However, further development of the coastal state’s economies of this region will be affected by two important factors: population growth and decreasing availability of the ocean and coastal resources. Demographic expansion brings increasing demand for protein of marine and aquaculture origin, minerals, off-shore oil and gas, water, coastal lands and timber. This leads to inevitable conflict with the limits of:

• Marine living resources to generate more outputs without further negative environmental deterioration,

• the hydrological cycle to supply clean, fresh water for human consumption, agriculture and aquaculture,

• the coastal lands and vegetation to support further urban and industrial development.

International markets generate additional pressures on the ocean and coastal resources and this is why many conservation measures in order to be effective must be considered and applied by all countries of the region.

Questions arise: are national economic and populational trends sustainable? If so – how they could affect both producers and importers of aquatic resources? What would be the consequences if marine environmental sustainability will not be secured?

While socio-economic and political interests of the North Pacific nations may be fragmented, reliance upon ocean and coastal resources, foreign capital, international markets and trade are the most important factors that are common in all North Pacific developing and transition economies.

Exploitation of fishery resources, forests and coastal vegetation has already exceeded sustainable levels in some parts of the region, and in many areas has irreversibly transformed marine ecological systems. Continued pressures and deterioration caused significant losses of marine biodiversity and weakened the potential for long-term sustainable development of the coastal areas. Reversing these trends will require, besides population stabilization, regional cooperation to repair, mitigate and minimize damages, adopt preventive policy measures and secure sustainable development.

1. Demographic Pressures Change Marine Environment

 

In the North Pacific increasing population contributes to important changes in the marine environment because demand for ocean resource is growing but their productivity is not growing. In most ocean areas we note their shrinking supply and lower quality of raw material for production of the seafood, increased time costs of extractive operations and growing prices of fish in domestic and international markets.

Aquaculture and urban development contributes to degradation of the coastal habitats. Migration from the interior to the coastal areas, industrial and aquaculture development generate additional demand for coastal lands and adjacent water areas. As prices for seafood grow and resources are scarcer, industrial fleet operators look for substitute stocks or exploit immature species. Frequently industrial operators invade coastal areas and indigenous fisheries zones. As a result, coastal communities and their traditional lifestyles are severely affected and frequently destroyed.

The distant – water operations is another sign of resource depletion or their scarcity in the coastal waters of the several North Pacific coastal states.

 

2. Increased Demand for Seafood, Coastal Lands and Water

Preference for food of marine and aquaculture origin in Asia/Pacific societies is very high and this is the most important factor contributing to the intensification of wild stock fisheries by these countries. Resulting market demand for the aquatic protein will be growing in the future. Japan became the largest importer of seafood in the world and China People’s Republic is undergoing transition period from its position as a net exporter to a growing importer of the seafood. Consumption of aquatic protein in PRC will affect both regional resources and international markets, particularly fishery industries in countries-suppliers of seafood to China. Coastal land prices are growing and industrialization brings pollution and takes shrinking quickly coastal agricultural lands.

As in most Asia/Pacific countries demand for animal protein can not be satisfied by the agriculture there is a growing interest to intensify aquaculture and coastal mariculture production. Growing fish farming puts new demands on shrinking water and grain reserves and marine resources that are needed to produce feed for these industries.

 

3. Changing International Trade and Markets

As a result of quick industrialization in most Asia/Pacific countries incomes are rising at an unprecedented rate. With expansion of population the demand for additional food, better housing, waterfront space, transportation, trade and marine recreation is growing with impacts on national, regional and global markets. In the Pacific Rim region continued rapid economic growth in most countries is altering the regional trade patterns. Most of the increase in APEC’s share of world exports - up from 38 % in mid 1980’s to 46% in mid 1990’s was by Asian nations. This expansion was associated with the development of ports, land processing, shipbuilding industries and marine transportation. Several developing economies of the region invested, with participation of foreign capital, in distant-water fleets that look for additional resources overseas: in Southwest Pacific, Atlantic coastal waters of Africa, and Indian Ocean. The fear that this exploitation has generally negative implications on the exploited resources has led to call for amending international resource use and conservation policies and re-write international fishery resource access agreements to take explicit account of environmental sustainability.

Environmental concerns have been raised regarding NAFTA’s effects on the environemnt. Recent controversies have concerned the negative impacts on the air and water quality in Mexico and southwestern United States. Restrictions on imports of processed fish products from the III World and Russian Federation by the European Community will affect intensity and patterns of marine resource use in exporting countries. When foreign markets such as the US, Canada and Japan use trade policy to impose their environmental standards, the effect is frequently to protect domestic producers from foreign competition.

The Conference’s main objective is to identify changes taking place in the marine and coastal environment in developing and transition economies of the North Pacific caused by the demographic growth and market factors and determine how sustainable these trends are.

Specific goals are to:

a) Establish, conceptually and empirically the links between demographic growth and resulting market factors such as demand, prices, trends in international trade and investment and the intensity of ocean and coastal resource use.

2. Improve our understanding of how developing and transition economies of the North Pacific are dealing with environmental change, demographic growth and changes in market conditions to secure sustainability of the ocean and coastal resources on which they relay.

c) To provide a neutral forum for discussion of policy measures that could be recommended to ensure that the demographic pressures and international market forces do not lead to unsustainable development of coastal and ocean resources and deterioration of the marine and coastal environment.

4. To examine possibility to create a network and linkages among scientists, policy makers, private industry representatives, coastal communities, international donors and non-governmental organizations to allow exchange of scientific information and regional data collection, publication of the annual progress reports, professional training, and coordination of international research projects.

Presentaions and discussion will focus on the demographic and market implications on five major areas of economic activity and exploited aquatic resources:

• coastal urban and industrial development,
• marine fisheries and aquaculture,
• ports and maritime transportation,
• marine resource-related markets and international trade,
• marine recreation and tourism

Multidisciplinary analysis of current developments and future trends will address external and internal factors influencing demographic and market changes and related policy measures in order to assure sustainable development of the ocean and coastal resources.

Evaluation of national situations will be combined with analysis of international trends

Thursday, June 3, 1999

Morning Session:

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS

Conceptual and empirical description of demographic trends in the region, with special attention to developing and transition economies, and presentation of country case studies which will compare national marine and coastal resource development trends with carrying capacity of aquatic environments in each country. Closely related questions will address population, consumption and country trade policies. These studies will be prepared by experts using uniform criteria so their findings and conclusions will be comparable.

Among the topics to be presented:

• Geographic distribution of coastal communities and marine resources.
• Demographic trends and consumption patterns of the marine and aquaculture products.
• Impact of human activities on the aquatic and sustainability of its resources.

Analysis of impacts of population growth on sustainability of the ocean and coastal resources.

Conference presentations will address, between others, the following questions:

a) What is meant by coastal resource use in specific sectors (i.e., coastal urban and industrial development, marine transportation, fisheries, and inland aquaculture) and what are the major patterns of their exploitation?

b) What are the likely environmental effects of more or less intensive coastal resource use resulting from growing population pressures and migrations to seashore areas and how can we control these trends?

3. c) To what extent does the intensity of coastal resource use and its environmental implications affect the sustainability of these resources or industries that are involved in their development?

Friday, June 4, 1999

Morning Session

Market and international trade analysis and assessment of interrelationships between the state of natural resources of the sea and coastal areas and trade policies applied by exporting and importing countries.

Important questions to be discussed:

• What are the major trends in the international trade of seafood and other marine products of the developing and transition economies in the region?
• How do resource policies respond to growing demographic pressures, international market demand, and the social, economic, technological, and other incentives to intensify the use of marine and fresh water resources?
• Do trade barriers and regulations or other international restrictions have a positive or negative effect on ocean and coastal resource use and on the marine environment?
• Are trade practices such as inflow of foreign capital, and technology, harvesting and value-added strategies having positive or negative effect on sustainability of the resource use and the aquatic environment?

• What kind of governmental interventions are in place or are stipulated in regard to international trade of their countries and allocation of resources for use by foreign companies?

Afternoon Session

Recommendations for policy measures that could be taken by individual countries and on a regional basis to slow down or prevent marine environmental destruction and to secure sustainable development of living and nonliving marine resources. Particular attention will be paid to issues which are of special relevance to countries whose economies depend on the production and exportation of one or a few commodities or services and resource-use problems that have transboundary, international character.

Policy questions:

• What are the measures that create desirable links between demographic change, market conditions, and sustainable ocean coastal resource development?
• How could these links be reinforced?
• How can undesirable links between population pressures and marine resources be reversed?

1. Conference Schedule

A list of presentations and names of authors will be included in the

attached Schedule of the Conference,

 

2. Proceedings

A major product of this Conference will be a peer-reviewed volume of the Conference Proceedings. All registrants, except those registering at the student rate, will receive a copy of the Proceedings.

 

3. Location

Presentation will convene in the Yale Street Landing Conference Center, 809 Fairview Place North, Seattle, WA 98109. There will be a no-host parking available for Conference participants.

 

4. Transportation to and from the Airport

Shuttle Express services is available from the airport to totels in the University district for approximately US$ 25 each way. A reservation phone for Shuttle Express is located in the baggage claim area of the airport (800-487-7433).

The University van will pick up contributing participants coming to Seattle from overseas.

 

5. Hotel Accommodations

 

Information on hotel accommodations will be provided by Rebecca Simpson, School of Marine Affairs, tel. (206) 543-7004, fax: (206) 543-1417, Email: simpsra@u.washington.edu

 

6. Registration Fees

Early Registration postamarked by 30 of April, 1999 - US$ 100,-