Sustainable Governance of Norwegian Aquaculture and the Administrative Reform: Dilemmas and Challenges

This article discusses the impact of the Norwegian government's administrative reform on the management of the Norwegian aquaculture industry and coastal areas. The 2010 reform of government administration strengthened the County Councils’ role in issues of aquaculture at the expense of the regional offices of the Directorate of Fisheries. The aim of the reform was to increase self-governance through decentralization. However, international trends in coastal zone and marine resource management are moving in the opposite direction, aiming at more integrated and ecosystem-based approaches involving the management of larger, rather than smaller, geographic regions. This article examines the possible effects of this reform in light of the move from government to governance, and in the context of a broad policy shift toward a more integrated, ecosystem-based management (EBM) of the coastal zone. Based on insights from multi-level and coastal zone governance debates, we argue that an unintended consequence of the Norwegian administrative reform could be increased fragmentation of the aquaculture governance system, as well as a reduced capacity to implement EBM-related measures. At the same time, the reform might improve coastal zone planning, although a further step toward integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) would require a greater delegation of authority to the County Councils.     

Experimental Investigation of TARMAX Model for Modeling of Hydrodynamic Forces on Cylinder-like Structures

A new approach that models lift and drag hydrodynamic force signals operating over cylindrical structures was developed and validated. This approach is based on stochastic auto regressive moving average with exogenous (ARMAX) input and its time-varying form, TARMAX. Model structure selection and parameter estimation were discussed while considering the validation stage. In this paper, the cylindrical structure was considered as a dynamic system with an incoming water wave and resulting forces as the input a...     

Examining the influence of firm performance on business risk-taking and the mediation effect of scale of operations in the container terminal industry

Container shipping and its related service sectors help accelerate globalization of the world economy. This industry has been experiencing rapid growth, prompting container terminal operators to increase their handling capacity in response. Providing container terminal services requires substantial capital investment in physical assets such as cargo handling facilities and information systems. On the other hand, operating container terminals is a long-term investment that typically spans several business cycles. Hence prudent asset management using appropriate tools is critical for container terminal operators to sustain their businesses. Generally, due to risk-adverseness, investors are unwilling to take more risk in their investment unless they can reap a higher return. Contrary to this argument, this study finds no direct influence of better firm performance as a proxy of higher return on business risk-taking by container terminal operators. Instead, scale of operations is positively associated with business risk-taking, suggesting that container terminal operators with a larger scale of operations are willing to take more business risk.     

Application of genetic algorithms for joint optimization of signal setting parameters and dynamic traffic assignment for the real network data

This paper presents the joint optimization of signal setting parameters and dynamic user equilibrium (DUE) traffic assignment for the congested urban road network. The simulation-based approach is employed to obtain the DUE condition for the case of multiple-origin multiple-destination traffic flows. The dynamic traffic assignment simulation program (DTASP), developed in C language is used to assign the traffic dynamically on the road network, whereas method of successive averages (MSA) is modified and used to arrive at the DUE condition. The artificial intelligence technique of genetic algorithms (GAs) is applied to obtain the optimal signal setting parameters and path flow distribution factor for DUE condition. The methodology developed in such a way that joint optimization of signal setting parameters with DUE is obtained. The proposed method is applied to the real network data of Fort Area of Mumbai city comprising of 17 nodes and 56 unidirectional links with 72 Origin–Destination pairs, where all the 17 nodes are signalized intersections. The traffic flow condition for the optimized signal setting parameters is considerably improved compared to the existing signal settings. The results prove that the GA is an effective technique to solve the joint optimization problem for the real network data.     

Challenges and Prospects of Fisheries Co-Management under a Marine Extractive Reserve Framework in Northeastern Brazil

In Brazil, Marine Extractive Reserves—MERs (Reservas Extrativistas Marinhas) represent the most significant government-supported effort to protect the common property resources upon which traditional small-scale fishers depend. From an initial small-scale experience in 1992, MERs have expanded countrywide, now encompassing 30 units (9,700 km²) and nearly 60,000 fishers. Despite such escalating interest in the model, there is little research on the effectiveness of MERs. In this article, we discuss relevant parts of the history and examine the current situation of the fisheries co-management initiative in the Marine Extractive Reserve of Corumbau, which was created in 2000 as the first MER to encompass coral reefs and reef fisheries. We describe the Extractive Reserve co-management arrangement and its main policy and legislative challenges. Finally, we discuss the prospects for the use of MERs as management frameworks for traditional small-scale fisheries in Brazil.     

Planning considerations for preservation and use of the national seashores

This article reviews the historical development of the category of national park known as “national seashore,”; and traces the evolution of basic planning and management policies that are applied to such areas. Also reviewed is the current sequential approach applied by the National Park Service in all its planning efforts, including a discussion of the impact of the National Environmental Policy Act on park planning. Several examples are provided to illustrate a variety of planning problems common to the sashore environment. Finally, comments are provided on the future promise of seashore and barrier island conservation and development, as well as the future role of other agencies and private organizations.     

Cooperative tourism and the coastal zone

Abstract

Most tourist development takes place in the coastal zone. Concentrated tourist use continues in spite of opposition by groups who feel that any tourism, especially international, threatens both the natural environment and local values. Although shorelines and “coastscapes”; belong to all, decisions regarding them are made by relatively few. The number of community organizations involved in coastal zone management decisions varies from almost none in some Third World countries to dozens in places like Hawaii or California. Constructive use of coastal zones requires an understanding of the interactions between biophysical and social systems. Planning tourism in this context requires that all groups with an interest in the coastal zone join in a new “cooperative tourism”; in which all contribute to decisions and face ultimate responsibilities.     

The implications of MARPOL Annex V on the management of ports and coastal communities

Abstract

The passage of the Marine Plastics Pollution Research and Control Act of 1987 (MPPRCA), which codified Annex V of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), has encompassed every commercial and recreational shipping and boating facility in the United States. As a group, these ports, harbors, and marinas form a significant, although proportionately small, portion of the coastline of the country. More important, the economic benefits derived from the complex shoreside infrastructures required for international ocean trade, commercial and recreational fishing, and pleasure boating indicate just how critical it is for these facilities to be in conformance with effective and prudent coastal zone and environmental management practices.