Conservation & Environment

President Barack Obama recently announced a halt to offshore oil and gas leasing in Alaska's ecologically rich Bristol Bay,  a decision that should be applauded for temporarily eliminating a serious threat to these lucrative fishing grounds. But those who have been fighting for more than 25 years to protect these waters from drilling know that this is not enough. It is time to permanently protect the nation's most productive fishery.

Bristol Bay and the southeast Bering Sea are home to some of the best-managed, most prolific fisheries in the world, including the largest runs of wild sockeye salmon anywhere and abundant stocks of cod, crab, halibut, herring and pollock. Their $2 billion annual fishing industry provides a powerful economic engine supporting thousands of fishermen from Alaska and the West Coast – and contributing 40 percent of the nation's seafood.

More than 900 Bristol Bay salmon fishermen live in Washington state, as well as an additional 1,100 who hold permits for other Bering Sea fisheries.

Read the complete story at The Sacramento Bee.

 

 

 

 

 

The future of offshore drilling in the United States may depend on which way the wind blows in the Gulf of Mexico in the next few days.

If the sunken Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig were to spew millions of gallons of crude oil into the gulf, the scenes of environmental devastation, combined with the loss of life, could rapidly reverse the confidence drillers have gained with the public in the past few years.

But if the wind and current drive any leaking oil out to sea, the disaster could remain, in the public's mind, a tragedy for oil workers and their families — similar to the recent West Virginia mine disaster — but not a threat to the environment.

Read the complete story at The New York Times.

 

 

 

 

 

There's no word yet on the cause of Wednesday's explosion on an oil rig off the coast of Louisiana, where 11 workers are missing.

But the disaster is already affecting the politics of off-shore oil drilling elsewhere, including Virginia.

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), who has been a leading opponent of coastal drilling, is calling for an investigation into what caused the Louisiana fire.

"The tragedy off the coast of Louisiana shows we need to be asking a lot more tough questions of big oil," Nelson said today, according to the Associated Press. "I think we need to look back over 10 years or so to see if the record denies the industry's claims about safety and technology."

Read the complete story at The Washington Post.

 

 

 

 

 

Doug Helton, a fisheries biologist who coordinates oil spill responses for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said the oil emanating from the riser was taking the shape of a giant ice cream cone as it drifted toward the surface. He said there were no reports of dead animals yet, although that was expected to change if the leaks were not sealed.

Mr. Helton added that wind data allowed officials to predict that the spill would not hit shore within three days, but that it was moving north.

“Louisiana is the closest area,” he said. “There is a potential for other Gulf states if the release continues unabated, but we have no indication in our trajectories that shorefall will happen in the next three days.”

Sea life that congregates at the surface and has no mobility of its own — like plankton and fish eggs — is the most vulnerable to the slick. A large-scale destruction of eggs could affect fish populations in the future.

Read the complete story at The New York Times.

 

 

 

 

 

A circular patch of smooth water spotted in Rhode Island Sound this week led scientists to a surprising discovery: a quarter of the entire North Atlantic right whale population is hanging out and feeding in a spot where the endangereA circular patch of smooth water spotted in Rhode Island Sound this week led scientists to a surprising discovery: a quarter of the entire North Atlantic right whale population is hanging out and feeding in a spot where the endangered animals are not usually seen.d animals are not usually seen.

That tell-tale patch of water — a “flukeprint’’ generated when a whale pumps its tail up and down as it dives, roiling the surface in a distinctive way — led researchers doing an aerial survey to circle their plane to find a large cluster of whales in an unexpected location. In total, researchers found 98 whales in the waters east of Block Island, including two pairs of mothers and calves.

“It is really quite a bit higher [number of whales] than you find, even in places where you expect to find them,’’ said Charles “Stormy’’ Mayo, senior scientist at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies. Recently in Cape Cod Bay, where the whales regularly migrate to feed, “the highest numbers we’ve had have been over 70, and we thought that was mind-blowing.’’

Read the complete story at The Boston Globe.

 

 

 

 

 

A project that is rebuilding 50 acres of oyster reefs in the Pamlico Sound and around coastal North Carolina has been hailed this week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), through whose offices funding for the work has been granted.

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – known colloquially as the Stimulus – the NOAA has provided USD 167 million for marine and coastal habitat restoration. The North Carolina Estuary Habitat Restoration is one of 50 habitat restoration projects selected by NOAA for this funding.

John Gray, director of NOAA’s Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, said: “The Recovery Act is making a difference here in North Carolina. Over the long term, recovering oysters will help improve water quality and will boost important recreational and commercial fisheries that bring economic vitality to coastal communities.”

[read the FIS story in full]

 

 

 

Environmental scientist, marine ecologist and biologist, Jane Lubchenco was named administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in early 2009, the top political job in the country on ocean issues. She is using everything she has learned from her many days on the sea as a scientist and activist to try and shape a national ocean policy. Can politics really make a difference? An excerpt from our new book, companion to the DisneyNature release, "Oceans, The Threats to Our Seas and What You Can Do To Turn the Tide."

Jon Bowermaster: Is it easy for you to name a highest priority?

Jane Lubchenco: There are multiple. One is definitely oceans, another is climate, and obviously they intersect with one another. Those are the focus of NOAA's responsibilities and are just so incredibly timely right now because of the importance of oceans and the importance of addressing climate change, both on the mitigation side as well as the adaptation side.

JB: Which is easier mitigation or adaptation?

JL: Well it's not an either/or, they are both incredibly important. I think that one way to think about them is: Mitigation is really about avoiding the unmanageable and adaptation is about managing the unavoidable.

Read the complete interview at The Huffington Post.

 

 

 

 

 

This coming week, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco, and other dignitaries will celebrate Earth Week at eight of the 50 coastal and Great Lakes habitat restoration projects funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

“Recovery Act projects have put Americans back to work restoring coastal habitats which are critical to the recovery and sustainability of the U.S. economy,” said Commerce Secretary Gary Locke.  “This Administration remains committed to providing our coastal communities with the necessary tools to compete globally, create blue and green jobs and restore fisheries and economic vitality to coastal communities.”

“The 40th Earth Day is a time to renew our commitment to the environment,” said Dr. Lubchenco, who will travel to projects restoring wetlands on Muskegon Lake in Michigan and coral reefs in the Florida Keys. “These projects are about recovery – recovering habitat, recovering the economy and recovering our connection to the environment.”

Read the complete story at NOAA News.

 

 

 

 

 

In 1911, the Tordenskjold, a 75-foot schooner hewed from old-growth fir, left the Ballard docks for a first season of halibut fishing off Alaska. Back then, sails supplemented the power of a feeble two-cylinder gas engine, and crew fished from small dories that launched over the side into the perilous North Pacific waters. Today, the Tordenskjold runs on diesel, and the dories are long gone. But this boat still heads north each spring to join in a halibut harvest that over the past century has helped establish Ballard as a hub of the North American fishing industry.

Early Wednesday, as the Tordenskjold prepared for a 99th season, the boat mustered in formation with six other fishing schooners for a rare fleet parade through Lake Union, the Ballard Locks and out into Puget Sound. The occasion was a video documentary commissioned by the Fishing Vessel Owners Association and a fishermen's union that will chronicle the history of the fleet.

"I don't think I have ever seen all the boats together like this," said Marvin Gjerde, the 61-year-old skipper of the Tordenskjold. "We usually head off to Alaska one or two at a time, and once we leave town everyone is on their own."

These schooners — despite their age — are some of the top-grossing boats in the North Pacific commercial halibut harvest. This year's U.S. catch will likely be worth about $160 million, with Washington fishermen, largely based in Puget Sound, expected to claim nearly 30 percent of the fish.

Read the complete story at The Seattle Times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now or Never Radio, a web-based radio show on the environment, recently interviewed a Rhode Island fisherman and an Environmental Defense Fund policy specialist about catch shares and "days at sea" (see segment titled "To Sea or Not to Sea").

 Tim Fitzgerald,  a Senior Oceans Policy Specialist with EDF, speaks from the position that catch shares can end overfishing and improve fishing jobs.  Gary Hall, a gill net fisherman from Block Island, Rhode Island is skeptical of catch shares.

See this story and others at Now or Never Radio.