Steller's sea lions

The poor endangered Steller’s sea lions are surviving so poorly, and their populations decreasing alarmingly, at the point of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands that the Obama administration is stepping up, and calling for the immediate cease and desist order for the commercial fishing of two very prominent species of fish; the Atka mackerel and the Pacific cod.

This shutdown being proposed by the Obama administration would only hit a small, yet vital portion of Alaska’s largely Seattle-based fishing industry.

However, it is also the latest proof that the sea lions have become a proxy in a heated battle over fishing in Alaska. Both environmentalists and big Industry are keeping their eye on what’s happening to the $1 billion a year pollock industry in the Bering Sea nearby. The fishery there supplies half of the country’s catch of fish.

On Monday the fishing industry expressed their concerns at the rapid and sever proposal put out by the Obama administration. It should be noted however, that this proposal was made in response to a 45 percent drop in the western Aleutians’ sea lion population since 2000. That’s quite a dip in only 10 short years.

The National Marine Fisheries Service wants to have everything closed down and other preventative measures in place by next year.

“What they’ve put on the table today is a head shot for us,” exclaimed counsel for United States Seafood in South Seattle, Dave Wood.

Right Whales

The measures meant to put a stop to the extinction of one of the world’s most endangered marine animals appear to be having an effect, as the population of the North Atlantic right whales rises slightly as the deaths linked to ship strikes decline just a tad.

A research scientist, who has been studying these large, yet graceful animals has said that the numbers they are seeing suggest that the initiatives in both the United States and Canada that make ships steer clear of areas where the animals have been spotted could be helping them to bounce back.

“I think the ship-strike problem has been reduced,” explained a research scientist at the New England Aquarium in Boston, Amy Knowlton.

“Certainly they’re much better protected from ship strikes than they ever have been, so we’re hopeful that the number of mortalities from that sort of thing will reduce.”

Knowlton, who is planning on continuing the study of the right whale over the course of the next few months in the Bay of Fundy, has explained that they could be witnessing signs that the regulations on speed and ship routing have been having a beneficial effect on the right whale populations.

It’s good to know that someone is finally standing up for the “right” thing.

Dead zone may 2010. It is now bigger.

The “Dead Zone”, the low-oxygen area in the Gulf of Mexico, which has been recorded this year, might just be the largest on record and it overlaps areas which were affected by the oil spill courtesy of our Eco-friendly oil conglomerate BP.

The areas afflicted with low levels of oxygen, also known as hypoxia, cover an area estimated to be over 7,000 square miles of the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico and extended as far as to actually enter Texas waters. This astonishing discovery was made by researchers at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, after performing a survey of the waters.

The area covered is expected to have included a section off of Galveston, Texas, as well, however poor weather conditions forced the researchers to cut their surveying trip short.

“The total area probably would have been the largest if we had enough time to completely map the western part,” said the consortium’s executive director, Nancy Rabalais.

The largest dead zone that was ever measured in a survey, which started on a regular basis in 1985, was slightly more than 8,000 square miles, and was recorded in 2001.

This annual summer “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico is generally attributed to chemicals used by farmers, and which make their way to the Gulf by means of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers.
The phosphorous and nitrogen contained in agricultural runoffs provide a food source which allows algae to prosper in the Gulf.

When bits of algae die off, or are excreted by sea animals which eat them settle onto the bottom of the water, they decompose and the bacteria consume the oxygen in the water.

The end result, the scientists explained, is that this causes oxygen depletion in the water, which forces many marine animals including fish, shrimp and crabs to either vacate their homes, or suffocate.

The marine life which makes its home in the sediments can survive with relatively little oxygen, however they will begin to die off as the oxygen level approaches zero.

To be considered as part of this “Dead Zone”, the oxygen levels in bottom waters in the Gulf of Mexico need to be at a level of 2 parts per million or less.

By the end of July this year, large areas of the norther part of the Gulf of Mexico had already reached that level, including one part close to Galveston Bay.

The area which the BP oil spill overlaps in some areas in the “Dead Zone”, Rabalais explained, and microbes which would be used to help clean up the spill can deplete oxygen levels in the water.

Be that as it may, scientists could not say that there is a definite link between the devastating oil spill, and the size of the “Dead Zone”.

“It would be difficult to link conditions seen this summer with oil from the BP spill in either a positive or negative way,” Rabalais explained.

Government officials have gone on the record, and stated that the spill in the Gulf of Mexico is no longer a threat to the East Coast, however Marine Scientists are begging to differ. The scientists are saying it’s not the oil we can see, but the oil that we can’t see, that is the problem.

The marine scientists are shouting out against the government claims that the oil spill in the Gulf is finally being taken care of, and no longer is putting Florida, or the rest of the East Coast at risk. The scientists firmly believe that the oil may simply have moved itself to under the water, and as such still poses an immense risk to fish and other sea lifeforms.

“Just because you don’t see it on the surface or on the coast, it doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem,” explains the director of the coastal marine laboratory at Florida State University, Felicia Coleman,

“I want to know what’s happening with dispersants and dispersed oil. If there are large plumes of oil underwater we might not be able to see for some time “

On the 27th of last month, Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the NOAA, released the following statement; “the coast remains clear” for the Eastern Seaboard.

“With the flow stopped and the loop current a considerable distance away, the light sheen remaining on the Gulf’s surface will continue to biodegrade and disperse, but will not travel far,” Lubchenco explained.

However, others feel, that if the oil has made its way underwater, it could be quite some time before we know the whole story, and what impact it could have on the delicate ecosystems around the world.

Shark fins

The Asian demand for shark fin soup has risen drastically over the years, and is the contributing factor for the massacre of nearly 300,000 sharks off of Brazil.

The Brazilian Environmental Justice Institute has officially accused Siglo do Brasil Comercio, a well known exporter of sea food, of engaging in the illegal massacre of almost 300,000 sharks.

The group is actually taking them to court, and demanding compensation for what it says is “massive damage to the marine ecosystem”.

The group has alleged that most of the sharks were pulled up out of the water, had their fins removed, and then simply dumped unceremoniously back into the water.

The environmental group is going to be suing Siglo do Brasil Comercio for a princely sum of $790 million in damages, for its ill gotten sale of some 290,000 sharks since 2009.

“As we can’t put a value on life, we have calculated the impact on the ecosystem,” explained Cristiano Pacheco, the director of the group. “We think the sharkfins were exported clandestinely, in containers, likely from the ports of Rio Grande do Sul to the Asian market,” Mr Pacheco continued.

It is not legal to take the fins off the shark and them dump their carcasses overboard in Brazil, however they bring in a pretty penny from Asian diners, who use the fins in soups. In fact, some say that these self same Asian diners are encouraging the practice of taking only the shark’s fins, and throwing the rest back into the water.

Humboldt Penguin

Five penguins species are finally getting a new lease on life, after being awarded protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. This protection is being awarded after a 2006 petition initiated by the Center for Biological Diversity, in conjunction with two lawsuits which were filed together with Turtle Island Restoration Network.

The decision made by the Interior Department will finally put the Humboldt penguin of Chile and Peru, and four different New Zealand penguins, on the threatened list.

“Protecting these penguins under the Endangered Species Act gives them a renewed chance at survival,” explained Shaye Wolf, Center biologist “Unfortunately, in today’s finding the Obama administration failed to acknowledge climate change as a threat. This administration won’t be able to help penguins survive the climate crisis if it doesn’t admit that it’s a problem.”

These penguins are acing some very real threats from things such as ocean acidification, climate change, and commercial fishing. The designation handed down today will hopefully raise awareness about the situation these penguins face on a day to day basis, increase funding for research and conservation, and provide additional scrutiny of any U.S. government approved activities which could cause harm to both the penguins and their respective habitats.

With the oceans warming up, the sea ice melting, and overfishing, the penguins food supply of kril and fish is more scarce then ever..

It’s about time something was done about the problem, let us hope it isn’t too late..

How many fish species are there?

The first global census of life in the sea has logged some 230,000 species, however a ten year study on the subject performed by over 300 scientists warns of mass extinctions.

This ten year study has been the largest, most extensive study to attempt a stab at that age old question “Just how many fish are there in the sea?”

The ten year study, which was published today, is attempting to answer that question. It has analyzed the diversity, distribution and abundance of life in the world’s oceans. This study, dubbed The Census of Marine Life, hopes to give a ballpark estimate of the present marine life, and has estimated that there are more than 230,000 species living in our oceans.

“From coast to the open ocean, from the shallows to the deep, from little things like microbes to large things such as fish and whales,” explained Patricia Miloslavich of Universidad Simón Bolívar, Venezuela and co-senior scientist of the COML.
The study which was carried out also covers animals such as; crabs, plankton, birds, sponges, worms, squids, sharks and slugs.

Moe than 360 scientists from around the world got together and have spent the past ten years surveying 25 different regions, ranging from the Antarctic through the more temperate and tropical seas, to the Arctic, to attempt a head count of the different kinds of plants and animals.

The results of the study show that just about twenty percent of the marine species of the world are crustaceans such as lobsters, krill, barnacles, and crabs. Toss in Molluscs (such as squid and octopus) and fish (which include sharks) and that adds up to half of the number of species which are found in the oceans of the world.

The charismatic species often used in those ecological conservation campaigns – sea lions, turtles, whales and sea birds – make up less than 2% of the species in our world’s oceans.

Which is really interesting when you think about it.. We tend to only take notice of the species right on the surface, without really giving a second thought to those that dwell within the depths..

The surveys also pointed out the major areas of concern for the conservationist groups. “In every region, they’ve got the same story of a major collapse of what were usually very abundant fish stocks or crabs or crustaceans that are now only 5-10% of what they used to be,” explained Mark Costello of the Leigh Marine Laboratory, University of Auckland in New Zealand. “These are largely due to over-harvesting and poor management of those fisheries. That’s probably the biggest and most consistent threat to marine biodiversity around the world.”

The main threats that have been found up till now are; overfishing, degraded habitats, pollution and the arrival of invasive species. However, it was pointed out that more problems are on the horizon including; rising water temperatures, acidification thanks to global warming, and the expansion of areas unable to support life in the ocean.

Hopefully this survey will raise global awareness, and as a race, we can get together and start trying to preserve the abundant life, which is at the depths of our oceans.

Despite the May 26 directive issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Coast Guard approved dozens of requests by BP to disperse hundred of thousands of gallons of surface oil dispersants in the Gulf of Mexico. The actual directive stated that they should only be using dispersants rarely, this according to documents analyzed by a Congressional subcommittee.

In fact, in some of the requests the Coast Guard approved, there wasn’t even an upper limit set on the amount of dispersant that BP planned to disperse.

The Democratic chairman of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, Edward J Markey, wrote in a letter to the retired Coast Guard admiral who is in charge of leading a federal response to the oil spill, Thad W. Alen, that the dispersants were contributing to “a toxic stew of chemicals, oil and gas, with impacts that are not well understood,”

In a conference call between the Admiral and the E.P.A. Administrator, Lisa P. Jackson, they said they were working closely together on the issue, and were coming close to achieving the agency’s goal of diminishing the use of dispersant amounts by three quarters.

On the 26th of May, the E.P.A. Had blatantly told BP it was to stop its use of dispersants on the ocean surface, except in “rare cases when there may have to be an exemption.” They were also told to strictly limit the amounts they used underwater.

Seems BP just can’t stop stepping in a heap of trouble.. One wonders when they will finally get things cleared away, and if they will be held accountable for the destruction they have wrought on the environment.

The wild stock of the Mekong giant catfish are going to be driven to extinction if the hydropower dams planned for construction in the Mekong River get the go ahead, says a report recently released by the WWF (World Wildlife Fund)

The report, which was titled “River of Giants: Giant Fish of the Mekong”, writes on four of these giant catfish which make their home in the Mekong. They rank in the top 10 of biggest freshwater fish in the entire world. The Mekong River’s Giant freshwater stingray can be half the length of a bus, and weigh in at somewhere around 1,300 pounds and currently holds the title for world’s biggest freshwater fish. However, the Mekong giant catfish, now listed as critically endangered, ranks third being almost 10 feet long and weighs in at around 771 pounds.

The hydropower dam which is supposed to be constructed on the Mekong River at Sayabouly Province, northern Laos, is a serious threat to the survival of the wild stock of this magnificent catfish.

“A fish the size of a Mekong giant catfish cannot swim across a large barrier like the Sayabouly dam to reach its spawning grounds upstream,” explained the Director of WWF’s Greater Mekong Program, Dekila Chungyalpa, “Building this and other dams will lead to the collapse of the wild population of this iconic species.”

One can only hope that they put a stopper in this plan to dam up their home, and cause strife for this majestic animal.

President Obama himself has been quoted as saying that the BP oil spill is the “ worst environmental disaster America has ever faced,” and well, so has just about anyone else asked what they thought about it. All sorts of different environmental groups are sounding the klaxons and screaming “catastrophe along the Gulf coast”, while the major news agencies such as; CBS, Fox, and MSNBC are all slathering “Disaster in the Gulf” into their main stories and reports.

Even Tony Hayward, the official fall guy for BP, after some early happy talk, has admitted that the spill was an “environmental catastrophe”. Rush Limbaugh, a rather obnoxious anti-environmentalist, has been on of the few which has argued that the spill, which he calls “the leak” – is not the disaster that everyone is making it out to be. He scoffs the apocalyptic claims of the vast majority of the various green groups.

It appears that Mr. Limbaugh has indeed got a point. The Deepwater Horizon explosion was a horrible thing to happen, especially for the 11 rig workers who died out there, and it certainly isn’t “a leak”; it is the largest spill that the US has witnessed to date.

It is also dealing some heavy blows to the economy and also the psychological well being of the coastal communities that depend on drilling, tourism and of course fishing. While it is impossible to know exactly how much damage has really been done as the event only took place some 3 months ago, it doesn’t seem to be doing any serious environmental damage.

“The impacts have been much, much less than everyone feared,” explains Jacqueline Michel, a geochemist who also is a federal contractor who is involved in coordinating the assessments of the shoreline in Louisiana.

It is true that the oil spill has killed birds, but so far, it is less than 1% of the number which were killed in the Exxon Valdez oil spill out in Alaska 21 years ago.

Of course, we have heard all those horror stories about those poor oiled dolphins, however, it is interesting to note that the wildlife response teams have only collected three visibly oiled bodies of mammals. When the spill first occurred, there was a harsh restriction put on fishing and shrimping. After a few tests on the shrimp and fish in the area, it was discovered they were clean, and the restriction lifted.

Yes, Lousiana, it has been warned could experience a speeding up in the deterioration of their marshes, which is happening anyway…

So as you can see, the spill has been touted as being the worst ever.. But is it just being hyped up for public entertainment? I mean would as many papers be sold if it weren’t the biggest disaster in the Gulf Coast? So who benefits from all he doom and gloom? Or is this an effort to try and calm people and divert attention away from what IS a big disaster? We don’t really know at this point.. We may never really know.. But stay tuned, and hopefully someone will sort out this mess.