autumn 2022
FSK-8010 Marine litter and Arctic fisheries: Challenges and solutions - 10 ECTS

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  3. Marine litter and Arctic fisheries: Challenges and solutions

Application deadline

PhD students at UiT apply for a seat by registering for classes in StudentWeb before 1. September. The registration starts 15. May.

Other applicants apply for admission through SøknadsWeb before 1. June. Application code 9301. For applicants who are granted a seat, a study right will be created, and these applicants  apply for a seat by registering for classes in StudentWeb before 1 September.

Type of course

PhD-course. The course can be taken as a singular course. Theoretical and field work. Field work is compulsory.

Admission requirements

  • UiT PhD students who wants to take a course that is not approved in their instruction component.
  • PhD student enrolled at another institution than UiT.
  • Applicants who have completed a MSc degree.

Application code 9371

Course content

The course will be focused at Arctic fisheries and the impact from marine litter and possible methods to mitigate problems related to pollution of important fishing grounds. Loss of plastics, including modern fishing gears, is a global problem and causes challenges like ghost fisheries and unaccounted mortality. It is estimated that the loss of potential harvest from commercially important fish counts billions of euros annually.  Students will be given firsthand knowledge on how fishing gears are built from various materials and introduced to methods to record, measure and mitigate marine litter during theoretical training and field-work. This course will be linked to the UArctic network and focus primarily on circumpolar issues, including circularity and governance initiatives to introduce alternative materials in fisheries and aquaculture.

Objectives of the course

Students who have completed this course will be able to:

Knowledge:

  • Describe the basic fishing methods applied in Arctic fisheries.
  • Understand the economic importance of key species and the main principles of fisheries management.
  • Understand how and why marine litter occur in the Arctic regions.
  • Know the sources and to which extent fisheries has a share of marine litter.
  • Understand the properties and difference between bioplastics, bio-degradable plastics and non-degradable (fossil-fuel based) plastics.
  • Know methods and programs to mitigate marine litter.
  • Understand how marine litter impact indigenous communities.
  • Know principles for the circularity of various types of plastics.
  • Understand how governance incentives can be used to increase the use of biodegradable materials

Skills:

  • Be able to describe and debate the challenges by marine litter in the Arctic fisheries.
  • Read scientific publications critically.
  • Write a field report.
  • Be able to explain, teach and implement marine litter analyses.
  • Implement relevant study designs in issues related to marine litter.
  • Write a scientific essay.

General competence:

  • Be able to demonstrate a holistic understanding of challenges created by marine litter in Arctic environments.
  • Be able to utilize scientific literature to identify information needed to understand, interpret and critically evaluate data from experiments addressing marine litter and use of various plastics in fisheries and aquaculture.
  • Be able to describe how non-degradable (fossil-fuel based) plastics can be replaced by bio-degradable plastics (and bioplastics) in future fisheries and aquaculture. 
  • Be able to demonstrate an understanding of legal, regulatory, and ethical considerations relating to marine litter within the broader societal context.
  • Be able to improve their scientific writing skills
  • Be able to communicate knowledge on relevant science in a clear and concise way on challenges related to marine litter in the circumpolar arctic areas.    

Language of instruction and examination

English

Teaching methods

32 h lectures, 3 x 8 h seminars and 4 days field work

Examination

Examination: Date: Weighting: Duration: Grade scale:
Off campus exam 30.11.2022 09:00 (Hand out)
13.12.2022 14:00 (Hand in)		 75/100 2 Weeks A–E, fail F
Assignment 25/100 A–E, fail F

Coursework requirements:

To take an examination, the student must have passed the following coursework requirements:
Attendance seminars Approved – not approved
Field work Approved – not approved
UiT Exams homepage

More info about the coursework requirements

Follow minimum two of the three seminars and all days of field works.

Re-sit examination

There will be a re-sit examination for students that did not pass the previous ordinary examination. The student must retake the part(s) of the exams he/she failed. The re-sit exam is held in late February or early March. The deadline to sign up in StudentWeb is 15 January. 
  • About the course
  • Campus: Tromsø |
  • ECTS: 10
  • Course code: FSK-8010
  • Tidligere år og semester for dette emnet