Conservation & Environment

Sea turtles have roamed the oceans for millennia. But in the course of just a few decades, hunting, coastal development, fishing and pollution have driven their populations to dangerously low levels. Some, such as Kemp's ridley sea turtles, were beginning to make a comeback, thanks to efforts in Mexico and the United States to protect their nesting beaches and reduce accidental entrapment in shrimp nets.

And then along came the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill.

Marine biologists feared the spill would be catastrophic for sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico.

And for good reasons. Five of the world's seven species of sea turtles live in the Gulf, and the spill coincided with nesting season for two of those species, the loggerhead and Kemp's ridley sea turtles. For the Kemp's ridley, the Gulf is the only known nesting ground.

For many living in the Gulf and around the country, these charismatic animals became the public face of the impact of the oil spill on wildlife. An extraordinary effort was needed to save as many sea turtles as possible.

Read the complete story from The Miami Herald.

 

 

 

 

 

Tuna Fishermen have one last opportunity to make their case before the Status Review Team (SRT), comprised solely of NOAA and NMFS employees, makes a determination on listing bluefin tuna under the Endangered Species Act.  The initial petition was submitted by the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity, a group known for using the Endangered Species Act to achieve their goals.

NOAA determined in September that listing bluefin tuna under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) might be warranted. As a result Atlantic bluefin tuna are now considered a candidate species and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) must make a final determination by May 2011 as to whether a listing is warranted. If bluefin tuna were to be listed as “endangered”, all commercial and recreational fishing for bluefin would be prohibited. This prohibition would only affect US fishermen and would have no impact on other countries fishing for bluefin. Even scientists are amazed with the biological futility of an action designed to only affect US fishermen given the low mortality they cause on the species (US fishermen caught less than 5% of the bluefin in the Atlantic in 2009)

 The petition was originally submitted by the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity, a group known for using ESA to achieve their goals. NOAA had the opportunity to dismiss this frivolous attack on US bluefin fishermen but, as is consistent with their recent policy decisions in other areas, they chose to support the petition. The positive finding by NOAA is without merit and NOAA should have dismissed the petition. This is another stunning example of NOAA’s intent to destroy the US bluefin industry and to damage the domestic market for bluefin. A listing under ESA only hurts US fishermen whose quota share would be distributed to other countries along with the US jobs that go with it.

 Currently the formal review process is underway. The Status Review Team (SRT), comprised solely of NOAA and NMFS employees, is tasked with compiling all available information on bluefin and conducting a threats assessment/extinction risk analysis. Their report will be handed over to NMFS for the final determination. Despite the overwhelming data to the contrary, there is great concern that Dr Lubchenco will once again try to forward her “preservation” agenda to destroy this fishery.

Fishermen have one last opportunity to have input in this process before the SRT makes its report to NMFS. The American Bluefin Tuna Association (ABTA) insisted that fishermen be allowed the opportunity to be heard and NMFS agreed. There are 5 “Listening Sessions” scheduled in January 2011 that will allow fishermen to educate the SRT as to their observations of the fish and their habits, as well as give their opinions of why the current available science may be flawed and insufficient.

 It is important that fishermen attend at least one of the 5 listening sessions. It is critical that NMFS hears your comments and insights. The existing science is very weak and a thorough compilation of fishermen’s observations should be influential. ESA is the knock-out punch. Take it seriously and come speak your mind. Let Dr Lubchenco know your feelings about the health of your fishery.

 If you plan to attend any of the meetings please contact Kim Damon-Randall at kimberly.damon-randall@noaa.gov or call her at 978-282-8485 in advance. It is necessary to RSVP due to security and space concerns.

Please visit the “Current Actions” section of the ABTA web site at http://www.theabta.com/CurrentActions.html to see  “Listening Discussion Topics” and some other documents which will help fishermen understand the ESA process.

 The meeting schedule is as follows: (each meeting begins at 10am):

 Jan 5 – NMFS Lab in Sandy Hook, NJ

Jan 6 – Mariner's House in Boston, MA

Jan 7 – Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland, ME

Jan 10- NMFS Lab in Pascagoula, MS

Jan 11- NMFS Lab in Beaufort, NC

NMFS has also arranged to have a Web Ex for each session. If you are interested in participating via Web Ex, please contact Kim with the date of the session you are interested in, and she will provide the Web Ex information.  Finally, NMFS has reserved an operator assisted conference line for those wishing to call in.  The number is 888-455-1634, and the operator will ask for a verbal pass code which is "bluefin tuna."  The operator will ask for your name and affiliation and will help to facilitate those on the call to ensure that anyone wishing to ask a question or provide information has the opportunity to do so.

Also written comments can be sent to Kim via email (or regular mail at NMFS, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930) no later than close of business on January 18th.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Food & Water Watch joins the fight against catch shares on Atlantic and Pacific fronts.

Earlier this month, demonstrators held a protest in downtown Eugene, Oregon, rallying against a proposed catch share program for the west coast.

Members of Food & Water Watch (FWW), held the event in order to get the attention of U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio, of Oregon's 4th Congressional District. FWW's goal was to spur the congressman to protect the interests of Oregon's fishing community.

Read the complete story from About.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This morning (Dec. 21) the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Shark Conservation Act, after the Senate passed it yesterday. It now heads to President Obama's desk for a signature, which it is expected to receive. Shark activists are thrilled, as the bill closes several loopholes in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976.

The act requires fishing boats to land sharks with their fins attached, and prevents other boats from transporting fins not attached to sharks' bodies. This summary highlights key provisions of the bill.

However, David Shiffman, a shark biologist in training and a blogger at Southern Fried Science, expressed concerns about the act's loophole for the smooth dogfish shark fishery off the North Carolina coast, an exemption granted in a bid to win the vote of Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC). Smooth dog fishermen will be allowed to remove fins at sea as long as the weight of the fins landed isn’t more than 12 percent of the weight of the rest of the shark.

Read the complete story from Spot.us

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lawmakers have passed a landmark shark conservation bill, closing loopholes that had allowed the lucrative shark fin trade to continue thriving off the West Coast.

The measure – which the Senate passed Monday and the House passed Tuesday morning – requires any vessel to land sharks with their fins attached, and prevents non-fishing vessels from transporting fins without their carcasses. The practice of shark finning, which is now banned off the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf of Mexico but not the Pacific, has expanded worldwide due to rising demand for shark's fin soup in Asia.

"Shark finning has fueled massive population declines and irreversible disruption of our oceans," said Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), the bill's author, in a statement. "Finally we've come through with a tough approach to tackle this serious threat to our marine life."

Read the complete story from The Washington Post.

 

 

 

 

 

Well more than 100 fishermen and their supporters turned out at the Portuguese-American Club Saturday night for the first Fishermen's Night Out, a chance to socialize and compare notes about how to protect the rights of commercial fishermen in nearby waters.

Hosted by the Martha's Vineyard/Dukes County Fishermen's Association, the event's goal was to raise more that $10,000 in support of their lawsuit against the Department of the Interior and Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior. The suit contends that Cape Wind's plan to erect some 130 wind turbines, 440 feet high, in Nantucket Sound will deny them their "long-established reasonable use of the area," according to Warren Doty, the organization's president who is also a Chilmark selectman.

Like other members of the association (MV/DCFA), Mr. Doty is quick to point out that he is not against wind turbines in general, but that developers should consider the collateral impact of their projects. Other members of the board are Michele Jones, secretary; Jonathan Mayhew, treasurer; Bill Alwardt, Buddy Vanderhoop, Wes Brighton, and Steve Norberg.

Read the complete story from The Martha's Vineyard Times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although Atlantic herring was not on the agenda for the recent meeting of the New England Fishery Management Council, the groundfish bycatch issue in this fishery reared its head yet again and drew four hours of discussion and debate. Ironically, this was triggered by herring midwater trawl representative’s claims that they are catching so much groundfish, in this case haddock, as to constitute an emergency. And their proposed solution?  That immediate emergency action should be taken to let them catch more haddock.

In 1994, nearly all fishing was banned from waters identified as part of an important plan to aid the recovery of overfished groundfish stocks, such as haddock, cod and flounder. One of the few successes in New England’s groundfish fishery is the rebuilding of haddock, and it was achieved through the sacrifice of groundfishermen, including those from Cape Cod, who have strived for conservation. These areas remain closed to groundfishermen unless they are fishing in one of a few tightly controlled opportunities to enter the areas called Special Access Programs. And in order to establish one of these special fisheries, groundfishermen must conduct rigorous scientific experiments in which they first fish in the area with 100% observer coverage with 100% of the catch inspected and demonstrate that access is appropriate. CCCHFA fishermen did just that between 2003 and 2005, conducting almost 150 research trips in order to establish one Special Access Program.

While herring trawlers were also initially banned from fishing in these groundfish closed areas, in 1998 federal regulators re-opened them to these vessels, who claimed their fishing gear would not catch groundfish. It was largely this belief that was used to justify this change, as data was unbelievably scant: 13 tows, also known as hauls, half of which were from another fishery entirely, and none of which appear to be in the actual areas in question. Contrast that with the 147 trips comprising 640 hauls and over 600,000 hooks, in all months that were required of CCCHFA just for one small part of one closed area.

Read the complete story from Herring Alliance.

 

 

 

 

 

NOAA’s Fisheries Service is proposing to list four subspecies of ringed seals, found in the Arctic Basin and the North Atlantic, and two distinct population segments of bearded seals in the Pacific Ocean, as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The proposed listings cite threats posed by diminishing sea ice, and additionally, for ringed seals, reduced snow cover. NOAA climate models were used to predict future sea ice conditions.
 
One of the five recognized subspecies of ringed seals, the Saimaa in Finland, is already listed as endangered under the ESA. Under the proposed rules published today in the Federal Register, the remaining four subspecies of ringed seals – Arctic, Okhotsk, Baltic and Ladoga – would all be listed as threatened.
 
Ringed seals are found in the Arctic Basin (including the Bering Sea), western North Pacific (Sea of Okhotsk and Sea of Japan), and in the North Atlantic in the Baltic Sea and Lakes Ladoga and Saimaa east of the Baltic Sea.
 
Throughout most of its range, the Arctic ringed seal does not come ashore and uses sea ice for whelping, nursing, molting, and resting. Ringed seal pups are normally born in snow caves in the spring, and are vulnerable to freezing and predation without them. Timing of spring ice break-up, snow depths on sea ice, and late-winter rain can adversely affect snow cave formation and occupation. That the species produces only a single pup each year may limit the ringed seal’s ability to respond to environmental challenges such as the diminishing ice and snow cover.
 
Because of these factors, NOAA’s Fisheries Service has found that these four sub-species of ringed seal are at risk of becoming endangered within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of their ranges, warranting a listing as threatened.
 
The bearded seal has two subspecies, one in the Pacific Ocean and the other in the Atlantic Ocean. Within the Pacific subspecies, there are two distinct population segments (DPS): the Okhotsk DPS, found in the Sea of Okhotsk; and the Beringia DPS, found in the Bering, east Siberian, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas. NOAA’s Fisheries Service is proposing to list both Pacific DPSs of bearded seal as threatened.
 
Both Pacific bearded seal DPSs are closely associated with sea ice, particularly during the reproduction and molting stages. They primarily feed on shallow-water organisms, making their range generally areas where seasonal sea ice occurs over relatively shallow waters. Forecasts predict that this ice will be substantially reduced within this century, particularly in the Sea of Okhotsk, and there is potential for the spring and summer ice edge to retreat to deep waters of the Arctic Ocean basin.
 
Because of these factors, NOAA’s Fisheries Service has found that the two DPSs within the Pacific subpopulation of bearded seals are at risk of becoming endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of their ranges, warranting a listing as threatened.
 
NOAA’s Fisheries Service previously determined listing was not needed for another ice seal, the ribbon seal, which is less dependent on sea ice than bearded and ringed seals.
 
NOAA’s Fisheries Service is seeking comments from the public on the proposed listing of ringed and bearded ice seals for 60 days from date of publication in the Federal Register, which should occur the middle of next week. The proposed rules, maps, status review reports and other materials relating to this proposal can be found on the Alaska Region website at: http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov.
 
As soon as the proposed rule is accessible online on the Federal Register website— likely December 7 or 8—comments may be submitted by any one of the following methods:

    * Submit comments online via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments;
    * Fax comments to the attention of Kaja Brix at 907-586-7557;
    * Mail written comments to Kaja Brix, Assistant Regional Administrator, Protected Resources Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, Attn: Ellen Sebastian, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802
    * Hand-deliver written comments to Kaja Brix, Assistant Regional Administrator, Protected Resources Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, Attn: Ellen Sebastian, Juneau Federal Building, 709 West 9th Street, Room 420A, Juneau, AK

 

 

 

 

Look out, Hawaii! Open ocean aquaculture (OOA), also known as sea-cage farming, has many problems.

OOA of carnivorous fish is worse than over-fishing. Production of one pound of farmed tuna requires the oil from over 10 pounds of wild-caught fish, usually anchovies, menhaden and sardines, which are an important source of protein in Third World countries and an important source of omega-3 fatty acids in developed countries. Farmers use as much soy as they can, but tuna can't survive without fish oil.

Anchovy, menhaden and sardines are important "cleaners" of the ocean. When these plankton-eating fish are over-harvested, jellyfish are released from competition for food, and they proliferate.

Farmed carnivores have higher levels of organic pollutants than wild-caught fish of the same species, and they have lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids because farmers use as much soy as possible in their feed.

Sewage from sea-cage fish is like human sewage in its effects on the ocean. OOA supporters say that dilution is the solution, but this only pushes the problem somewhere else.

Read the complete story from The Star Advertiser.

OTHER PERSPECTIVES:

ATLANTIC MENHADEN: Facts and Unsubstantiated Claims

 

 

 

 

 

 

PARIS—An international conservation conference in Paris made progress Saturday on protecting sharks but didn't do anything to save the Atlantic bluefin tuna, which has been severely overfished to feed the market for sushi in Japan, environmental groups said.

Environmental groups had hoped to see bluefin fishing slashed or suspended, saying illegal fishing is rampant in the Mediterranean and that scientists don't have good enough data to evaluate the problem.

The commission agreed to cut the bluefin fishing quota in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean from 13,500 to 12,900 metric tons annually — about a 4 percent reduction. It also agreed on measures to try to improve enforcement of quotas on bluefin, prized for its tender red meat.

Sergi Tudela, head of WWF Mediterranean's fisheries program, attacked the "measly quota reduction." Oliver Knowles, Greenpeace oceans campaigner, complained that "the word 'conservation' should be removed from ICCAT's name."

Read the complete story by the AP at The Boston Globe.