Environmental studies professor D.G. Webster is confident the earth’s oceans are sufficiently resilient to survive human pollution. “They may look very different in the future,” she says, “but they will still be around and there will be some kinds of ecosystems in them. The question is if it will work for us humans.”

The worst-case scenario may be disastrous: We could be looking at a future in which  once-abundant fish species have been over-harvested into near-extinction, rising seas have permanently flooded coastal plains, ocean acidification has killed off coral reefs, and the Gulf Stream that transports warmth across the Atlantic Ocean has been disrupted by meltwaters from the Arctic, plunging Europe and North America into freezing temperatures.

Webster emphasizes that there is no scientific consensus on the effects of global warming and prefers not to dwell on the most dire predictions, but she warns that unchecked human activity can trigger major marine extinctions.

With so much at stake, it may be difficult to understand why governments haven’t been more successful at passing regulation to protect the oceans. That’s the question Webster asks in “Marine Policy,” a course that explores not only how human activities affect marine ecosystems across the planet, but also how the politics behind those activities complicate environmental policies. Solutions that scientifically make sense are often unenforceable because they go against the interests of powerful stakeholders.

Webster, a political economist, became interested in marine biology when, for her Ph.D. from the University of Southern California, she researched international tuna fisheries as a case study to examine why political systems rarely act in the interest of the greater good. “The goals of policymaking are often very laudable,” she explains, “but the reality tends to be very political.”

For one assignment students research the interaction between a coastal community and its surrounding ecosystems and evaluate the political challenges to environmental policies. One group of students recently studied the coastal mangrove swamps in Indonesia. In their class presentation the students noted that the mangroves, which prevent coastal erosion and buffer the inland from tsunamis, are rapidly being cleared for coastal development and commercial shrimp farms owned by foreign investors. Despite attempts to encourage ecotourism and educate local people about the importance of the mangroves, the destruction continues because local government officials make money by selling building permits to companies  unconcerned about environmental impact. “It sounds as if all other solutions are just cosmetic unless the corruption problem is resolved,” Webster suggests at the end of the presentation. The students nod, glumly.

Ali Uribe ’14, a double major in environmental studies and studio art, appreciates Webster’s perspective as a social scientist: “I like how she forces us to think differently about environmental problems, how to take into account that things revolve around value and money.” For her thesis Uribe spent a summer in Cartagena, on the Atlantic coast of Colombia, to study the potential for commercializing the consumption of lionfish. Native to the Indian and Pacific oceans, lionfish were introduced into Atlantic waters by Florida pet owners and, without any natural predators, have proliferated at an alarming rate, consuming native fish. Uribe worked with a foundation that promotes lionfish as a delicacy in restaurants, hoping that once the fish has caught on as a popular food, its numbers can be kept down through commercial fishing.

Webster takes the class on a field trip to Boston’s New England Aquarium and on an ocean cruise in Boston Harbor with the Sea Education Association’s marine research program. For some students it’s their first time at sea and, as one described on the class blog, an opportunity to experience seasickness.

“In inland rural New Hampshire the ocean isn’t something we deal with on a regular basis,” says Phoebe Racine ’14, an environmental studies major from California. Racine was interested in marine biology before coming to Dartmouth, and she became more intensely aware of marine policies when she worked as a research assistant for Webster as a freshman, compiling fishery data that revealed a steady decline in tuna populations in the past 50 years. Now Racine wants to promote sustainable seafood. She tries to educate fellow students about the benefits of eating fish, which, she says, is a much more efficient source of protein than meat, as long as it is harvested responsibly. She is particularly hopeful about advances in aquaculture and wants to go to graduate school for further study.

“For thousands of years people have been fine-tuning the art of agriculture,” says Racine. “Aquaculture is a completely new form of farming, so there is still a lot to learn and a lot of room for improvement.” Although many forms of aquaculture damage the environment, Racine expects the industry to quickly become cleaner and more efficient.

“I try to leave students hopeful at the end of the course,” says Webster. “We have to believe we’ll succeed, because there’s no alternative.” Her students inspire optimistism, she says: “They’re so full of energy and so willing to do things for change. We just have to keep it going until they get into positions of power.”

Professor Webster's Recommended Reading
Ocean, by Robert Dinwiddie, et al. (DK, 2008). “Offers foundational knowledge of oceanographic, geological and ecological attributes of the oceans in an accessible format.”

Saving Global Fisheries: Reducing Fishing Capacity to Promote Sustainability, by J. Samuel Barkin and Elizabeth R. DeSombre (MIT Press, 2013). “The authors highlight many of the most pressing problems for international fisheries today, including subsidy-driven overcapitalization and resulting overexploitation of many stocks.”

World Ocean Census: A Global Survey of Marine Life, by Darlene Crist, Gail Scowcroft and James Harding (Firefly Books, 2009). “A richly illustrated compilation of the new creatures discovered in the recently completed world ocean census.”

For Cod and Country: Simple, Delicious, Sustainable Cooking, by Barton Seaver (Sterling Epicure, 2011). “Recipes and tips for those who would like to eat seafood sustainably.”

Oceans (2010) and Blue Planet: Seas of Life (2007). “Classic nature documentaries that explore the many different ocean environments, including coastal zones, polar areas, the pelagic open ocean and the deep sea.”

Judith Hertog is a regular contributor to DAM. She lives in Norwich, Vermont.