Compilation of research studies show how humans have impacted marine ecosystems through time.
A newly published theme issue in the scientific journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B reveals the long and complex history of human interaction with the ocean and challenges our understanding of seas across thousands of years. Despite documented impacts, principally through hunting and fishing, the compilation of studies also offers hope for restoring our oceans through the insights gained from the past.
The theme issue is titled “Shifting Seas: Understanding Deep-Time Human Impacts on Marine Ecosystems” and it brings together 16 research articles spanning archaeology, marine historical ecology, marine biology, ancient DNA, stable isotope analysis, Indigenous knowledge systems, and environmental history. Collectively, the 16 scientific articles document thousands of years of marine biodiversity change, from early shellfish harvests and climate-driven species shifts to industrial exploitation and colonial disruptions.
“When we think about ocean change, we often focus only on the last few decades,” says Dr Luke Holman, guest editor and marine molecular ecologist at the University of Copenhagen. “But this research shows that many of today’s challenges - overfishing, habitat loss, biodiversity decline - have deep historical roots. It also offers an inspiring picture of rich and resilient past oceans, reminding us of what recovery could look like if we act now.”
Research in the issue documents how key periods of anthropogenic activity had a dramatic effect on marine ecosystems across global oceans. European colonisation and dispossession of Indigenous Peoples from the 15th Century onwards was shown to have a particularly strong impact on marine ecosystems, with many long established human-ocean relationships disturbed (articles 8,9,10,12,15). For example, Efford et al. (article 9) used an ecosystem modelling approach to document how colonisation impacted both local Indigenous People and also caused a decrease in fish populations across the Burrard Inlet, Canada. The industrialisation of
fishing in the 1900s was a second key period of change with many articles documenting huge shifts in marine ecosystems (articles 3,4,11). For example, Yamoah et al. (article 4) applied stable isotope analyses of Atlantic cod bones from archaeological sites in Scotland to show a dramatic shift in food web structure resulting from industrial fishing in the North Sea.
“This volume is timely. Thanks to advances in molecular approaches we now have the capability of accessing biological archives from the deep past; ancient DNA and proteins, that provide direct evidence of past biodiversity and the structure of ancient ecosystems’ - Prof. Oliver Craig, guest editor and archaeological scientist at the University of York.
Overall the issue underlines the importance of interdisciplinary research to uncover the complexity of changing oceans. “This work enables us to see beyond today’s shattered oceans, beyond to the past where we can now fully appreciate just how rich and diverse our past oceans were, and beyond to a future in which we can envisage changed ecosystems that restore some of that lost biodiversity” - Prof. James Scourse, guest editor and marine geologist at the University of Exeter.
Explore the Special Issue “Shifting Seas: Understanding Deep-Time Human Impacts on Marine Ecosystems”
Published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B
Available at: https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb/380/1930.
