The melting Arctic sea ice could open up new areas for fishing that run the danger of being completely unregulated, experts have warned. Yesterday it was revealed how in just 40 years the Arctic could be 'ice-free' as temperatures in polar regions rise faster than predicted. And this could open up the previously inaccessible offshore Arctic coast, giving fisherman access to whole new ecosystems - without any constraints in place. As Arctic sea ice melts, new regions will open up to fisherman (stock image shown). The House of Lords Arctic Committee said the UK must get involved. Within these regions, the populations of fish are unknown. This could lead to over-fishing if the practice goes unregulated . The latest warning came from the House of Lords Arctic Committee. They said that potentially uncontrolled fishing in the Arctic's international waters raised serious concerns about fish stocks in the region. They called for fishing in the central Arctic Ocean to be banned, until a recognised management regime could be agreed. The Arctic could be completely free of ice in just 40 years as a result of global warming, one of the world's leading climate change experts has warned. This would cause sea levels to rise to nearly unmanageable levels. Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Oleg Anisimov, from the State Hydrological Institute in St Petersburg, said there is evidence that temperatures are rising four times faster in the frozen region than the rest of the planet. It should be noted that 'ice-free' does not mean it will be devoid of ice. Rather, an area (or grid) is said to be ice-free when it has lower than a 15 per cent ice concentration, enough for a ship to pass through. But the change would still be dramatic. He forecasts that the region will see temperature rises of up to 7°C within a century. 'For several reasons, the Arctic climate change is more intense and faster than in other regions. There is a reduction in snow and ice cover, which has a protective function,' he said. Predictions suggest that the Arctic will be soon be ice-free, although it should be noted this does not mean it will be devoid of ice. Rather, an area (or grid) is said to be ice-free when it has lower than a 15 per cent ice concentration, enough for a ship to pass through. The committee urged the UK to appoint an Ambassador for the Arctic - as France, Singapore and Japan have done - to ensure its influence there. Considering that much of the Arctic Ocean is inaccessible, the population of various species of fish in the region is unknown. As summer ice continues to fall, opening up the region, this raises the prospect of over-fishing becoming a problem, as if commercial fishing is allowed, the effect it is having will not be clear. 'The Arctic is changing in front of our eyes. That change is momentous and unprecedented,' said the committee's chairman, Lord Teverson. 'It will bring both difficulties and opportunities and it is vital that the UK takes this challenge seriously and is able to respond to it - indeed, is positioned as the premier partner for Arctic states and other interests in Arctic co-operation as that change happens. 'We also have serious concerns about the potential opening up of fishing in the central Arctic Ocean caused by a reduction in sea ice. 'We are calling for a ban on fishing there at least until more research is undertaken and we have a better understanding of the eco-systems that will be affected. 'We need to get a proper management regime in place for the central Arctic Ocean now, before the area is opened to the risk of over-fishing.' Yeseterday it was reported that the Arctic could be completely free of ice in just 40 years as a result of global warming, according to one of the world's leading climate change experts, Professor Oleg Anisimov. This map shows rates of erosion on the Arctic coast, with the fastest rates marked in red . The extent of Arctic sea ice has rapidly declined in the last few decades, as shown in this graph from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). This means more and more regions are likely to open up to ships as the Arctic becomes ice-free - running the risk of over-fishing . The UK has a long history of successfully engaging with the Arctic, as its 'closest neighbour', but the Government's approach is too hesitant and cautious in the face of other countries being assertive about their interests, a report by the committee said. And the peers warned that with Russia's foreign policy becoming increasingly hard to predict, efforts should be made to insulate the Arctic from other geopolitical tensions because of a 'global interest in protecting this unusually vulnerable environment'. The UK, the most northern country below the Arctic circle, should play an active role in managing fishing opportunities which are likely to open in previously inaccessible areas as sea ice retreats and fish stocks move north. Potentially uncontrolled fishing in the Arctic's international waters raises serious concerns about fish stocks in the region, the Lords warned, and called for a moratorium on fishing in the central Arctic Ocean until a recognised management regime could be agreed. Meanwhile, the recent fall in world energy prices may limit exploitation of the potentially vast oil and gas supplies in the Arctic in the short to medium term, offering a 'window of opportunity' to examine if extraction can be done safely and responsibly and under agreed international standards. The committee also concluded it was a matter of 'when', not 'if', the Arctic would be free of sea ice in summer. Warming in the Arctic raised the prospect of additional climate change caused by the release of methane gas from the seabed and melting permafrost, as well as other impacts such as altering the jet stream and bringing more extreme weather to the UK. The Lords called for increased funding for British Arctic science, and an examination of potential methane releases as part of a dedicated Arctic research programme.
As Arctic sea ice melts, new regions will open up to fisherman .
The House of Lords Arctic Committee said the UK must get involved .
Within these regions, the populations of fish are unknown .
This could lead to over-fishing if the practice goes unregulated .
The committee says all fishing in the Arctic Ocean should be banned until proper rules and regulations can be put in place .
Comes after warning that the Arctic could be 'ice-free' in 40 years .
The melting Arctic sea ice could open up new areas for fishing that run the danger of being completely unregulated, experts have warned. Yesterday it was revealed how in just 40 years the Arctic could be 'ice-free' as temperatures in polar regions rise faster than predicted. And this could open up the previously inaccessible offshore Arctic coast, giving fisherman access to whole new ecosystems - without any constraints in place. As Arctic sea ice melts, new regions will open up to fisherman (stock image shown). The House of Lords Arctic Committee said the UK must get involved. Within these regions, the populations of fish are unknown. This could lead to over-fishing if the practice goes unregulated . The latest warning came from the House of Lords Arctic Committee. They said that potentially uncontrolled fishing in the Arctic's international waters raised serious concerns about fish stocks in the region. They called for fishing in the central Arctic Ocean to be banned, until a recognised management regime could be agreed. The Arctic could be completely free of ice in just 40 years as a result of global warming, one of the world's leading climate change experts has warned. This would cause sea levels to rise to nearly unmanageable levels. Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Oleg Anisimov, from the State Hydrological Institute in St Petersburg, said there is evidence that temperatures are rising four times faster in the frozen region than the rest of the planet. It should be noted that 'ice-free' does not mean it will be devoid of ice. Rather, an area (or grid) is said to be ice-free when it has lower than a 15 per cent ice concentration, enough for a ship to pass through. But the change would still be dramatic. He forecasts that the region will see temperature rises of up to 7°C within a century. 'For several reasons, the Arctic climate change is more intense and faster than in other regions. There is a reduction in snow and ice cover, which has a protective function,' he said. Predictions suggest that the Arctic will be soon be ice-free, although it should be noted this does not mean it will be devoid of ice. Rather, an area (or grid) is said to be ice-free when it has lower than a 15 per cent ice concentration, enough for a ship to pass through. The committee urged the UK to appoint an Ambassador for the Arctic - as France, Singapore and Japan have done - to ensure its influence there. Considering that much of the Arctic Ocean is inaccessible, the population of various species of fish in the region is unknown. As summer ice continues to fall, opening up the region, this raises the prospect of over-fishing becoming a problem, as if commercial fishing is allowed, the effect it is having will not be clear. 'The Arctic is changing in front of our eyes. That change is momentous and unprecedented,' said the committee's chairman, Lord Teverson. 'It will bring both difficulties and opportunities and it is vital that the UK takes this challenge seriously and is able to respond to it - indeed, is positioned as the premier partner for Arctic states and other interests in Arctic co-operation as that change happens. 'We also have serious concerns about the potential opening up of fishing in the central Arctic Ocean caused by a reduction in sea ice. 'We are calling for a ban on fishing there at least until more research is undertaken and we have a better understanding of the eco-systems that will be affected. 'We need to get a proper management regime in place for the central Arctic Ocean now, before the area is opened to the risk of over-fishing.' Yeseterday it was reported that the Arctic could be completely free of ice in just 40 years as a result of global warming, according to one of the world's leading climate change experts, Professor Oleg Anisimov. This map shows rates of erosion on the Arctic coast, with the fastest rates marked in red . The extent of Arctic sea ice has rapidly declined in the last few decades, as shown in this graph from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). This means more and more regions are likely to open up to ships as the Arctic becomes ice-free - running the risk of over-fishing . The UK has a long history of successfully engaging with the Arctic, as its 'closest neighbour', but the Government's approach is too hesitant and cautious in the face of other countries being assertive about their interests, a report by the committee said. And the peers warned that with Russia's foreign policy becoming increasingly hard to predict, efforts should be made to insulate the Arctic from other geopolitical tensions because of a 'global interest in protecting this unusually vulnerable environment'. The UK, the most northern country below the Arctic circle, should play an active role in managing fishing opportunities which are likely to open in previously inaccessible areas as sea ice retreats and fish stocks move north. Potentially uncontrolled fishing in the Arctic's international waters raises serious concerns about fish stocks in the region, the Lords warned, and called for a moratorium on fishing in the central Arctic Ocean until a recognised management regime could be agreed. Meanwhile, the recent fall in world energy prices may limit exploitation of the potentially vast oil and gas supplies in the Arctic in the short to medium term, offering a 'window of opportunity' to examine if extraction can be done safely and responsibly and under agreed international standards. The committee also concluded it was a matter of 'when', not 'if', the Arctic would be free of sea ice in summer. Warming in the Arctic raised the prospect of additional climate change caused by the release of methane gas from the seabed and melting permafrost, as well as other impacts such as altering the jet stream and bringing more extreme weather to the UK. The Lords called for increased funding for British Arctic science, and an examination of potential methane releases as part of a dedicated Arctic research programme.
the Arctic could be 'ice-free' as temperatures in place. As Arctic sea ice melts, new regions will open up to fisherman (stock image shown). The House of Lords Arctic Committee said the UK must get involved. Within these regions, the populations of fish are unknown. This could lead to over-fishing if the practice goes unregulated fishing in the central Arctic Ocean to be banned,