According to new research from the University of Portsmouth, shipping in the North East Atlantic has increased dramatically. More monitoring in the area is now needed, according to scientists, to help conserve sea life on the endangered species list.
Researchers at the University of Portsmouth discovered that shipping rates in the North East Atlantic region increased by 34% in five years.
The rate of increase of shipping in Marine Protected Areas is even more obvious, and it is a major source of concern for experts. In the same time span, an analysis of vessel motions in these delicate conditions revealed a 73% rise.
The analysis, which was published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, is the first comprehensive examination of shipping activities in the North Atlantic. Data from over 530 million vessel positions recorded by Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) was used by the researchers. They looked at ten different vessel types to see how shipping changed between 2013 and 2017.
In total the study area covered 1.1 million km2, including waters off Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and the UK
Lead author, James Robbins from the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of Portsmouth, said:
“This change is likely to put more pressure on the marine environment, and consequently may have implications for the conservation of exposed and at-risk species. Renewed monitoring effort is needed to ensure that protective measures are adequate to conserve species under threat in a changing environment, where the footprint of human activities is expanding.”
This rise in traffic in marine protected zones could have consequences for the species that these areas are meant to conserve. Shipping can have a wide range of effects on the maritime environment, with the spread of non-indigenous species, noise, chemical, and air pollution, collisions with wildlife, and marine litter being among the most serious concerns.
For more than half of non-indigenous species in European waterways, shipping has been identified as a possible mode of unintentional movement (Katsanevakis et al., 2013).
Shipping is the most widespread human activity in our oceans, carrying a multitude of threats from subtle impacts like underwater noise pollution to dramatic outcomes when ships hit whales. We need to understand when and where shipping occurs in order to best mitigate these risks.
Dr. Sarah Marley
The species can become established and invasive once introduced, wreaking havoc on the habitats they invade. Invasive species are one of the most serious threats to global biodiversity, according to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Dr. Sarah Marley, Visiting Researcher at the University of Portsmouth and Lecturer at Scotland’s Rural College, said:
“Shipping is the most widespread human activity in our oceans, carrying a multitude of threats from subtle impacts like underwater noise pollution to dramatic outcomes when ships hit whales. We need to understand when and where shipping occurs in order to best mitigate these risks.”
The areas closest to the Spanish shore saw the most significant increases in shipping. The vessel activity in the Espacio Marino de la Costa da Morte increased by 413 percent. It is a designated area for the protection of seabirds.
Increases in shipping were also seen in the areas surrounding the Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. Around the Inner Hebrides and the Minches, a protected zone for harbour porpoises, there was a 463 percent increase.
Ship movements in the Vadehavet med Ribe Å, Tved Å og Varde Å vest for Vard off the coast of Denmark, where fish, seals, and harbour porpoises are protected, increased by 443%.
Researchers at the University of Portsmouth are urging policymakers to keep a careful eye on the growth of shipping. They predict that as human population expansion drives more development and international trade, shipping will certainly continue to rise in importance. By 2050, current projections suggest a global growth of between 240 and 1209 percent.
Professor Alex Ford, from the University’s Institute of Marine Sciences, said:
“Given the well-documented impacts that shipping can have on the marine environment, it is crucial that this situation continues to be monitored particularly in areas designated to protect vulnerable species and ecosystems which may already be under pressure.”
