Conservation & Environment

May 23, 2014 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

In the past few weeks, we’ve seen more whales hit by ships along the eastern US seaboard than is typical for this time of year. Three ship strikes, involving two sei whales and a fin whale, have occurred with vessels inbound to New York City, NY and Philadelphia, PA.

“It’s not clear why we’ve seen an increase in collisions, but it may be that whales are coming closer to shore following food,” said Mendy Garron, coordinator, Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office. “At least one of the whales, which was necropsied (animal autopsy), had a full stomach.”

We want to remind mariners, the US has had measures in place to help reduce the threat of vessel collisions  along the east coast since 2008. The rule requires that vessels 65 feet or greater in length to travel at 10 knots or less in certain areas and during certain seasons where endangered North Atlantic right whales may be present. This rule applies within 20 nautical miles around all major ports in the mid-Atlantic. NOAA Fisheries researchers report approximately 80 percent of right whale sightings in the mid-Atlantic are within 20 nautical miles of shore. NOAA also established a program for temporary voluntary speed limits in other areas when an aggregation of three or more right whales is confirmed. There are a number of other steps mariners can take to help reduce the chances of hitting a right whale. Click here for details.

These ship speed restrictions were put in place primarily to protect the North Atlantic right whale, one of the most endangered whales in the world. They also benefit other species that use coastal areas to migrate, feed, and nurse their young.

Read the full story at NOAA Fisheries 

 

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SCOM] — May 23, 2014 — NOAA and the Puget Sound Restoration Fund (PSRF) have signed a formal agreement to work with state, tribal and industry partners in Washington State on a 10-year plan to rebuild populations of native Olympia oysters in Puget Sound and restore 100 acres of oyster habitat by 2020.

According to the PSRF native oyster populations in Puget Sound are at less than 4% of historic levels. This significant decline affects the region’s ecology, as well as the cultural tradition of tribes who harvest shellfish for a living.

The project will be headquartered along the shores of Washington state’s Kitsap Peninsula at NOAA’s Manchester Research Station.  The PSRF said the facility has been at the forefront of aquaculture since the 1970s, and with the completion of a modern shellfish hatchery onsite, scientists, research and restoration partners are better equipped to improve the conservation of native shellfish.

Goals of the project include: Culture genetically-diverse native oysters and preserve local populations; expand the ability to restore native shellfish habitat in the Pacific Northwest; advance the technology and practices of the shellfish aquaculture industry; understand the impacts of ocean acidification on shellfish and other marine life and improve monitoring to better predict changes in seawater chemistry that may affect shellfish hatchery operations.

Meanwhile, future research will focus on the culture of other marine life in Puget Sound, including rock scallops, Pinto abalone, and macroalgae.

This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

 

May 23, 2014 — Nearly 300 million tons of plastic was produced in 2012. Large amounts of this ends up in the ocean, near coastlines or in swirling eddies such as the Great Pacific garbage patch. A new study has found plastic debris in a surprising location: trapped in Arctic sea ice. As the ice melts, it could release a flood of floating plastic onto the world.

In a study published recently in Earth’s Future, scientists argue that as Arctic ice freezes, it traps floating microplastics, resulting in abundances of hundreds of particles per cubic meter. That’s least two orders of magnitude greater than those that have been previously reported in highly contaminated surface waters, such as those of the Great Pacific garbage patch.

The authors estimate that, under current melting trends, more than 1 trillion pieces of plastic could be released in the next decade.

Read the full story at the Barents Observer 

 

May 22, 2014 — Whale watchers are reportedly seeing an “unusual amount” of whales in Scituate’s Stellwagan Bank. Between 20 and 30 humpback whales are spotted per 3-hour cruise, according to CBS.

The influx of whales is apparently due to the amount of sand lances— eel-like “sea candy”– swarming the bank.

Laura Howes of the New England Aquarium told CBS the whales are eating “about a million a day.” She also reported that the fish are “not only feeding the whales but the seabirds and all types of big fish.” This includes smaller Minke and Finback whales.

Read the full story and watch the video at the Boston Globe

May 21, 2014 — Bureo skateboards look like fish because they are made from old fishing nets.

They started out as garbage — fishing nets discarded in the waters off Chile. About 640,000 tons of these nets clog the world's oceans, and that's only a tenth of the world's debris.

According to a report from the Coastal Conservancy, in just one day, worldwide volunteers picked up more than 12 million pounds of rubbish from beaches and waterways. The top three culprits were cigarette butts, food wrappers and plastic bottles.

"And we were just struck with this issue of plastic in the ocean, and we just kind of made a mission to do something about it," says Bureo co-founder David Stover.

Stover, along with co-founder Ben Kneppers, started in Chile, where fishing is a major industry. They figured out how to convert the fish nets into plastic pellets, which could be used in a mold. And Bureo Skateboards was born.

"Every day has been a battle, to be perfectly honest," Kneppers says. "I mean, we've had to create an entirely new supply chain from scratch."

Read the full story at watch the video at CBS News

May 20, 2014 — Off the coast of Papua New Guinea, there's a carbon dioxide seep that's giving marine biologists a view into the future. The water around the seep, while abundant with life, is highly acidic, with CO2 levels much like those predicted for surface ocean water 100 years from now.

View the video at the Boston Globe

May 20, 2014 — The Obama administration issued a scaled-back regulation meant to keep fish from being sucked into the water intakes of factories and power plants, winning support from industry while drawing fire from environmentalists.

The regulation issued yesterday by the Environmental Protection Agency specified a range of options that facility operators can use to reduce the 2 billion fish, crab or shrimp that die each year in water intakes. Environmental advocates said that the agency had punted by leaving decisions with state regulators, and they threatened to sue to force tougher action.

“EPA has promulgated a largely worthless rule,” Steve Fleischli, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s water program, said today.

The EPA rule is one of a series of measures from the administration of President Barack Obama that will add costs to run power plants, especially those using coal. That combination of rules, critics say, could drive up electricity costs and force older plants out of business. Many are closing, with 14 gigawatts of coal-fired generation shuttering in 2011 and 2012, and 63 gigawatts set to disappear by 2017 because of regulations and cheap gas, according to an analysis by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Read the full story at Bloomberg Businessweek

 

 

May 17, 2014 — Calling the establishment of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary one of the greatest highlights in his long career as a lawmaker, Leon Panetta said he was pleased to spend his Saturday at a sanctuary celebration on the century-old Santa Cruz Wharf.

"It's always a thrill to be able to come to Santa Cruz, particularly on this day to honor the 100-year history of this wharf," said Panetta, whose lengthy public service career includes serving as the Secretary of Defense, Director of the CIA, and as Chief of Staff for President Bill Clinton. "Today we're celebrating our history, the people who worked hard, the beauty of the ocean, and particularly the sanctuary we created out here."

The free event featured live music, educational activities, EcoTours, arts and crafts, and exhibits from a host of environmental and aquatic organizations.

It was kicked off with welcoming remarks from Panetta, Rep. Sam Farr, Assemblyman Mark Stone, master of ceremonies Geoffrey Dunn, Santa Cruz Mayor Lynn Robinson and Dan Haifley, who was the executive director of Save Our Shores when the nonprofit advocated for approval of the largest boundary for the proposed sanctuary, extending from off Marin County south to northern San Luis Obispo County.

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary was established in 1992 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as the 11th of 14 marine areas designated for resource protection, research, education and public use. The latter includes commercial fishing and recreational activities such as diving, boating, kayaking and surfing. The boundary of the federally protected Monterey Bay sanctuary stretches along 276 miles of coastline from Marin County to Cambria and extends about 30 miles offshore.

Read the full story at the Contra Costa Times

May 15, 2014 — Mark D. Bertness, an ecologist at Brown University, began studying the salt marshes of New England in 1981. Twenty-six years later, in 2007, he started to watch them die. In one marsh after another, lush stretches of cordgrass disappeared, replaced by bare ground. The die-offs were wiping out salt marshes in just a few years.

“It’s unbelievable how quickly it’s moved in,” Dr. Bertness said.

Scientists have been witnessing a similar transformation in a number of plant species along coastlines in the United States and in other countries. And in many cases, it’s been hard to pinpoint the cause of the die-off, with fungal outbreaks, pollution, choking sediments stirred up by boats, and rising sea levels proposed as killers.

There is much at stake in the hunt for the culprit, because salt marshes are hugely important. They shield coasts from flooding, pull pollutants from water and are nurseries for many fish species.

“Acre for acre, they’re among the most valuable ecosystems on the planet,” Dr. Bertness said.

Read the full story at the New York Times

May 15, 2014 — Rescuers have freed a humpback whale that had been entangled in a crab pot line for more than two weeks.

Crews on Wednesday caught up with the whale off the coast of Santa Barbara, where it was twisted in the remnants of the line. It was first spotted in the Monterey Bay on April 27.

Soon after whale was reported, rescuers with the Whale Entanglement Team, a trained volunteer squad affiliated with the National Marine Fisheries Service, responded and attached a telemetry device to the lines so they could track the whale, said Peggy Stap, director of Marine Life Studies, a nonprofit whale advocacy and research organization based in Monterey.

The team was able to return the next day and remove the pot and 300 yards of line. But as swells climbed to eight to 10 feet, crews were forced to abandon efforts, she said.

Team members continued watching the whale and took advantage of relatively calm seas Wednesday, Stap said. The early morning operation took about an hour and a half. The whale was wounded but is expected to survive, Stap said.

It was the second recently entangled whale. The other, also a humpback, was spotted May 1. But rescuers were unable to find it, and it is believed to have drowned.

Read the full story at the Contra Costa Times