By WhySharksMatter, on April 16th, 2010

Most marine conservationists and environmentally conscious citizens believe that fisheries bycatch is a major problem that needs to be solved soon. In most cases, they are correct, but an interesting paper from Nature shows that bycatch can sometimes be good for certain species. Consider the case of the Great Skua.

The Great Skua is a large predatory seabird that lives in northern Europe. In the past, it has been known to feed on many smaller local seabird species, including the Leach’s Storm Petrel, the Northern Fulmar, the Northern Gannet, theLesser Black-Backed Gull, and the Herring Gull. In the last few decades, Great Skua populations have increased tremendously.

Ordinarily, when the population of a predator increases, the populations of its prey decrease. This doesn’t seem to be the case among populations of the seabird species in northern Europe. How can this be?

The answer to this apparent ecological enigma has to do with fisheries bycatch. The oceans around northern Europe support many large-scale fisheries, such as the sandeel fishery. Like most large-scale fisheries, the sandeel fishery has a significant amount of bycatch (fish that were caught merely because they were swimming near the sandeel) associated with it. Since the fishermen only have a permit to sell sandeel, the bycatch species  are dumped overboard…where they are devoured by Great Skua.

In other words, Great Skua have found a new steady source of food. Great Skua populations have increased without a decrease in the populations smaller seabirds that they ate in the past.

Modern sentiments, however, have turned against bycatch. Efforts to reduce bycatch in commercial fisheries are underway in many countries worldwide. What will this mean for the seabird communities of northern Europe?

Well, it’s possible (and for the purposes of this discussion, we’ll assume it will definitely happen) that without their new source of food (bycatch dumped over the side of fishing  vessels), Great Skua will return to eating their previous prey- the smaller seabirds of northern Europe. Since there are many more Great Skua than there used to be, this would be very bad news for the smaller seabirds in the area, and could easily make several seabird species endangered.

The question for this week’s ethical debate is simple: Do you think that we should continue with efforts to reduce bycatch in Northern Europe even if it means that local seabird species will become endangered?

I should note that the authors of this paper stated that “it would not be appropriate to maintain current rates of discarding for the sake of seabirds”.

Votier, SC, Furness, R, Bearhot, S, Crane, J, Caldow, R, Catry, P, Ensor, K, Hamer, K, Hudson, A, Kalmback, E, Klomp, N, Pfeiffer, S, Phillips, R, Prieto, I and D Thompson (2004). Changes in fisheries discard rates and seabird communities. Nature, 427 (6976), 727-30. DOI

~WhySharksMatter

 Plastic Oceans

"150,000,000 tons of plactic produced globally, annually."

"Half of the plactic is used once and thrown away. Only 10% of plastic is recycled."

"Every hour, Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles."

http://www.plasticoceans.net/

'Darth Vader of dolphins’ to release 17 bottlenose
By Judith Lavoie, Times Colonist March 29, 2010

“Is it real? Are we really talking about the release and permanent end of the capture of dolphins?” says Mark Palmer of the Earth Island Institute.

“I will see. I have an open mind,” says Ric O'Barry, also from Earth Island Institute. (Ric is also a former trainer for the Flipper television series who went on to dedicate his life to the release of captive dolphins). Chris Porter has citied O'Barry's project, the film The Cove, as an inspiration for his change of heart. 

Chris Porter also cites the behaviours of Tillikum, the Killer Whale, as a factor. (Chris was Tillikum's original trainer.)

Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/technology/Darth Vader dolphins release bottlenose/2741326/story.html#ixzz0jwNvINpL

EDITORIAL
A Chance for the Bluefin
 
Published: March 4, 2010
There finally may be a reprieve for the bluefin tuna of the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic, which are spiraling rapidly downward toward commercial extinction. On Wednesday, the Obama administration endorsed a ban on international trade in these fish. It must use all of its influence to get the European Union and others to follow.

In response to a scientific petition by the Center for Biological Diversity, this Tuesday the National Marine Fisheries Service announced it's launching a full status review to determine whether 82 corals deserve federal protections. The corals, threatened chiefly by global warming and ocean acidification, have been determined by the Center to be the most imperiled species in U.S. waters, all of them faced with population declines of 30 percent or greater. The Center has already earned Endangered Species Act protection for elkhorn and staghorn coral -- the first species ever to earn protection from global warming.

"The status review is an important step forward in protecting coral reefs, which scientists have warned may be the first worldwide ecosystem to collapse due to global warming," said Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "Endangered Species Act protection can provide a safety net for corals on the brink of extinction."

Read more in the Washington Post

From shark-alley.com:

"Europe’s fishing commissioner has launched a plan to save the dwindling numbers of Europe’s sharks, which are under threat from over fishing and hunting. Joe Borg, the European commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries, pledged yesterday to tighten hunting controls on sharks.

His proposals – to limit shark catches, tighten rules on fishing tackle and reduce the number of days when trawlers can hunt for sharks in sensitive areas – will be considered by Europe’s ministers later this year. Borg also called for a ban on discards – sharks that are caught as a by-catch with other species and thrown back into the sea, where they are unlikely to survive. Figures published last year by the International Union for Conservation of Nature showed that nearly one-third (26%) of sharks and rays in the north-east Atlantic face extinction through the effects of over fishing. Seven percent are classed as critically endangered and one-fifth are now regarded as “near threatened”. It should be noted that Shark fishing in Europe has never been managed systematically.

Since the mid-1980s, sharks have been under increasingly intense fishing pressure due to higher demand for shark products (meat, fins, skin, cartilage, etc.), especially in Asian markets. This over exploitation affects populations that are generally fragile and is leading some species to the brink of extinction. The European Commission’s Action plan for the Conservation and Management of Sharks aims to address these very issues.

The European plan is based on the International Action plan for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (IPOA SHARKS) adopted by the FAO in 1999. The international plan aims to ensure the conservation and management of sharks and their sustainable use at global level. It is voluntary but all the States concerned are encouraged to implement it."

Read the whole plan and get up to date information from the European Fisheries Commission here. It's the first multinational shark conservation effort of it's kind. 

Learn about all of Sea Shepherd's campaigns to protect ocean animals. 

http://www.cs2r.org

Here is a blurb from California Ships to Reefs on this victory for the state of California.

"

The California State Assembly resoundingly approved the passage of AB 634 Tuesday, helping to lay the groundwork for artificial reefing on the state’s coastline.

The bill passed without a single negative vote, announced California Ships to Reefs, sponsor of the bill.  It is now in the State Senate, where it will be assigned to a committee for hearing.  AB 634 protects state and local agencies from liability in the event of diving accidents that occur on artificial reefs controlled by state agencies.  It provides the protection governmental agencies need to go forward with these projects.

“The Assembly’s passage of AB 634 on a 71 to 0 vote tremendously affirmed the hard work our organization and its supporters did to help create this measure and explain its mission,” said Joel Geldin, CSTR’s Chairman and CEO.  “It’s an indication our legislators understand how valuable artificial reefs will be to our state’s economy and the environment. We hope our supporters give their state senators the message that it’s time to get on board with this bill. We also want to thank Assemblywoman Diane Harkey (R-Dana Point), who authored it.”

California Ships to Reefs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit corporation that works with agencies to create artificial reefs by sinking decommissioned military or retired commercial vessels in harbors, where they quickly become breeding grounds for new ocean life.  The rejuvenated ocean environments attract divers, fishermen and other recreational opportunities, pumping additional income into local businesses.  For more information, please contact Dean Rewerts, Vice President Reef Development at 530-906-6465.

"

From National Geographic. Please see full article here.

Although plastic trash is known to be indestructible, scientists recently discovered that some plastics actually decompose rapidly in the ocean. Instead of taking hundreds of years and high temperatures to decompose, plastic it now seems can break down at cooler temperatures and within one year of hitting the water. This is bad news since as it decomposes, plastic leaches toxic chemicals such as bisphenol A into the ocean. [...]

All the water samples were found to contain derivatives of polystyrene, a common plastic used in disposable cutlery, Styrofoam, and DVD cases, among other things, said Saido, who presented the findings at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington, D.C., today.

Plastic, he said, should be considered a new source of chemical pollution in the ocean.

 photo courtesy of Surfrider Foundation

http://www.foe.org/cruisereportcard

"Over 10,000 new chemicals are produced each year, mostly in industry where they will be deployed for commercial use.  At least in the US, these chemicals are only regulated after they are commercially released unless they are for clinical purposes.  That means that a product could be on the market for years before anyone even realizes that it’s getting into the environment, let alone that it’s toxic and should be contained. "

Read more:

http://southernfriedscience.com/2010/01/07/chemistry-of-the-great-big-blue/

INTERAGENCY OCEAN POLICY TASK FORCE

On June 12, 2009, President Obama sent a memorandum to the heads of executive departments and federal agencies establishing an Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, led by the White House Council on Environmental Quality. The Task Force is charged with developing a recommendation for a national policy that ensures protection, maintenance, and restoration of oceans, our coasts and the Great Lakes. It will also recommend a framework for improved stewardship, and effective coastal and marine spatial planning.

read more

In association with San Francisco’s Aquarium of the Bay, zerobar.org members will help to clean up Aquatic Park. Every participant will receive a free ticket to the aquarium just for coming. We’ll have all the supplies, water, and some snacks…. plus lots of great company!! Please come join us for a few hours on Saturday morning. 9:00 am to 11:00 am, Saturday, Septmember 20^th. Just click the link above to let us know you are coming. You don’t have to be a member of zerobar.org to join us, eat our food, drink our water, or to get cool tickets to visit the Aquarium later. It’s three hours of your life. It’s hard to find a reason not to go, so just come along and bring your friends!!

The ocean will thank you.

Other Clean Up Opportunities

Literacy for Environmental Justice, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the Presidio Trust, and National Park Service are working collaboratively to host cleanup activities throughout San Francisco, including sites along the eastern shoreline, western shoreline, and interior of the Presidio of San Francisco.
 
EAST SIDE: Multiple sites along Candlestick Point Shoreline, India Basin Shoreline, Heron’s Head Park, Pier 94, Islais Creek, Warm Water Cove, and more sites to be announced.
www.lejyouth.orgwww.lejyouth.org
Contact: Elsa Calvillo, (415) 282-6840, outreach_at_lejyouth.org
 
WEST SIDE: Fisherman’s Wharf, Crissy Field/Fort Point/Marina, Presidio of San Francisco, Baker Beach, Lands End, multiple sites along Ocean Beach, and more sites to be announced.
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, www.parksconservancy.org
Contact: Cody Fyotek or Denise Shea, (415) 561-3077, volunteer_at_parksconservancy.org

On the west side of the city, help is needed at the following sites:
Ocean Beach/Stairwell 17 (between Fulton & Lincoln/across from the Beach Chalet) – Drop-ins are ok
Ocean Beach/Taraval – Drop-ins are ok
Ocean Beach/Sloat – Drop-ins are ok
Fort Funston (Main Parking Lot by the Observation Deck) – Registration requested

Contact: Tori Kuwahara, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, TKuwahara_at_ParksConservancy.org

WASHINTON, D.C. -- Prominent ocean conservationists are encouraged by President Bush's announcement today directing his Administration to consider protecting a number of very large, ecologically important ocean areas. However, they are concerned that the proposal could allow for multiple-use practices that would harm the species and ecosystems in these areas. The sites are remote reef-cloaked US possessions and their surrounding waters in the Central Pacific, and the world's smallest atoll in American Samoa.

Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) have worked together for nearly two years to encourage the Bush Administration to protect these areas from industrial fishing and other threats to ocean life.

"People everywhere should praise this visionary idea," said Marine Conservation Biology Institute Board member Dr. Sylvia A. Earle, "if President Bush does what no world leader has ever done before: fully protect these colossal areas of shallow and deep coral reefs, seamounts and other vulnerable marine ecosystems in the Pacific Ocean, now and forever," she said.

Dr. Earle, perhaps the world's most famous ocean explorer, served as Chief Scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under President George H.W. Bush. She is also Chairman of Deep Ocean Exploration and Research and Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society.

"Two years ago, President Bush shook the world when he made the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands a Marine National Monument and what was then the world's largest no-take marine reserve," said MCBI Board member James C. Greenwood. "He gifted Americans and the world by protecting life in an incredible area of ocean 1,200 miles long and 100 miles wide," said The Honorable Mr. Greenwood, a Republican who served six terms as a US Representative from Pennsylvania and was a founder of the House Oceans Caucus before leaving Congress and becoming President of the Biotechnology Industry Organization.

"If the President ultimately acts to protect these amazing areas of ocean to the fullest extent," said Mr. Greenwood, "his conservation legacy will rival that of President Teddy Roosevelt. Leadership in protecting our planet can and must come from Republicans and Democrats alike," he continued. "The fate of our oceans is far more important than partisan politics."

Large fish species, corals and vulnerable marine ecosystems are disappearing around the world. In the last several decades, 90% of big fishes including bluefin tunas, blue marlin and large groupers, have been wiped out. A growing number of marine scientists around the world believe that fully protected no-take marine reserves are the most powerful way to counter these losses.

Dr. Earle, Mr. Greenwood, and MCBI and EDF staff members met repeatedly with high-level Bush Administration officials, encouraging them to safeguard the waters surrounding various Central Pacific islands and Rose Atoll in American Samoa, among other sites.

"The President's announcement is highly encouraging," said William J. Chandler, Vice President for Government Affairs at Marine Conservation Biology Institute. "By using his presidential powers under the Antiquities Act and other statutes to fully protect ocean areas like he did in Hawaii, President Bush could write a new chapter in the history of conservation."

"This could be the best thing ever for ocean conservation. These vast Pacific areas are nearly three times the size of Texas," said Dr. Elliott A. Norse, founder and President of Marine Conservation Biology Institute. "Indeed, they're bigger than Mexico. Countless seabirds, dolphins, fishes, corals and tiny things as yet undiscovered could survive as a result, free of the threats that are eliminating them elsewhere, if the President gives full protection to these areas. I am thrilled that President Bush is considering this," said Dr. Norse.

The world's coral reefs and coral species are in trouble. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently reported that nearly half of US coral reefs are in poor to fair condition. And a large group of international scientists recently reported that one-third of reef-building corals face elevated extinction risk from climate change and local impacts. The areas being considered are coral islands, atolls and reefs that are US territories and possessions in the Central Pacific Ocean, including Baker, Howland, Jarvis, Johnston, Kingman, Palmyra, Wake and Rose. Dr. Earle, Dr. Norse and 192 other American marine scientists recently called upon President Bush to give strong permanent protection to these reefs and their surroundings. The Governor of American Samoa, Togiola T.A. Tulafono has requested the President designate Rose Atoll in American Samoa as a national monument.

Marine Conservation Biology Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the science of marine conservation biology and securing protection for the world's marine ecosystems. Founded in 1996, MCBI is headquartered in Bellevue, WA, and has offices in Honolulu, HI, Glen Ellen, CA and Washington, DC. 

http://www.underwatertimes.com/print.php?article_id=61089352041

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