Fisheries in the Pacific

The other side of large-scale, no-take, marine protected areas in the Pacific Ocean
• Hydrothermal sources (hydrothermal sulphides). These sources are present over all oceanic
ridges and at volcanic sites. They are very widespread in the Pacific and are not featured
on the summary overview map (fig. 8).
• Cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts. These are situated at the level of seamounts. They are
mainly located in the EEZs of island States, in international waters and in the EEZ of
Eastern Pacific coastal States.
• Polymetallic nodules. According to the latest information, the richest areas are in the Central
Pacific and in the Clarion Clipperton international zone.
• Marine seabed sediment rich in rare earths. Following Japanese explorations in the
2000s, the distribution of the richest sediments is estimated mainly in the Eastern
Pacific Ocean.
The legal regimes for the exploitation of these resources are distinct depending
on whether they are located in EEZs or in the international high seas zone (referred
to hereafter as “the Zone”). In the EEZs, exploitation falls under the legal regime
of the State involved, which manages all of it following the rules of United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). In the Zone, exploitation
is also regulated by UNCLOS, which created the International Seabed Authority
(ISA) for this end, and the resources have the status of global public goods. The
USA has not ratified UNCLOS but applies its principles within its EEZ. In
contrast, in the Zone the USA cannot participate in the ISA mechanism.
The maritime exploitation of rare earths has not begun yet (in either the EEZs or
in the Zone) but there is deep scientific concern about environmental impacts.
Scientific evidence regarding the quantification and forecasting of these impacts is
incomplete, particularly as no reference exploitation exists yet. Nonetheless, there is
a sense that these impacts will be very different depending on the type exploited
(hydrothermal sources, ferromanganese crusts, polymetallic nodules, marine sediments)
and the exploitation area considered (Dyment et al. 2014). Acquiring the
knowledge needed on this subject is today a major objective.
Given global demand for these minerals, paradoxically amplified by green growth
strategies which need a lot of this type of material, the strategic issues at stake are
high for private enterprises and States. For the Pacific States, it is a major opportunity
for economic diversification and growth, as well as the development of new macroeconomic
rents.
Like for the economic resources derived from fishing, deep sea mining issues lie
at the heart of the Pacific States’ claims over marine space. If these States wish to
fully benefit from the economic opportunities associated with these activities, they
must implement a full blown strategy of maritime power, at their respective levels,
which assumes a strong assertion of maritime sovereignty.
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