Science

The sun is waking up from a long quiet spell. Last week it sent out the strongest flare for four years – and scientists are warning that earth should prepare for an intense electromagnetic storm that, in the worst case, could be a “global Katrina” costing the world economy $2,000bn.

Senior officials responsible for policy on solar storms – also known as space weather – in the US, UK and Sweden urged more preparedness at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington.

“We have to take the issue of space weather seriously,” said Sir John Beddington, UK chief scientist. “The sun is coming out of a quiet period, and our vulnerability has increased since the last solar maximum [around 2000].”

Read the complete story from Financial Times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The last century has not been good for large, tasty fish like tuna and cod. Numbers of these and other top predators have plummeted because of overfishing. At the same time, populations of smaller fish, such as sardines and anchovies, have boomed by 130%, according to a new study of marine ecosystems around the world. This shift in the balance of the food web isn't healthy or sustainable, the researchers argue. And one way to help, they say, would be to shift from eating predators to species lower on the food chain.

The researchers, led by Villy Christensen of the University of British Columbia in Canada, analyzed models of about 200 food webs around the world. These models depict marine ecosystems at various time periods from 1880 to 2007. Christensen's team then estimated the distribution of biomass in ecosystems—how many tons of tuna or shrimp, for example—and extrapolated to cover all of the oceans.

The biomass of large fish has declined by two-thirds over the last 100 years, they reported today at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (which publishes ScienceNOW), although at this point they can't quantify absolute amounts. In the last 40 years, the biomass declined by 54%, though the drop has been less severe in the past 2 decades. Not surprisingly, the fish that were once preyed on by these large fish have increased. The rise in their biomass is just 0.85% per year, but that has led to more than a doubling over the past century.

Read the complete story from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WASHINGTON — Most people think of evolution occurring gradually over thousands of years, but apparently no one told the Atlantic tomcod.

In just 50 years or so, the Hudson River fish has evolved to become resistant to toxic PCBs that polluted the river, researchers reported yesterday. Their secret is a gene variant.

“You’re talking about very rapid evolution,’’ said Isaac Wirgin, an associate professor of environmental medicine at New York University School of Medicine.

The speed of evolution depends on characteristics of the population and how strong selection pressure is, Wirgin said by phone. “Pretty strong here, I think.’’

Read the complete story from The Boston Globe.

 

 

 

 

 

University of Connecticut and California State University researchers have found that seafloor communities in a restricted fishing area in NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary show evidence of recovery from chronic fishing gear impacts. The finding is significant because bottom trawlers, dredges and certain gillnets, for example, can alter the ocean floor and benthic ecosystems that provide food and shelter for fish and other marine species.

The Western Gulf of Maine habitat closure area overlaps 22 percent of the sanctuary and was implemented in 1998 by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service and the New England Fishery Management Council to aid in the recovery of groundfish. The closure area has also provided an opportunity to assess how restricting an area's use can be a tool for conserving biological diversity. Most commercial fishing was prohibited in the closure area, but lobster traps, recreational hook-and-line, and mid-water trawls were allowed.

We clearly see effects of the closure from the different responses of the seafloor communities inside and outside the closure area," said Peter Auster, research professor of marine sciences at the University of Connecticut. "The closure is working in terms of habitat protection and recovery continues, even after 12 years."

Scientists note that species within marine communities are closely associated with one another, and an understanding of these relationships can assist in understanding the overall health of the environment. In areas unhampered by the chronic impacts of fishing gear, it appears that communities have begun to recover and regulate themselves based on local interactions between species such as predation and competition. This is evidence of a return to the status of a healthy ecosystem.

These findings have been published in a NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries' Conservation Series report. Researchers conclude that seafloor communities inside the closure area are recovering from fishing gear impacts but they haven't yet returned to a state of ecological stability. Compared to habitats studied elsewhere, seafloor habitat recovery at Stellwagen has not progressed as anticipated, the study notes.

Most people assume that once fishing ceases in an area that recovery will rapidly occur to a stable community, like the recovery of old farm fields in New England shifting ultimately to mature forests," said Alison Tamsett, a University of Connecticut biologist and principal author of the study. "We now realize that the recovery process in the seafloor ecosystem is more complex than previously thought."

The authors caution that their observations "neither support nor reject" the assumption that cessation or reduction of fishing will allow populations and communities to fully recover. They recommend continued monitoring, over a larger number of sites within the sanctuary, to determine how seafloor communities in the Gulf of Maine respond to various human uses.

The Stellwagen Bank study, "Dynamics of Hard Substratum Communities Inside and Outside of a Fisheries Habitat Closed Area in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary," and other Marine Sanctuaries Conservation Series reports are available online.

 

 

 

 

 

In a letter dated January 13, 2011, Science and Research Director Nancy B. Thompson, Ph.D. advised NOAA Fisheries Regional Director Pat Kurkul that "[b]ased on new survey data collected through 2010 … overfishing was not occurring in any of the seven skate species."  Dr. Thompson noted that only "one skate species remains overfished (thorny)."

A partial copy of the letter follows:

January 31, 2011

MEMORANDUM FOR: Patricia A. Kurkul, Regional Administrator

FROM: Nancy B. Thompson, Ph.D., Science and Research Director

SUBJECT: Update of Skate Stock Status Based on NEFSC Bottom Trawl Survey Data through Autumn 2010

The purpose of this memo is to update the status of seven species of skates based on NEFSC bottom trawl survey data through autumn 2010. The previous update was done April 13, 2009 based on NEFSC bottom trawl survey data through autumn 2008.

The 2009 report stated that two skate species were overfished (smooth, thorny) and overfishing was not occurring in any of the seven skate species.

Based on new survey data collected through 2010, one skate species remains overfished (thorny) and overfishing was not occurring in any of the seven skate species.

For smooth skate, which is no longer overfished, the 3-year average (2008-2010) survey catch per tow (0.16kg/tow) was slightly greater that the B-threshold (0.145kg/tow). For thorny skate, the 3-year average (2008-2010) survey catch per tow (0.248 kg/tow) was less than the B-threshold (2.06 kg/tow).

With exception of smooth skate, none of the other skates has had a change in stock status from that described in the 2009 memo. A few other results are noteworthy. Survey indices of winter and little skate have increased since 2006. Three-year average rosette skate indices had been above the B-target, but the latest index in between B-target and B-threshold.

Details about the survey indices, vessel calibration coefficients, and Biological Reference Points for each skate species are provided on the following pages.

Read the entire letter by Dr. Thompson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Northeast Consortium invites proposals for collaborative research programs that address issues in fisheries and marine science focused within the Georges Bank and Gulf of Maine ecosystem. Proposals are invited for Project Development awards only.

The Northeast Consortium invites proposals for collaborative research programs that address issues in fi sheries and marine science focused within the Georges Bank and Gulf of Maine ecosystem. Proposals are invited for project development awards only.

The distribution of collaborative research funds will be via an open competition to be administered by the University of New Hampshire on behalf of the Northeast Consortium. Funding recommendations and decisions will be made by the Northeast Consortium representatives, based on review and recommendations of a panel consisting of Northeast Consortium Advisory Committee members and other commercial fi shermen, scientists, and representatives of governmental, quasi-governmental and non-governmental agencies and organizations.

Read the call for proposals notice.

Read the Project Development Awards notice.

 

 

 

 

 

Democratic pollster Douglas Schoen opined in The Washington Post after last winter's big snowstorms in Washington that "the weather … makes it more difficult to argue that global warming is an imminent danger."

President Barack Obama, his Cabinet and Democrats in Congress who think it's important to reduce emissions of heat-trapping gases from fossil fuels have talked about how transforming our use of energy can produce jobs. Climate change, which along with dependency on fossil fuels is the key reason for the transformation, gets almost no mention.

In the State of the Union speech, Obama never uttered the words "climate change" or "global warming."

Scientists describe many effects of a warming climate if emissions continue unabated and some of them have serious implications for fisheries, agriculture, habitation and health. But snow? Don't throw the shovels out.

Weather Underground founder Jeff Masters explained on his WunderBlog last week that big snowstorms don't indicate that global warming isn't happening.

So far the global average temperature has warmed an average 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880, with bigger changes nearer the poles. And there's even more warming still in the pipeline. "There will still be colder than average winters in a world that is experiencing warming, with plenty of opportunities for snow," Masters wrote.

The latest report on climate change by federal scientists, "Global Climate Change Impacts in the U.S.," said precipitation has increased by an average of about 5 percent in the past 50 years. It projects that northern areas generally will become wetter, and southern areas, especially in the West, will become drier.

Meanwhile, two current ocean and atmosphere patterns help explain winter cold and snow.

The climate phenomenon La Nina is linked to a cooling in sea-surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. Its opposite is El Nino, the warming of those waters.

La Nina is mainly responsible for this year's weather patterns, said Ignatius Rigor, an atmospheric scientist at the Polar Science Center at the University of Washington.

La Nina was expected to bring more snow to the Pacific Northwest, much of the Upper Midwest and New England.

Read the complete story from The Miami Herald.

 

 

 

 

Given the controversial nature of menhaden management on the East Coast and in the Chesapeake Bay, Saving Seafood has compiled this list, which juxtaposes some commonly held claims and beliefs surrounding Atlantic Menhaden with the facts that our research revealed.  Where appropriate, the facts are documented in the end notes.

CLAIM: The larger a menhaden population, the greater its chances for successful recruitment of juveniles and for future generations. 

FACT: The success of menhaden recruitment is far more dependent on environmental conditions — weather, water quality and atmospheric pressure – than on anything else, including restrictions on commercial fishing[1].  Furthermore, stocks are routinely determined to be healthy because menhaden are a very renewable resource; one female menhaden can produce as many as 350,000 eggs.

CLAIM:  A 2010 Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) analysis concluded that the population of Atlantic menhaden has fallen to historically low levels, having been overfished routinely for decades.

FACT: The 2010 ASMFC assessment uses data only through 2008, with data from this last year showing that fishing mortality level barely above the overfishing limit (by 0.4%). In the nine years prior (1999 – 2007), scientists concluded that overfishing did not occur at all.
 
CLAIM: As prodigious ‘filter feeders,’ menhaden help maintain water quality because they clean up unwanted algae blooms by eating phytoplankton.

FACT: Recent scientific evaluations of the ecological role of menhaden have indicated that these fish may not be as important for improving water quality as originally thought. Menhaden primarily eat zooplankton, not phytoplankton[2], and science has shown that menhaden do not provide any benefit whatsoever to water quality. While the fish do consume phytoplankton as young-of-the-year juveniles, they do not “filter” the water as alleged[3]; it is important to note that Omega does not target juvenile fish.

CLAIM: The menhaden industry threatens other species that rely on menhaden because, as forage fish, menhaden are uniquely essential to the survival of other fish, bird and mammal species. They are also essential prey for recreationally and economically important species such as striped bass

FACT: Menhaden are forage fish, but represent only a portion of other forage species; and the menhaden industry harvests only a small fraction of the total population. Also, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science recently found that menhaden represented only about 8 percent of striped bass food in the Chesapeake Bay, with a variety of other species accounting for the balance.
 
CLAIM: By-catch from menhaden fishing jeopardizes other fishing sectors and threatens other fish populations.
 
FACT: The menhaden fishery is known to be among the “cleanest” in the world in terms of the amount and rate of by-catch. All studies have concluded the by-catch in the menhaden fishery is insignificant Studies show that in both the Atlantic and Gulf menhaden fisheries, by-catch is less than one percent by weight of the total catch[4].  Of that one percent, more than 90 percent of by-catch is non-recreationally-important species like mullet and croaker[5].

CLAIM: The menhaden industry has consolidated because fish populations have declined so much as to reduce profitability.
 
FACT: Plant consolidations have been a result of economic pressures of rising operating costs and the influences of radical environmental groups, not of an overfished resource.

END NOTES

[1] Wood, R.J. and H.M.Austin, 2009. Synchronous multidecadal fish recruitment patterns in Chesapeake Bay, USA.  Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences,  66:  496-508pp.

[2]Smith, N.G. and C.M. Jones, 2007.  What is the cause of menhaden recruitment failure:  Quantifying the role of striped bass predation.  Final report, project RF 05-01, Virginia Marine Resources Commission.

[3] Friedland, K.D., D. W. Ahrenholz, J. W. Smith, M. Manning, AND J. Ryan.  2006.  Sieving Functional Morphology of the Gill Raker Feeding Apparatus of Atlantic Menhaden.  Journal of Experimental Zoology 305A:  974–985pp; Lynch, P.D., M.J. Brush, E.D. Condon, and R.J. LaTour, 2010. Net removal of nitrogen through ingestion of phytoplankton by Atlantic menhaden Brevoortia tyrannus in Chesapeake Bay.  Marine Ecology Progress Series, Vol. 401: 195–209, 2010.

[4]Austin, H.M., J.E. Kirkley, and J. Lucy, 1994.  By-catch and the fishery for Atlantic menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus in the Mid-Atlantic Bight: An assessment of the nature and extent of by-catch.  Virginia Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program, #103-260-955.

[5] Condrey, R.  1994.  Bycatch in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico Menhaden Fishery:  Results of Onboard Sampling in the 1992 Fishing Season.  Louisiana State University.  Baton Rouge, LA.

 

 

 

 

 

NOAA Fisheries Service in cooperation with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, is soliciting proposals under the 2012 Mid-Atlantic Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program that address research priorities for the summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, Loligo squid, Illex squid, Atlantic mackerel, butterfish, and bluefish, and tilefish fisheries.

To learn more, please click here.

If you have a problem opening the above link , you can also go directly to Grants.Gov and follow these steps

1) Click on "Find Under Grant Opportunities" on the left hand side of the webpage
2) Click on Basic Search
3) Enter either the FFO# or the CFDA # where indicated.
FFO#  NOAA-NMFS-NEFSC-2012-2002892 or the CFDA# 11-454.

 

 

 

 

 

The scene is Triton, Newfoundland, on Dec. 14, 2010, and the picture is cod, cod, cod and more cod, as far as the eye of Dennis Smeaton's video camera could see.

Tons of Maritime Canada and New England's founding fish are packed into a tight school, bank to bank in the Triton village cove.

A veteran videographer, Smeaton and his neighbors on the dock, employees of the fish processing plant in Triton, are fascinated but hardly flabbergasted by what they're seeing.

The offshore spawning stock cod biomass for the region is estimated by the Canadian government's 2010 trawl survey to be about 150,000 tons — hundreds of millions of fish — while the inshore stock biomass, including the mass of cod seen in the video, is but a fraction of that amount.

By contrast, in the U.S. waters of the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank, stocks of cod are much stronger and closer to the recognized ideal state of sustainability.

But as the Smeaton video does with pictures — and Legal Sea Foods CEO Roger Berkowitz intends to do with a banquet, featuring cod cheeks and serving nothing but "blacklisted" fish at his Park Square, Boston, restaurant on Jan. 24 — debate remains fierce and scientific disagreement intense over how much fish is out there, and what is a responsible fisheries policy.

The biomass estimate of roughly 150,000 tons of cod in Canadian waters off Newfoundland and the Smeaton video create a context for what "depleted" can means in relative terms for some of the world's historically richest ocean waters.

And it's sparked the push back by Berkowitz against the insistence of some scientists and seafood "eco-labelers" that cod are too fragile a species to be served on responsible tables — or that harvesting causes unacceptable physical harm to the ocean floor.

The case against fishing — or for less fishing — leads directly into the pivotal ocean-food battle centered on the policies of the Obama administration, whose "catch share" fishery management encourages fishermen to buy, sell or trade "shares" of a government-set catch for each stock, as within a commodities market. The result to date has been to consolidate control of fisheries into the hands of fewer, bigger, stronger businesses, while driving out smaller, independent fishermen who don't have the capital to keep up.

Read the complete story from The Gloucester Times.

See the aforementioned video.