Chapter 24
Sustainable Development and Blue Growth
in the Alboran Sea: Enabling Ocean Health
and Ecosystem Services Through Ocean
Science and Equitable Governance
Luis Valdés, Juan Antonio Camiñas, Juan Luis Suárez-de Vivero, and
José Carlos Báez
24.1 Introduction
The Mediterranean Sea is an important route for merchants and travelers since
ancient times, allowing for trade and cultural exchange; for instance, it is estimated
that the Mediterranean accounts for 15% of the yearly global shipping activity
(REMPEC 2008), which makes the Mediterranean a remarkable region for its
contribution to global economy and trade. In this context, most of that maritime
traffic crosses the Alboran Sea: in 2010, the Spanish Authority on Maritime Rescue
reported 112.943 vessels. Considered a large marine ecosystem, its coasts support a
high density of inhabitants, and it is one of the top tourist destinations in the world.
With an overall lack of exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and consequently with
fish stocks that are often shared among fleets from different countries, the fishery
sector and associated commerce have always played an important role in the region.
In fact, the annual production of roughly 1.22 million tons offers employment
L. Valdés (*)
Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Santander, Santander, Spain
e-mail: luis.valdes@ieo.es
J. A. Camiñas
Asociación Herpetológica Española, Madrid, Spain
e-mail: juan.caminas@herpetologica.org
J. L. Suárez-de Vivero
Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
e-mail: vivero@us.es
J. C. Báez
Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga, Fuengirola (Málaga),
Spain
e-mail: josecarlos.baez@ieo.es
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. C. Báez et al. (eds.), Alboran Sea - Ecosystems and Marine Resources,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65516-7_24
797
Sustainable Development and Blue Growth
in the Alboran Sea: Enabling Ocean Health
and Ecosystem Services Through Ocean
Science and Equitable Governance
Luis Valdés, Juan Antonio Camiñas, Juan Luis Suárez-de Vivero, and
José Carlos Báez
24.1 Introduction
The Mediterranean Sea is an important route for merchants and travelers since
ancient times, allowing for trade and cultural exchange; for instance, it is estimated
that the Mediterranean accounts for 15% of the yearly global shipping activity
(REMPEC 2008), which makes the Mediterranean a remarkable region for its
contribution to global economy and trade. In this context, most of that maritime
traffic crosses the Alboran Sea: in 2010, the Spanish Authority on Maritime Rescue
reported 112.943 vessels. Considered a large marine ecosystem, its coasts support a
high density of inhabitants, and it is one of the top tourist destinations in the world.
With an overall lack of exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and consequently with
fish stocks that are often shared among fleets from different countries, the fishery
sector and associated commerce have always played an important role in the region.
In fact, the annual production of roughly 1.22 million tons offers employment
L. Valdés (*)
Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Santander, Santander, Spain
e-mail: luis.valdes@ieo.es
J. A. Camiñas
Asociación Herpetológica Española, Madrid, Spain
e-mail: juan.caminas@herpetologica.org
J. L. Suárez-de Vivero
Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
e-mail: vivero@us.es
J. C. Báez
Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga, Fuengirola (Málaga),
Spain
e-mail: josecarlos.baez@ieo.es
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. C. Báez et al. (eds.), Alboran Sea - Ecosystems and Marine Resources,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65516-7_24
797