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.

Overfishing and Global Warming Killing Billfish and Tuna

ScienceDaily — Billfish and tuna, important commercial and recreational fish species, may be more vulnerable to fishing pressure because of shrinking habitat, according to a new study published by scientists from NOAA, The Billfish Foundation, and University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.

An expanding zone of low oxygen, known as a hypoxic zone, in the Atlantic Ocean is encroaching upon these species' preferred oxygen-abundant habitat, forcing them into shallower waters where they are more likely to be caught.

During the study, published recently in the journal Fisheries Oceanography, scientists tagged 79 sailfish and blue marlin with satellite tracking devices in the western North Atlantic, off south Florida and the Caribbean; and eastern tropical Atlantic, off the coast of West Africa. The pop off archival satellite tags monitored horizontal and vertical movement patterns. Researchers confirmed that billfish prefer oxygen rich waters closer to the surface and will actively avoid waters low in oxygen.

While these hypoxic zones occur naturally in many areas of the world's tropical and equatorial oceans, scientists are concerned because these zones are expanding and occurring closer to the sea surface, and are expected to continue to grow as sea temperatures rise.

"The hypoxic zone off West Africa, which covers virtually all the equatorial waters in the Atlantic Ocean, is roughly the size of the continental United States, and it's growing," said Dr. Eric D. Prince, NOAA's Fisheries Service research fishery biologist. "With the current cycle of climate change and accelerated global warming, we expect the size of this zone to increase, further reducing the available habitat for these fish."

Less available habitat can lead to more fish being caught since the fish are concentrated near the surface. Higher catch rates from these areas may give the false appearance of more abundant fish stocks. The shrinking availability of habitat and resulting increases to catch rates are important factors for scientists to consider when doing population assessments.

Researchers forecast that climate change and its associated rise in ocean temperatures will further increase the expansion of hypoxic zones in the world's oceans. As water temperature increases, the amount of oxygen dissolved in water decreases, further squeezing billfish into dwindling available habitat and exposing them to even higher levels of exploitation.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101222162402.htm

The oceans are in a crisis. Greenpeace has a plan to save them. A global network of marine reserves can restore the world’s oceans to health

Our oceans are an absolute marvel - but they are also in a deep, deep crisis. If we don’t act fast, our oceans will continue to deteriorate and vital food sources and essential functions provided to our planet and its people by the oceans could be lost forever. Since healthy oceans underpin our very survival, Greenpeace is today releasing an “Emergency Oceans Rescue Plan” aimed at world leaders, which sets out the best way to save our oceans- something that can and should be done at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) which takes place later this month in Japan.



Our plan shows how to create a global network of marine reserves- wildlife parks at sea- to cover 40% of the world’s oceans. As scientists keep telling us, that’s exactly the kind of large-scale protection we need if we are to maintain living oceans. Our “Emergency Oceans Rescue Plan” is a call for policy-makers to implement it.
The benefits are obvious. Large-scale marine reserves will not just protect the full diversity of marine life and ensure healthy fisheries. They will also help us to alleviate food insecurity and poverty and build the resilience of our oceans to the impacts of climate change and, ultimately, allow us to sustain life on Earth for future generations.

If we want our oceans to thrive and to continue to support human and animal life, then we need marine reserves now. Marine reserves are off-limits to fishing, fossil fuel extraction and other industrial activities. Establishing marine reserves effectively puts a massive ‘STOP’ sign right in the front of those destructive bottom trawlers and dirty oil exploration ships that roam our oceans so freely right now, and says “yes” to healthy oceans and fish for the future.’

Last month, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told politicians gathered in New York that a “rescue package similar to that introduced after the global financial crisis is urgently needed to halt the worldwide loss of biodiversity, which is resulting in a heavy human cost.”

Well, with respect to our oceans, world leaders preparing for the CBD meeting need look no further than the Emergency Oceans Rescue Plan. The CBD meeting is a chance for world leaders to halt the massive loss of marine biodiversity and ensure the survival of the millions dependent on the oceans for food and their livelihoods - all that is needed is political will.

Please spread the word and join the call for marine reserves.

Saturday, November 13, 2010 Report from Taiji: November 13 (new video)

An entire family wiped out…another family escaped, this time

November 13, 2010
The molesters went out this morning, but did not have to go far. They quickly found a pod of dolphins and half their boats drove them into the Cove. The other half of the fleet sat out guarding another pod. That pod managed to elude them, so all of the molesters returned to port. They wasted no time and set about slaughtering the entire family. No one was spared, and 14 dolphins died in the Cove in Taiji, Japan on this day.

Even though the molesters go to great lengths to hide what they do, we again obtained photographs and video of them hauling dolphins onto the gutting barge and then up into the butcher house. But we also have even more disturbing video of what happens just before the dolphins are killed. I have not seen anything this cold and callous before. These men have no respect for the dolphins they kill. They have no culture or mercy. May they receive mercy in their despicable meaningless lives to match the mercy they show to these dolphins.

Dolphins herded to cove on the way to slaughter. Video credit: Big Gunns (3 minutes)

In this video, you will see dolphins bound by their tails, desperately trying to take a breath. That breath they struggle so hard for is one of their last. Imagine the terror. In this video, these dolphins are among the last to be dragged up onto the beach to be dispatched. This means that they have been watching and listening, as their family members have been so killed. Now it is happening to them. Near the end of the video you will see the molesters working to free a now dead dolphin from the nets. That dolphin attempted to flee, but drowned entangled in the nets.



The amount of shame and dishonor these men bring to the entire nation of Japan is beyond belief. How can this nation allow these men to continue to act this way? How long will the civilized world allow this to continue? Is trade so important that other nations are willing to turn a blind eye? What would President Obama say if he were to view this video?

In addition to Japanese companies, find out which companies support the dolphinariums. Contact those companies and let them know what they are supporting and how you feel about it. Let your conscience be your guide on whether or not you will buy from them.



If you are in Boston in early December, let these molesters know what you think about them. Get their photographs so the world can be shown the faces of those who drive the slaughter and imprisonment. The annual IMATA conference is in Boston this year.

Keep up the barrage on your own governments and the embassies and consulates of Japan the world over. Every time dolphins are pushed into the Cove, let them have it. Every time there is blood in the water, let them have it. Do not grow weary for you are being heard. Together we will see an end to the slaughter of whales and dolphins in Japan and by Japanese crews the world over.

It is unfortunate that the reputation of an entire nation is being tarnished by the evil and shameful deeds of a handful of men and women in Taiji. To join us (voluntarily, and completely at your own cost and risk) in Taiji, write to me at inform-us@seashepherd.org. I will get back to you, but please be patient. I cannot keep an eye on the Cove and answer email at the same time. Contributions to Sea Shepherd to keep our official presence here are needed and welcome. I am the current official Sea Shepherd representative and will be replaced by Michael Dalton when I leave on December 9, 2010.

For the Oceans,
Scott West
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Whales Forced to Shout as Oceans Get Noisier

Photo: m-louis / CC

As anybody who's ever gone to a dance club knows, it's not easy to have quality conversation in loud places -- but party-goers aren't the only ones who have learned to cope with the clamor. According to marine biologists studying whale mating calls, an increasingly noisy ocean is forcing the animals to shout their romantic melodies -- around 10 times louder than they did 50 years ago. Talk about a raucous orca-stra!

Researchers looking at how whales are dealing with rackety seas focused their attention on the waters around Britain. With undersea oil exploration, constant shipping traffic, and even noisy wind-farms, the UK's seas are among the world's loudest -- and it's forcing whales to change their tune. A similar study found the same thing is happening to whales closer to the U.S., too.

Perter Tyack, a biologist from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, explains to The Herald-Sun:

The rumbling noises emitting by ships and marine installations have similar frequencies to those used by whales. We found that whales are trying to adapt either by emitting much louder noised or by calling at a higher frequency. It's like they've turned from bass into a tenor.
These whale songs, capable of traveling hundreds of miles through the ocean, are thought to play an important role in finding a mate. As this exchange becomes more difficult due to louder oceans, it could spell trouble for whale breeding -- it's hard to meet a decent mate as it is, nowadays.

But it's not just the volume or pitch of the whale's communication that's being affected -- the messages themselves are becoming less elaborate and repeated more often -- "like a human forced to shout," says Tyack. "It also means they spend more energy on communicating."

And if all that wasn't concerning enough already, just imagine the embarrassment whales must feel when they learn that they've been calling their new partner by the wrong name, like, all night.

Wyland's "Dolphin Duet" by Dolphin Defender on Tuesday, November 9, 2010 at 10:19am

Wyland's "Dolphin Duet"
by Dolphin Defender on Tuesday, November 9, 2010 at 10:19am
Tonight we went to the Wyland gallery in La Jolla and had a great conversation with Wyland- this guy is truly amazing in all he does and is one of the greatest ocean lovers and marine conservationists of our time. It's my second time meeting him in person but the last time I met him 6 years ago I wasn't aware of what was going on in Taiji. He told me that dolphins will always be his favorite marine mammal, I couldn't disagree with him maybe it's why I started this page after all but also I'm for whales, turtles and seals and yes sharks are awesome too!

When the time was right I brought up the subject of Taiji and he was more than well aware of what was going on, he had an experience there a while back he won't soon forget and shared a short version of the below with us, I had to bite my lip so my eyes wouldn't fill with tears. I know it must have been so hard for him to not cut those nets, it's a big reason I haven't gone to Taiji- I'm not sure what I'd do or if I'd be able to just sit there and observe. This stuff really gets under my skin! He's a great artist and very knowledgeable. I hope too that his murals will also have an impact on the people of Japan, maybe in the future he will do one in The Farroe Islands as well and raise some love and awareness there too? I wanted to share this blog of his I found when I came home to research his past trip to Taiji some more and wanted to share with you.

10/03/2009
Wyland applauds efforts of filmmakers to expose Japanese dolphin slaughter

“In a remote, glistening cove in Taiji, Japan, surrounded by barbed wire and "Keep Out" signs, lies a dark reality. It is here, under cover of night, that the fishermen of the town, driven by a multi-billion dollar dolphin entertainment industry and an underhanded market for mercury-tainted dolphin meat, engage in an unseen hunt. The nature of what they do is so chilling and the consequences are so dangerous to human health that they will go to great lengths to halt anyone from seeing it.”
— Film Synopsis of “The Cove,” winner of the 2009 Sundance Audience Award
Wyland responds:


“I recently had the opportunity to view “The Cove” and watched it with great admiration, knowing the risk involved in documenting the dolphin and whale slaughter. The film sheds light on one of the most devastating atrocities facing dolphin and whale conservation. A perfect storm is occurring today with pollution, overfishing, development to such a point that even the killing of one dolphin or whale can create an imbalance in the health of the oceans. Taiji’s dolphin drive is the worst possible scenario. At best this is unsustainable. At worst, this type of hunting threatens the very survival of these animals. The other issue that the film raises is the high level of toxins found in these animals. This alone should stop the killing of dolphins, not only in Japan, but throughout the world. No longer can a group or city continue to kill a species that is intelligent and important to the balance of nature. I commend the director and all who gave their effort to bring this issue to the public. I condemn, along with most of the world, the killing of great whales, dolphins, and other aquatic life. Yes, it was once Japan’s tradition to kill whales. America also killed whales. These traditions, however, are no longer in step with today’s world. It is time to stop the slaughter and rethink our relationship with these marine mammals. Taiji and other coastal cities could immediately change from whale killing to whale watching, create more jobs and revenue for the cities, not to mention the good will from its global neighbors. I call on Japan to end this slaughter and announce to the world that it joins the international community to end the dolphin hunt and commercial whaling for scientific or any other reason.
I should also give some background on my own personal experience in the region several decades ago. In 1987, I was invited by Mr. Ono, president of the Tokyo Bay Fishing Association, to paint one of my Whaling Walls on Tokyo Bay. Mr. Ono and a group of scientists explained that by painting one of my conservation murals featuring sperm whales, it would call needed attention to not only protection of whales, but conservation of Tokyo Bay.
The Japanese government was filling in part of the bay to accommodate the growing population of the city. This was having a negative impact on fish populations. I completed the mural featuring two life size sperm whales as part of an effort to raise about issues regarding Tokyo Bay and Japan’s continued hunting of whales. Afterwards, I was invited to the Whaling Town of Taiji to meet with city officials and discuss the possibility of painting a Whaling Wall in Taiji, “The City of Whales.” Having met with the mayor and other city officials, I had hoped to raise the issues of commercial whaling. I discussed the idea of Taiji transforming from a whale hunting city to a whale watching city. They were receptive, but non-commital. I agreed to return in the future and paint a life-size portrait of a right whale and calf on Taiji’s historic whaling museum. I felt that art could play an important role in teaching the people of Taiji, as it had in other communities, to appreciate the living whales. Through art and science, I had always hoped to inspire a change in the paradigm from whale killing to whale appreciation. I knew this was going to be a great challenge in Taiji and felt their resistance, but there was a strong support from the young people in the area who had experienced the thrill of whale watching excursions in Hawaii and other destinations. Slowly, the general public was becoming sensitized to the importance of these whales, dolphins, and other cetaceans to humanity.
I, too, had the opportunity to witness the drive of thirty-one pilot whales into “The Cove” back in 1988. At the time, I could not sleep after learning of a pod of more than thirty short finned pilot whales that had been herded into the cove for slaughter the next day. Determined to do something, I rounded up some friends in the area, including Kevin Short, a writer for the Japan Times, and at four a.m. we made our way down to the edge of the cove where I swam out for a final moment with these doomed whales. All the whales were surrounding a large male in a circle. The only thing I could think of was to try to untie the net that imprisoned them. Kevin dived in after me. After much arguing, he convinced me that my most effective contribution to the cause would be to continue to use my art to have a stronger impact on the people of Taiji and all the people of Japan.
I was not convinced at first. But the sun was coming up and the whaling boats were heading towards us. I decided to take Kevin’s advice and return one day to paint a public mural that would confront all the citizens of Taiji and all who visited it for years to come. To this day, I still feel guilty that I did not save those thirty-one whales. At the same time, I feel strongly that I have had a more important impact by returning to Taiji to complete the mural on the whaling museum and paint a total of four Whaling Walls in Japan.
On behalf of the wyland foundation and our conservation partners, we applaud the efforts of the filmmakers of the Cove and people everywhere working on the front lines to save our fragile marine life and the health of our entire environment.”

Dead Coral Found in Deepwater Near BP Oil Spill Well by Christine Lepisto, Berlin

Image: Lophelia II 2010, NOAA OER and BOEMRE

If BP was hoping that "out of sight, out of mind" would help memories of the Deepwater Horizon gulf oil spill disaster fade, news from an ongoing NOAA exploration of coral communities in the deep gulf sea floor could dash their hopes. The findings of a team led by Penn State Biologist Charles Fisher could also dash hopes that the large quantities of oil and chemicals released in the depths of the Gulf of Mexico left local flora and fauna largely unharmed. Fisher's team has found the first evidence of widespread coral death in the cold depths.

It may be difficult to conclusively link the dead coral to the oil spill, but Fisher is quoted in an AP report on the NOAA expedition: "There is an abundance of circumstantial data that suggests that what happened is related to the recent oil spill." The dead coral was found at 4600 feet deep and south of the BP well head, the direction in which most of the spilled oil is believed to have dissipated.

An example of dead coral photographed by underwater robots at the head of this article shows colorless coral coated in a brown gunk. When coral is threatened, it releases a mucus coating that collects stuff in the water around the coral. Perhaps scientists can analyze this brown goo to see if any "fingerprints" of the deepwater oil spill are found.

The photo also shows a starfish, with tentacles wrapped around the coral. The starfish are symbiotic with the coral, and are commonly seen intertwined like this. Normally, the starfish would be gently waving its arms in the dance of life. But the white color of the starfish tentacles are evidence that the starfish also has died.

The vast area potentially impacted by the oil spill and the slow progress which researchers can make investigating in such deep waters virtually ensures that the full extent of damage to the sea floor will never be known. But the NOAA Ocean Explorers have an added advantage. Their project started several years before the oil spill, so teams can revisit areas that have already been mapped to investigate changes in the post-spill environment.

Photographic Evidence Proves That Squid Can Fly by Stephen Messenger, Porto Alegre, Brazil

Photo: Bob and Deb Hulse

Once, while boating off the coast of Jamaica in 2001, marine biologist Silvia Maciá and her husband caught a glimpse of an oddly familiar creature leaping from the waves, soaring with ease over the surface of the ocean. As the animal propelled itself for some 30 feet, Maciá realized she was witnessing the most unusual sight -- a flying squid. So intrigued by what she saw that day, Maciá would go on to co-author a paper examining similar observations, though essential photographic evidence of the incredible phenomenon remained elusive. That is, until now.

Maciá's study, featured in a 2004 issue of the Journal of Molluscan Studies, found that the gliding behavior of her squid wasn't entirely uncommon, noting around six species known to leap from the water -- occasionally winding up on the decks of boats. But from she witnessed that day near Jamaica, squids weren't just exiting the water aimlessly. Rather, they appeared to be flying.

"From our observations it seemed like squid engaged in behaviors to prolong their flight," she said. "One of our co-authors saw them actually flapping their fins. Some people have seen them jetting water while in flight. We felt that 'flight' is more appropriate because it implies something active."

But unfortunately such eyewitness accounts were all that the scientific community had to go on. Soon, however, that would change.

According to Ferris Jabr, who wrote of the mystery surrounding flying squid in a piece for Scientific American, undeniable proof of the cephalopod's airborne antics surfaced just recently. From the deck of a cruise ship along the coast of Brazil, a retiree named Bob Hulse snapped some high-resolution photographs of something unusual leaping from the sea: what appears to be dozens of squid propelling themselves through the air -- quite possibly the first time the impressive display has been caught on film.

Days left to stop mass extinction

A third of all animals and plants on earth face extinction -- endangered blue whales, coral reefs, and a vast array of other species. The wave of human-driven extinction has reached a rate not seen since the fall of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.

But there is a plan to save them -- a global agreement to create, fund and enforce protected areas covering 20% of our seas and lands by 2020. Right now, 193 governments are meeting in Japan to address this crisis. But without public pressure, they are likely to fall short of the bold action needed to avert the collapse of ecosystems the world over.

This summit ends on Friday, October 29 -- we have no time to lose. Let's rapidly build a global public outcry urging governments to save all life on earth from runaway decline. Sign the petition below and it will be delivered directly to the meeting:

More links :

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/the_end_of_whales/?fp

http://www.facebook.com/pages/the-surfers-call/463623690306


Brought to you by
Natashia Fox

Another BP Oil Rig is a "Ticking Time Bomb": Whistleblower by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York

Photo: West Orlando News
While there's still some fuzziness around what precisely caused the Deepwater Horizon oil rig to explode -- a series of malfunctions, design flaws, and human errors all played a role -- we can agree all agree on one thing: Poor oversight and shoddy regulation enabled the situation to reach critical mass. But that's all behind us, right? I mean, the Obama administration has lifted the ban on offshore drilling, after assuring us that from now on, safety will be a priority. Whew. Well, wait a minute -- what's this noise we're hearing about BP having another "ticking time bomb" deepwater oil rig in the Gulf? One that both the company and the federal government refuse to disclose the safety documents for?

Mother Jones' Kate Sheppard reports:

... BP's other major oil production platform in the Gulf, the one that watchdogs have called a "ticking time bomb" ignored by federal regulators. The BP Atlantis platform is operating in deeper waters and is extracting more oil from the Gulf each day than the Deepwater Horizon well leaked, but neither the company nor the feds have proved it is safe.
Located 124 miles off the Louisiana coast, the Atlantis platform produces 200,000 barrels of oil daily, more than triple the amount of oil that spilled from the Horizon site each day. But long before the Deepwater Horizon disaster, a whistleblowing former BP contractor tipped off regulators that the Atlantis may be violating the law, and environmental groups and members of Congress have been publicly questioning the platform's safety ever since.

Evidently, a whistle-blowing contractor named Kenneth Abbott, who worked on the platform until just last year, claims that "more than 7,000 documents necessary to operate the platform safely are missing or incomplete". Many of its safety systems are out of date, and a number of its design schematics were never properly approved.
Read the rest of Sheppard's story : http://motherjones.com/environment/2010/10/bp-atlantis-platform-ticking-time-bomb for more details on how exactly BP and the contracting companies have sidestepped having to provide adequate safety information -- it all starts to sound a whole lot like deja vu all over again.

How to Plant 60 Million Mangrove Trees in 3 Months

The mangrove tree is essential to tropical zones around the world, helping to nourish local ecosystems with fish and plants, protect shorelines and soak up carbon. And now it's vanishing at an alarming rate. Since 1980, the planet has lost up to a third of them.

But in the West African country of Senegal, citizens aren't taking the loss of their trees lightly. Through the end of October, over 70,000 people across the Casamance and Saloum regions will plant an estimated 60 million of the essential trees.

With the help of a local NGO, Oceanium, and French corporate sponsors Danone and Voyagers du Monde, here's how they'll do it.

The mangrove tree is essential to tropical zones around the world, helping to nourish local ecosystems with fish and plants, protect shorelines and soak up carbon. And now it's vanishing at an alarming rate. Since 1980, the planet has lost up to a third of them.
But in the West African country of Senegal, citizens aren't taking the loss of their trees lightly. Through the end of October, over 70,000 people across the Casamance and Saloum regions will re-plant an estimated 60 million of these essential trees.

With the help of a local NGO, Oceanium, French corporate sponsors Danone and Voyagers du Monde, and a breathtaking determination, here's how they're doing it.



The Mangrove Emergency

It is hard to understate the role that the mangrove plays in ecosystems across the planet: Indigenous to salt water, it can turn barren salt flats into habitats for fish and important plants like rice, help desalinate soil, replenish nitrogen, strengthening vulnerable coastlines, and soak up massive amounts of carbon.
But for three decades, the mangrove has been on the decline. The latest data from NASA and the US Geological Survey shows that the world has lost 35% of its mangrove forests since 1980, due to cutting and drought.

In Senegal, the loss of mangroves is debilitating to local economies. Once, mangrove forests supported oysters, shrimp, tilapia, barracuda and catfish. Now, many of those species are gone.


The Casamance, Senegal

The Casamance, in southern Senegal is dominated by lush tropical landscape, captivating beaches and views, and the culture of the Diola, the region's largest ethnic group.
Both French and Portuguese colonists laid claim to the region before a border was negotiated in 1888 between the French colony of Senegal and Portuguese Guinea (now Guinea-Bissau), to the south.

Separated from the north of Senegal by the Gambia, which juts into the country like a knife, the Casamance is also known for occasional tensions between the government and a separatist movement, called Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC), which has been linked to street violence and terrorism. It's also home to millions of farmers, who depend upon the region's embattled mangrove tree.




Illegal Logging

Along with the mangrove, trees like baobab give Senegal one of the larger rates of old growth forest in West Africa.

But since 1990, the country has lost 7.2% of its forest, due to a number of factors, including felling for fuel wood and charcoal, logging for building materials, and burning to clear land for agriculture. In addition to a fast growing population, wildlife poaching, hydroelectric projects and road construction have also added pressure on forest areas.

The deforestation contributes to soil erosion, desertification, floods and drought, all of which have negative consequences on agriculture.



Oceanium, an NGO Dynamo

Originally a diving center in Dakar, Oceanium has transformed over the years into a working center for the protection of the ocean and for the sustainable management of natural resources in Senegal and beyond.
Under the leadership of the indefatigable Haidar el Ali, pictured, the group launched its first mangrove campaign in September 2006, replanting 65,000 propagules in partnership with the population of Tobor, a village in Casamance.

In 2008, the number grew to 6 million, and to 30 million in 2009. Now in an effort to plant 60 million seeds, the project includes over 130 villages and upwards of 70,000 volunteers and workers.

Photo: Oceanium



Watch the slideshow .... http://www.treehugger.com/galleries/2010/10/how-to-plant-60-million-mangrove-trees-in-3-months-in-remote-africa.php?page=5

Vending Machine Sells Live Crabs by Stephen Messenger, Porto Alegre, Braz

For those folks who love the taste of seafood but hate all the trouble of fishing it from the ocean, one recently unveiled invention in China has a cruelly-convenient solution -- a vending machine that dispenses crabs, guaranteed to be alive or your next meal is free! That's right, for around $1.50 you can now buy a living, breathing snack with the same ease normally reserved for the purchase of a can of soda or a bag of chips, perfect if you're on the run or need a quick bite in a pinch.

Shanghai Hairy Crabs are currently being sold from the morally bankrupt vending machines in subways stops in Nanjing, China, for between $1.50 and $7.50, based on the weight of the crustaceans. If a customer is unfortunate enough to wind up with a crab that failed to survive its cruel confinement, the company that supplies the machines promises a reimbursement of not one, not two, but three living animals for them to munch on.

According to a report from the Japan Probe, the crabs are stored in plastic containers inside the machine and chilled to temperature of around 41°F. When the animals are cooled, says the manufacturer, they enter a state of hibernation -- but worry not, they'll wake right up shortly after being dispensed.

If the machines appear to catch on with the crab-loving subway commuters, the inventor says he plans on expanding on his idea into other countries. Perhaps what the world needs instead, however, is a vending machine that dispenses a bit of decency. After all, shouldn't consuming living things be a little less convenient?

One-Fifth Of Juvenile Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Killed by BP Oil Spill

Map of the length of time oil was in the Gulf. The lightest orange indicates 1-3 weeks coverage; the darkest is 16-18 weeks. Image: European Space Agency

Six months from the start of the BP oil spill and we now know the answer to the question of how badly the spill would hurt spawning bluefin tuna. New satellite data from the European Space Agency shows 20% of juvenile bluefin tuna killed by oil. Which is pretty significant since Atlantic bluefin have declined over 80% in the past 30 years, and at current fishing rates the critically endangered fish will be extinct by 2012.


Things could have been much worse though. The ESA analysis shows that the main spawning hotspot for bluefin to the west of the spill area was unaffected by pollution.

When bluefin tuna breed, females release eggs into the water and males following behind fertilize them. After hatching the larvae begin searching for food near the surface of the water. Which in the case of the BP oil spill meant they came into contact will the oil, which killed them.

Catherine Kilduff of the Center for Biological Diversity commented,
This study confirms our worst fears about the oil spill's impacts on bluefin tuna and provides more evidence that this species needs the Endangered Species Act to survive. The federal government could have predicted the effects of the spill during spawning season prior to the disaster; listing Atlantic bluefin tuna as endangered will prevent such an oversight from ever occurring again.

Japan is by far the world's largest consumer of bluefin tuna, photo: Stewart Butterfield/Creative Commons
International Ban on Bluefin Needed for Recovery
Which is true, but to give the Atlantic bluefin tuna any chance of recovery an international ban on trade in the species is what is required.

Such a ban was rejected at the last CITES meeting, with pressure from Japan, the world's largest consumer of bluefin, and from some European nations, who fear the impact on their fishing industry of ban, scuttling the proposal--which had backing of the United States, the UK, Monoco and some other European nations.

Current quota levels for the fish are already set too high to allow recovery of the species, with actual catch of the fish far exceeding these officially sanctioned levels.

Trawling Trails... the Impact is devastating

Natashia Fox
www.greenlifestore.co.za
15 September 2010

From my days living at sea, I have always hated this form of fishing. Trawling is like taking a bulldozer to go hunting.

We know that bottom trawling -- the practice of dragging a net across the sea floor to collect anything and everything in its path -- is incredibly destructive to ocean life. It tears apart fragile corals and habitat, and brings up more by-catch than marketable fish. And that's not the only harm humans inflict on the deep ocean floor. However, the extent of our destruction hasn't been measured until now. Scientists have taken a close look at the deep seafloor in the North East Atlantic and, considering a range of other human activities that impact the area, found that the damage caused by trawling activities is by far the worst.

According to a press release from National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (UK) , the researchers focused on an area of 11 million square kilometers in the North East Atlantic where human activities are the most intense. Looking specifically at the physical footprint of activities, rather than the consequences of the activities, they found that considering munitions and chemical dumping, scientific research, telecommunications cables, and oil and gas drilling, bottom trawling still had a physical footprint ten times greater than any other activity assessed -- even greater than all the activities combined.

However, one of the biggest hurdles for the study was finding trustworthy information. "Some governments, public organisations and private companies were far more forthcoming with information than others," explained Benn. "Significant improvements are needed in data collection and availability, and this requirement needs to be built into international conventions and treaties with a legal framework in place to ensure informed environmental management."

The results of the study could change if a larger quantity and quality of information were to be accessed. Still, the study's look at bottom trawling shows that while human activities like oil and gas exploration tend to get a lot of media attention, there are far worse practices out there.

Thankfully, some countries have begun banning the harmful practice, including some South Pacific nations, parts of the Bering Sea, and parts of the waters off New Zealand. But it's a long way before the method is ended entirely.


Blue regards,

Natashia

Sailboats So Green You'll Want to Quit Your Job and Sail Around the World

Bicycling gets its due respect for being the greenest way to travel on land, but for long distances -- and we mean really long distances -- sailing is the way to go. Assuming your current location and your destination are connected by a body of water, then hoisting the mainsail and heading for the horizon is one super energy-efficient way to get from Point A to Point B, and when you factor in the green technology on these sailboats, it's even more sustainable.
The Volitan

The designers behind The Volitan -- Hakan Gursu and Sozum Dogan -- were hoping for a luxury yacht with a minimum of environmentally impact. And the concept boat they came up with is 105 feet long, made from carbon fiber and epoxy resin, and fitted with two solar panel-fitted sails that capture wind and solar energy. Photo via Popular Science.


The Volitan isn't readily available yet, but this breakdown of the design shows how it would all come together. As the designers explained in a TreeHugger post in 2007, "The objective was to create a new and alternative sailing vessel that would achieve a lightweight system, high sail performance, and all-weather navigation capacity with near zero emissions."

The Plastiki

TreeHugger kept tabs on The Plastiki for over a year before the ship set sail. The brainchild of David de Rothschild, the finished product is made from more than 12,000 plastic bottles (which are, at least, appropriately buoyant) and uses a recycled PET sail to catch the wind. Currently, the ship is traveling from San Francisco to Sydney to call attention to plastic pollution.