Final answer:
B) Ownership; degradation
The lack of clearly assigned responsibility leads to the depletion of common resources, which relates to the 'tragedy of the commons.' This concept points out the problems with open-access resources and the need for regulatory measures like fishing licenses and harvest limits to ensure sustainability.
Step-by-step explanation:
The lack of clearly assigned responsibility contributes to the depletion of common resources. This phenomenon is known as the 'tragedy of the commons,' a concept introduced by ecologist Garret Hardin in 1968. It highlights how common resources (such as fisheries, forests, and other natural areas) that are openly accessible without a clear and enforced system of property rights get over-exploited, as no individual has the incentive to manage the resource sustainably. To address such issues, simple measures like fishing licenses, harvest limits, and shorter fishing seasons are typically advocated. However, when such resources become critically low, governments are known to ban the harvest until populations recover to sustainable levels.