If there was a tag line to the World Ocean Summit in San Francisco this week, “natural capital” would be it.
Whoever coined the phrase will be happy to know that, like so many catchphrases (or, nowadays, #), it is in widespread use.
But besides being the “think different” of the global oceans community, it signifies a shift in thinking among NGOs and politicians -- beyond the intrinsic value of our waters, there is a capital value in our fisheries that, if extracted profitably over time, can be what is considered sustainable.
It