International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology

(IJARET)
Volume 6, Issue 10, Oct 2015, pp. 118-121, Article ID: IJARET_06_10_017
Available online at
http://www.iaeme.com/IJARET/issues.asp?JType=IJARET&VType=6&IType=10
ISSN Print: 0976-6480 and ISSN Online: 0976-6499
IAEME Publication
___________________________________________________________________________

THE IMPACT OF MARINE

BIOTECHNOLOGY FACING EMERGING
CHALLENGES IN US COUNTRY
Abdul Wahab
Professor, Marine Engineering, AMET University
Rajagopalan
Professor, Marine Engineering, AMET University
M. B. Kannan
Professor, Marine Engineering, AMET University
ABSTRACT
Marine biotechnology has a recent trend in now days which is known for
the bio-products used in various industrial applications from the marine
ecosystem around the world. It is the field which compromise both marine
biology as well biotechnology because marine has tremendous resources
useful to mankind. Such technology has involved in the development by
researches carried out in many countries worldwide. This paper reviews
about the emerging challenges in marine biotechnology facing in United
States about the issues from access to marketing the bio-marine product.
Cite this Article: Abdul Wahab, Rajagopalan and M. B. Kannan. The Impact
of Marine Biotechnology Facing Emerging Challenges In Us Country.
International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology,
6(10), 2015, pp. 118-121.
http://www.iaeme.com/IJARET/issues.asp?JType=IJARET&VType=6&IType=10

1. INTRODUCTION
Biotechnology has a booming glow in recent years due to its various impacts on
industry, health, agriculture and aquaculture by enhancing improvements in
environmental bio-remediation emerging as potential socio- economic dominance.
The biotechnology is assumed to suit for the marine biology where tremendous living
organisms subjected to yield many bio-products through researches, so they two
merges to applicable in several researches which confirmed to yield a new field of
study in later days it is called as marine biotechnology. Hence, marine biotechnology
is an embraced field with great potential of molecular biologist and biotechnology

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The Impact of Marine Biotechnology Facing Emerging Challenges In Us Country

among the marine diversity. Though marine biotechnology has great advantage in
production of bio-products, another side it was not shown any interest by scientists
with proper guidelines, framework or principles to govern there development in many
countries like United States. Therefore a number of international agreements are
existed towards the maritime issues to protect biodiversity, IPR (intellectual property
rights) which affects the U.S and other countries marine biotechnology. This paper
reviews about the three main challenging issues which affects the development of
marine biotechnology which is emerging in industrial aspects such as (i) access to
marine resources (organisms) (ii) bio- safety (iii) IPR.

2.
ISSUES
ORGANISMS

ON

ACCESSING

MARINE

RESOURCES/

The access of marine resources are is one of the emerging challenge in marine
biotechnology, hence there are many international legal issues are existing already for
the marine biotech field like the convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the
Law of the Sea Convention of 1982 (LOS Convention) to govern the national coastal
line and deep sea marine organisms for experimental researches from sample
collection to production of products where entered into pass in 1994. Therefore for
conducting advance research beyond the coastal nations, special permission need to
be provided by articles 237 through 265. Those permissions are given by measuring
the flow of scientific data, strength of the research in future, capability of developing
states, knowledge on the research by the scientists about marine organisms to be used.
The marine biotechnology paves great way to genetic engineering to produce valuable
potential products by their genetic material. Such researches are governed by
international norms of CBD for its utilization and benefits of genetic material.
Currently it requires for improving the provisions of LOS and CBD regarding marine
biotechnology development within the particular marine organism for R&D
investment, information, unique properties and its attributes towards useful product.
Therefore the US government does not belong to any convention party or not pay
its role in improving the effective international LOS convention and Biodiversity
convention for the development of marine biotechnology. But they can participate in
both of convention meetings to rectify the absence in their development to signify
other nations which affects the implementation of conventional acts.

3. BIOSAFETY ISSUES
The biotechnology needs some safety issues for the development of living modified
organisms (LMOs) such issues are known as biosafety. The development and
application of biotechnology LMO products were released in to environment by
research along with prospects and regulation for risk-management to work in
laboratory, under the contained conditions from early 1970s to mid 1980s. The
biosafety issues coming under contained conditions determines the LMOs natural
ecosystem, characteristics, virulence possibility, adverse effect on non-targeted
species and environment and stability of modified genes or inserted genes. Therefore,
there is no agreement is profound internationally for LMOs, so there is lack in
biotechnology development in LMOs and the environment interaction. But this can be
solved slightly with LMO transboundary movement in developing countries to
develop their LMO potentials.
Currently, a major effort is in progress to develop an international agreement for
the safety of biotechnology under the convention on Biological Diversity article 8 to

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Abdul Wahab, Rajagopalan and M. B. Kannan

handle, transfer, maintain and regulate the risk of LMOs accounting for human health.
Open-Ended Ad Hoc working Group on Biosafety (BSWG-6) held 6th meeting on
February 14 to 22, 1999, in Cartagena, Colombia, which was the first Extraordinary
Meeting of the Conference of Parties (Ex-COP) to finalize the biosafety protocol. But,
unfortunately it was failed due to the controversial issues on trading the commodities
to domestic as well international. Though, it was failed still it was on debate to
catalyze the proper protocols for the biotechnology industries where countries like US
possess advanced biotechnology to signify other countries by their technology
behavior in the upcoming centuries.

4. CONCERNING OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

(IPR)
IPR is a controversial issue with CBD in developed nations (north) as well in
developing nations having advanced biotechnology (south) enriched with genetic
resources. The north requires strict IPR for the new discoveries which guarantee
profitable investments where south complains about utilization of genetic resources
which guarantees the unequal sharing benefits. Though the issue of biotechnology
IPRs not only an isolated phenomenon but also need to compensate traditional
knowledge, unequal sharing benefits, transfer technology and community right to the
genetic ownership. Due this reason the north (US and OECD members) and south are
still in argue to predict separate IPR issues.
After the 6th international conference, they provided a framework patent by the
Paris Convention in 1884 to the establishment of World Intellectual Property
Organization in 1970 (WIPO). These patents were drawn more important for the free
trade dealt with WTO and GATT. Basically these IPR policies are known for
industrial applications not for the valuable knowledge people (scientist) around the
world. The valuable knowledge are predicted to come under the CBD and Agenda
parts 21 for awarding to benefit the use of the knowledge for transfer technology in
developing countries which includes protected patents and other IPRs. Therefore
many countries negotiated this form of agreements including biotech companies,
NGOs, Governments and public aiming to balance the protection of biodiversity and
environment as well the exploitation of marine resources. By this negotiable result, it
was evaluated to identify its pros and cons in agreement for adapting and
bioprospecting the special requirement in US marine biotechnology operations in
industry and also in many countries faces an authenticate challenges in future.

5. CONCLUSION
This paper reviews about the development of US marine biotechnology where it is
lacked due to several chances to face some challenges seeking on the issues of three
important policies like access to marine resources, biosafety and IPR. Thus it was
detailed about their lagging spaces and controversial debates and still on argument to
predict proper policies to frame the marine biotechnology development. These are the
most important concern need to improve in US marine biotechnology further to
signify other developing countries in future centuries.

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