Marine Conservation News

Debris from the Costa Concordia Wreckage Threaten a Marine Sanctuary

2012-01-27T13:33:00.001-08:00

We would like to take a moment to offer our most sincere condolences to the friends and family of those who were lost in the tragic grounding of the Costa Concordia on Friday, January 13. Our hearts go out to those who are grieving, as we cannot begin to comprehend their loss.

The tragedy that Friday, however, was twofold. Thus far, the media has thus far focused primarily on the human element of this tragedy. We here at the Marine Conservation Institute would like to offer a sobering reminder that the second act of this tragedy has yet to unfold.

When the Costa Concordia ran aground off the Tuscan Coast, it capsized dangerously close to the largest marine sanctuary in the Mediterranean—the Tuscan Archipelago National Park. The sanctuary is home to a variety of dolphins and whales, along with other marine creatures. A fuel leak from the capsized ship could be especially devastating. Likewise, debris from the wreck poses a great danger to these animals as objects—including large items, such as tables and chairs—being to float away from the ship and disperse in the sanctuary.

Officials now must work towards the safe, yet swift, removal of the ship’s fuel--as well as the development of a plan to remove the hazardous debris from the area.

Costa Concordia fuel removal preparations begin

The Associated Press

Posted: Jan 24, 2012 8:45 AM ET

Last Updated: Jan 24, 2012 11:15 AM ET

A barge carrying a crane and other equipment hitched itself to the toppled Costa Concordia on Tuesday, signalling the start of preliminary operations to remove almost 1.9 million litres of fuel from the grounded cruise ship before it leaks into the pristine Tuscan sea.

Actual pumping of the oil isn't expected to begin until Saturday, but teams from the Dutch shipwreck salvage firm Smit were working on the bow of the Concordia on Tuesday and divers were to make underwater inspections to identify the precise locations of the fuel tanks.

They were at work on the now-hitched Meloria barge as divers who blasted through a submerged section of the third-floor deck located another body from the wreckage, bringing the death toll to 16.

The Concordia ran aground and capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio on Jan. 13 after the captain veered from his approved course and gashed the ship's hull on a reef, forcing the panicked evacuation of 4,200 passengers and crew.

The 16 bodies found so far include the one located on the third-floor deck Tuesday. Seven of the badly decomposed bodies remain unidentified and are presumed to be among some of the 17 passengers and crew still unaccounted for. On Tuesday, the U.S. ambassador to Italy David Thorne was at Giglio's port where he had lunch with relatives of two missing Americans, Gerald and Barbara Heil of Minnesota.

"I think it's a tragedy, we feel very badly for all the families," Thorne told journalists after the meeting.

Marine park

Giglio and its waters are part of a protected seven-island marine park, favoured by VIPs and known for its clear waters and porpoises, dolphins and whales.

Officials have identified an initial six fuel tanks that will be drilled into, tapped and outfitted with hoses to vacuum out the oil from the Costa Concordia. Franco Gabrielli, head of the national civil protection agency, told reporters Tuesday that once those initial six tanks are emptied, 50 per cent of the fuel aboard the ship will have been extracted.

The pumping will continue 24 hours a day barring rough seas or technical glitches, he said, noting that these six tanks are relatively easy to access.

"At this stage we don't see a big risk in an oil spill, but if weather deteriorates nobody can tell what the vessel will do," Bart Huizing, head of operations at Smit, told The Associated Press.

The disaster prompted the UN cultural organization to ask the Italian government to restrict access of large cruise ships to Venice, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. UNESCO charged that the liners cause water tides that erode building foundations, pollute the waterways and are an eyesore.

Italy's environment minister, Corrado Clini, appeared to take up the cause Tuesday. "The aim is to free St. Mark's basin from the big ships once new canals have been dug," Clini was quoted by the Italian news agency ANSA as saying during a public appearance in northern Italy. He did not elaborate.

But Clini added that "in the meantime, it will be up to the port authority and to the city to decide which (sea) traffic is sustainable and compatible" with Venice's particular situation."

Venice officials have said that since tug boats guide the big cruise ships through the part of the lagoon weaving through the city, the risk of accidents is virtually eliminated.

Divers, meanwhile, continued blasting holes inside the steel-hulled ship to ease access for crews searching for the missing. The search and rescue operation will continue in tandem with the fuel removal operation.

Smit officials say the first thing divers will do is drill holes into the tanks and attach valves onto them. The sludge-like oil will then be heated and hoses attached to the valves to suck out the oil as seawater is pumped into displace it.

"It's never a routine, there is always a risk, but we've done this before, so at this moment we don't see any problems," Huizing told AP. "But still it is difficult because it's really heavy fuel oil which we most probably need to heat before we can pump."

On Monday, islanders and officials spotted an oil film on the water about 300 metres from the wreck. Absorbent panels were put around the oil to soak up the substance and officials said Tuesday it was a very thin film that didn't present any significant levels of toxicity.

Gabrielli said he had formally asked Costa Crociere SpA, the owner of the Concordia, to come up with a plan for what to do with the innards of the ship that are floating away -- the tables and chairs and other furniture that are knocking into divers and being hauled away by barge on a daily basis. And he said he had asked provincial authorities to designate a site on the mainland where the material can be dumped.

Costa is a unit of Miami-based Carnival Corp., the world's biggest cruise operator.

It has blamed the captain, Francesco Schettino, for the disaster, saying he made an unauthorized and unapproved deviation from the route. Schettino remains under house arrest facing accusations of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the ship before all passengers were off.

Early Tuesday, amid continued outrage by passengers of the chaotic evacuation, Costa promised to refund the full cost of the cruise, reimburse all travel expenses to and from the ship, all on-board expenses and any medical expenses incurred as a result of the grounding.

"Every effort will be made to return the valuables left in the cabin safe," Costa said in a statement.

2012-01-20T09:48:00.001-08:00

The remote American territory of American Samoa holds some of the Pacific’s most ecologically diverse and pristine coral reef ecosystems. None of these is more biologically productive than Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Fagatele Bay – the Samoan word is pronounced “Fun-gha-telly” – is nestled within an eroded volcanic crater on the island of Tutuila, American Samoa. This is the nation’s smallest and most remote National Marine Sanctuary, and the only true tropical reef of the 13 national marine sanctuaries in US waters.

While Fagatele Bay is regarded in most respects as a well-managed sanctuary, over the past 25 years, the health and resilience of American Samoa’s marine ecosystems has been degraded by commercial longline fisheries, coral bleaching events, pollution from nearby lands, and other stresses. The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, which manages the Sanctuary, has published a Draft Management Plan and published a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for public comment.

Because of our great concern for the health of the National Marine Sanctuaries, Marine Conservation Institute has reviewed the draft management plans, and offered public comments in support of expanding the sanctuary and establishing strong, consistent regulations for the new units. We submitted public comment to the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries in support of our preferred proposal (Option 3B). Option 3B would add five additional discrete geographical areas to the sanctuary, change the sanctuary's name to “American Samoa National Marine Sanctuary,” revise sanctuary-wide regulations, and establish regulations for each new unit. Marine Conservation considers this proposal and an expansion of the existing Fagatele Bay Sanctuary to be beneficial to the long-term protection of the region’s resources, in concurrence with needs of the local community and the American Samoan Government.

Please read Marine Conservation Institute’s comments here.

Photo: Todd Raden

Our very own Dr. Sandra Brooke testing an amazing submersible

2011-12-20T09:56:00.001-08:00

The Gardens of the Queen

2011-12-19T09:42:00.000-08:00

This is what you get when you create a marine protected area - a beautiful and vibrant coral reef. Check out this video of Cuba's most spectacular MPA - the Gardens of the Queen. Around a chain of islands 50 miles off the coast of Cuba, these waters are home to some of the most spectacular coral reefs on earth. Teaming with sharks, Goliath grouper, and coral galore, this is what a healthy coral reef should look like. Since protection, the number of fish has increased 20 - 30%, proof that MPAs really do work.

State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit

2011-12-15T13:25:00.000-08:00

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the “State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit” hosted by the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies. In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that transfixed and horrified the nation in 2010, the Gulf community brought its best thinking about the way to heal this marine ecosystem.

Gulf of Mexico conservationists argue the Deepwater Horizon disaster was just the most visible recent threat to the health of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. Chronic overfishing, coastal development, dead zones, and warming seas caused by global climate change have long degraded and undermined the resilience of the Gulf environment. Still, the Gulf Summit set an ambitious goal: to re-cast the oil spill as a historically transformative event for the Gulf ecosystem.

On the opening day of the Summit, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, created by President Obama in response to the spill, released its strategy for addressing Gulf-wide restoration. It establishes four goals: to restore and conserve habitats; restore water quality; enhance community resilience; and replenish and protect living coastal and marine resources. This last goal includes conserving and protecting offshore environments, which Marine Conservation Institute views as an essential component of any restoration blueprint.

Apparently we’re not the only ones who think so. During her Wednesday luncheon speech, former First Lady Laura Bush supported the concept of a national marine monument or sanctuary along what some call the “Islands of the Stream,” a string of underwater hard-bottom habitats running along the outer Gulf shelf from Flower Gardens National Marine Sanctuary to the Florida Keys Sanctuary, and up along the southeast coast of the United States.

While the release of the Task Force’s strategy is an important milestone, there remain more questions than answers at this point about how implementation will work. For example, Congress has just begun to debate how to pay for restoration activities, and the Natural Resources Damages Assessment Trustee Council (a state and federal authority created by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990) is still in the planning phase of ensuring that the public is compensated for the harm done to natural resources by the oil spill.

One of the products of the Summit was a Report Card developed by the scientific community, modeled on similar tools measuring progress in restoring the Chesapeake Bay and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The Report Card has been crafted to provide a scientific baseline to judge whether restoration activities are achieving long-term desired goals, and to give guidance concerning what policies have worked. The report card hopefully will provide a clear-eyed, shared understanding of how we’re doing over the long run. After all, it’s not unreasonable to expect restoration to take years. After all, the Gulf didn’t reach its current degraded condition overnight – the blowout just riveted our attention on this region.

2011-12-14T14:45:00.000-08:00

Marine Conservation Institute Board members Sylvia Earle and Phillippe Cousteau were joined by former President Bill Clinton and Dr. Jane Goodall as featured speakers at this week's Eye on Earth Summit, an international conference to address the crucial importance of environmental decision-making.

In addition to these notable speakers, the Eye on Earth Summit is bringing together more than 1,000 leaders from around the world to collaborate on gathering the information and the data necessary to understand the ocean's processes so that we can better protect our ocean while still maintaining the economic benefits the ocean provides to society.

The goal of the summit is to reach a consensus and make recommendations as to what should be the priorities and focus at Rio+20, The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, which Marine Conservation Institute will be attending in 2012. To follow the progress of the Eye on Earth summit, follow the developments on twitter, and be sure to stay tuned to hear more about their conclusions, special initiatives and a declaration towards Rio+20 which should be announced tomorrow.

Recent Hearing with the House of Representatives Natural Resource Committee

2011-12-07T11:31:00.000-08:00

On December 1, the House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing regarding several bills aimed at amending the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The Magnuson-Stevens Act, or MSA for short, was originally passed in 1976, and its goal was to prevent overfishing and effectively manage fish stocks in the US by creating regional fishery management councils. It has been amended many times, most notably in 1996 and 2006, every time in the effort to increase conservation efforts of our natural resources in the fishing industry. While the efforts are applauded, some fish stocks are still depleting, habitats are disintegrating, and many fishermen are losing their jobs. The MSA is due for reauthorization in 2013, which is one reason why it has come to the foreground recently. The bills discussed at this hearing all address these issues.

Rep. Pallone’s (D-NJ) bills, H.R. 594 and H.R. 3061, both are an attempt to help the fishing industry. The goal of H.R. 594, known as the “Coastal Jobs Creation Act of 2011,” is to address coastal economies by providing grants to help fishermen and coastal businesses, help rid our ocean and beaches of marine debris, and invest in updates to current technology. H.R. 3061, or the “Flexibility and Access in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2011,” is meant to amend the MSA to grant better access to the public regarding the fish stock assessments, and to use improved data when making stock assessments.

Rep. Frank’s (D-MA) bill, H.R. 2610, the “Asset Forfeiture Fund Reform and Distribution Act of 2011,” aims to amend the MSA so that money collected from fishing penalties goes back to the states, rather than the federal agency which issued the penalties (NOAA).

Rep. Jones (R-NC) discussed his bill, H.R. 2753, the “Fishery Management Transparency and Accountability Act,” whose purpose is to allow Regional Fishery Management Council meetings and records to be publically accessible.

Rep. Wittman’s (R-VA) bill is H.R. 2304, the “Fishery Science Improvement Act of 2011.” Its goal is to provide NOAA with more time to properly assess fish stocks before implementing annual catch limits (ACLs) to fisheries.

Rep. Runyan (R-NJ) discussed two bills he introduced, H.R. 1646, the “American Angler Preservation Act,” and H.R. 2772, the “Saving Fishing Jobs Act of 2011.” Rep. Runyan stressed that in both these bills, the goal is to ensure sound science before imposing regulations.

Finally, Rep. Keating (D-MA) discussed his bill, H.R. 1013, the “Strengthen Fisheries Management in New England Act of 2011.” As the title implies, the bill requires increased research and proper oversight of collected funds for penalties in New England fisheries.

The hearing began with each Representative discussing his own bill(s), and the importance of voting on (and passing) said legislation. Next, a panel of fishery managers, recreational fishermen, commercial fishermen, and lawyers from firms that address fishery issues, all spoke about their impressions of these bills, and potential implications were the bills to pass through Congress. Everyone had a different opinion: some felt that the current legislation was unfair, while others thought it was based on sound science and thus was important to pay attention to (regardless of the current job situation in our country), and other panelists expressed that they could understand both sides, and felt more discussion was needed before arriving at a final conclusion. Finally, a third panel consisting of the Assistant Administrator for NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Eric Schwaab, spoke. Mr. Schwaab expressed the need for understanding, and assured the committee members that NOAA was doing its best to ensure that fish stocks were rebuilt before it’s too late. He reiterated that while it seems bad at the moment for fishermen, it would be worse without the regulations NOAA has set, because the stocks would be further depleted, and it would lead to complete desolation of fish stocks around US waters.

Marine Conservation Institute will continue to monitor these bills as they move along the legislative process.

Marine Conservation Institute Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T09:14:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Marine Conservation Institute thought we would share what we are thankful for:

Caryl Garcia, Vice President for Operations: I’m grateful to be living in these “interesting times”—really! It is in times of challenge that you can clearly see the greatness in people, their generosity of spirit, their passions, their willingness to sacrifice for ideals. The entire world is on a quest right now, whether it is for protecting our precious planet, struggling for political freedoms and human rights, or pursuing economic justice.

Lance Morgan, Vice President for Science: I am thankful for cool ocean breezes that keep those pinot noir grapes happy during those hot Sonoma summers.

Michael Zwirn, Director, Development: A three-year-old who wants to help save the dolphins and elephants and polar bears and turtles, and the other threatened species of the planet.

Jeff Ardron, Director, High Seas Program: I am thankful every day for the life support this planet and its global ocean provides me. (I am also thankful that the Ocean has been “patient” (i.e. resilient) as humanity awkwardly struggles to show its thankfulness!)

Julia Hathaway, Director, Ocean Policy: In a year when our federal government seems unable to do little else, I’m thankful the ocean programs came out in relatively good shape!

Jennifer Felt, Director, Pacific Islands Conservation: I am thankful to be surrounded by a community of hard working passionate people with the well being of the oceans on their minds and in their hearts.

Joan Inge, Accountant: I’m thankful for all the teamwork that we have here at Marine Conservation Institute.

Emily Douce, Conservation Advocate: I am thankful that congressional disagreements were put aside for a brief moment in order to pass the FY2012 Commerce Appropriations Bill.

Margaret Cooney, High Seas Fellow: The South Korean Coast Guard :o)

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/17/8853222-south-korean-coastguard-clashes-with-armada-of-chinese-fishing-boats

Sara Maxwell, Postdoctoral Fellow: I am thankful for the good progress we HAVE made - new regulations, MPAs, good people and their staff in office - despite the difficult political and financial climate. I would say that our continued progress - albeit slower - is a sign of the importance and need for the work we as a conservation community are doing!

Bette Rubin, Ocean Policy Intern: I am thankful to be working with such an incredible team of ocean advocates, who strive every day to make a difference, and make the world a better place.

Marine Conservation Institute would like to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving.

Conserving our Natural Resources Will Help the Economy and Our Future!

2011-11-16T12:27:00.001-08:00

As the US government attempts to restore fiscal responsibility, Marine Conservation Institute argues that drastically cutting funds for vital ocean and coastal conservation programs is NOT the answer to our nation’s financial woes. By conserving our ecosystems, we are investing in our future. Congress is currently determining the fiscal fate for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as they work this week to pass FY12 appropriations for the agency. While funding levels are not as high as they were for FY10, NOAA is expected to fare better than originally thought. See details here.

We’d like to share the below Op-Ed piece from The Hill newspaper, regarding the necessity of protecting our country’s resources – not only because it’s the right thing to do, but also because it will provide an outstanding economic return for us and for future generations.

Defining our natural heritage

By John L. Nau III - 11/15/11 – The Hill

In the coming days Congress will be faced with a series of historic decisions that will shape the federal budget for years to come. To be successful, lawmakers will need to achieve the delicate balance between cutting excess, redundancy and waste while also generating strong returns on federal investments to benefit our struggling economy.

These will be difficult decisions and, as our Founders envisioned, a vigorous debate has commenced to help inform how they are made. However, there is one set of issues where members of Congress should put their differences aside and unite behind a common vision: conserving and preserving our nation’s natural and historic treasures for the benefit of current and future generations. Dedicating the resources necessary to achieve this goal is not only patriotic — it’s a smart business decision.

Some argue that America can no longer afford to invest in our natural resources, pastimes and historic landmarks. As a businessman, I strongly believe that we can’t afford not to. In short, President Theodore Roosevelt had it right more than a century ago when he said: “There can be no greater issue than that of conservation in our country.”

Conservation, recreation and preservation are a unique component of the federal budget because the funds dedicated to these programs pay for the stewardship of the lands, historic places and wildlife habitat that are owned by all American citizens.

Conservation and preservation programs constitute only 1.2 percent of the overall budget. However, these programs are primers for generating exponentially greater nonfederal investments. Natural resources conservation, historic preservation and outdoor recreation contribute more than $1 trillion to our economy each year. This supports millions of American jobs, the overwhelming majority of which are impossible to export abroad. For example, outdoor recreation alone creates nearly 6.5 million jobs for individuals directly employed in the industry.

The federal budget cannot and should not be balanced disproportionately on the backs of conservation, outdoor recreation and historic preservation programs at a time when they are creating such strong returns on the taxpayer’s investment.

Americans have long taken pride in preserving our natural and historic resources because they are at the very heart of our economic, cultural and social well-being. We conserve wildlife habitat and open spaces for camping, hiking, hunting and fishing and preserve our historic buildings, artifacts and landscapes because doing so creates a legacy and continues a unique American heritage. As President John F. Kennedy said: “It is our task in our time and in our generation, to hand down undiminished to those who come after us ... the natural wealth and beauty which is ours.”

American taxpayers and our elected leaders must join together in the coming days and stand firm on behalf of our national treasures. If we fail, history will judge us as the generation that turned its back on the natural and historic assets that define the heritage of our great nation.

Nau is chairman emeritus of the Civil War Trust, vice chairman-elect of the National Park Foundation, a trustee of Ducks Unlimited’s Wetlands America Trust and former chairman of the President’s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

You can access this article by clicking here.

Senate Approves FY12 Funding for NOAA and other Government spending!

2011-11-02T12:58:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, the US Senate approved the combined FY12 Appropriations bills for Commerce, Justice, and Science, Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA and Related Agencies, and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. The combination of 3 appropriations bills is being called a "minibus" (an omnibus is when all appropriations bills are combined; as this includes 3 bills, it's a "mini"), and after much debate in recent weeks, the bill was finally passed by the Senate.

This means that the Senate has approved the allocation of $5 billion for NOAA. This is more than the bill's counterpart in the House of Representatives. Marine Conservation Institute is pleased with this level and applauds the Senate for highlighting the importance of our oceans and natural resources.

This bill is now ready for conference (the settling of differences between the House and Senate versions) and final passage.

See the press release of yesterday's passage of H.R.2112 below:

2011-10-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

In early 2009, President Bush established three marine national monuments around a number of US territorial islands and wildlife refuges in the Central Pacific Ocean. These isolated places harbor hundreds of marine species and contain some of the most pristine coral reefs on earth. A 121-foot fishing boat sank on Palmyra Atoll in 1991, and an 85-foot fishing vessel ran aground and sank on Kingman Reef in 2007, both of which are located within one of these monuments. The two shipwrecks are leaching iron into the water, which in turn stimulates the growth of a nuisance anemone-like organism that overgrows and kills corals. At least 740 acres of coral habitat have been destroyed so far and the devastation continues at a rapid pace.

The Department of the Interior’s US Fish and Wildlife Service, the manager of the national monument, has failed to remove these wrecks despite the extensive damage they are causing.

Scientists say failure to remove these fishing vessels threatens the health of the reefs, and consequently the organisms that depend on them for protection, reproduction, and feeding. Please urge Department of the Interior Secretary Salazar to remove the two shipwrecks immediately.

Sign our petition today to encourage removal of these shipwrecks! Please pass along to your friends too!

CJS Appropriations Bill to the Senate floor!

2011-10-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

As early as today, the Senate is scheduled to take up three appropriation bills in a collective package. Marine Conservation Institute is paying particular attention to the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Bill, as it allocates funds for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Tell your Senators TODAY that you support funding at enacted Fiscal Year 2010 levels for NOAA conservation and management programs, such as the National Marine Sanctuaries Program, Marine Protected Areas Program, Coral Reef Conservation Program, Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program, and Marine Debris Program, as well as efforts to combat ocean acidification, develop a coastal and marine spatial planning framework, and support recovery efforts for the Hawaiian monk seal.

***Marine Conservation Institute is particularly concerned about an effort to remove funding for Regional Ocean Partnerships, a grant program that facilitates the cooperation and integration of ocean and coastal resources management between local, state, and federal agencies.

Call Your Senator Today!

The following is from Environment & Energy Daily:

Senate to take up trio of spending bills -- Reid

Jason Plautz and Amanda Peterka, E&E reporters

Published: Thursday, October 13, 2011

The Senate today is scheduled to take up a trio of fiscal 2012 appropriations bills with the aim of completing them before a scheduled recess at the end of next week, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said late yesterday.

The three spending bills -- Agriculture; Commerce, Justice and Science; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development -- will be packaged together as a single vehicle, but Reid said they would be divisible so that members could offer amendments to specific pieces. He said his goal was to get a vote on the package by the end of next week, because the Senate had a scheduled recess the following week and would then have to work on the continuing resolution, which is scheduled to expire on Nov. 18.

"My goal is to get as many of these appropriation bills done as we can before we leave here this year," Reid said.

Reid also implied that other spending bills could see movement in a similar form, but he declined to say which bills may come up or when.

Rep. Tom Latham (R-Iowa), the House Appropriations Committee's transportation subpanel chief, said yesterday that he hoped the Senate's move would smooth the way for talks between the chambers on setting a top-line number for that spending bill. As the Nov. 18 expiration of the current stopgap funding bill approaches, Latham added, a conference on today's "mini-bus" between the House and Senate could become a candidate "to carry" other fiscal 2012 spending bills.

But asked if Senate passage of its appropriations trio would heighten the prospects for an omnibus spending bill as opposed to a continuing resolution (CR), which tends to make broader, across-the-board cuts to federal agency budgets, Latham demurred.

"I don't know if one bill matters that much," he said. "Obviously, if we could conference it, it would be very good."

One House appropriations subpanel chief whose politically volatile spending bill has yet to receive even a markup in the Senate, Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), also welcomed the Senate-side movement yesterday. "I don't know" if passage of the transportation, commerce, and agriculture bills bodes well for bicameral spending cooperation, Simpson said. "We'll see how the conference goes."

The transportation bill, which passed the Senate Appropriations Committee by a 28-2 vote, sets budget authority at $55.3 billion in fiscal 2012, $100 million below 2011 enacted levels. The bill maintained funding for several Obama administration initiatives, including a transit grant program, the TIGER livability grants and a sustainable communities initiative.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) shepherded in an amendment in the full committee that devotes $100 million to high-speed rail, which was zeroed out in the original bill. High-speed rail, a signature Obama administration initiative, also saw cuts in a House appropriations bill and saw its funding zeroed out in the budget deal last spring (E&E Daily, Sept. 22).

It is possible the rail money, which has been derided as pork by some Republicans, will be the target of budget-cutting amendments, but an Appropriations Committee spokesman said the committee had not yet heard what amendments would come up on the floor.

A House bill that passed the transportation subcommittee set levels at $55.15 billion, although it attracted the ire of observers because it made severe cuts to transit and livability programs, including cuts to state-supported Amtrak routes.

Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee expressed frustration that the funding levels for transportation were relatively low but said they were constrained by the income from the federal gas tax. Legislators on the Senate Finance and Environment and Public Works committees are working on a reauthorization bill that could mean a new funding source.

The Senate will also consider a $5 billion budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that boosts funding for the agency's weather and climate satellite program.

The measure gives $920 million to the satellite program, known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). The program had been slashed deeply in the 2011 spending cycle.

"The committee cannot deny that these satellites are a national asset crucial to predicting weather," reads the Appropriations Committee report on the spending bill. "As a result, more than one-third of NOAA's 2012 appropriation is provided for satellite acquisitions in this bill."

Other NOAA programs will see administrative and overhead reductions to make up for the increased funding for the satellite program. NOAA's overall budget would be about a half-a-billion-dollar increase over the agency's fiscal 2011 budget but about half a billion less than what President Obama requested.

The NOAA budget is included in a larger measure that funds the Commerce Department, Justice Department and other science agencies and was approved 16-14 by the Senate Appropriations Committee. It is $5 billion below what Obama requested and $626 million below 2011 levels (ClimateWire, Sept. 16).

The Senate will also take up an appropriations measure that allocates about $19.8 billion to the Agriculture Department, Food and Drug Administration and related agencies. The measure calls for a cut of $6.8 billion from the level approved for fiscal 2011 (E&E Daily, Sept. 8).

Conservation groups strongly opposed the measure when it was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee in a 29-1 vote. It cuts USDA's conservation spending by 12 percent, or $726 million, from the levels authorized by the farm bill. Cuts would affect programs that help farms set aside land for conservation and make environmental improvements.

The reductions are less, however, than in the appropriations bill that the House passed in June, which reduced conservation programs by $1.1 billion.

The Senate's measure also slashes funding for the Rural Energy for America Program, which helps farmers make energy-efficiency improvements, by almost 50 percent.

On the floor, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is expected to offer what she termed the "Frankenfish amendment," which would block FDA approval of genetically modified salmon. The amendment is the same as one that was added to House appropriations measure.

"There's no reason to believe that we'll be able to keep these genetically modified fish contained," Murkowski said at an Appropriations Committee markup on the bill.

Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), chairman of the agriculture appropriations subcommittee, opposed it: "I believe it is a slippery slope and could dissuade investments in other biotechnology products."

The Senate floor is also expected to consider an amendment that would transfer $15 million from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which administers many of USDA's conservation programs, into dam maintenance.

Reporter Elana Schor contributed.

Environment & Energy Daily, under “Appropriations”

http://www.eenews.net/eed/

Deep-Sea Fisheries News Story Features President Elliott Norse

2011-10-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

Marine Conservation Institute's President Elliott Norse was lead author on a recent paper published in Marine Policy on the unsustainablity of deep-sea fishing. The results have been getting incredible press, and it continues in this excellent news story from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. This story talks about deep-sea fishing and aquaculture, and features Elliott looking his dapper best in his interview.

Click here to view the news video.

National Ocean Policy Hearing

2011-10-05T12:54:00.000-07:00

On July 19, 2010, President Obama issued Executive Order 13547, “Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts, and the Great Lakes,” known as the National Ocean Policy. The executive order establishes a national policy to protect, maintain and restore the ecological health of our ocean, coasts and Great Lakes, and to promote sustainable uses of these waters to strengthen coastal economies. The executive order establishes a National Ocean Council to implement the policy. The Council is an outgrowth of the previous White House Committee on Ocean Policy created by President George W. Bush in 2004.

Yesterday, the House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing to discuss the economic impacts of the National Ocean Policy (NOP). Specifically, the hearing focused on how the National Ocean Policy would impact jobs and energy production. Marine Conservation Institute strongly supports the National Ocean Policy and the implementation tool called Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). Click here for FAQs regarding MSP and the National Ocean Policy.

Decline and recovery of coral reefs linked to 700 years of human and environmental activity

2011-10-04T16:50:00.000-07:00

Historical reconstruction reveals humans contributed to both degradation and recovery of coral reefs



		IMAGE: This photo demonstrates several colonies of Montipora sp coral located in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, that are being overgrown and smothered by the alien invasive algae Gorilla Ogo (Gracilaria salicornia), and... Click here for more information.

STONY BROOK, NY and STANFORD, Calif., Oct. 3, 2011–Changing human activities coupled with a dynamic environment over the past few centuries have caused fluctuating periods of decline and recovery of corals reefs in the Hawaiian Islands, according to a study sponsored in part by the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University. Using the reefs and island societies as a model social-ecological system, a team of scientists reconstructed 700 years of human-environment interactions in two different regions of the Hawaiian archipelago to identify the key factors that contributed to degradation or recovery of coral reefs.
"Historical reconstruction reveals recovery in Hawaiian coral reefs," which was published online today in the journal PLoS ONE, concludes that historical changes in human societies and their relationships with coral reef ecosystems can explain whether these ecosystems exhibit patterns of sustainability and resilience or decline and degradation. Dr. John N. Kittinger, lead author of the study, was a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow in the Department of Geography at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa when the reconstruction was conducted. He is now an Early Career Social Science Fellow at Stanford University's Center for Ocean Solutions.
"Our reconstructed ecological changes included an intensive review and assessment of archaeological deposits, historical observations of ecosystem conditions, and modern ecological and fishery data," said Dr. Kittinger. "Using these data sets, our findings demonstrate that we can't always view environmental degradation solely through the lens of simplistic cause-consequence relationships. In the historical recovery periods we uncovered, we found that human agency is partly responsible for environmental recovery, which shows that not all human-environment interactions lead to irreversible deleterious outcomes and that degraded ecosystems may still retain the adaptive capacity and resilience to recover from human impacts."



		IMAGE: This photo shows Hawaiian chubs (Kyphosus species) and other reef fish swimming near the healthy Acropora cytherea species coral reefs found at French Frigate Shoals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.... Click here for more information.

"This reconstruction shows that human-environment interactions need to be included when considering the factors that contribute to the degradation of an ecosystem," said Dr. Ellen Pikitch, executive director of the Institute for Ocean Science and Professor at Stony Brook University. "Understanding past interactions can be crucial in determining best practices for present-day management of coral reef ecosystems."
The analysis suggests that in the Main Hawaiian Islands marine exploitation was highest in the early period after Polynesian settlement more than 700 years ago. By 1400, however, reef-derived protein sources became less important than those derived from domesticated animals, and a suite of coral reef resource conservation strategies was implemented by Native Hawaiian societies, allowing reefs to recover. This recovery continued as traditional reef-fishing subsistence practices were abandoned through the post-European contact period after 1778 due to the introduction of epidemic diseases to the Native Hawaiian population. By the early to mid-1800s, however, reefs again went into decline due to overexploitation, land-based pollution, and other factors associated with changes in demography, economic systems, and new technologies. The analysis shows that negative impacts continued and intensified to the present day, exhibiting only a brief reprieve in the 1940s due to the closure of nearshore marine areas during World War II.
"Reefs in the Main Hawaiian Islands have been declining for more than 150 years, and similar degradation that has occurred in other reef ecosystems indicates that we may be approaching a tipping point or threshold, beyond which recovery is doubtful," said Dr. Kittinger. "If we look at historical ecosystem recoveries, reversing this decline will require protection of a broad range of habitat types over large areas, such as marine no-take reserves. Additionally, appropriate institutions and policies will need to be in place to effectively engage the diverse community of ocean-users in Hawai'i in collaborative marine ecosystem stewardship."



		IMAGE: Taken during a biennial survey of the Northwestern Hawaiian Island coral reefs, this photo shows healthy cauliflower or rose corals (Pocillopora spp.) corals and a Ringtail Wrasse (Oxycheilinus unifasciatus) found... Click here for more information.

Unlike the Main Hawaiian Islands, researchers found that coral reefs in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) have long functioned as a geographic refuge due to their isolation and limited human population. They also benefited from cultural protection as a sacred ancestral homeland in Native Hawaiian society. The analysis shows that they did, however, suffer from some of the same negative impacts of the post-European contact period as coral reefs in the Main Hawaiian Islands. After World War II, however, reefs in this region began to recover from historical impacts due to human depopulation in the area, conservation efforts, and decreases in commercial activities involving the reefs. NWHI reefs are now among the most diverse and abundant coral reef ecosystems in the world, and provide an example of how healthy reefs that have recovered from human impacts can look.
"The substantial resilience and adaptive capacity of coral reefs demonstrated in this study provide reason for hope and suggest that we should not dismiss the possibility of bringing even the most degraded reefs back to health," said Dr. Pikitch.

One Step Closer to Helping Our Oceans!

2011-09-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

Last week, more progress was made toward protecting our oceans. In fact, in the course of one meeting, two great things happened. First, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works approved Senator Landrieu’s bill, S. 1400, also known as the RESTORE Act. RESTORE stands for Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States. In a nutshell, this bill would help revive the Gulf Coast States after their economic destruction due to last year’s BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill disaster. The bill would help bring revenue to states in the Gulf of Mexico, and renew our resources.

The other great thing that happened, was an “amendment in the nature of a substitute” added to this bill by Senators Whitehouse (D - RI), Boxer (D - CA), Vitter (R - LA), and Sessions (R - AL). “Amendment in the nature of a substitute” means that instead of adding something on to the bill, Senator Whitehouse et al wanted to change the text of the bill. As part of the RESTORE Act, a Trust Fund is to be established, and the money in it invested. Money to this Trust Fund will be paid by those who were charged with penalties for the explosion and sinking of Deepwater Horizon. What that means is that the Trust Fund is established at no extra cost to American taxpayers! The money in the Trust Fund will earn interest, and among other changes to the bill, there was an added section to allow 50% of the money from this Trust Fund to go directly to the National Endowment for the Oceans (NEO).

The NEO is what Senator Whitehouse proposed last year, and again this past May as bill S. 973. It strives to provide funds to a council that will oversee the many agencies doing their part to protect our waters across the country – not solely in the Gulf of Mexico. Almost all the money the Endowment receives will go directly towards the cause of saving our oceans and Great Lakes. Those who receive grants must create a 5-year plan to conduct research and promote the welfare of our oceans and Great Lakes, with specific attention to its economic, social, and ecological well being. This ensures exploration and investigation into long-term conservation methods.

The RESTORE Act, with the new amendment in the nature of a substitute, passed the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Now the bill is off to the Senate floor to be voted on. Last week’s passage just brought us one step closer to protecting and restoring our ocean resources.

Want to get involved? Send a letter or an email, or call your Senator, and tell him or her how great this bill is, and ask your Senator to support S. 1400 when it reaches the Senate floor. See more on our Take Action page.

Helping Species in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

2011-09-23T13:04:00.000-07:00

Check out what’s going on currently in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and the efforts there to save some of our endangered species! Marine Conservation Institute was a strong advocate of the designation of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, and we continue to support efforts to protect the resources there.

Hawaiian birds get new home in case of catastrophe

USA Today:

Naturalists have moved a tiny colony of 24 Hawaiian songbirds to an island 650 miles away in hopes of protecting the critically endangered species from extinction by a stray hurricane or other catastrophe.

Naturalists released the Nihoa Millerbirds on Laysan Island in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii on September 10. A closely related subspecies went extinct on Laysan about a century ago.

The tiny Millerbird weighs less than an ounce. A lively brown songbird, it eats insects it finds in low bushes and bunch-grasses. On Laysan it joins other endangered species, including the Laysan Finch, Laysan Duck and the Hawaiian monk seal.

The project "will reduce the chances that catastrophic events such as hurricanes or the introduction of invasive predators will extirpate the species, since there will be independent populations of Millerbirds on two islands, 650 miles apart," said Loyal Mehrhoff, Field Supervisor for the Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office.

"It is thrilling to see Millerbirds back on Laysan once more, not simply because they have been a missing piece of the island's native ecosystem for so long, but also because this marks a potential turning point in the recovery of the species," George Wallace, the American Bird Conservancy's vice president for Oceans and Islands.

Since being taken to their new island home, several of the Millerbirds have been sighted and "all are looking healthy and behaving normally – a very encouraging sign for the future," Wallace says.

Biologists will remain on Laysan for the next year to monitor the birds' movements and behaviors, including, the team hopes, their first nesting attempts.

Laysan, at 1,023 acres, is the second largest of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It is located in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, approximately 790 miles northwest of Honolulu. It is one of America's newest national monuments, having been created in 2006 by President George W. Bush.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/sciencefair/post/2011/09/niohao-millerbird-songbirds-taken-650-miles-to-protect-against-catastrophe-in-hawaii/1

News in Marine Conservation

2011-09-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

Marine Conservation Institute wanted to highlight this article from the National Ocean Service:

$36.8 Million to Help Restore Natural Resources Injured by Cosco Busan Oil Spill

State and federal trustee agencies will use most of the funds from a $36.8 million settlement of natural resource damages to restore natural resources injured by the Nov. 7, 2007 oil spill in the San Francisco Bay and to improve Bay Area recreational opportunities impacted by the spill. The funds are part of a $44.4 million settlement with Regal Stone Limited and Fleet Management Limited, the companies responsible for the container ship Cosco Busan that spilled 53,000 gallons of oil into the bay after hitting the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

The trustees, including the California Department of Fish and Game, California State Lands Commission, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management, estimate that the spill killed 6,849 birds, impacted 14 to 29 percent of the herring spawn that winter, oiled 3,367 acres of shoreline habitat, and resulted in the loss of over one million recreational user-days.

Approximately $32.3 million will be spent on a wide variety of restoration projects. The trustees have released a Draft Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan for public comment. The plan proposes specific projects to address specific injuries. About $5 million is proposed for bird restoration, $4 million for habitat restoration, $2.5 million for fish and habitat (eelgrass) restoration, and $18.8 million for recreational use improvements. An additional $2 million will fund restoration planning, administration, and oversight, with any unused funds to be spent toward more restoration.

Marine Protected Areas Far and Wide

2011-09-12T22:41:00.000-07:00

In the story below, scientists from the University of California were asked to share their perspectives on marine protected areas (MPAs) - where we've been, where we're going, and how experiences in the US - including those of scientists from Marine Conservation Institute - have helped to shape MPAs around the world. The story can also be found online here.

Evaluating marine parks in the high seas

By Erik VanceWednesday 7 September 2011

California is a leader in protecting marine life and areas, and UC scientists play an important role in studying, advising and shaping policy that must balance the environmental needs of the ocean with those of millions of users.

In 2006, President George W. Bush sat down at a tiny table in the East Wing of the White House and signed a piece of paper that instantly created a truly massive national monument. It was larger than all the national parks combined, 46 of the 50 states, and the nation of Germany.

While some called it an environmental breakthrough, others grumbled that it didn’t really count as a park. That’s because unlike almost every other national monument to come before, it protected not land, but water.

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (tongue-twistingly renamed Papahānaumokuākea) Marine National Monument brought the concept of a “marine protected area” (MPA) into mainstream consciousness. Over the past couple of decades, governments across the world have scrambled to protect swaths of national waters from overfishing, oil extraction and other practices that damage the environment.

“MPAs started as kind an insurance policy against management failure in the ocean,” says Steve Gaines, dean of the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UC Santa Barbara. “It’s sort of like what we did on land. In the face of lots of human impacts, people eventually get to the point where they say, ‘Hey, we’ve got to set aside some of these natural places.’”

California is seen by most in this new field as a leader of MPAs. And while Hawaii might have the biggest park, no other place in the country has so effectively combined research and policymaking into a series of underwater parks. And no one in the world has done it so close to a heavily-populated coastline.

MPAs have been around for decades, but it was in the early 1990s that they really picked up speed in an organized way. Along with them came controversy. Fishermen, oil drillers and the shipping industry were afraid to lose access to parts of the ocean. No one was sure what to forbid or how to enforce it. And there was the question of whether they would even help sea life that much.

Regardless, in 1999, California took the plunge and created the Marine Life Protection Act. Previously, California’s protected waters were like most others — somewhat piecemeal, some barring fishing, others banning oil drilling. The Marine Life Protection Act essentially brought all these reserves under one roof and mandated a comprehensive plan to strategically protect the ocean resources of the state.

“It’s one thing to say we are going to create a giant no-take zone in the northwest Hawaiian Islands where you have like 15 fishing boats total,” says Gaines. “It’s an island out in the middle of nowhere. That’s fine, but what do we do in places where there are a lot of people?”

That is the genius and the challenge of the California system. It must balance the needs of the ocean with the needs of millions of users. To do that, the state has had to rely heavily on scientists like Gaines through a series of scientific advisory panels. This has given California’s ocean scientists — especially those at UC — a truly unprecedented opportunity to study, advise and shape marine protection.

As the years passed, scientists and policymakers began stitching together a series of protected areas — some of which are very strict, others less so. Very quickly, scientists realized that it wasn’t enough to just put aside a few or even a few hundred square miles of ocean.

“You may have a positive effect on the surrounding ecosystems. But beyond the distance that larvae go from that MPA, that MPA is having no effect on the rest of the state,” says Mark Carr, an ecologist at UC Santa Cruz. “The goal is not just to protect what’s within the protected area, but then presumably to have an influence outside the protected area as well.”

Carr, Gaines and many other UC scientists were active in the creation of the current network of California MPAs. The challenge now, they say, is to have the largest impact with a limited amount of protected area. The other challenge is to understand how MPAs can be good not only for the ocean but for the fishermen who depend on it.

“Do marine reserves compensate fishermen for lost fishing ground? That’s the fundamental question,” says, Ben Halpern, a UC Santa Barbara researcher in marine ecology and conservation biology.

After years of work, scientists now can say with confidence that creating an MPA increases the number of fish within its boundaries (presuming the MPA is designed correctly). But fishermen tend to collect along those boundaries, catching much of what swims out. Certainly we can’t just put the whole ocean under lock and key. So the question is, how can an MPA help both fishermen and the population as a whole? And how much do we need to protect?

In many ways, California’s is the perfect coastline to study MPAs. That’s because most of the fish that we eat don’t move all that far and can spend their entire lives in safety. However, out in the open ocean, sea life has to log a few miles in order to find food. Over the past few years, scientists across the world have begun thinking about something called a “pelagic” MPA, which would attempt to protect wandering species like sharks and tuna. If we thought protecting rockfish was hard, protecting tuna brings on a whole new level of complication.

“Tuna don’t even have a home range,” says Lou Botsford, a fisheries modeler at UC Davis. “[So far] we were protecting species with a home range of 5, 10 or 20 kilometers. These are species that range over thousands of kilometers.”

Botsford’s lab is in some ways the final destination for data collected by scientists like Gaines and Carr. He gathers mountains of information and tries to predict how certain fish will react to a given MPA. He says that although the scientific community is excited about pelagic MPAs, the challenges probably are too great for them to work. For one thing, it would require designating swaths of international waters the size of continents. It then would require enforcing those designations across national boundaries.

That is not to say that the lessons learned here in California need to stay here. As word has spread of the success of the California MPA system, countries like Britain, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Brazil have been anxious to invite UC scientists to share tips and results from the massive California ocean experiment.

Their perspective often can be crucial. Sara Maxwell (in photo at top), a research associate at UC Santa Cruz, says she was studying sea turtles at a MPA in Gabon when she saw something strange.

“We knew that there was this marine protected area in place. But we also knew that the bycatch and strandings were still incredibly high. One year I found more dead turtles than living turtles within the marine protected area,” she says.

The Gabonese had very few resources to enforce any kind of regulations. So Maxwell and her team isolated one region in the south, near the border with Congo, where the turtles congregated over just a couple of months in the fall. They advised the government to focus efforts in that region, during that time; as a result, the Gabonese were able to protect the turtles during a crucial period in their life cycle.

This doesn't mean that California scientists have a perfect understanding of how MPAs work in the ocean. In fact, they are just at the beginning. Botsford says that the most useful data from the California MPA network is only starting to come in. Once they have watched ocean populations ebb and flow for a decade, California may rewrite how the world protects its oceans.

“In 10 years we’re going to have an unprecedented sense of how well these things work,” says Botsford. “It is something that the university has contributed to a lot. Not only us at UC Davis, but UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz and UC San Diego as well.”

Marine Conservation Institute in the News!

2011-09-08T09:46:00.000-07:00

Check out this great article from the Washington Post, featuring our President and CEO, Elliott Norse, PhD:

Scientists Call for End to Deep-Sea Fishing

By Juliet Eilperin, Published: September 6

Industrial fishing in the deep sea should be banned because it has depleted fish stocks that take longer to recover than other species, according to a paper to be released this week by an international team of marine scientists.

The article, published in the scientific journal Marine Policy, describes fishing operations that have in recent decades targeted the unregulated high seas after stocks near shore were overfished.

Describing the open ocean as “more akin to a watery desert,” the scientists argue that vessels have targeted patches of productive areas sequentially, depleting the fish there and destroying deep-sea corals before moving on to new areas.

Certain deep-sea species have gained widespread popularity — including orange roughy and Patagonian toothfish, otherwise known as Chilean sea bass — only to crash within a matter of years.

Elliott Norse, president of the Marine Conservation Institute and the paper’s lead author, said the world has turned to deep-sea fishing “out of desperation” without realizing fish stocks there take much longer to recover.

“We’re now fishing in the worst places to fish,” Norse said in an interview. “These things don’t come back.”

As vessels use Global Positioning System devices and trawlers, which scrape massive metal plates across the sea bottom, the catch of deep-water species has increased sevenfold between 1960 and 2004, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.

“What they’re doing out there is more like mining than fishing,” said Kevin Hassett, director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

The estimated mean depth of fishing has more than tripled since the 1950s, from 492 feet to 1,706 feet in 2004, according to Telmo Morato, a marine biologist with the department of oceanography and fisheries at the University of the Azores in Portugal and one of the paper’s authors.

Fishing subsidies help sustain this practice, according to Rashid Sumaila, the paper’s other author, who directs the University of British Columbia Fisheries Centre. He said high-seas trawlers around the world receive roughly $162 million each year in government handouts, which amounts to a quarter of the value of the fleets’ catch.

“That is what is keeping most of them in business,” Sumaila said.

Bottom-trawling can crush deep-sea corals, which can live for as long as 4,000 years, the scientists noted. Some fish species of the deep live for more than a century, and while they can spawn many eggs, there can be several years in which juveniles fail to make it into adulthood.

Orange roughy, which Australia declared a threatened species in 2006, take 30 years to reach sexual maturity and live up to 149 years. The leafscale gulper shark, one of several deep-water sharks targeted for its liver oil, “matures late, has only 5-8 pups per year and lives to be 70 years old,” the authors write.

Ray Hilborn, a University of Washington professor of aquatic and fisheries science, questioned the paper on the grounds that several long-lived species off the Pacific Coast, such as geoduck clams, have been harvested sustainably at very low levels. In many cases, fishing operations take just 1 percent of the population, he said, and this keeps the stocks from collapsing.

“There’s no question [a ban] can be done,” Hilborn said in an interview, adding that the international regulatory regimes may not be up for the task. “The question is, is it worth it?”

Hilborn said that while deep-sea corals might be sacrificed in the pursuit of fishing, humans had accepted similar trade-offs when clearing old-growth forests for farmland. “Some of these habitats will probably be changed by fishing. Some of those corals will be gone,” he said. “From a conservation perspective, maybe we shouldn’t fish at all, and the ocean should be left pristine. Where is the food going to come from?”

But Daniel Pauly, a marine biologist at the University of British Columbia, said the costs of deep-sea fishing far outweigh the benefits.

“It’s a waste of resources, it’s a waste of biodiversity, it’s a waste of everything,” Pauly said. “In the end, there is nothing left.”

Maria Damanaki, the European Union’s commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries, said in an interview that she would like to reduce fishing on the high seas and cut subsidies for deep-sea trawlers.

“I’ll try. I really agree there’s a danger there, so we have to be prudent,” said Damanaki, adding that nations such as France, Denmark, Portugal and Spain resist such efforts. “We have to try to persuade them to stop this.”

Deep-Sea corals, such as those in the photo above, can be severely harmed due to bottom-trawling.

Degraded Reefs in One of Our Monuments

2011-09-01T17:21:00.000-07:00

Kingman Reef: Black Reef vs. Pristine Reef (photos: Gareth Williams and Jim Maragos)

Imagine turquoise waters teeming with vibrant corals, colorful fish, graceful turtles, and menacing sharks. Now imagine cloudy ocean waters crowded with dark red and black algae and bacteria, devoid of wildlife. Unfortunately, the latter is happening in some of our nation’s reefs.

Many of our world’s coral reefs are in trouble. Now, a group of scientists are bringing to light yet another threat to some of our nation’s most pristine coral reefs in their newly released paper “Black Reefs.”

The islands studied are part of a chain of eleven islands (called the Line Islands) and are located in iron-poor regions of the central Pacific Ocean. However, a number of ship groundings have occurred on these coral islands and have unnaturally introduced iron to the environment. As detailed in the scientific paper, the introduced iron from the degrading vessels has caused the coral reefs to be overtaken and killed by harmful algae and bacteria.

Two of the devastated reefs are located in one of our nation’s national monuments – the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument composed of National Wildlife Refuges. At least 250 acres of coral habitat have been destroyed so far, and scientists report that the destruction continues at a rapid pace.

In order to stop the destruction, the authors of the paper recommend that the shipwrecks be removed immediately. As the primary caretaker of these particular reefs, the Department of the Interior’s US Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for removing them.

The wrecks’ continued presence threatens the health of some of the world’s most beautiful reefs. Spread the word!

The Latest News!

2011-08-26T11:36:00.000-07:00

Here’s this week’s roundup of interesting news stories that relate to our work at Marine Conservation Institute. As always, let us know what you think!

Researchers rescue seals caught in marine debris

Houston Chronicle:

Researchers rescued nine Hawaiian monk seals caught in fish nets and other marine debris this summer during an annual trip to the Northwestern Islands to monitor and help protect the critically endangered species, and officials said Tuesday.

http://www.chron.com/news/article/Researchers-rescue-seals-caught-in-marine-debris-2138414.php

Iceland halts catching of fin whales

FISH Update:

ICELAND has said that no fin whales will be caught around its shores this year, blaming the collapse of the Japanese whalemeat market following the devastating earthquake over four months ago.

http://www.fishupdate.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/16013?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+fishupdate%2FYytu+%28Fishupdate.com%29

Ocean Acidification Event in Portland

Sightline Daily:

Speakers will include Washington Representative Brian Baird, NRDC oceans attorney Leila Monroe, and commercial fisherman Amy Grondin. E2 will also screen NRDC’s new short film, Acid Test: The Global Challenge of Ocean Acidification.

Where: White Stag Block, University of Oregon – Portland
When: Monday, September 12, 6:00-8:00 PM.

http://daily.sightline.org/2011/08/22/ocean-acidification-event-in-portland/

Stellwagen Proposal Seen Posing New Fishing Limits

Gloucester Times:

The head of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is preparing a proposal for an "ecological research area" that could limit recreational and commercial fishing in Stellwagen for the first time since the protected area was created off Massachusetts in 1993.

http://www.gloucestertimes.com/local/x833716202/Stellwagen-proposal-seen-posing-new-fishing-limits

A world filled with mysterious millions

Washington Post:

For centuries scientists have pondered a central question: How many species exist on Earth? Now, a group of researchers has offered an answer: 8.7 million. Although the number is still an estimate, it represents the most rigorous mathematical analysis yet of what we know — and don’t know — about life on land and in the sea. The authors of the paper, published Tuesday evening by the scientific journal PLoS Biology, suggest that 86 percent of all terrestrial species and 91 percent of all marine species have yet to be discovered, described and catalogued.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/todays_paper?dt=2011-08-24&bk=A&pg=2

This Week's News Highlights!

2011-08-19T09:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the news articles that we think are interesting, intriguing, and important! Take a look at them, and tell us what you think. We want to hear from YOU!

$3M center planned for Hawaiian monk seals

AP (via Mercury News):

A California center is planning to build a $3 million rehabilitation center to treat critically endangered Hawaiian monk seals on the Big Island.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_18655485

Research Highlight: Undersea Wildlife Park Booms

Scripps Institution of Oceanography:

Cabo Pulmo, an area previously depleted by fishing, has proven to be the world’s most robust marine reserve in the world, according to a new study led by researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. Results of a 10-year analysis of Cabo Pulmo National Park (CPNP), published in the Public Library of Science (PLoS) ONE journal, revealed that the total amount of fish in the reserve ecosystem (the “biomass”) boomed more than 460 percent from 1999 to 2009.

http://explorations.ucsd.edu/research-highlights/2011/research-highlight-the-world%E2%80%99s-most-robust-marine-reserve/

Belford, NJ Adopts Program to Recycle and Recover Energy from Old Fishing Gear

PR Newswire:

The New Jersey Seafood Cooperative of Belford is the latest addition to the Fishing for Energy initiative, the program providing commercial fishermen a cost-free way to recycle old and unusable fishing gear. Gear, such as rope and fishing nets collected at the Co-op will be processed into clean, renewable energy at the Covanta Union Energy-from-Waste facility in Rahway, NJ.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/belford-nj-adopts-program-to-recycle-and-recover-energy-from-old-fishing-gear-127592633.html

Fish, corals from remote, restricted Northwestern Hawaiian Islands come to Waikiki

Washington Post:

The Waikiki Aquarium’s newest permanent exhibit, opening on Thursday, showcases specimens gathered from the pristine atolls of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands — an area so well-protected it’s generally off-limits to everyone but researchers and Native Hawaiians performing cultural rites.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/fish-corals-from-remote-restricted-northwestern-hawaiian-islands-come-to-waikiki/2011/08/15/gIQAeK0DHJ_story.html

Oil spill study focuses on health of dolphins in Barataria Bay (with photo gallery)

Gulf Live:

About 50 scientists in six vessels captured three bottlenose dolphins Monday as part of a study that is intended to give answers to how the Deepwater Horizon oil spill affected the marine mammals and what was behind an unusual number of their deaths in 2010 and 2011.

http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2011/08/oil_spill_study_focuses_on_hea.html

Crowd gathers to mourn death of stranded whale

CBS:

Dozens of people gathered on a highway bridge spanning the Klamath River to mourn the death Tuesday of a 45-foot female gray whale that had delighted people for more than a month after getting stranded in the Northern California waterway.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/16/ap/business/main20092995.shtml

A Glimpse into One of Our Nation’s Best Treasures!

2011-08-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, an exhibit will open at the Waikiki Aquarium in Honolulu, Hawaii. This exhibit will display fish and corals from the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument – the largest protected area in the United States, and a site rarely seen by anyone! Papahānaumokuākea is a Hawaiian name for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, a series of remote islands which are too small to live on, and thus have remained some of the world’s most pristine coral atolls and reefs. The name comes from the earth-mother Papahānaumoku and sky-father Wākea, figures of Hawaiian mythology, who gave birth to the Hawaiian people and the Hawaiian islands. The combination of these names, and the use of this name for a national marine monument, serves as a reminder of man’s connection with nature, and how we must respect and care for our environment. For more information on Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, including help pronouncing the name, click here!

Marine Conservation Institute helped advocate for the designation of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument – designated in 2006 through the Antiquities Act by then-president George W. Bush – and still advocates for its preservation. The establishment of this permanent exhibit, which will occupy about 10% of the museum’s space, will let visitors see over 30 species of fish, and 20 varieties of coral. The list of fish and corals includes species which are native to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and thus are not normally seen by the general public. This exhibit will help illustrate the importance of marine conservation, and why we need to ensure that Papahānaumokuākea stays on the conservation radar screen!

Click here to read a great article on the exhibit from the Washington Post!

Our Economy & Our Environment

2011-08-08T12:31:00.000-07:00

A healthy environment is essential to a healthy economy. Anyone who thinks otherwise isn't seeing the big picture, or has a very shortsighted view of the future.

With all that's going on in DC today, I'm more than a little worried that our environment will take a backseat to short term economic interests. What worries me more, is that I expect some of those economic interests will be the most detrimental to our environment. For those of us who value environmental protection or the health of our economy, this seems like the perfect time to eliminate tax breaks to big oil companies and ethanol subsidies. That's just a minimal first step, just think of all the jobs that could be created by putting our environment back together and implementing ways to reduce our impact in the future. For those of you that have seen President Clinton's plan to get people back to work and our economy back on track, did you notice how many of his ideas were related to environmental conservation?

Our environment is screaming for help. The least we can do is not make things worse.

I don't know what's going on in the back rooms of congress. I don't know what programs are going to be slashed in the name of deficit reduction. With all that has happened recently, I am doubt that whatever plan is hatched will not help my father get a job and I fear it will gut essential environmental programs. I am worried. And you should be too.

Over the next few months we will be hard at work lobbying the new Congressional super-committee on deficit reduction to make some of the changes needed to save our environment from ourselves, and keep the committee from gutting programs essential to the long-term health of our environment and our economy. Many of these programs will save us a great deal of money and jobs in the long run, and we'll do what we can to see that the worst is averted. Stay tuned, and I hope you'll join us.

News Clips We Care About!

2011-08-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

News Clips We Care About!

Some interesting, fun, and crazy stuff happened this week in the marine world!Take a look, and tell us what you think about it all:

Ambitions as Deep as Their Pockets

New York Times:

A new generation of daredevils is seeking to plunge through nearly seven miles of seawater to the bottom of a rocky chasm in the western Pacific that is veiled in perpetual darkness. It is the ocean’s deepest spot. The forbidding place, known as the Challenger Deep, is so far removed from the warming rays of the sun that its temperature hovers near freezing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/02/science/02dive.html?_r=1

Man and the last great wilderness: Human impact on the deep sea

EurekAlert:

The oceans cover 71% of our planet, with over half with a depth greater than 3000 m. Although our knowledge is still very limited, we know that the deep ocean contains a diversity of habitats and ecosystems, supports high biodiversity, and harbors important biological and mineral resources. Human activities are, however increasingly affecting deep-sea habitats, resulting in the potential for biodiversity loss and, with this, the loss of many goods and services provided by deep-sea ecosystems.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/coml-mat072911.php

NOAA Expedition Discovers New Deep-Sea Coral Mounds

Red Orbit:

Last month, NOAA scientists used acoustic sonar to map several areas of the outer continental shelf edge off the coast of Florida. The team, on the latest mission of the research expedition “Extreme Corals 2011,” found and explored new coral mounds north of the Oculina Bank. With the help of a remotely operated vehicle—basically, an underwater robot—the team determined that the nearly 100 deep-sea coral mounds are Oculina varicosa. This is a branching stony coral species that builds mounds and acts as important habitat for economically important fish species such as grouper and snapper.

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/2089209/noaa_expedition_discovers_new_deepsea_coral_mounds/

Study assesses nations' vulnerabilities to reduced mollusk harvests from ocean acidification

EurekAlert:

Changes in ocean chemistry due to increased carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are expected to damage shellfish populations around the world, but some nations will feel the impacts much sooner and more intensely than others, according to a study by scientists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/whoi-san080211.php

Happy Friday! Keep reading, keep exploring, and keep checking back for more exciting news!

Saving a Hawaiian Treasure

2011-08-04T14:26:00.000-07:00

Eat, sleep, and hang out on the beach. Sounds like a pretty great life, right? While many seals choose to live in frigid temperatures at the far northern and southern latitudes of our planet, one species has decided to forego on all that snow and ice for a much warmer climate. Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi) are the world’s only surviving tropical seals and are endemic to Hawaii – meaning they are found nowhere else in the world. These seals and their ancestors are believed to have been living among the coral atolls and ocean waters in this region for millions of years.

Unfortunately, this long run may be coming to an end, unless we can do something quickly. The Hawaiian monk seal is unique for another reason – it happens to be one of the most endangered marine mammals on the planet. The population has declined by more than 60% within the last 50 years and there are currently around only 1,000 animals left. There are numerous reasons for this decline, but a big part of it has to do with the fact that juvenile seals are having a tough time surviving to adulthood. They face a whole host of threats including malnutrition, disease outbreaks, shark attacks, and the ever-present risk of becoming entangled and drowning in marine debris such as discarded fishing nets. Not exactly a relaxing day at the beach!

The good news is that the monk seal may soon be getting a boost in the survival department. Recognizing that the seal uses much more of the ocean to forage for food than was previously thought, NOAA has proposed expanding the amount of federal critical habitat designated for the seal throughout the main and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Among other things, this would grant the seal additional protection and require the federal government to consider whether its actions could potentially harm the seal’s habitat in the islands.

This is just one of many steps that we will need to take in order to save this iconic species. If you care about protecting our nation’s unique and special wildlife for generations to come, don’t be afraid to tell NOAA you support actions like this. You can send your comments to NOAA via this website any time up until August 31, 2011. You can also click here to find out more about the monk seal and what Marine Conservation Institute does to protect this amazing species.

Plans for Gulf Restoration Submitted!

2011-08-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

As October approaches, Obama's Task Force on Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration faces a deadline to develop a strategic plan to renew the gulf coast ecosystem.

While BP will be fined heavily for the oil spill, which dumped around 210 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico in late April of last year, it is still unclear how the fine money will be allocated.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will soon vote on legislation that, if passed, will fund Obama's restoration task force, and enact the bill, RESTORE Gulf Coast States Act. This bill would assign 80% of BP's fine money to restoring the environment, economy, and community in the Gulf. However, under current law, all BP fine money would go to general government spending.

With two months remaining before the October 5th deadline, major environmental organization working along the coast, such as the Nature Conservancy, the National Audubon Society, and theOcean Conservancy, submitted their recommendations for gulf restoration to the presidential task force.

Some of the recommendations, as seen on PR Newswire, include:

Restoration activities should provide both environmental and social benefits.
Ensure sufficient delivery of freshwater flows to the Gulf in order to maintain ecological health of bays and estuaries.
Restore populations of endangered marine mammals, where their probability of extinction in the 100 years is less than 1%.
Construct and operate a series of large-scale diversions of freshwater and sediment from the Mississippi River sufficient to build and sustain Delta wetlands to provide storm surge protection for people and restore habitat for economically vital fisheries.

The recommendation booklet, entitled Strategy for Restoring the Gulf of Mexico, can be viewedhere.

Cindy Brown of the Nature Conservancy simply states: "The Gulf suffered the brunt of the spill and the fines should be used to bring the Gulf back to health."

In addition to submitting a restoration plan, these organizations also promised to maintain a relationship with federal and state lawmakers to affirm the continued and diligent restoration of the Gulf.

I'll end with this great statement from Chris Canfield of the National Audubon Society:

"Although born of tragedy, there is a tremendous opportunity now for recovery of the Gulf. But we must think big. We must look and work across political and organizational boundaries. We know how to restore the Mississippi River Delta, to bring back wetlands and barrier islands, to make a better home for birds, fish and our communities. All we need is the resolve to do it."

Source: PR Newswire

Photo from Crooks and Liars

Protecting Sea Turtles with Marine Protected Areas in Central Africa

2011-08-03T13:50:00.000-07:00

Though I am a fairly new Postdoctoral Fellow with Marine Conservation Institute, I am an old hat around here. I worked for Marine Conservation Institute for many years before doing my PhD at University of California Santa Cruz. During my time away, I had the opportunity to do some incredible things and go to some amazing places, including satellite tracking sea turtles in Central Africa.

I recently had a paper published in the journal PLoS One on the study in Africa where I worked with a truly international team of scientist. We were trying to understand where sea turtles were moving in relation to a marine protected area, and how we could change management in the region to better protect them. PLoS One asked if they could do an interview for their 'Author Spotlight' when the paper came out in May. It was fun to have a chance to talk about the work, and reflect on all that I had been through in the last five years. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did!

Tracking Turtles: Author Spotlight on Sara Maxwell

The beach in Mayumba National Park, located on the coast of Gabon, has one of the highest nesting densities of sea turtles in Africa. Along with the leatherback turtle, Mayumba is also a nesting ground for the olive ridley sea turtle, one of the smallest marine turtles. Named for its olive colored shell, the olive ridley sea turtle is not well understood; however a

new paper published by Sara Maxwell et al. helps shed light on the internesting movements of this solitary pelagic animal.

In this author spotlight, Sara Maxwell, a Postdoctoral Fellow with Marine Conservation Institute and the University of California, Santa Cruz, answers questions about her background, her research and her PLoS ONE manuscript, Using Satellite Tracking to Optimize Protection of Long-Lived Marine Species: Olive Ridley Sea Turtle Conservation in Central Africa.

First, a bit of background – how did you become interested in studying migratory patterns of large pelagic animals?

My interests have always centered around conservation primarily. In my mid-20s as I was considering going back to graduate school, I knew I wanted to study a system that would interest me over the course of an entire career - and a system where my science could make a difference. The migratory patterns of marine mammals fit the bill well, and turtles in particular have always been particularly special to me. During my undergraduate career, I spent a summer working with sea turtles at Duke University's Marine Laboratory and it was ultimately the turtles that drew me into marine biology and conservation. When the opportunity to work with turtles in Gabon arose, I didn't think twice!

In the manuscript, it mentions that sea turtles are “excellent candidates and models for protecting vulnerable, discrete breeding areas.” Why is this so?

Sea turtles are a highly migratory and dispersed species throughout most of their lives, but during the breeding and nesting season, they come together in large concentrations - and for fairly long stretches of time. Breeding and nesting areas are relatively close together. Olive ridley sea turtles, for example, nest every year to three years. Female turtles stay in the breeding-nesting grounds for several months while they mate and lay up to three clutches of eggs, and breeding males are found in the same areas. Breeding and mating areas, however, are close to shore - so closer to humans, fishing and other threats - but because they are in a small area for a specific period of the year and during an important life history stage, it makes protecting them easier and more politically and socio-economically feasible.

Mayumba National Park is a marine protected area just north of the border of the Republic of Congo. The area is home to leatherback and olive ridley sea turtles but of the two turtles, olive ridleys make up 59 to 95% of the dead turtles that wash up on shore. Is there a reason for this and how does tracking via satellite help to minimize the number of stranded olive ridley sea turtles?

We understand the situation in Mayumba a lot better than we did before this study but it is still a bit of a thousands of leatherbacks sea turtles nesting in Mayumba every year but only a few hundred olive ridleys - yet the olive ridleys are dying in much greater numbers. We used satellite tracking to determine where the turtles were going in relation to the park that was created to protect them. We found that they are spending a lot of time outside the park boundaries where they are exposed to fishing nets and drowning. Leatherback movement patterns are somewhat similar; however we don't see the same number of dead animals washing ashore. This could be because leatherbacks are heavier and their bodies sink instead of washing ashore or they don’t encounter fishing nets as frequently because they are in deeper waters or have different diving behavior. There are lots of things we still don't know, but what we do know is that creating a larger park - one that is in both Gabon and the Republic of Congo - will protect both species better more from fishing nets. Satellite tracking has been the key tool that brought us to that conclusion, through this study and another great study by Matthew Witt and colleagues published in Oryx in 2008.

One of the three elements you mention, as being necessary to provide protection to breeding females, is the level of confidence in tracks given the limitations of satellite telemetry. How accurate is satellite telemetry and what was done to eliminate location error of internesting movements?

Satellite tracking is an incredibly powerful technology - but it can be tricky too! We were focused on a fairly small area of the world in this study (approximately 1500 km2), and like all measurements, satellite telemetry locations have error associated with them. In the case of telemetry, however, this error can be tens of kilometers which could have a significant impact on the conclusions we were making about where turtles are found in relation to park boundaries. To help counter this, we used a technique called state-space modeling that has been fairly recently applied to animal movement. State-space models allowed us to assign the Bayesian equivalent of confidence intervals to every track location. By doing this, we could calculate error estimates for how animals are using park boundaries - and recommend changes in the park boundaries that take this uncertainty into account.

Did you find anything surprising or unexpected while conducting your research for this paper?

One of the most critical things that we learned from conducting this research is not in this paper - and is critical to protecting the olive ridley population. There is a substantial nest monitoring effort that goes on in Gabon and in Mayumba National Park but most of the monitoring has focused on leatherback sea turtles. Olive ridleys, however, nest earlier in the year, and in the most remote part of the park. We were on this remote part of the beach earlier in the year, both to deploy our satellite transmitters and to monitor the nests. As a result we discovered that almost 100% of the nests being laid by olive ridleys were being predated upon by natural predators such as crabs and mongooses. Olive ridley nests are not as deep in the sand as leatherbacks, so predators could reach the eggs and none of the eggs being laid were hatching. This obviously will have a huge impact on the population. As a result of what we learned, however, over the last three years, with support from the US Marine Turtle Conservation Fund, Mayumba National Park has started a hatchery where they incubate the eggs in a protected area of the beach to ensure that the eggs are safe and hatchlings are born.

What’s next? Where do you hope to go from here?

The directions are endless! But there are several directions we are actively working towards. We are working to combine not just the satellite tracks from olive ridley and leatherback sea turtle data but also humpback whales. The goal is to have a comprehensive understanding of how key species in the region are moving in relation to both park boundaries and also other human activities such as fishing and oil and gas development. We have begun modeling the at-sea habitat olive ridleys use during the nesting season in relation to the physical and oceanographic environment. The goal is predicting where ridleys are likely to be found in relation to other nesting beaches where we weren't able to deploy satellite tags. Finally, we are also collaborating with scientists from Pendoley Environmental who have tracked olive ridleys from another nesting beach in Angola. We are finding that the turtles have similar migratory patterns and are focusing on the same foraging grounds and oceanographic features. All of these efforts are focused on how can we better understand and protect the turtles.

To read more about Sara’s experience in the field, please see her posts on Turtling in Africa in the On TOPP of the World Blog and to view the satellite tracks online, visit the SEATURTLE.ORG tracking page. The paper Using Satellite Tracking to Optimize Protection of Long-Lived Marine Species: Olive Ridley Sea Turtle Conservation in Central Africa is freely available to rate, comment on, and share. This study was made possible through funding and support of the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, the Darwin Initiative, the Tagging of Pacific Predators Project, UC Santa Cruz Center for Integrated Spatial Research, SEATURTLE.ORG, and the Gabon Sea Turtle Partnership, which is funded by the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund (United States Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior).

20 Sites for Marine Mammal Conservation

2011-08-01T21:15:00.000-07:00

Part of our goal at the Marine Conservation Institute is to identify key marine areas to protect. Marine scientists often address the question, which ocean area will give you the greatest bang for your buck by protecting? In other words, where do we put a Marine Protected Area to save the greatest amount of marine life? While we continue to work out this question for our oceans, scientists from the National Autonomous University of Mexico are trying to answer this question for marine mammals.

In a study recently published by PNAS, a team led by Sandra Pompa identified 20 marine mammal hotspots, where they believe marine mammal conservation efforts should be focused. They determined these locations using a grid system, where they broke the world's oceans into 10,000 square boxes and then examined relevant content in each box, such as marine mammal species present, important feedings grounds and migration routes present, and local human impacts.

Of the 20 sites they identified, the following 11 are said to be "irreplaceable" for they are home to unique endemic species:

Hawaiian Islands
Galapagos Islands
Amazon River
San Felix and Juan Fernandez Islands (Chile)
Mediterranean Sea
Caspian Sea
Lake Baikal (Russia)
Yangtze River
Indus River
Ganges River
Kerguelen Islands (Indian Ocean)

The remaining 9 sites, chosen for their species richness (they contain 84% of all marine mammal species), are found along the coasts of Baja California, the eastern Americas, Peru, Argentina, northwestern Africa, South Africa, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

The team also mentioned two marine mammals found within these sites that are likely to be the next to go extinct, the Vaquita Porpoise and the Baikal Seal.

In order to make smart conservation decisions, we need a wealth of information. Pompa's team has gathered data that will be useful as a decision tool for effective conservation of marine mammals and the ecosystems in which they are found.

Full articles found at Guardian.co.uk and ABCNews

Grilled Salmon

2011-08-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

Maybe this is a Pacific Northwest thing, but one of my favorite parts of summer is a perfectly grilled salmon. This weekend, I attended a demonstration on how to make perfectly grilled salmon, hosted by my local winery, Airfield and Russell Dean Lowell of Russell's. Russell was a hoot, and confirmed what I always really knew, that the secret to making great seafood is great seafood. I could not agree more. He made a lovely grilled salmon, by beautifully filleting a fish, slicing the fillet on a bias to make lovely medallions of salmon about an inch thick. It was the most beautiful king salmon you ever saw, and as fresh as can be. You know a man trusts his seafood when he eats it raw. Anyway, he just sprinkled some of his signature spice on there, a little spritz of Pam, and cooked it on a hot oven for one or two minutes a side. Painting it with a little but of melted butter after flipping gives it a richer taste. Served medium rare with a bit of chipotle aioli and a sprinkle of parsley it was the perfect accompaniment to a bright summer white wine.

Make sure when you buy your salmon you look for fresh fish, wild caught, preferably Alaskan salmon. He used a King salmon, which I highly recommend, as I tried this at home with Chinook and it didn't have the same delicious buttery texture as the king. Make sure to remove the skin and most of the brown layer of fat before cooking, as the cooking process on the gill is too short to to properly cook this while leaving the inside beautifully pink, plus, removing this will make your fish taste less fishy.

Bon Appetit!

An Unloved Fish that Needs Attention

2011-07-30T16:08:00.001-07:00

Just the name may make you quiver, but what hagfish (family: myxinidae) may lack in glamour is compensated for by their performance in nutrient recycling in an ocean ecosystem. Known for their ability to excrete exorbitant amounts of slime–not to mention their three extra hearts and one extra brain–this stomachless fish promotes the health of ocean communities by cleaning the sea floor of dead animal parts...what a job!

In areas of high fishing, and subsequent high bycatch, hagfish are especially important, as substantial quantities of dead fish float to the ocean depths. Commercial fish, such as cod and flounder, are examples of species that benefit from the rich environment hagfish help create.

As most stories go today, hagfish are experiencing high fishing pressure in many parts of the world. A recent study has estimated that 20% of their species are at risk of extinction! Of particular concern is Southern Australia, where the only species of Hagfish is threatened, while other areas are close to follow–the East China Sea, Pacific coast of Japan, and coastal Taiwan, IUCN reports.

Despite an appearance only a mother could love, the hagfish's extinction would have a notable negative environmental impact on our oceans. In fisheries that target hagfish, for example, correlated decline in other commercial fish stocks have been documented.

So, the bigger question is, how do you conserve a fish that hides in the shadow of other, more vibrant, fish? To raise awareness is one way, but enforced action is also necessary. We need to identify the ecosystems that support threatened hagfish and regulate fisheries responsible for their decline. Unfortunately, having three extra brains is not enough for their survival at this point.

Photograph by Pady Ryan from IUCN

House Appropriations Bill Weighed Down by Amendments

2011-07-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

77 What does that number mean to you? Right now, it’s the big bad number for the environment. Did you know that, in addition to working on raising the debt ceiling, Congress is also working on next fiscal year’s budget? The House of Representatives is debating and voting on appropriations bills, and here’s where the scary number 77 comes in: Did you know that 77 different anti-environment riders and amendments have been proposed for the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill?

That’s right – 77 different attempts have been made to cut funding for our environment! These riders range from prohibiting any more species from being added to the Endangered Species list, to blocking President Obama’s National Ocean Policy implementation, to a number of other measures which could help our environment and our economy. The following is from the website for Earthjustice, and it details all the crazy riders which are being proposed right now.

You might be asking, “How can I help? What am I supposed to do about this?” The answer is simple: call your member of Congress, or send an email now. Help save the environment, before it’s too late!

Congress V. The Environment: The 2012 Appropriations Rider Tracker

As of July 27, 77 amendments and anti-environmental riders have been filed, and House leaders have said they are expecting about 200 total amendments to be filed throughout the bill’s floor debate. Before the bill came to the House floor on Monday morning, it already had 38 anti-environmental policy riders unrelated to spending that attack our clean air, clean water, endangered species, and iconic places.

Among the original 38 riders in the bill are provisions to:

Ban the EPA from all work to reduce the climate change pollution of power plants, refineries, and other major polluters for one full year, and allow major new sources of carbon pollution to be built without any controls.
Mandate that California’s National Forests allow off-road vehicles in places where they cause harm and raise significant safety concerns.
Leave millions of acres of wilderness-quality lands open to drilling, mining, and off-road vehicles.
Prohibit the EPA from ensuring that hardrock mining companies – not American taxpayers – are responsible for footing the bills of costly environmental cleanups at their mine sites. This rider derails a rulemaking that Earthjustice litigation compelled.
As well as a host of other riders that don’t reduce spending but instead attack our protections for drinking water sources, prohibit the EPA from regulating coal ash as a hazardous waste, allow power plants and cement kilns to poison pregnant women and young children, destroy wetlands that protect communities from flooding, allow sewage to flow into our rivers and lakes, and expose more Americans to dangerous pesticides.
Read more details on the range of riders.

Earthjustice will be highlighting and tracking many of these extreme anti-environment, anti-science, and anti-health riders on this webpage. We will update this page as new amendments are filed, offered, and voted upon.

Among today’s (Friday, July 29, 2011) amendments filed are:

The Snub to Environmental Justice Rider: We anticipate that Rep. Blackburn will offer an amendment to prohibit funding of the EPA’s environmental justice program. This program helps ensure that communities of color and lower income communities disproportionately impacted by pollution are treated fairly and are meaningfully involved in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
Chumming the Chesapeake Bay with Pollution: Rep. Robert Goodlatte (R-VA) is expected to offer an amendment that is intended to block implementation of pollution limits needed to clean up the Chesapeake Bay. If the same as a previous amendment he offered, it would prohibit EPA from enforcing a key cleanup measure – known as Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) – if Chesapeake Bay states fail to meet their pollution control commitments. The result could seriously undermine the restoration of this national treasure and important fishery.

Among today’s (Thursday, July 28, 2011) amendments filed are:

The Texas Tells Its Neighbors "Eat Our Soot and Smog!" Rider: Amendment No. 75 by Rep. John Carter (R-TX): This rider audaciously aims to exempt Texas from the court-ordered Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, just finalized by the EPA on July 6, 2011, to limit deadly soot and smog-forming air pollution from power plants in 27 states. The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule will protect Texas’ millions of neighbors who are exposed to that state’s air pollution, and prevent tens of thousands of premature deaths, heart attacks, cases of acute bronchitis; hundreds of thousands of cases of aggravated asthma; and 1.8 million sick days a year beginning in 2014. For Texas’s neighboring states, all that translates into tens of billions of dollars worth of annual health benefits. This is rider is just plain lousy-neighbor behavior.
Wiping Out the Lesser Prairie Chicken Rider: Amendment No. 78 by Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-TX): This rider would block Endangered Species Act listing of the lesser prairie chicken, an iconic grouse species that plays a critical role in grassland ecosystems but now occupies less than 15 percent of its historic range. This bird has been on the Endangered Species Act waiting list for 13 years despite desperately needing protection.

Among today’s (Wednesday, July 27, 2011) amendments filed are:

The Killing Our Oceans Rider: Amendment by Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX): Last year, following the recommendations of two bipartisan ocean commissions, President Obama established our National Ocean Policy to protect, maintain, and restore our ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes natural resources for present and future generations. Rep. Flores is proposing to block this government efficiency and return our country to the state of disorder that characterized business before this policy. It is backwards-looking, absent of logic, and will cost us greatly in many jobs and tourism dollars that depend on healthy oceans and coasts.
The Sad End to Manatees Rider: Amendment No. 42 by Rep. Rich Nugent (R-FL): America’s endangered manatee, an extremely vulnerable species, is fighting desperately for survival in Florida. Florida developers are threatening with plans to build a marina and boating center near King’s Bay, one of the last safe havens for endangered manatees. Despite strong public support for the proposed refuge, House politicians now seem willing to do the developers’ bidding through this disappointing policy rider, which would block the proposed refuge and put the endangered manatees directly in harm’s way.
Lawless Borders Rider: Amendment No. 55 by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ): This amendment completely waives 23 federal laws for any border patrol activities on federal lands, including the Clean Water Act, The Bald Eagle Protection Act, The Coastal Zone Management Act, the Wilderness Act, and the American Indian Religous Freedom and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. This sweeping amendment would create a lawless zone in many National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges National Forests and National Seashores.

Curtailing Federal Land Management Efficiency Riders:Amendments Nos. 60 and 82 by Rep. Scott Rigell (R-VA) and 63 by Rep. James Lankford (R-OK): The Rigell amendment prohibits acquisition of lands by the federal government without first selling an equal number of federally owned lands. The Lankford amendment is similar in requiring no net increase in federal land ownership. Both amendments tie the hands of land managers by making it harder improve management with the acquistion of inholdings and will keep managers from being able to take advantage of oportunities, such when bargain-priced parcels become available.
The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing Rider: Amendment No. 62 by Rep. James Lankford (R-OK). This amendment is a sneaky attempt to prevent the kinds of protections that Interior Secretary Salazar implemented when he withdrew a million acres of federal land adjacent to the Grand Canyon from new uranium mining. However, unlike the Grand Canyon rider (Sec. 445) this amendment applies to all National Park Service and Department of Interior lands, and the threats could be far more wide-ranging.
The Bring On the Polluted Haze Rider: Amendment No. 61 filed by Rep. James Lankford (R-OK): This amendment guts the EPA regulations that protect our air visibility standards and would bring on widespread haze from a multitude of sources and impair our visibility in every direction over a large area.
The Fish-Kill Rider: Amendment No. 64 filed by Rep. James Lankford (R-OK): This rider would prevent the more than 1,500 industrial facilities from having to implement fish saving measures in their cooling water intake structures. Power plants, pulp and paper makers, chemical manufacturers, petroleum refiners, and metal manufactures use such structures to pull large volumes of cooling water from our lakes, rivers, and estuaries, which suck in and kill large numbers of fish and shellfish, along with some larger marine species that get trapped against screens at the front of intake structures.
The Petty 'Let’s Stop EPA From Having Any New Office Space' Rider:Amendment No. 70 filed by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX): This rider hopes to make EPA staff "homeless" as it bans EPA from entering into any new contracts that would allow it to construct, purchase, or lease any facility, land, or space.
King Coal Rider for Blowing Up Mountains: by Rep. David McKinley (R-WV): This rider seeks to stop the federal government from protecting the American public from the environmental destruction and pollution of mountaintop removal mining. Communities across Appalachia are facing severe environmental and health harms as a result of this devastating coal mining practice. Specifically, this amendment aims to take away the EPA’s authority to stop permits which allow unacceptable impacts on waters of the United States, including from coal mining practices.
Dooming the Endangered Mexican Wolf Rider: by Rep. Steve Pearce (R-NM): This rider would prohibit funding for the recovery of the endangered Mexican wolf in southwestern states. In the U.S., only 50 Mexican wolves remain in the wild.
Trample Our National Heritage & History Rider: by Rep Denny Rehberg (R-MT): This rider would prohibit presidents from creating National Monuments under current authority granted them by the Antiquities Act as it seeks to inject the partisan gridlock into the process.
Threatening Salmon Restoration in the San Joaquin River: Amendment offered by Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA): This rider would prohibit the federal government from spending any money to restore runs of salmon to the San Joaquin River in California. Although the San Joaquin once supported the biggest salmon run in California, these salmon were largely wiped out years ago by the construction of the Friant Dam, which stopped the river’s natural flow. A protracted lawsuit was settled with an agreement to re-water the river and bring the salmon back. Rep. Denham claims the river isn’t ready to receive the salmon even though plentiful rains this year have put more water in the river than it has seen for years.

Among today’s (Tuesday, July 26, 2011) amendments filed are:

The Dirty Fuel Rider: Amendment No. 8 filed by Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX): This amendment seeks to limit funds to enforce a provision of law that prohibits the federal government from entering into contracts to purchase fuels that pollute more than conventional fuels. The current policy has broad support, including from the Department of Defense, which has opposed similar funding limitations.
The Invisible National Parks Rider: Amendment No. 15 filed by Rep. Rick Berg (R-ND): Rep. Berg (R-ND) wants to perform a magic trick that would have made even the Great Houdini balk: make our national parks disappear. Berg's amendment to prohibit funding for the EPA's regional haze program would obscure jaw-dropping vistas and landscapes in special places across the country. To add insult to injury, that hazy pollution will also be bad for the lungs of the soon-to-be-dejected visitors who arrive only to find their long-awaited views wrapped in a brownish cloak of dirty air.
The Factory Farm Filth Rider: Amendment No. 16 filed by Rep. Tom Latham (R-IA): This rider would ban the EPA from even studying the impacts of pollution from industrial livestock facilities (factory farms, or concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs)) on our waters. It would prohibit the EPA from collecting water pollution info from these huge sources of harmful pollution, which are known to jeopardize and degrade our drinking water supplies.
The Welcome to Frackistan Rider: Amendment No. 25 filed by Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-TX): This amendment seeks to limit federal agency oversight of a controversial drilling process called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Agencies like the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency are tasked with protecting our air, water, and public lands, and make sure that drilling is done safely, but instead, this amendment seeks to remove their expertise from the drilling process.
The Riders for Repeating Tragic Oil Spills: Amendment No. 26 and No. 77 filed by Rep. Jeff Landry (R-LA): These amendments exempt companies engaged in the offshore oil drilling business from accountability or regulation. These ignorant riders spite everything we learned from the Deepwater Horizon disaster and everything the President’s National Oil Spill Commission told us about the culpability of contractors like Halliburton and Transocean in the Gulf spill. They weaken oversight of offshore drilling contractors and let them off the hook for any safety failures of their equipment – and they would prohibit government oversight of these players and block the federal government from ensuring that drilling contractors are meeting safety requirements and following the law, along with the primary holder of the drilling lease.
The Pro-Flooding and Pro-Fire Rider: Amendment No. 33 filed by Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA): This year, the nation has experienced record floods, record droughts, and record fires. This irresponsible and wide-sweeping amendment blocks the Interior Department and the Forest Service from implementing its programs that prepare for the record-breaking floods, fires, and droughts to come due to climate change. This amendment also blocks all environment-related agencies from climate change research, science, and preparation. While the private sector is busy preparing and planning for climate change and extreme weather patterns, this amendment flies in the face of common sense and good planning by insisting that the government turn a blind eye to the costly changes and impacts facing our communities, lands, and economy. It will cost our country and economy gravely.
The Justice Blocker Rider: Amendment No. 34 filed by Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE): This rider seeks to curtail citizens’ access to courts if the injured party has suffered non-economic losses, such as those seeking to enforce their Constitutional rights to religious freedom and free speech, or statutory rights to clean water and clean air.
The Carbon Polluter Bail-Out Rider: Amendment No. 38 filed by Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS): This rider wipes out all carbon pollution reporting requirements under the Clean Air Act. It allows the nation’s biggest and worst climate change polluters to get out of even reporting their pollution, let alone being accountable for it.
The Stop Clean Fuels Rider: Amendment No 40 filed by Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS): This rider gets polluting refineries, which already enjoy a host of regulatory loopholes and other flexibilities from pollution controls, out of requirements to produce cleaner forms of energy.

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Fiscal Responsibility through Conservation

2011-07-28T14:48:00.000-07:00

As the US government struggles to develop a viable budget that does not send the country into a recession, we at Marine Conservation Institute believe that drastically cutting funds for vital ocean and coastal conservation programs is NOT an answer to our nation’s financial woes. By conserving our ocean ecosystems, we are investing also in our ocean and coastal economies, which includes living marine resources, tourism, recreation, transportation, construction, and mineral extraction.

According to the National Ocean Economics Program, the US ocean and coastal economy together contribute more than $138 billion annually to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Threats to our oceans and coasts are numerous: destruction of habitats, depletion of fish stocks, increased ocean acidity which affects sea life, marine debris that kills marine mammals and seabirds, and the increasing number of threatened and endangered species.

Without adequate funding for marine conservation agencies, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), ocean health will suffer, and so will our nation’s economy.

Unfortunately, NOAA’s budget to conserve and manage our oceans and coasts is facing a reduction of greater than 14%, under a pending House bill. Meanwhile, the USFWS is facing a 20% reduction.

Marine Conservation Institute is dedicated to maintaining healthy, living oceans for us and future generations. We will fight to ensure conservation is viewed as an investment in our future, and help Congress cut ineffective programs. Congress needs to set budget priorities that sustain our natural resources-based economies—including those dependent on a healthy, living ocean.

Sincerely,

William J. Chandler
Vice President for Government Affairs, Marine Conservation Institute

Members of Congress Discuss Marine Debris!

2011-07-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

We know how frustrating it can be watching Congress fail to get anything done. But some things are moving! Stuff is happening on Capitol Hill! Yesterday, the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, held a hearing regarding operations and efficiencies for the US Coast Guard (USCG). While this may not seem applicable to our work, one topic was H.R. 1171, the Marine Debris Reauthorization Amendments of 2011. There were four people who provided testimony at the hearing: Congressman Sam Farr (CA-17), Vice Admiral John Currier, Deputy Commandant for Mission Support with USCG, Vice Admiral Brian Salerno, Deputy Commandant for Operations, USCG, and Dr. Holly Bamford, Deputy Assistant Administrator, National Ocean Service, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Dr. Bamford especially focused on H.R. 1171. Her testimony discussed the Marine Debris Program at NOAA, and the partnership NOAA and the USCG are trying to establish with one another, in an effort to further identify and prevent marine debris. H.R. 1171 contributes to this project because it demands more education and outreach, and aids in the mission of President Obama’s National Ocean Policy. Dr. Bamford’s testimony can be read here. The testimonies of the other panelists and a link to watch the hearing can be found here.

This hearing is a great example of advocacy for Marine Conservation Institute’s goals of protecting our oceans and trying to rid our waters of debris. As this bill moves forward, we would love your support, so stay tuned to our blog as we keep you posted on the movement of H.R. 1171!

Arctic Melting: More than Just Rising Sea Levels?

2011-07-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

While climate change effects our planet in many ways, melting icecaps may be our most serious problem. As global temperatures heat up, ice begins to melt into the ocean, causing rising sea levels and habitat loss for many species. Furthermore, because ice is highly reflective and capable of reducing the effects of incoming solar radiation, melting creates a positive warming feedback loop.

Not to dwell on the negative today, but we have another problem. According to a recent article published by the New York Times, a new study has linked Arctic melting with the release of POPs (persistent organic pollutants) into the atmosphere. Remember all of those harmful chemicals we banned 10 years ago? Well, they've come back to haunt us! Potentially released POPs include banned pesticides, such as DTD, lindane, and chlordane, all of which are known to have detrimental effects on people and the environment, Treehugger reports.

But why does it matter if toxins are released in some distant Arctic realm? Unfortunately, POPs are known to travel briskly in air and water currents and can easily build up in both human and animal body fat. Today, a rise in certain POPs has been detected by air monitoring stations in Canada and Norway, indicating remobilization is already underway.

Although it may be under the shadow of other, more serious, climate change-related problems, the release of toxins associated with Arctic melting is yet another reason why we must advocate for reduced greenhouse gas emissions. If we can decelerate Arctic melting, we will be saving more than just polar bears.

Photograph from dailymail.co.uk

Finally, Ocean Zoning Comes to the United States

2011-07-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

It's about time. Took long enough anyway, but Rhode Island finally did it. It's fitting that the Ocean State was the first one do it. The state really does have a lot of water considering how small of a state they are. As a former Rhode Island resident myself, I'm awfully proud of them, and am happy that the federal government finally got around to approving their plan. It was years in the making, but it's finally here. Hopefully, this can be a lesson to us all on how to take Ocean Zoning and to it right.

To learn more about Rhode Island's Ocean Zoning plan, see this article from the ProJo:

R.I.’socean-zoning plan first approved in U.S.

NARRAGANSETT — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has approved a Rhode Island ocean zoning plan that designates waters off the state’s coast for renewable energy development. The Ocean Special Area Management Plan, or SAMP, is the first of its kind in the nation to win federal approval.
NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco was joined by Governor Chafee in announcing the decision on Friday at the Bay Campus of the University of Rhode Island, whose scientists carried out much of the oceanographic research that the plan is based upon. Anne Livingston, chairwoman of the state Coastal Resources Management Council, which directed the two-year, $8-million effort to create the plan, and Paul Rich, chief development officer of Deepwater Wind, the company that proposes building two wind farms off Rhode Island, were also among the speakers.
Lubchenco heralded the Rhode Island plan as a model that other states can follow as they try to find the best locations for offshore renewable energy while still balancing the interests of commercial and recreational fishermen, boaters, environmentalists and others.
“Today truly is a landmark for the state of Rhode Island,” she said. “But it is also a landmark event for the entire nation.”
A year ago, President Obama signed an executive order creating the first National Ocean Policy in the country’s history. One of nine priorities included in the policy is the development of what’s known as marine spatial planning.
“The Rhode Island plan is what President Obama envisioned in the national policy,” Lubchenco said.
Chafee paid tribute to his predecessor, Donald L. Carcieri, under whose administration the plan was initiated. He said it will allow Rhode Island to become a national leader in renewable energy, with the construction of what could be the first offshore wind farm in the country.
“We are going to push the boundaries and transition into clean power,” he said.
Although the SAMP’s study area totaled about 1,500 square miles, the approval announced Friday covers only the portion that applies to state waters, which extend three miles from the Rhode Island shoreline and three miles around Block Island. It’s in the latter area, in a zone southeast of Block Island recommended by the SAMP, that Deepwater Wind proposes building its first wind farm, a five-turbine demonstration project that would go on line in 2013.
The SAMP also made recommendations for an area that extends much farther offshore, into federal waters. That swath of water includes the so-called “area of mutual interest” with Massachusetts, where planners also said offshore renewable energy can be developed with a minimum of conflicts. Deepwater wants to develop a 200-turbine wind farm there. Another offshore wind developer has also proposed a project in those waters.
The part of the plan that covers federal waters is still awaiting approval from NOAA, said Grover Fugate, executive director of the CRMC. Approval would not give Rhode Island permitting authority over those federal waters, but it would give the state official standing to participate in discussions over any plans for their use. Currently, the state can get that standing only on a case-by-case basis, said Fugate.
Other states have contacted Rhode Island about the creation of the SAMP. Countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Denmark and New Zealand, have also made inquiries.
Fugate said that the state is charting new territory and will confront new issues when it starts to implement the plan.
“The eyes of the nation are on you,” Lubchenco told him.
Chafee, standing nearby, responded, “We’re up to the challenge.”

Marine Conservation News!

2011-07-25T08:13:00.000-07:00

The following are all news stories from this week which relate to Marine Conservation Institute’s conservation efforts. A lot of stuff is going on! What do you think about it?

Study: Changes to ocean expected to damage shellfish around world

CNN: Massive global greenhouse gas pollution is changing the chemistry of the world's oceans so much that scientists now predict it could severely damage shellfish populations and the nations that depend on the harvests if significant action isn't taken.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/07/17/ocean.acidification/

High risks on the high seas

The Boston Globe: THE WORLD’S oceans provide a crucial environmental safety valve: The blue territory that covers 70 percent of the globe absorbs 80 percent of the heat we are adding to our climate, and about a third of carbon dioxide we are emitting into the atmosphere. A recent report by the International Program on the State of the Ocean, however, has found that the oceans may not be able to sustain these burdens much longer.

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2011/07/20/high_risks_on_the_high_seas/

Keeping Sea Life

Brookings Institution: We still imagine the high seas as a place beyond limits, thick with undiscovered and exotic life below the surface—and if not souls, at least fish. Indeed, the sea is full of stuff and mystery. However, this abundance does not mean we should act like there's so much that we will never run out. We will, and we have already for some species.

*Take note of the mention of Papahanaumokuakea and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands!

http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2011/0720_sea_life_brown.aspx

Lionfish derbies in Florida Keys help eliminate invasive species
Examiner.com: Divers collecting lionfish during the 2011 Florida Keys lionfish derbies are doing more than enjoying a day on the water; they are raising much needed awareness about invasive species as well as contributing to science. Tuesday, officials from the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary issued a report about the lionfish events being presented in conjunction with the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF).

http://www.examiner.com/scuba-diving-in-national/lionfish-derbies-florida-keys-help-eliminate-invasive-species

Tour giant funding project to raise resistance of coral reefs in the Maldives

Minivan News (Independent News for the Maldives):Travel giant Kuoni, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and local environmental consultancy Seamarc have launched a comprehensive project to protect coral reefs and address the impact of climate change in the Maldives.

http://minivannews.com/politics/tour-giant-funding-project-to-raise-resistance-of-coral-reefs-in-the-maldives-23139

Understanding the Impact of "No-Take" Zones

2011-07-19T10:07:00.000-07:00

Good morning! I thought I would talk today about no-take zones, in light of an article published by Sign On San Diego.

Although covering only a small area of our oceans, no-take zones are thought to be vital to the recovery of biodiversity in areas that have experienced over-fishing and other harmful extraction practices. However, while fishing restrictions may benefit the ecosystem, such restrictions often negatively impact the livelihoods of fishermen.

To better understand the scientific and socioeconomic costs and benefits of implementing no-take zones, Southern California will begin monitoring their recently expanded network of no-fishing areas, thanks to a $4 million grant funded by California's Ocean Protection Council.

Specifically, they plan to monitor the change in "marine habitat, species, fisheries, and recreation," in and around these protected zones. This project will be instrumental in assessing the implementation of the Marine Life Protection Act, which was established in California in the late 90s.

Some of the monitoring projects to be conducted are listed here by Sign On San Diego:

•Remotely operated underwater vehicle surveys of deep-water habitats – James Lindholm,California State University, Monterey Bay and Dirk Rosen, Marine Applied Research & Exploration

• Scuba surveys of kelp and shallow reef ecosystems – Daniel Pondella, Occidental College and Jennifer Caselle, University of California, Santa Barbara

• Surveys of seabird ecology and habitat use – Dan Robinette and Jaime Jahncke, PRBO Conservation Science

• Scuba surveys of rocky reef ecosystems – Jan Freiwald and Gregor Hodgson, Reef Check California

• Baseline assessments of California spiny lobster populations, incorporating a collaborative fisheries approach – Kevin Hovel, San Diego State University; Ed Parnell, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego; Doug Neilson, California Department of Fish and Game

This study represents a great step forward to improving our understanding of marine protected areas. By finding further proof that indicates no-take zones help the recovery of marine life, this method of protection will become more attractive as a means to revitalize additional regions that are falling under siege to harmful extraction practices.

Check out this other article about the success of no-take zones: http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0716-hance_fishing.html

Photograph from signonsandiego.com

Oceans Caught in the Undertow of the Wave of Debt

2011-07-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

Last week the House Committee on Appropriations met to mark-up and vote on Fiscal Year 2012 appropriations for the Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce. By the end of the week, major cuts had to be made, and these cuts greatly impact our oceans. We need to speak up and ask for more money, and thus more attention to and protection of, the oceans.

Here’s the breakdown: within the Committee on Appropriations, the above Departments fall under the Subcommittee on Interior and Environment, and Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS), respectively. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is one of many agencies under the Department of the Interior, while the Department of Commerce is the umbrella department for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Marine Conservation Institute cares particularly for these agencies because of their work to restore and preserve our oceans and coasts. Together they manage our nation’s four marine national monuments, protect endangered species, and rid ecosystems of invasive species. Of course, these agencies do far more than that, in researching and conserving our nation’s natural resources.

Immense cuts have been proposed for both the USFWS and NOAA. The majority of the members of Congress want to drastically cut budgets where they see fit, in an effort to decrease our growing debt. While it is crucial to reduce this year’s deficit, and help solve our nation’s financial crises, the CJS appropriations bill for FY12 leaves the NOAA budget at its lowest level since 2005. NOAA’s core operations account has been reduced by $450 million. In addition to cutting back funds across the board, some programs are in more critical condition than others. Initiatives like sustainable fisheries, cleaner and safer shipping regulations, and research that can help determine and improve future efforts to protect and preserve our ocean economy, are all at risk. The success of wildlife refuges and marine monument programs is also vulnerable, as indicated in USFWS’s budget for operations and maintenance which was cut by almost $37 million from last year’s amount.

Despite this discouraging outlook, the battle isn’t over. Last week only marked the end of discussion within the Appropriations Committee; On August 2^nd, the appropriations bill will go before the House floor for a final vote. It’s not too late to call, send a letter, fax, email, text message, tweet, or Facebook message to your representative! Tell him/her that the proposed budgets for NOAA and USFWS are so low that the chance of these agencies successfully managing their initiatives is slim. If you’d like, feel free to use the following script:

Dear Congressman/Congresswoman ________:

My name is _________, and I’m calling today to voice concern over Fiscal Year 2012’s budget, particularly appropriations involving the oceans. The US Fish and Wildlife Service and The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are both receiving a huge cut in funding. With oil spills, rising sea levels, ocean acidification, plastic and pollution filling every square inch of ocean, and endangered plants and animals, NOAA and USFWS need funding now more than ever for its ocean programs. We need protection of our wildlife and our water, before it’s too late. Please don’t let this pressing issue get brought in with the rising tide of spending cuts.

Sincerely,

________________, of the ____ district of ________

Act now, and be an integral part of the effort to protect our oceans!

A Look Into the Ocean’s Future

2011-07-18T09:20:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share a great NY Times editorial with all of you today. It's increasingly clear that we are causing irreparable harm to our marine ecosystems, but what's not clear is what we, as citizens of this earth, are going to do about it. I encourage you to take a few minutes to send this editorial along to your elected officials, asking them to step up to the plate and make the hard changes necessary to save our ocean.

The full editorial can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/16/opinion/16sat3.html

Contact information and instructions on how to contact your elected officials at various levels of the US government can be found here: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

Editorial

A Look Into the Ocean’s Future

There is simply no exaggerating the importance of the oceans to earth’s overall ecological balance. Their health affects the health of all terrestrial life. A new report by an international coalition of marine scientists makes for grim reading. It concludes that the oceans are approaching irreversible, potentially catastrophic change.

The experts, convened by the International Program on the State of the Ocean and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, found that marine “degradation is now happening at a faster rate than predicted.” The oceans have warmed and become more acidic as they absorbed human-generated carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. They are also more oxygen-deprived, because of agricultural runoff and other anthropogenic causes. This deadly trio of conditions was present in previous mass extinctions, according to the report.

The oceans’ natural resilience has been seriously compromised. Pollution, habitat loss and overfishing are dangerous threats on their own. But when these factors converge, they can destroy marine ecosystems.
The severity of human impact was reinforced last week when scientists concluded that seven commercially important species, including marlin, mackerel and three tuna species, were either vulnerable to extinction, endangered or critically endangered according to I.U.C.N. standards. The solutions that might help slow further degradation include immediate reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, a system of marine conservation areas and a way to protect ocean life that goes beyond national jurisdictions.

This is the work of nations, but such goals require pressure from ordinary citizens if there is to be any hope of bringing them about in the face of opposing political and economic interests. As the new study notes, changes in the oceans, caused by carbon emissions, are perhaps “the most significant to the earth system,” particularly because they will further accelerate climate change.

The Undersea World of Elliott Norse

2011-07-15T14:52:00.000-07:00

Look what I came across today, It may be from way back when, but so much of it still rings true today and I thought I would share it with all of you. It's quite a nice story if I may say so myself:

The Undersea World of Elliott Norse

Originally published in Eastsideweek, October 15, 1997

by Chris Carrel

Few details escape Elliott Norse’s attention as we drive past Microsoft headquarters, negotiating the lunch-hour traffic in his scrappy 1985 Civic. “See this over here,” he says, gesturing toward the partially finished Microsoft buildings rising on the west side of the road. “That used to be a beautiful second-growth forest.”
We turn onto 31st Street and stop for a dump truck leaving the construction site. The morning rain has eased, but the moisture has just begun its long journey downhill. “Look at the runoff over there,” he urges me, pointing at the small latte-colored rivulet running from the construction site onto the road and downhill. “That silt will be carried into a once pristine salmon stream and eventually into the ocean.”
Elliott Norse’s keen eye and knack for drawing connections between seemingly disparate events have served him excellently in recent years. Once derided as a “narrow specialist” in graduate school for his study of an obscure crab species, the marine ecologist has now become an internationally respected authority in several areas who excels at describing the big picture. His unorthodox career has included writing the first definition of the biological diversity concept, and penning the definitive book on the ecology of the Pacific Northwest’s ancient forests.
But now he has turned his enormous energy to a new campaign. Microsoft’s runoff is only one tiny piece of a largely unnoted global crisis, he says, that is occurring in the world’s seas – where pollution, overfishing, the introduction of alien species, and atmospheric change are endangering the planet’s living ocean. Down the street from the software giant’s global headquarters, Norse and his organization, the Marine Conservation Biology Institute, are promoting a new science to protect and restore marine biodiversity. By articulating the ocean’s plight, organizing scientists to examine marine problems in new ways, and stressing the importance of marine biodiversity, they hope to foment what they see as an urgently needed scientific revolution.
The West Coast center of their activities is in Redmond: a large den in the comfortable two-story home of Elliott and Irene Norse. It seems, at first, too modest a base from which to launch a scientific revolution. But evidence of MCBI’s activity hints otherwise: a table holding notices of the group’s recent international marine science symposium,; a waist-high stack of scientific papers and journals from which Norse proffers his most recently published articles; an NPR reporter who interrupts our interview, calling for Norse’s comments for a story on the global decline of fisheries.
Norse, a gregarious, youthful man of 50 with gray-flecked hair and beard, and a warm, engaging manner, seems more like a jovial college professor than a Who’s Who-listed scientist and recipient of a prestigious Pew Fellows Award in Conservation and the Environment. But Norse muddles your assumptions in many ways. Operating in the rarefied atmosphere of international marine science, he’s as comfortable speaking with a group of US senators as he is a class of sixth graders, though you suspect he’d prefer the sixth graders’ company. As he talks, his faded Brooklyn accent starts off soft-spoken, but rises in speed and intensity as he warms to his topic.

Troubled Sea World
Until recently, scientists by and large considered the world’s oceans too vast and too fecund to every seriously be threatened by humans. The oceans are mind-numbingly immense, composing 99 percent of the planet’s habitable space. “Remember the first words of The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy?” Norse asks waggishly, “The universe is big. I mean really big. You can’t imagine how mind-bogglingly big it is.’ That’s the way it is with the ocean.” The Pacific Ocean alone, he notes, is large enough to hold all seven continents with room to spare for an extra Australia.
This vastness, though, has muted our appreciation of its vulnerability. While the public has become familiar with a litany of environmental problems, everything from shrinking tropical rain forests to ozone depletion, the seas have been overlooked. Fishers, scientists, and politicians alike have historically considered them something of a fluid cornucopia, offering up as much seafood as we could catch while swallowing all the wastes we could dump, without penalty. Individual species might be overfished, the theory went, but beleaguered populations would always be able to find refuge somewhere else, thus affording themselves the opportunity to recover.
The theory was wrong, as it turns out. Astonishingly so. A growing body of scientific evidence since the early 1990s has documented sharp declines in a number of marine species. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization estimated in 1994 that more than two-thirds of the ocean’s fish stocks are in decline or fished to capacity and at risk of collapse. Last year, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature added 118 marine species to its red list of threatened species.
“Any group of marine organisms I can think of that you can name has evidence that things are not going right,” says Norse, ticking off a list of threatened species and, like a true ecologist, adding each species’ scientific name after its common name.
California’s once abundant white abalone has nose-dived, falling 99.99 percent since commercial fishing began in 1965, ensuring extinction unless something drastic is done. Southern bluefin tuna, Atlantic cod, populations of Pacific salmon, and many types of sharks are also in danger. The once abundant Georges Bank cod fishery in the Atlantic collapsed in the early 1990s, crippling New England’s fishing industry and foreshadowing a global trend. Productivity has fallen in 13 of the world’s 15 major fishing regions over the past decade. And just two weeks ago, the Pacific Fisheries Management Council recommended severe cutbacks in commercial fishing for snapper, black cod, lingcod, Dover sole, and other West Coast groundfish that are suspected of having been overexploited. Industry spokespeople believe the cuts in the groundfishing catch will dwarf the economic losses the commercial salmon fishing industry has sustained in recent years.
While some species are shrinking in numbers, others are just plain shrinking. Large fish like groupers, Atlantic swordfish, and Pacific halibut are becoming smaller as heavy fishing eliminates the largest and slower-growing members of the species. Groupers, for example, used to be as “big as turkeys,” Norse says, but the ones caught today are typically small enough to fit in a frying pan.
New technology is partially to blame. Using sophisticated sonar and satellite navigation systems, fishing ships can now unerringly track fish populations practically anywhere in the ocean. Longlines, essentially miles-long fishing lines studded with hooks, catch thousands of commercial species at a time, along with sea birds, sea turtles, and anything else attracted by the baited hooks. Huge, industrial trawlers drag immense weighted nets across the sea floor, catching up to 130 tons of fish at a time. Over the past three decades, annual global seafood catch has doubled, growing to 90 million metric tons, with bycatch, the sea creatures accidentally caught along with target species, adding another 30 million tons.
Norse’s Marine Conservation Biology Institute convened a scientific workshop in Maine last year on bottom trawling in which participants agreed that the practice is the “most important source of human-caused physical disturbance on the world’s continental shelves.” Norse, himself, likens it to forest clearcutting, except that a forest is clear-cut just once, while a single area of seabed can be trawled as much as 100 times in a single year.
Overfishing is the single greatest threat to marine ecology, but there are many other pressures, explains Norse. Coastal development and pollution are degrading productive estuaries and fisheries while wetlands destruction and dams harm salmon and trout stocks and alter nutrient inputs to the sea. Pollutants from sewage dumped into the ocean are fouling marine waters while the profusion of oceangoing vessels creates a cacophonous noise pollution that confuses marine creates and disrupts their communication and reproduction. Alien species are invading and upsetting indigenous marine ecosystems while stratospheric ozone depletion and global climate change are suspected of wreaking widespread changes across a broad section of the marine environment.
But what’s even worse – and where Norse’s particular crusade come in – is that the field of marine ecology as it stands today is incapable of telling us what the cumulative effects of these changes might be, let alone how to preserve marine species and ecosystems. Scientists are able to recognize a decline in some fish populations, yet often they can’t predict at what point decline becomes irreversible. Nor do they understand the extent to which different human-caused pressures affect sea creatures, or how one species’ extinction will ripple through a marine ecosystem. What we have are the jumbled pieces of the puzzle. Norse’s mission is to advance the state of the science to the point where it can put those pieces together.

Mitzvot for the Earth

Understanding Norse requires knowing a different Elliott, his uncle, Elliott Albert. The two men never met, but his uncle guides his career and indeed, his life. Elliott Albert died during World War II, at the age of 18, when his army unit stormed the beaches of Salerno in 1944. Following Judaic tradition of honoring dead relatives by passing their names to newborn children, Elliott Albert Norse was born in 1947.
“He was a shining example of what a person should be,” Norse says of his uncle. The Albert family believed in the Jewish responsibility for mitzvoth, to do good deeds. His uncle, he says, embodied that, not just in paying the ultimate sacrifice in the war, but also as a defender of nature. He was an amateur ecologist and fascinated with plants and animals, and their welfare.
His uncle’s example infused Elliott with a tangible sense of purpose. “I never wondered who I am and whether I should just change and become like everybody else,” Norse says. “I have a job to do.”
On the wall of the MCBI office, perched above Dr. Norse’s computer hangs a faded portrait of the senior Elliott. Bearing a passing resemblance to his nephew, he is frozen forever in youth’s glory, dressed in a stiff army hat and dress jacket.
Initially, Norse opted for a purely academic career, thinking his contribution could be “telling other young people about things” so they could act. In retrospect, he realizes the folly of that argument. “If the only thing that ever happens is people talk…nothing gets done,” he says.
Fate, and choosy universities, saved him from the do-nothing track.
After completing graduate work in marine biology at the University of Southern California, and then his doctoral thesis on blue crabs in 1977 at the University of Iowa, he couldn’t find a teaching position. “I came in second at a lot of good schools,” he says wryly. When the Environmental Protection Agency called in 1978 to offer him a temporary job, a position he’d applied for on a lark, he readily accepted.
It was at the EPA that Norse began to defend nature, not just study it. Assigned to write criteria for oil and gas drilling in fragile coastal areas, he became an ardent advocate for keeping the oil rigs out altogether. When the 1979 energy crisis hit, Elliott’s activities grew increasingly unpopular within the agency, but he wouldn’t’ back down. “I figured that I worked for something called the Environmental Protection Agency. They hired me to help protect the environment and dammit,” he says, “that was what I was going to do.” Academic life had lost its allure.
The EPA tried to rein in its young firebrand scientist, so he jumped ship in 1979, applying for and getting a position as the staff ecologist for the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Overnight, he was transformed from a pesky, lower-level EPA functionary to senior environmental adviser to President Carter. In the short time he was there (before incoming President Ronald Reagan fired him in 1981 – “a badge of honor” according to Norse), he persuaded President Carter to triple the size of American’s national marine sanctuary system, adding four new sanctuaries. He even had a hand in derailing the MX missile system. But most importantly, the bully pulpit of his White House position gave Norse the opportunity to define a keystone concept of modern ecology.
In the 1960s “conservation as about producing more things that you could shoot, hook, or saw,” Norse explains. The 1973 Endangered Species Act heralded a new conservation ethic, one that valued all species, but only demanded action when a species was in danger of extinction. Think of it as the intensive-care-unit conservation ethic.
While working as the CEQ’s staff ecologist in 1979, he developed, and was the first to define, the concept of biological diversity to describe the rapid global loss of species then occurring. Though biodiversity, as its popularly known, is often misunderstood to refer simply to an abundance of species, it actually entails three classes of diversity: genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity. All three levels are essential to the maintenance of life on Earth.
“There was a need for a more comprehensive conservation ethic,” says Norse. “Biological diversity filled that need because [it] says that you maintain all the parts in their abundance, and you maintain the processes that connect living things.”
The Slade Gortons and Helen Chenoweths of the world would disagree, but science is clear that biodiversity underlies and endows human existence. Protecting it is a matter of self-interest. “we’re not eliminate life. We’re shifting life towards things that can withstand our assaults,” Norse says. “They tend to be opportunistic, they reach reproductive age early, and in many cases, we consider them pests.”
In other words, goodbye salmon, halibut, Western red cedars, and grizzly bears. Hello rats, dandelions, and cockroaches.
At about the same time Norse was defining biodiversity, and American ecologist named Michael Soulé founded the field of conservation biology, the science of conserving living things. Together, conservation biology and biodiversity fostered cross-pollination between disparate scientific disciplines and led to dramatic advancements in conservation and ecology over the next two decades.
But conservation biology has stayed on land, leaving marine ecology mired in a pre-1970s torpor. An example Norse cites is the case of the eelgrass limpet. A small snail once omnipresent in coastal waters off the eastern seaboard, the limpet disappeared in the 1930s when a disease wiped out most of the eelgrass it lived on. Its extinction occurred on a coast studded with the world’s largest collection of prestigious marine laboratories, yet it wasn’t until 1991 that a scientist noticed the limpet had vanished.
“If it takes a time lag of six decades between the disappearance of something and the time we notice it, then we are not in good shape for dealing with the kinds of changes we are inflicting upon the sea right now,” says Norse.
Some might quibble, arguing that a cause-weary public can’t possibly muster enough sympathy to handle another environmental poster child, but Norse counters that this is, after all, a planet of oceans, where the vast majority of Earth’s species reside and where life began. Globally, humans rely on the ocean for more animal protein than beef, pork, or chicken, an importance reflected in the central position sea creatures hold in many cultures, including that of the Northwest’s native peoples. Marine life created the modern Earth Atmosphere and regulates the planet’s climate. And because of its rich diversity of species, as a potential source of new medicines, it dwarfs tropical rain forests.
But we can’t conserve what we don’t understand.

Coining the Term “Ancient Forests”

Biological diversity, the running theme of Norse’s professional career, led him to the Pacific Northwest. The Wilderness Society, for whom he’d previously written a book on conserving biological diversity in national forests, tapped him to write a book about the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest. Norse moved to Seattle for seven months in 1987 to do research, and he spent countless hours hiking and canoeing through the Northwest’s hardwood cathedrals. “They were practically paying me to get a second PhD,” he says with kid-in-the-candy-store enthusiasm.
The result of his work, Ancient Forests of the Pacific Northwest (Island Press, 1990), is considered by many ecologists and conservationists to be the definitive work on the subject. In typical Norse style, the book balances a scientist’s understanding of the complex ecosystem with a poet’s wonder at the symphony of life therein. It also represents an important semantic departure.
The timber industry has always talked of old-growth forests as cellulose cemeteries, a tragic waste of good timber. Norse searched for a new term to inspire the awe they deserve, finally settling on ancient forests, which quickly caught on with the public – although “to this day the timber industry refuses to call them ancient forests,” he says with a smile.
Out of the forests and back in Washington, DC, Norse returned his attention to the sea. Ecologist Carleton Ray, in his chapter in the 1988 E.O. Wilson book Biodiversity, had sounded the first alarm on diminishing marine biodiversity. The following year, the Center for Marine Conservation offered Norse a position as its chief scientist, with a mission to focus on developing the field of marine conservation biology.
In 1990, Norse convened a workshop at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, bringing together 11 eminent marine scientists, or what Norse refers to as “the all-star team” of marine ecology, to assess the state of the ocean. One ringing message came out of the workshop, according to Norse, “The sea is in trouble at all three levels of biodiversity.” This epiphany led Norse to being work on his 1993 book, Global Marine Biological Diversity (Island Press), and sealed his new commitment.
During this time, Norse persuaded CMC to return him to the “real Washington” – as he now called the Seattle area – opening a Friday Harbor office in 1990. Two years later, the operation shifted to the Eastside, when he married Irene, a Redmond resident. Although CMC, had initiated his work on marine conservation biology, the group’s support for a marine conservation biology symposium disappeared. The new science required a new organization, Norse felt, and in 1996 he left to found the Marine Conservation Biology Institute.
Its mission is, in part, to give science a push in the right direction by creating a new science – one that would enable us to see the ocean as interconnected ecosystems and to understand how human actions influence and can protect those systems. “It’s a holistic science, rather than a reductionistic science,” Norse says of marine conservation biology. A big part of MCBI’s mission, then, ahs been to open lines of communication between separate disciplines, getting the fisheries biologists to talk to the population biologists, and the geneticists, and so forth, to seed the insights such cross-fertilization fosters.
Its accomplishments have been impressive. In less than two years, MCBI has grown to include a half-million-dollar budget, a staff of five, and a Washington, DC office to complement Norse’s home office. This June, Norse and MCBI’s two other staff (it will add two more by the end of the year) convened the first Symposium on Marine Conservation Biology in Vancouver, British Columbia, the discipline’s coming-out party, if you will.
It drew more than 1,000 scientists from 30 countries and produced the Troubled Waters statement, the scientific community’s first collective warning to the world that the oceans are in peril. More than 750 scientists have signed their names to Troubled Waters so far, and it will soon be released to the media.
There have been a few naysayers. Fishing industry representatives bristle at the Troubled Waters’ emphasis on overfishing and “doom and gloom” about the health of the ocean. “it’s becoming frustrating that some people…are deciding that the ocean is the poster child for the year,” says Rod Moore, executive director of the West Coast Seafood Processors Association. Fisheries managers and the fishing industry, while concerned about the decline of commercially valuable species, still talk about conservation in terms of biomass produced, rather than indicator species or ecosystem health.
But the Marine Conservation Biology Institute is planning several upcoming conferences that will, perhaps, help the fishing industry and others to start thinking in terms of biodiversity. One in particular will have special importance to Puget Sound. MCBI and People for Puget Sound will hold a confe3rence in Seattle next year on managing the threats of alien species to marine environments.
The topic is timely, as the green crab, a European native that arrived in California in 1990, is expected to begin colonizing Puget Sound waters within the next two years. A voracious predator that thrives in Western coastal waters, green crabs could cause the elimination of a host of Sound invertebrates while gorging on native mussels, clams, oysters, and juvenile Dungeness crabs.
The conference will provide crucial insight into strategies to minimize the green crab’s impact on the Sound. “Having an institute here that’s focused on the entire marine environment is an incredible benefit to Puget sound,” says Kathy Fletcher, People for Puget Sound’s executive director. “MCBI is creating a nucleus of activity here.”
But creating a new science also requires steady funding and research institutions that can allow young scientists to invest in careers. While Norse is beginning work this year on the first university textbook for marine conservation biology, MCBI is promoting funding and institutional support for the discipline.
Staking one’s career on saving he living oceans would play havoc with the average scientist’s ego, but Norse is refreshingly unburdened by self-puffery. He recalls the excitement and self-importance he felt in Jamaica in the 1970s when he discovered that a certain species of blue crab spent nearly its entire life in the mangrove forests, an observation unreported in the scientific literature. Shortly after making the discovery he had the chance to strike up a conversation with a local who asked him what he did for a living. When he informed the unschooled Jamaican what he studied crabs, the man replied, “Oh, the ones that live in the mangroves.”
“That was a lesson to me,” Norse says, his voice rising to laughter.
And even more unusual for a scientist, especially in this age where information is king, Norse openly acknowledges the importance of ethics. While science lays bare the choices we need to make, it’s our ethical framework that ultimately determines whether we choose to conserve or destroy. Norse believes that the world’s religions can become a positive force for making the right decisions.
Though not a “ritually religious” person, Norse is an active member of the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish life, and the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, and regularly gives talks about the connections between religion and ecology. Last month, he traveled to Eastern Europe’s Black Sea along with US Undersecretary of State Timothy Wirth, leaders of the Orthodox Church, the Anglican Church, the Vatican, and Jewish and Islamic scholars, to participate in an international conference exploring the nexus between science, religion, and the environment.
Though marine ecology is his chosen field, Norse’s commandment to do mitzvot has taken him far afield, from defining biodiversity to protecting ancient forests to exploring religion and the environment. In the same way that all rivers flow to the sea, these diverse experiences have brought him back to the ocean, shaping marine conservation biology from his base in landlocked Redmond.