Are the Chinese Finally Giving Up Shark Fin Soup?

A new survey has encouraging results for those concerned about the fate of world shark populations: it looks like the consumption of shark fin soup is dropping. The dish is considered a luxury status-symbol and usually served at weddings and other formal occasions. But now, of 1,000 residents of Hong Kong, 78% responded that they found it "acceptable" or "very acceptable" to leave the delicacy off the menu at a wedding.

The survey was commissioned by BLOOM, a non-profit organization dedicated to marine conservation, and carried out by the University of Hong Kong Social Sciences Research Centre. And while it's a small sample of a local market, it is a good sign that international markets are also moving away from hunting the endangered species. The New York Times writes:

But the city is the main hub for the world's shark fin trade. About 9,000 tons of fins, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, are imported each year, according to government statistics. So what happens in Hong Kong matters globally.

The survey is in line with a trend that dates back to 2009. So, while the results fall far short of assuring us that the world's sharks are safe, it's definitely good news. Shark finning is a horrific process :

A shark is caught, pulled onboard a boat, its fins are cut off, and the still-living shark is tossed back overboard to drown or bleed to death. The wasteful, inhumane practice is done to satisfy a demand for shark fins, which can fetch as much as $300 per pound.


With any luck, the numbers of those looking to dine on shark's fins will continue to drop, and the species will have a real chance to recover from their decimated numbers.

Sir Richard Branson's Deep-Sea Submarine to Explore Ocean's Unknown Depths

by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco

Our ocean, particularly deep ocean, is one of the least explored places on earth. We know just a fraction of what plants and animals live under the waves, and barely understand the complexity of ocean ecosystems. One part of this is because we haven't spent as much time designing and building the sophisticated tools required for diving into the deepest parts of the sea as we have building space ships. That needs to change, and Sir Richard Branson wants to be a leading figure in that change. He has unveiled the Virgin Oceanic submarine, capable of diving into even the Mariana Trench. But this will be just one of five incredible trenches the submarine is set to explore.

VIrgin Oceanic is a five-journey proposal, which includes the Mariana Trench, the Puerto Rico Trench, the Diamantina Trench, the South Sandwich Trench and the Molloy Deep in the Arctic ocean.

The team will be Sir Richard Branson and Chris Welsh, an American explorer, and they'll be working in conjunction with Scripps Institution of Oceanography as well as other top marine science programs. And the submarine is designed by Graham Hawks. The craft will be able to dive 37,000 feet, or about 7 miles deep (about as terrifying a trip as orbiting the moon) and will be made of carbon fiber and titanium to resist the extraordinary pressure. Also, the craft will be able to dive at a rate of 350 feet per minute, which seems quite fast and a round-trip venture to the bottom of the Mariana Trench would take about five hours.

Of course, the features of the submarine that make it an exploration vessel are just as important, and it will have sensors and cameras for recording the voyages and taking measurements for scientists.

Virgin Oceanic states, "If we are successful in our mission with this innovative design of submarine, then we will have proven that a vehicle can be built to withstand the extreme pressures of the oceans and that it is possible to take humans at far reduced risks to the bottom of our Oceans... When we have evolved our capacity for exploration, we will unlock opportunities to discover vast areas of our planet that we currently have no knowledge of. This is our vision."

It's an inspiring vision to be sure. And if there is a team of cleaver and resourceful people who can help get explorers to the darkest places of the earth that no human has ever seen, I'm sure there will be innumerable grateful scientists and researchers excited to take part in the project.

First Evidence of Plastic in the South Pacific: Is This a Different Kind of Garbage Patch?

by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 04. 5.11

5 Gyres founders Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen pick up a fishing line floating in the middle of the South Pacific. Photo credit: Paula Alvarado

No matter how much one has read or talked about plastic pollution in the oceans, the effect of seeing first-hand little pieces of plastic mixed with marine life or a yellow fishing line ruining a perfect view of the water nine hundred miles from the nearest coast is disturbing.

The thought comes to mind as, a week after departing from Valdivia, Chile, with the 5 Gyres project to sail the South Pacific in search of plastic pollution, the first traces of this material are starting to appear.

The foam buoy and synthetic rope were degraded and full of barnacles and crabs mistaking it for a natural habitat. Photo credit: Paula Alvarado

First, in the form of fragments of plastics and fishing nets in the samples taken from the trawls. Today, in the form of a fishing line floating in the middle of nowhere.

Even though these findings suggest that the South Pacific has not escaped the impact of marine plastic pollution, the fact that we're still finding small amounts of this petrol based material and not seeing so much debris floating around is also indicating that this part of the ocean may be in fact different from others explored by 5 Gyres.

According to Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen, founders of the project, the trawls on this trip appear cleaner than the ones done in the previous expeditions to the North Pacific, North Atlantic, Indian Ocean and South Atlantic.

Although one may think that's a good thing, it doesn't really mean that the South Pacific is cleaner but that the currents in this part of the ocean create a tighter gyre and thus the garbage may be more concentrated. A study called Floating marine debris surface drift: Convergence and accumulation toward the South Pacific subtropical gyre [PDF] also suggests that this gyre is a closed loop, and that the garbage that enters it doesn't leave, which could be the cause of not seeing so much debris floating.

The definite answer on whether this is the case or if the garbage patch in the South Pacific is smaller than previous ones will come when we reach the center of the gyre in a couple of days.

One of the trawl samples, with an organism tangled in a fishing net fragment. Photo credit: Paula Alvarado

While the small fragments of plastic and fishing nets found in the trawl samples may not seem like a lot, it's important to remember we're talking about the findings in the tiny portion of the South Pacific that was trawled.

We're taking samples every 60 miles, trawling an hour at a time. The width of the trawl is 0.6 meters (about two feet) and each time it runs for about two nautical miles (12,000 feet), so we're roughly covering 22,000 sq. feet of the immense ocean each time. And still, evidence -even if small- of plastic is found in the samples.

As we continue our way to Easter Island, the crew is enjoying light blue sunny afternoons and nights so full of stars you can see their reflections in the water. To think this beauty is about to be interrupted by a garbage patch is depressing and even scary.

Stay tuned for more of our 5 Gyres adventure coming soon!

Colony of Penguins Disappears From Antarctic Island

by Stephen Messenger, Porto Alegre, Brazil on 03. 8.11

When Emperor Island was first discovered off the coast of Antarctica back in 1948, it was so named for the thriving colony of around 300 penguins that met there each year to breed. Just over sixty years later, however, there's not a single penguin in sight -- and researchers suspect that melting off from global warming may be to blame for the colony's disappearance.

Emperor penguins typically return to breed and nest in the same place that they themselves were born, but this is the first time biologists have recorded a complete collapse of a once healthy colony -- though it's not entirely unexpected given recent changes in sea ice levels. The breeding colony on Emperor Island, off the West Antarctic Peninsula, was first observed to be declining in the late 1970s, until a aerial survey conducted in 2009 revealed that no birds were there at all.

Researchers aren't entirely certain what is behind the unprecedented disappearance of the Emperor penguin colony, though a team of scientists studying the phenomenon theorize that rising temperatures in the region may have made the island a less-than ideal breeding ground. "The one site in Antarctica where we have seen really big changes is the West Antarctic Peninsula," says Philip Trathan of the British Antarctic Survey.

A report from LiveScience offers more details on the team's findings:

Data collected from a station about 25 miles (40 kilometers) away shows a marked increase in air temperature; meanwhile, the local sea ice in the area has been forming later and melting earlier. One study published in 2007 in the Journal of Geophysical Research found that between 1979 and 2004 in this region, sea ice began advancing about 54 days later and retreating 31 days earlier. (This trend does not hold for all of Antarctic waters, but, ultimately, Antarctic sea ice is expected to shrink significantly.)
In addition to destroying colony habitat, warming and the loss of sea ice could indirectly affect the penguins by reducing the availability of the fish, krill and squid they eat, or by increasing the presence of predators, such as giant petrels, the authors write.

Because this is the first time such a disappearance has been observed, the research team is reluctant to say that changes in sea ice levels ultimately caused the penguin colony to die-off entirely, or if they simply relocated. "That's one of the big unknowns," says Trathan.

While penguins living in the Antarctic may be the first to be impacted by rising global temperatures and melting polar ice, they certainly won't be the last. Experts predict that sea levels could rise by over four feet by the end of the next century alone. Worse still, if the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet were to melt entirely, the sea levels could rise some 20 more feet, rendering coastal communities across the globe as virtually unrecognizable, devoid of its previous inhabitants -- a bit like Emperor Island nowadays, perhaps.

Plight of the Polar Bear in Pictures

Seeing Double(image credit:National Geographic)

Seeing double, sadly no. In fact, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the biggest man-made threat to polar bear survival is climate change. If current warming trends continue unabated, then polar bears could soon be found only in zoos.

Snowy(image credit:National Geographic)

Look at this adorable fluffy face. Is it any wonder that the polar bear is loved by so many? Clearly, however, it is not loved by enough. Other threats to this species include hunting and the illegal harvest of polar bears.

Is Captivity the Polar Bears’ Future?(image credits:Telegraph)

If some of the scientists are correct, polar bears could be extinct by 2050. Although it is truly a delight to watch these great white beasts play in the water or entertain us at the zoo, could this someday be the only place where polar bears survive?

Starving(image credits:National Geographic,Lee,Greening Washington)

Polar Bears have sharp, jagged back teeth, and canines that are larger and sharper than grizzly teeth. They swallow their food in large chunks instead of chewing. These large carnivores are sensitive indicators of ecosystem health. But they are starving, some are starving to death.

Headache, Fight, Kiss and Make Up(image credits:National Geographic,komar,komar)

This mother bear repeatedly denied her cubs the chance to breast-feed. Without food, she cannot make the milk her cubs need. She appears to be holding her head as if she has a headache. And what mother wouldn’t be overwhelmed with worry if she could not feed her children? Even if it is humanizing these beasts, we should identify with some of their actions. They fight. They kiss and make up.

Human-like(image credits:treehugger,gamespot,350twinports,treehugger)

Not everyone sees the polar bear as a species that has some human-like tendencies. Perhaps they are sticking out their tongue at humans, thinking we had better get our act together before their kind is lost? Two bears are moving as if waltzing together. The furry beast on the bottom is kicked back and relaxed as if some of these polar bears still have a little faith in us to hurry up and act to save them and their ecosystem

Standing in the Arctic Sunset(image credit:komar)

Polar bears are so well insulated that they need to move slowly to avoid overheating. Their thick coat has a double layer of water repellent hairs that conserve heat. Under their dense fur is black skin which is good for absorbing the rays of the arctic sun.

Nuzzle and Snuggle(image credits:NationalGeographic,NationalGeographic)

Bears roam far and wide in search of food, going from iceberg to iceberg. Bears fitted with satellite collars have been tracked, proving they swim up to 150 miles in search of food. Mother bears cannot leave their cubs for such a long time since a cub relies mainly on its mother for insulation. The more the ice and ecosystem is damaged, the further the mothers need to go to find seals, their primary food. This endangers both the cub and the mother.

Momma and Cubs

Pregnant females live off stored reserves for up to 6 months. Her milk and body heat enable her cub to stay warm and grow. The mother and cubs make short trips to and from the den to get the cubs accustomed to the outside temperatures.Then the family leaves and heads toward the sea ice where the mother teaches, hunts for and protects her cubs.

Shrinking Ice(image credits:naturescrusaders,b4tea,National Geographic,Legal Planet)

Polar bears have become the iconic symbol of early victims of climate-induced habitat loss. Shrinking sea ice due to global warming is a serious threat to bears that hunt and travel on the ice. Bears depend on ice. And the ice is melting. WWF works to protect critical polar bear habitats where these bears are already stuck and stranded on land for long periods of time due to lack of ice.


1 Feb 2010,
Source : Ecoist

Polar Bears Full of More Toxins Than Any Other Creature

As their native habitat melts, polar bears have been forced into close contact with grizzly bears and humans—both of which have limited the iconic carnivore's ability to obtain food. This, however, is not the only problem the bears face.

New research has shown that, even in their relatively remote arctic homes, exposure to toxins and chemicals have compounded to make polar bears the most contaminated creatures on the planet.

The problem begins in Europe, Asia, and North America, where industrial and agricultural pollutants are released into the air and water. Ocean and atmospheric currents carry these pollutants north and they eventually settle in the Arctic.

Once there, the process of biomagnification begins. Small lifeforms at the bottom of the food chain consume the toxins and chemicals. These small organisms are consumed, and eventually so too are their predators. The process continues across the food web until it ends when a polar bear—a pinnacle predator—eats a seal.

At each link of the chain, each joint of the web, slowly-metabolized toxins are not only transferred, they are concentrated. This means that by the time they are consumed by polar bears, they have reached levels potent enough to stress the animal.

Researchers have found elevated levels of PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and mercury in polar bears.