-▶ WHY ARTIFICIAL FISH FARMING IS UNSUSTAINABLE AND HARMING THE PLANET. There’s something fishy going on between the BigAg GMO soy industry and new fish farming methods, and there is little news coverage of this growing relationship. A report titled "Factory-Fed Fish: How the Soy Industry is Expanding Into the Sea: by Food & Water Watch and Food & Water Europe http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/tools-and-resources/factory-fed-fish/ highlights some of the potential dangers created by the unexpected relationship between soy and fish, and looks at the harm that is being caused to the global environment by this unnatural coupling. What's the Problem? ...http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/why-fish-farming-is-unsustainable-and-harming-the-planet/
▶ HORRIFIC FOOTAGE EXPOSES FACTORY SALMON FARMING
An issue of immense animal suffering, environment devastation and imperiled wildlife.
Industrial salmon rearing is #factoryfarming at sea, an animal welfare tragedy. Confined in vast numbers, these ocean wanderers have no choice but to swim in small circles, often becoming diseased + riddled with parasites.@TheGAAI @ciwf
Iceland’s wild salmon population under threat by the mighty commercial fish farming industry.
Conservationists fear that the King of Fish, as Atlantic Salmon is sometimes called, is in peril once more. The threat? Iceland’s industrial salmon farming industry, which is set to more than quadruple in size.
Wherever in the world commercial salmon fishing has taken place, an “environmental and biological disaster” has followed. Wild salmon stocks are so depleted in neighboring Norway that around 100 of its 450 salmon rivers are now closed to anglers.
The industry uses a technique called ‘open net’ production. This involves fish being grown intensively in pens located in lakes or near the ocean shore. Each pen can contain up to 200,000 fish, with most farms comprising a minimum of four or five pens each.
Environmentalists argue that the system, which is widespread in Scotland, Chile, Norway and Canada, results in widespread marine pollution (from fish waste and pesticides, primarily) and involves high mortality rates.
But their main concern is what happens when farmed fish escape, something that “tens of millions” have done since the introduction of open net farming in the 1970s, according to independent scientific research.
“Farmed fish have an instinct to swim and breed, so they end up entering the rivers and competing with the wild salmon population for their breeding grounds,”
Mowi, the Norwegian-owned global company which produces up to 60,000 tonnes of salmon each year in the UK alone
▶ FACTORY FARMED SALMON INFECTING TENS OF MILLIONS WITH DEADLY PRV VIRUS - SALMON POPULATIONS COLLAPSE
Tens of millions of British Columbia's wild salmon dying in uncontrollable outbreak.
The escalating battle to protect Pacific wild salmon from a Norwegian virus.
THIRTY MILLION ATLANTIC SALMON were imported into B.C. from Norway, before anyone knew that the virus existed.
In 2017, we reported that 94 percent of farm salmon in markets are infected and that the virus has spread coastwide. But it is significantly more prevalent in wild salmon caught near salmon farms.
Wild Chinook near these farms are in collapse despite fishing closures. The oddly yellow Chinooks died slowly and painfully,releasing the virus into the surrounding waters.
-▶ MAJOR US SUPERMARKETS TO BOYCOTT GM SALMON - FIRST OF 30 OTHER GENETICALLY ALTERED SPECIES UNDER DEVELOPMENT. The GM salmon is the first in some 30 other species of genetically engineered fish under development, including tilapia. Researchers are also working to bring GM cows, chickens and pigs to market.... http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/mar/20/major-us-supermarkets-boycott-gm-salmon
▶ SALMON FARMING GIANT MOWI PROBED OVER CHEMICAL USE
The world's biggest salmon farming company is one of a number of firms under investigation by Scottish regulators for possible misreporting of chemical use.
There are concerns that the large amounts of pesticides, as well as faeces and food waste coming from the thousands of salmon in the fish farm nets, could be damaging the environment in some of Scotland's lochs.
Ecowatch, August 16, 2012 ▶ AQUACULTURE: WORLD'S INSATIABLE APPETITE FOR FISH DECIMATES WILD FISH POPULATION.“Growth in fish farming can be a double-edged sword,” said Nierenberg, co-author of the report and Director of Worldwatch’s Nourishing the Planet project. “Despite its potential to affordably feed an ever-growing global population, it can also contribute to problems of habitat destruction, waste disposal, invasions of exotic species and pathogens, and depletion of wild fish stock.”http://ecowatch.com/2012/08/16/decimates-wild-fish-population/
-▶ IS IT NOW ETHICAL TO EAT FARMED, CAGED FISH? There aren't plenty more fish in the sea. Our fish and seafood consumption is soaring, so in steps aquaculture. From 2011 to 2012 global aquaculture provided 90m tonnes of fish, overtaking 80m tonnes from the wild fisheries. But in reality 50% of the world's wild caught fish are fed to other animals, including farmed fish. There's also a large pressure group advocating introducing GM farmed salmon – dubbed "Frankenfish" ...
▶ “FATALLY FLAWED" FDA ASSESSMENT TO UNLEASH GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SALMON ONTO YOUR DINNER PLATE. NO Regulation NO Oversight NO Labeling...http://sco.lt/67gold
=======================================
-▶ 100 MILLION SHARKS KILLED A YEAR, JUST FOR THEIR FINS. SHARK POPULATIONS PLUMMET BY 90%http://sco.lt/7kHqLZ
WRECKING THE OCEAN ECOSYSTEM
OVERFISHING, COLLAPSING FISHERIES, OCEAN DEPENDENT SPECIES STARVINGhttp://sco.lt/6bO2nR
-▶ THE DEEP SEA IS VAST, UNEXPLORED, AND INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT
Two hundred meters beneath the surface of the ocean, there exists an ecosystem of plants and animals that directly affect our day-to-day life on land. Biogeosciences, has published a review of more than 200 studies on deep sea resources, giving us our first comprehensive look at what we gain—and steal—from the bottom of the ocean.
If we don't appreciate the importance of the deep sea, researchers say, we end up hurting ourselves....by volume, 98.5 percent of the areas of the planet that can support animals are in the deep sea....
Despite all the unknown crevices, Thurber said, “we do know enough to start to understand how our actions in the deep sea can impact the environment.” These actions, he said, include mining for minerals and precious metals, as well as aggressive fishing.
OnEarth, December 03, 2014 ▶ MINING THE DEEP SEA COULD DESTROY AN ALIEN WORLD WE BARELY KNOW HOW THE DEEP-SEA ENVIRONMENT INTERACTS WITH THE REST OF THE PLANET http://www.onearth.org/earthwire/under-sea
Reuters, July 31, 2014 -▶ AN EXTREMELY POWERFUL MATERNAL INSTINCT: OCTOPUS MOM PROTECTS HER EGGS FOR AN ASTONISHING 4-1/2 YEARS. Scientists tracked one female, recognizable by its distinctive scars, that clung to a vertical rock face near the floor of a canyon about 4,600 feet (1,400 meters) under the surface, keeping the roughly 160 translucent eggs free of debris and silt and chasing off predators....http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/07/31/science-octopus-idINKBN0G003A20140731
ScienceDaily, March 21, 2014 ▶ DEEP OCEAN CURRENT MAY SLOW DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE WITH SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES FOR THE FUTURE OF THE PLANET'SCLIMATE.Far beneath the surface of the ocean, deep currents act as conveyer belts, channeling heat, carbon, oxygen and nutrients around the globe. A new has found that recent climate change may be acting to slow down one of these conveyer belts, with potentially serious consequences for the future of the planet's climatehttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140321164911.htm
DEADLY BYCATCH
TWO-THIRDS OF HEALTHY FISH BROUGHT ON TO FISHING VESSELS IS THROWN BACK INTO THE SEA: DEAD OR INJUREDhttp://sco.lt/6DbCld
▶ HEALTH OF OCEANS 'DECLINING FAST' - MASS EXTINCTION MAY BE INEVITABLEhttp://sco.lt/8ZyX6v
WRECKING THE OCEAN ECOSYSTEM
OVERFISHING, COLLAPSING FISHERIES, OCEAN DEPENDENT SPECIES STARVINGhttp://sco.lt/6bO2nR
▶ ARCTIC IS RELEASING HUNDREDS, PERHAPS THOUSANDS OF ENORMOUS PLUMES OF METHANE DIRECTLY INTO EARTH'S ATMOSPHEREhttp://sco.lt/8gVi1x
OBAMA'S ARCTIC STRATEGY SETS OFF A CLIMATE TIME BOMB.
▶ DERELICT FISHING NETS HAVE TURNED THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA INTO A DEATH TRAP. Each year, at least 640,000 tonnes of nets and other fishing gear goes overboard and never comes back. But just because it’s lost to the sea doesn’t mean that derelict gear stops doing its jobs. The lobster pots, crab traps and dense thickets of nets that litter the sea bottom keep snaring fish and other animals for years or even decades after they go missing.
March 19, 2013 -▶ DISCARDS BAN COULD IMPACT SEABIRDS POPULATION - The European Parliament recently voted to scrap the controversial discards policy, which has seen fishermen throwing thousands of edible fish and fish waste back into the sea because they have exceeded their quotas.
▶ THE OCEAN SUSTAINS US -- BUT FOR HOW MUCH LONGER
Populations of fish that feed millions globally are in steep decline, and at risk of collapse. WWF’s Living Blue Planet Report takes an unprecedented look at the damage we inflict on the ocean, and outlines a way forward for its recovery. http://ocean.panda.org/
The world’s oceans—covering nearly two-thirds of the Earth’s surface, and on which much of human life depends—are under severe pressure, a new report says. Overfishing has dramatically reduced fish stocks. The thousands of tonnes of rubbish dumped in the oceans wreak havoc on marine life, while climate change is warming and acidifying them, putting them under further stress. http://ecowatch.com/2015/08/23/worlds-oceans-in-peril/
Mongabay, Jeremy Hance January 15, 2015 ▶ EMPTY SEAS: SCIENTISTS WARN OF AN INDUSTRIALIZED OCEAN.
With the rise of industrialized fishing, super trawlers, deep sea exploitation, pollution, and aquaculture, the human impact on the oceans is escalating rapidly and may be on the same course as what happened on land beginning in the Nineteenth Century: an industrial revolution of the oceans with the associated ecological impacts.
“Stakes for seafloor mining claims are being pursued with gold rush-like fervor. Three hundred-ton ocean mining machines and 750 foot fishing boats are now rolling off the assembly line to do this work.”
“There are factory farms in the sea, and cattle-ranch style feed lots for tuna. Shrimp farms are eating up mangroves with the same appetite with which terrestrial farming consumed native prairies and forest,” added co-author Steve Palumbi with Stanford University.
Grist, January 16, 2015 -▶ WE COULD VERY WELL BE ON THE BRINK OF MARINE MASS EXTINCTION - Basically, a study out Thursday in Science looked at the sum total of apocalyptic ocean science to date, and determined that we could very well be on the brink of marine mass extinction. Why, you ask? Better question: How could we not be?
As fish populations deplete, jellyfish populations are growing throughout much of the world. The fact that human beings and jellyfish tangle with one another more frequently than in the past is unpleasant for both sides. It also costs many millions each year. Here, a diver attaches a sensor to a large Echizen jellyfish off the coast of Komatsu in northern Japan... http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/photo-gallery-the-jellification-of-the-seas-fotostrecke-98970.html
TakePart, March 02, 2015 ▶ WHAT THE TROUBLING PLUNGE IN SEAGULL NUMBERS MEANS FOR THE SURVIVAL OF KILLER WHALES.
NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region, December 2014 - ▶ WHALE SHARKS, BIGGEST FISH IN THE OCEAN RECEIVES INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION FROM CORPORATE INDUSTRIAL FISHING.Commercial fishermen have known for some time that tuna, along with many other species of fish, congregate around objects drifting on the ocean surface. Fishermen often build floating structures called FADs, or fish-aggregating devices, to attract tuna to an area, allowing them to capitalize on this behavior. Using FADs makes the job of finding and encircling the tuna in the purse seine nets much more efficient. Fishermen also learned that whale sharks are so large that they naturally attract tuna, much like a FAD. This led some fishermen to deploy nets around a whale shark to capture tuna swimming beneath it. In many of the cases, the encircled whale shark was also caught in the net and injured or died. http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/stories/2014/18_12182014_whale_shark_protection.html
Earth Policy Institute -▶ OVERFISHING THREATENS CRITICAL LINK IN THE FOOD CHAIN The fish near the bottom of the aquatic food chain are often overlooked, but they are vital to healthy oceans and estuaries. Collectively known as forage fish, these species—including sardines, anchovies, herrings, and shrimp-like crustaceans called krill—feed on plankton and become food themselves for larger fish, seabirds, and marine mammals. http://worldfoodsecurity.blogspot.com/2013/01/overfishing-threatens-critical-link-in.html
-▶ THE POINT OF NO RETURN: RESEARCHERS LEARN HOW FISH POPULATIONS COLLAPSE.
In the early 1990s, overfishing led to the collapse of one of the most bountiful cod fisheries in the world, off the coast of Newfoundland. Twenty years later, the cod population still has not recovered, dramatically affecting the economic life of the region.
-▶ U.N. - OVERFISHING BECOMING INCREASINGLY RECOGNIZED FOR THE ECOLOGICAL DISASTER IT IS.
Clamp down on harmful industrial practices and support small-scale fishers to prevent 'ocean-grabbing' and overfishing.
Olivier De Schutter: UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food. On November 2nd he presented an official report entitled 'Fisheries and the Right to Food' (pdf) to the UN General Assembly.
RAPIDLY RISING CO2 IN ATMOSPHERE CAUSING POTENTIAL CATASTROPHE http://sco.lt/8LsqbR
VIDEO:
FORAGE FISH KEY TO A HEALTHY OCEAN FOOD WEB
GOING, GOING...
In the marine world, high-energy prey make for high-energy predators. And to survive, such marine predators need to sustain the right kind of high-energy diet. Not just any prey will do, suggests a new study.. http://sco.lt/54Pqnh
-▶ SUPER TRAWLER NETS BIG ENOUGH TO HOLD 13 JUMBO JETS - USING GPS TO SWEEP UP ALL IN IT'S PATH.
In most places, the oceans have lost more than 75 per cent of their “megafauna” – large creatures such as whales, sharks, dolphins, rays and turtles. Numbers of some species – oceanic whitetip sharks; American sawfish – are down by as much as 99 per cent. For every 20 leatherback turtles in the Pacific 50 years ago, only one remainshttp://www.scoop.it/t/our-oceans-need-us/p/1838791014/sea-change-the-loss-of-ocean-species-is-staggering
-▶ GREENLAND'S MELTING: CREATING A DIFFERENT CLIMATE THAN EARTH HAS EVER SEENhttp://sco.lt/8bjv73
-▶ ANTARCTIC ICE LOSS HAVING PROFOUND EFFECTS ON OCEAN FLOOR ECOLOGYhttp://sco.lt/6cuyFF
FEEDING FIRST THAT WHICH, IN TURN, FEEDS US. Men have got to stop raping and pillaging the precious resources of our planet to extinction, for it will ultimately lead to extinction of the human race. We depend on a healthy balanced natural world for our own health and wellbeing. The quarterly profit bottomline should drive extinction
▶ PLASTIC WILL POLLUTE OUR OCEANS FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARSAustralia's plastic garbage has made its way into every ocean in the world. New research shows that it doesn't matter where in the world plastic garbage enters the ocean, it can end up in any of the five ocean basins... http://phys.org/news/2013-01-plastics-pollute-oceans-hundreds-years.html
The Budapest Business Journal, March 10, 2015 ▶ A SEA OF TROUBLES: STOPPING OCEAN POLLUTION AT THE SOURCE. If you could stand on the ocean floor, look up, and see only the plastic pollution suspended in our oceans, you would see massive clouds of plastic particles, a mist of dust-like microplastic fragments slowly settling to the seafloor. This “plastic smog” is taking over our oceans. Today, there are more than five trillion pieces of plastic in the world’s oceans, together weighing more than 250,000 tons. Plastic in the oceans is always moving, sometimes violently, and becomes brittle under the ultraviolet rays of the sun. It is constantly being attacked by curious fish, seabirds, and marine mammals and reptiles, colonized by millions of microbes, and ingested by zooplankton and other filter feeders, like barnacles and jellyfishhttp://www.bbj.hu/opinion/a-sea-of-troubles-stopping-ocean-pollution-at-the-source_93889
-▶ FEARS OVER CORAL EATING PLASTIC IN AUSTRALIA'S GREAT BARRIER REEF. Corals in the Great Barrier Reef are eating small plastic debris in the ocean, Australian researchers raising fears about the impact the indigestible fragments have on their health and other marine life. Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-02-plastic-eating-coral-australia-barrier-reef.html#jCp
Scientific American, June 08, 2014
▶ I JUST WANT TO SAY ONE WORD TO YOU: PLASTIGLOMERATE.Thanks to us humans, there's a new type of rock in the geologic record. And it's part plastic. The new substance appears to be persistent, destined to stick around for a long, long time. And that's the kind of techno-fossil that may prove to be a hallmark of the Anthropocene age, this time of humanity shaping the planet.http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/new-rock-part-plastic/
THE WORLD'S LARGEST 'WASTE DUMP' IS FOUND IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN'http://sco.lt/7rNnc1
WATCH
"INSIDE THE GARBAGE OF THE WORLD" (80 min)
The Plastic Curse
A documentary that will give you an honest idea of how much contamination we are generating and how quickly we have to halt it in order to withstand the future.....http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/inside-garbage-world/
Conservation Magazine, ▶ GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT. When a single swath of ocean contains more plastic than plankton, the simple act of taking out the trash becomes a grueling scientific challenge.http://conservationmagazine.org/2010/01/garbage-in-garbage-out/
NRDC SWITCHBOARD, May 15, 2014 ▶ LOS ANGELES KIDS SEND A MESSAGE TO THE WORLD: "CLEAN UP OUR OCEAN" THE URGENT PROBLEM OF PLASTIC & MARINE LITTER.Plastic marine pollution is a daunting crisis for the marine environment, with devastating effects....an estimated 20 million tons of plastic litter enters the ocean each year. Plastic forms a large portion of our waste stream and typically does not biodegrade in the marine environment. And it has a wide range of adverse environmental and economic impacts, from wildlife deaths and degraded coral reefs to billions of dollars in cleanup costs, damage to vessels, and lost tourism and fisheries revenues.http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/tkiekow/los_angeles_kids_send_a_messag.html
GHOST FISHING
Derelict fishing nets have turned the sea into a death trap for ocean specieshttp://sco.lt/60RGnx
Nation of Change, May 14, 2014
▶ GARBAGE LAND USA: 590,000,000,000 POUNDS OF WASTE GENERATED ANNUALLYLess than 20% of that is reused or recycled. The elimination of food waste alone could feed an additional 1 billion people a year. With all this detritus piling up, it is time to take a look at what we can do differently, and waste not, the resources, which are quickly dwindling on this planet...http://www.nationofchange.org/garbage-land-usa-590000000000-pounds-waste-generated-annually-1400079448
The Scotsman, October 13, 2014 ▶ SCOTLAND: OTTERS DYING EARLY BECAUSE OF POISONED SEAS
Scottish otters are only living a third of the lifespan of those on mainland Europe because of poisoned seas, a leading expert on the species has warned.
Zoologist Dr Paul Yoxon said chemicals in everyday products are accumulating in fish and shellfish on which the mammals feed, weakening their immune systems.
The zoologist, who runs the International Otter Survival Fund (IOSF) on Skye with his biologist wife Grace, said hormone-disrupting chemicals, commonly found in shampoos and plastics, are also believed to be behind shrinking genitals of the male otter, affecting reproduction rates...http://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/otters-dying-early-because-of-poisoned-seas-1-3570722
Bloomberg Philanthropies delivers real, lasting change around the world. Learn how we're changing lives and transforming philanthropy-and how you can help.
The Bloomberg Philanthropies Vibrant Oceans Initiative supports a groundbreaking approach to reform both local and industrial fishing simultaneously. Our approach integrates financial strategies to ease the transition to more sustainable fishing.
THE DEMAND FOR FISH IS RISING WHILE THE SUPPLY IS RAPIDLY DECLINING
One billion people rely on fish as their primary source of protein. As the world’s population continues to grow, so will the demand for fish – which is projected to rise by over 20% by the year 2030. Meanwhile, over-fishing, or taking more fish than can be naturally replaced, is depleting the global population of fish. The amount of fish caught worldwide peaked in the 1990s and has since declined.
Industrial ships are able to catch two times more fish than exist in the ocean. Bottom-trawling, or dragging a heavy net along the ocean floor, in some cases discards 10 lbs of marine life (dead or dying) for every 1 lb of marine life caught. Other dangerous practices include dynamite and cyanide fishing, which damage coral reefs.Limits on the number of fish that can be caught are set too high in many places or do not exist at all, diminishing fish stocks and not allowing fish to repopulate.
The good news is that marine ecosystems can rebound relatively quickly if caught in time. The factors that led to mismanagement must be addressed now in order to replenish fish populations and to help meet the dietary needs of a growing global population....
Science Now, February 27, 2014 -▶ 3D MAPS REVEAL A TOXIC LEAD-LACED OCEAN: A pollutant once widely emitted by cars burning leaded gasoline. Decades ago, the United States and Europe banned leaded gas and many other uses of the metal, but the pollutant’s fingerprint lingers on http://news.sciencemag.org/chemistry/2014/02/3d-maps-reveal-lead-laced-ocean
-▶ THE END OF CORAL REEFS? AROUND FOR 10 MILLION YEARS, WIPED OUT IN 100 http://sco.lt/7y1XHt
-▶ OCEAN PLASTIC'S IMPACT ON SEA LIFE, YOUR SEAFOOD AND YOUR HEALTH http://sco.lt/7yGHWz
-▶ GREENLAND, ANTARCTICA, ARCTIC MELTING, CREATING A DIFFERENT CLIMATE THAN EARTH HAS EVER SEENhttp://sco.lt/7MZUVV
▶ CRYPTIC RIVER: THE TORRENTS THAT FLOW ON THE SEABEDCryptic river: The torrents that flow on the seabed. Myriad underwater rivers criss-cross the ocean floor, some many thousands of kilometres long, tens of kilometres wide and hundreds of metres deep. They are the arteries of our planet. They shunt sediments into the deep, carrying with them the oxygen and nutrients that allow life to thrive at great depths. They also seem to be a vital part of the world's carbon cycle, burying organic matter carried from the shore.http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22129570.700-cryptic-river-the-torrents-that-flow-on-the-seabed.html#.Uw1F4V5kJK4
WATCH TED TALK VIDEOS OCEAN WONDERS ( 10 TALKS) Dive into the unexplored universe beneath the waves: the beautiful, fragile (and sometimes terrifying) world of the ocean.http://www.ted.com/playlists/7/ocean_wonders
UNESCO, February 22, 2012 -▶ MARINE SCIENTIST ALARMED ABOUT INCREASING THREAT TO OCEAN ECOSYSTEMS.In the last 30 years, coastal resources such as mangroves, coral reefs and fishery resources have become depleted on a large scale. For example, more than 60 per cent of Asia’s mangroves have already been converted to aquaculture farms (ESCAP and ADB, 2000). The region is losing its resource bases to support people’s livelihoods and sustain future economic development.http://www.unescobkk.org/news/article/marine-scientists-alarmed-about-increasing-threats-to-ocean-ecosystems/
-▶ MANGROVE, REEFS, FORESTS AND DUNES BEING OBLITERATED: DOUBLING COASTAL FLOOD IMPACT AND SPECIES EXTINCTIONhttp://sco.lt/5CMugb
- ▶ WRECKING THE OCEAN ECOSYSTEM: OVERFISHING, COLLAPSNG FISHERIES, OCEAN DEPENDENT SPECIES STARVINGhttp://sco.lt/6bO2nR
WATCH:
"SEA THE TRUTH" --
BY 2048 The Oceans Will Be Empty! (full-length, HiQ)
Reuters, February 10, 2014 -▶ OVERFISHING, POLLUTION LEAVES TURKISH WATERS BARE. HI-TECH TECHNOLOGY, BIG BUSINESS, LAX REGULATIONS DESTROYING OCEANS EVERYWHERE. "Twenty years ago, you put your arm in the water you could pull out fish - there were so many," said Osman Korkmaz, a 53-year-old fisherman who has fished the Bosphorus Strait and Marmara Sea for 40 years. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/10/us-turkey-fish-idUSBREA1905B20140210
-▶ FATALLY FLAWED" FDA ASSESSMENT TO UNLEASH GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SALMON ONTO YOUR DINNER PLATE: NO REGULATION, NO OVERSIGHT, NO LABELLINGhttp://sco.lt/8ZDraz
-▶ WHY SARDINES MATTER - CRITICAL MARINE SPECIES FOOD SOURCE IN STEEP DECLINE The Pacific coast of North America supports one of the most vibrant and diverse marine ecosystems on Earth, largely because of the presence of thick schools of small prey fish such as Pacific sardines.
-▶ OVERFISHED AND UNDER-PROTECTED: OCEANS ON THE BRINK OF CATASTROPHIC COLLAPSEhttp://sco.lt/7cjPXt
VIDEO Quest Science (9:39) UNDERWATER WILDERNESS: CREATING MARINE PROTECTED AREA The waters off the coast of California are some of the richest in the world. But massive declines in fish species have led state leaders to begin creating large protected areas, or "no fishing zones," similar to wilderness areas on land. http://science.kqed.org/quest/video/underwater-wilderness-creating-marine-protected-areas/
In Just Over 400 years We have Disrupted 4 Billions Years Of
Terra Daily, April 19, 2014 -▶ THE TASTE FOR LIVE TURTLES PUSHING THEM TO EXTINCTION. : DECLINING CATCH RATES IN CARIBBEAN GREEN TURTLE FISHERYConservation scientists estimated that more than 170,000 green turtles were killed between 1991 and 2011, with catch rates peaking in 1997 and 2002 and declining steeply after 2008, likely resulting from over-fishing. The trend in catch rates, the authors of the assessment results maintain, indicates the need for take limits on this legal fishery.http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Declining_catch_rates_in_Caribbean_green_turtle_fishery_may_be_result_of_overfishing_999.html
Climate Progress, January 2, 2014 -▶ CLIMATE CHANGE WILL STARVE THE DEEP SEA, STUDY FINDS. The deep sea is home to thousands of commercially important species and is one of the last frontiers for new species discovery. The creatures of the deep are also key to the cycling of nitrogen, carbon and silicon in the ocean, a process that maintains the delicate balance of ocean life...http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/01/02/3113101/climate-change-starve-deep-sea/
BBC News, November 13, 2013 -▶ EMISSIONS OF CO2 DRIVING RAPID OCEANS 'ACID TRIP'The world's oceans are becoming acidic at an "unprecedented rate" and may be souring more rapidly than at any time in the past 300 million years.
Climate Progress, January 2, 2014 -▶ CLIMATE CHANGE WILL STARVE THE DEEP SEA, STUDY FINDS. The deep sea is home to thousands of commercially important species and is one of the last frontiers for new species discovery. The creatures of the deep are also key to the cycling of nitrogen, carbon and silicon in the ocean, a process that maintains the delicate balance of ocean life...http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/01/02/3113101/climate-change-starve-deep-sea/
BBC News, November 13, 2013 -▶ EMISSIONS OF CO2 DRIVING RAPID OCEANS 'ACID TRIP'The world's oceans are becoming acidic at an "unprecedented rate" and may be souring more rapidly than at any time in the past 300 million years.
WATCH TED TALK VIDEOS OCEAN WONDERS ( 10 TALKS) Dive into the unexplored universe beneath the waves: the beautiful, fragile (and sometimes terrifying) world of the ocean.http://www.ted.com/playlists/7/ocean_wonders
==============================
DEADLY BYCATCH:
TWO-THIRDS OF HEALTHY FISH BROUGHT ON TO FISHING VESSELS IS THROWN BACK INTO THE SEA - DEAD OR INJUREDhttp://sco.lt/6DbCld
The world faces a choice. We do not have to return to an oceanic Stone Age. Whether we can summon the political will and moral courage to restore the seas to health before it is too late is an open question. The challenge and the opportunity are there.
Sweden’s Oskarshamn nuclear power plant, which supplies 10% of the country’s energy, had to shut down one of its three reactors after a jellyfish invasion clogged the piping of its cooling system. The invader, a creature called a moon jellyfish, is 95% water and has no brain. Not what you might call menacing if you only had to deal with one or two. ...
Research of 45 major marine ecosystems shows that 62% saw an uptick in blooms (pdf) since 1950. In those areas, surging jellyfish numbers have caused power plant outages, destroyed fisheries and cluttered the beaches of holiday destinations.
-▶ THE "OMITHOPTER" JELLYFISH-INSPIRED FLYING MACHINE KEEPS UPRIGHT. Scientists have built the first ever flying machine that is capable of stable hovering simply by flapping its wings, using a movement similar to that of a swimming jellyfish. The new form of "ornithopter" is reported in Journal of the Royal Society Interface http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2014/01/15/3925459.htm
Grist, October 16, 2013 -▶ DRAMATIC CHARTS REVEAL CLIMATE CHANGE'S EFFECTS ON OCEANS
Climate change is scrambling the oceans. It’s raising water temperatures, lowering pH levels, reducing oxygen availability, and driving down the size of wildlife populations the oceans can sustain.
NOAA Fisheries, -▶ HELP FROM KELP: SEAWEED KELP FORESTS TO HELP WITH OCEAN ACIDIFICATION. Many seaweeds, including kelp, thrive in acidifying ocean waters. They take up CO2 and nutrients from their environment, improving water quality as they grow by drawing down levels of the dissolved acid along with nitrogen and phosphorus. Seaweeds also give off oxygen, which can help with dead zones. The combination may result in seaweed farms acting as protective “halos” that mitigate acidification and pollution locally while creating habitat for marine species. When the seaweed is harvested it takes the excess carbon and nitrogen with it, effectively removing them from the ocean http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/aquaculture/homepage_stories/paul_allen_grant.html
The Scotsman, October 13, 2014 ▶ SCOTLAND: OTTERS DYING EARLY BECAUSE OF POISONED SEAS
Scottish otters are only living a third of the lifespan of those on mainland Europe because of poisoned seas, a leading expert on the species has warned. Zoologist Dr Paul Yoxon said chemicals in everyday products are accumulating in fish and shellfish on which the mammals feed, weakening their immune systems. The zoologist, who runs the International Otter Survival Fund (IOSF) on Skye with his biologist wife Grace, said hormone-disrupting chemicals, commonly found in shampoos and plastics, are also believed to be behind shrinking genitals of the male otter, affecting reproduction rates...http://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/otters-dying-early-because-of-poisoned-seas-1-3570722
Summit Voice, October 11, 2014 ▶ CAN SEA OTTERS BOUNCE BACK FROM THE BRINK?
Giant jungles of kelp were once so thick on Australia's East Coast, they were included on shipping maps. But scientists say the kelp's demise is linked to climate change - and the prognosis is poor for marine habitats.....http://sco.lt/7HTzIP
August 27, 2013 Conservation. Washington State University
▶ TO RESTORE LOST SEAGRASS, JUST ADD SOME OTTERS
According to a new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, these adorable critters help counteract the harmful effects of fertilizer pollution.
Seagrass provides valuable marine habitat, sequesters carbon, and shields coastlines from storms. But nutrient run-off from farms can trigger overgrowth of algae, which then block sunlight from reaching the seagrass... http://conservationmagazine.org/2013/08/sea-otters-aid-seagrass-recovery/
PHOTOS
Mother Nature Network -▶ RIVER OTTERS, THE HARDEST WORKING CLOWNS IN THE WATER.Playful, curious, rambunctious and so much fun to watch, North American river otters are an important part of a healthy riparian habitat. River otters can be found near lakes, rivers, swamps and estuaries. Click through to see more photos of these adorable animals and learn more about just how amazing they are. (Text: Jaymi Heimbuch)
-▶ IN PHOTOS: RIVER OTTERS MAKING A COME BACK IN CALIFORNIA'S BAY AREA . A sign not only that the local efforts put into habitat restoration are paying off, but that focusing on coexisting with wildlife in general can bring back native species to an area.
▶ STARVING SEALS, DISINTEGRATING STARFISH, OVERHEATED PACIFIC OCEAN...SCIENTISTS SEE 'UNPRECEDENTED CHANGES' IN PRODUCTIVITY AS OCEANS TEMPS OFF WEST COAST GO OFF THE CHARTS....That could translate into less food for salmon and other marine species, added Chris Harvey of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center. High mortality of sea lion pups in Southern California and seabirds on the Oregon and Washington coasts in recent months may be early signs of the shift. http://summitcountyvoice.com/2015/03/17/climate-scientists-see-unprecedented-changes-in-productivity-as-oceans-temps-off-west-coast-go-off-the-charts/
Grist, March 20, 2015 ▶ FROM SEA LIONS TO PENGUIN CHICKS, ADORABLE ANIMALS ARE DYING IN DROVES - FROM STARVATION
-▶ THOUSANDS OF SEA LION PUPS DEAD FROM STARVATION : NOT ENOUGH FISH IN THE SEA. When the sea lions converged on this most westerly of southern California’s Channel Islands in May 2012, as they do every spring, there was no hint of anything amiss. A year later, thousands of pups – perhaps as many as 70 percent of the newborns – were dead. The struggle to survive led desperate pups from their sandy nursery into the churning, dangerous sea, long before they were ready. Between January and June, five rescue centers along the southern California coast, from Santa Barbara to San Diego, took in more than 1,500 stranded pups – five times more than normal... http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/08/island-sea-lion-pupdate/
-▶ OVERFISHING, NO FOOD FOR SEALS: Baby Seals washed up in Europe, too weak to care for themselves. The incident is an extreme example among a recent increase in pup strandings, experts say. Overfishing has reduced the seals' available prey, and the polluted fish the animals do catch often make them sick. "In the last two or three years we have seen more and more seals wash up too weak to look after themselveshttp://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/01/pictures/120118-baby-seals-netherlands-stranded-animals/
-▶ PERU: MASS DOLPHIN AND PELICAN DIE-OFF FOUND STARVING: WE ARE OVERFISHING OUR OCEANS AT AN ALARMING RATE
In the marine world, high-energy prey make for high-energy predators. And to survive, such marine predators need to sustain the right kind of high-energy diet. Not just any prey will do, suggests a new study...http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121210246.htm
Earth Policy Institute -▶ OVERFISHING THREATENS CRITICAL LINK IN THE FOOD CHAIN The fish near the bottom of the aquatic food chain are often overlooked, but they are vital to healthy oceans and estuaries. Collectively known as forage fish, these species—including sardines, anchovies, herrings, and shrimp-like crustaceans called krill—feed on plankton and become food themselves for larger fish, seabirds, and marine mammals. http://worldfoodsecurity.blogspot.com/2013/01/overfishing-threatens-critical-link-in.html
ScienceDaily, January 07, 2014
-▶ SNOWBALL EFFECT OF OVERFISHING HIGHLIGHTED - "You don't realize how interdependent species are until it all unravels," - The domino effect that occurs when too many fish are harvested from one habitat.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140107163737.htm
BBC News, November 23, 2014 -▶ PERU INVESTIGATES DEATHS OF 500 SEA LIONS ON NORTH COAST -The local governor has accused fishermen of poisoning the mammals, which usually come close to the shore looking for food. But Peruvian environmental police are looking into other possible causes for the deaths, including disease and the accidental ingestion of plastic.
Dear Sylvia. Because I'll quit "#flattr-Empfehlungen." on scoop.it, you're invited to follow "Gesunde Systeme" http://www.scoop.it/t/gesunde-systeme. Keep on ....
Mongabay, August 11, 2014 PLANTING MEADOWS IN THE OCEAN: TECHNIQUE MAY HELP RESTORE DISAPPEARING SEAGRASS BEDS. Eelgrass is disappearing from sea floors due to human influences. “Eelgrass is impacted by the filling of shallow waters, dredging,…boat anchoring and mooring chains, wave energy from boats, trawling, poor water clarity as a result of sediment, and nutrient run-off,” Ort said. “The elimination of shallow areas, for example by dredging a channel and then protecting the steepened shoreline by the use of rip-rap, also eliminates eelgrass habitat. Climate change, and the rising sea levels that come with it, is also reducing the amount of suitable habitat available for eelgrass.”http://news.mongabay.com/2014/0811-ikarashi-eelgrass-buds.html
TerraDaily, April 05, 2013 TINY GRAZERS PLAY KEY ROLE IN MARINE ECOSYSTEM HEALTH.The little crustacean "grazers," some resembling tiny shrimp, are critical in protecting seagrasses from overgrowth by algae, helping keep these aquatic havens healthy for native and economically important species. http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Tiny_Grazers_Play_Key_Role_in_Marine_Ecosystem_Health_999.html
A FARM THAT EXTENDS DEEP INTO THE SEA IS TRYING TO CREATE OCEAN VEGETARIANISM
At the moment, commercial fishing picks off top predators such as tuna, while ravaging the rest by towing miles of drift nets or dragging metal chains on the seabed. This age of hunting and gathering is now coming to an end whether we like it or not. The ocean’s bounty has proved not only finite: it simply no longer exists. Decades of research about the world’s fisheries show most populations have been fished to their limit, or are in collapse. Global marine catches, which peaked in the mid-1990s, are now in a slow decline, states the FAO’s 2012 review (PDF)....http://www.fastcoexist.com/1682596/a-farm-that-extends-deep-into-the-sea-is-trying-to-create-ocean-vegetarianism
AND YOU THOUGHT CONSUMER PLASTIC POLLUTION WAS BAD!
Ghost nets are any fishing net that is lost abandoned or discarded at sea or on land. Unfortunately many marine organisms such as Turtles, sharks, whales, dolphins, fish and even sea bird become entangled in these silent killers often unnoticed.
Metro UK, May 31, 2019
- ▶ SEAL DIED A 'TORTURED DEATH' AFTER GETTING TRAPPED IN 35G OF UK MARINE LITTER
The heartbreaking situation off the coast of Cornwall has been described as ‘one of the worst cases of entanglement seen anywhere in the world.’
DERELICT FISHING NETS HAVE TURNED THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA INTO A DEATH TRAP
Each year, at least 640,000 tonnes of nets and other fishing gear goes overboard and never comes back. But just because it’s lost to the sea doesn’t mean that derelict gear stops doing its jobs. The lobster pots, crab traps and dense thickets of nets that litter the sea bottom keep snaring fish and other animals for years or even decades after they go missing. It’s impossible to estimate how many marine animals are killed each year by “ghost fishing,” as the problem is known. However, the mosaic of local reports suggests staggering numbers—many of them of commercially valuable or endangered species. In Puget Sound, ghost gear is thought to kill more 3.5 million animals a year, including nearly 25 seals, porpoises and other marine mammals a week.http://qz.com/247942/derelict-fishing-nets-have-turned-the-bottom-of-the-sea-into-a-death-trap-2/
Newsweek, December 07, 2019
- ▶ DEAD SPERM WHALE WITH 220 POUNDS OF PLASTIC IN ITS STOMACH FOUND ON BEACH IN SCOTLAND:
Earlier this week, a young 20-ton male sperm #WHALE died with over 200 lbs of debris stuck in its stomach including plastic cups, bags, gloves, packing straps and tubing as well as bundles of rope and sections of net
- ▶ THOUSANDS OF SHARKS AND RAYS ARE BECOMING ENTANGLED IN PLASTIC POLLUTING EARTH'S OCEANS.
“The most common entangling objects were ghost fishing gear (74% of animals) followed by polypropylene strapping bands (11% of animals), with other entangling materials such as circular plastic debris, polythene bags and rubber tyres comprising 1% of total entangled animals,” the authors write in the study
- ▶ ANNUAL PHOTO CONTEST REVEALS DANGERS OF GHOST NETS.
Depressing photos received by the Ocean Conservancy show just how helpless marine animals are in the face of drifting nets. Once tangled up in a net, it's pretty near impossible for a marine animal to escape.
While it is difficult to know just how much 'ghost gear' enters the world's oceans every year, the amount is estimated to be around 800,000 tons. The majority of fishing gear is made from plastic or other synthetic materials; it does not biodegrade, and continues to pose as much of a threat to wildlife in its 'ghost' form as it did while being used by a fishing fleet. Ghost nets also damage delicate coral reefs, amass other plastic debris, and pose a risk to ships
ABANDONED FISHING NETS ACCOUNT FOR 46 PERCENT OF ALL OCEAN PLASTIC- KILLING HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS OF SEA LIFE PER YEAR. 640,000 tons of gear are lost and pollute oceans each year. In 2016 there were 71 reported cases ofwhales caught in abandoned fishing gear off the U.S. Pacific coast.
- ▶ A SINGLE DISCARDED FISHING NET CAN KEEP KILLING FOR CENTURIES.
A new report estimates that around 700,000 tons of fishing gear are abandoned in the oceans each year.
A gigantic mass of abandoned fishing gear and its catch. The monstrous net, as wide and deep as the Hollywood sign is tall, drifted just below the water’s surface with tendrils that teemed with hundreds of dead and dying fish and sharks.
- ▶ The plastics that make up most of the nets in the oceans today take around 600 years to break apart. One old gill net found wedged between rocks off the coast of the San Juan Islands reportedly sat atop a pile of marine bird and mammal bones that was three feet deep.
Conservation Magazine, May 09, 2014 ▶ JUST $200 PER FISHING VESSEL COULD SAVE THOUSANDS OF ALBATROSSES FROM INDUSTRIAL FISHING GEAR.The commercial fisheries aren’t going to stop their business for the seabirds. it’s all too easy for a seabird to get caught up in the fishing gear that trails behind a fishing boat, and when they do, it’s usually fatal. In 2004-2005, an estimated 15,500 birds were killed that way off of South Africa. Pelagic albatrosses and petrels are particularly hard-hit, http://conservationmagazine.org/2014/05/just-200-per-fishing-vessel-could-save-thousands-of-albatrosses/
ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) February 18, 2015
- ▶ MORE THAN 8km OF FISHING LINE RECOVERED FROM SWAN AND CANNING RIVERS IN PERTH, AUSTRALIA "It would have otherwise ended up in the Swan and Canning estuary system, could have ended up entangling some of our wildlife, some of our dolphins, some of our black swans, as we've often seen happening over the last 12 months." Since 2008, five dolphins had been found caught in fishing line, with four of the animals dying."That is a horrific way for any creature to die, it is a very slow and painful death, and that can be caused by any discarded fishing line," ... A lot of the entanglement problems that we have seen with our wildlife, fishing line is in particular quite a problem, in fact fishing line can take up to 600 years to break down if it's just left in the environment."
SummitVoice, July 27, 2014 - ▶ PACIFIC BLUEFIN TUNA ON THE BRINK AS FED SEEK INPUT ON NEW FISHING. many tuna populations are on the brink of collapse. Five of eight tuna species have been assigned threatened or near-threatened status on the international Red List maintained by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. In the Gulf of Mexico, for example, the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster spewed millions of gallons of oil into the species’ prime breeding grounds, and a 2010 report by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists showed how illegal fishing and inadequate enforcement are decimating tuna stocks all over the world. http://summitcountyvoice.com/2014/07/27/oceans-pacific-bluefin-tuna-on-the-brink-as-feds-seek-input-on-new-fishing-regulations/
Energy Live News, July 01, 2014 -▶ SEAFOOD "COULD BE COOKED BY CLIMATE CHANGE" We could reach a point where governments battle it out over dwindling pockets of seafood. It’s all linked to the oceans acidifying: “The two aspects are: one, as they warm up they no longer absorb as much oxygen so you end up with fish sizes that are smaller.
“The second thing is, the impact of the temperature increase and increased CO2 specifically causes ocean acidification, so the pH of the water changes. which then is of real risk to things like shellfish as well as to coral reefs.”
-▶ MARINE SCIENTIST ALARMED ABOUT INCREASING THREAT TO OCEAN ECOSYSTEMS. In the last 30 years, coastal resources such as mangroves, coral reefs and fishery resources have become depleted on a large scale. For example, more than 60 per cent of Asia’s mangroves have already been converted to aquaculture farms (ESCAP and ADB, 2000). The region is losing its resource bases to support people’s livelihoods and sustain future economic development. http://www.unescobkk.org/news/article/marine-scientists-alarmed-about-increasing-threats-to-ocean-ecosystems/
-▶ GLOBAL WARMING: REPORT WARNS OF 'ARCTIC SQUEEZE'. An entire bio-climatic zone, the high Arctic, may disappear.
FRISCO — Rapid climate change in the Arctic is putting enormous pressure on ecosystems, threatening biodiversity and the fundamental way of life of indigenous Arctic peoples, scientists said in a major new report.
“An entire bio-climatic zone, the high Arctic, may disappear. Polar bears and the other highly adapted organisms cannot move further north, so they may go extinct. We risk losing several species forever,” said Hans Meltofte of Aarhus University, chief scientist of the report.
Houston Chronicle, November 19, 2014 ▶ SCIENTIST ALARMED AT SEA TURTLE'S SUDDEN DECLINE IN GULF. Scientific research presented on the Kemp's ridley raised the possibility that the 2010 BP oil spill, the largest in U.S. history, might have contributed to the declines of sea turtle nests in 2013 and 2014, which have alarmed scientists. [...] experts outlined other factors that may be harming the turtles, such as a die-off of the creatures the turtles eat, expanding dead zones where oxygen is so scant that almost nothing can survive, pesticide runoff and other chemicals dumped in the Gulf. http://www.chron.com/news/science-environment/article/Signs-grow-of-oil-spill-effect-on-turtles-5903833.php
Terra Daily, April 19, 2014 -▶ THE TASTE FOR LIVE TURTLES PUSHING THEM TO EXTINCTION. : DECLINING CATCH RATES IN CARIBBEAN GREEN TURTLE FISHERYConservation scientists estimated that more than 170,000 green turtles were killed between 1991 and 2011, with catch rates peaking in 1997 and 2002 and declining steeply after 2008, likely resulting from over-fishing. The trend in catch rates, the authors of the assessment results maintain, indicates the need for take limits on this legal fishery.http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Declining_catch_rates_in_Caribbean_green_turtle_fishery_may_be_result_of_overfishing_999.html
NEW REPORT
MILLIONS (NOT THOUSANDS) OF MARINE TURTLES
KILLED BY LONGLINE, GILLNET SUPER TRAWLER FISHERIES
Care2, October 03, 2014 -▶ PHOTOS: ENDANGERED SEA TURTLES ARE GETTING NASTY, DEADLY TUMORS, AND WE'RE TO BLAME. Runoff from cities and farms in Hawaii is causing debilitating and deadly tumors, which are believed to be the leading known cause of death for endangered green sea turtles. The study, published this week in the journal PeerJ, found that nitrogen runoff is ending up in algae that sea turtles eat, which is causing the tumors to grow both internally and externally on their eyes and flippers. According to NOAA, these tumors can interfere with their ability to eat and other essential behaviors, while tumors on their eyes can cause permanent blindness. While it’s a major problem for green turtles in Hawaii, it’s also been found in other places and in other species of sea turtles, including loggerhead, olive ridley and flatback turtles.http://www.care2.com/causes/endangered-sea-turtles-are-getting-nasty-deadly-tumors-and-were-to-blame.html
-▶ SUPER TRAWLER NETS BIG ENOUGH TO HOLD 13 JUMBO JETS - USING GPS TO SWEEP UP ALL IN IT'S PATH
In most places, the oceans have lost more than 75 per cent of their “megafauna” – large creatures such as whales, sharks, dolphins, rays and turtles. Numbers of some species – oceanic whitetip sharks; American sawfish – are down by as much as 99 per cent. For every 20 leatherback turtles in the Pacific 50 years ago, only one remainshttp://www.scoop.it/t/our-oceans-need-us/p/1838791014/sea-change-the-loss-of-ocean-species-is-staggering
-▶ TURTLE POACHING INCREASES EVEN AS NUMBERS PLUMMET
China has a taste for turtle; turtle soup, turtle eggs, turtle bone ground up for use in Chinese medicine to promote longevity – for people, not for the turtles. But as Chinese waters are increasingly depleted of sea turtles, Chinese poachers are going further afield to find them. That includes hunting in waters that both China and the Philippines claim, like the waters around the Philippine island of Palawan.http://www.pri.org/stories/2012-02-08/sea-turtle-poaching-and-high-demand-china
A new short film, "Viva la tortuga" documents the struggle to save loggerhead and green sea turtles in Magdalena Bay, Mexico. Once a region for a massive sea turtle meat market, the turtles now face a new threat: BY-CATCH.
DERELICT FISHING NETS HAVE TURNED THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA INTO A DEATH TRAP.
Each year, at least 640,000 tonnes of nets and other fishing gear goes overboard and never comes back. But just because it’s lost to the sea doesn’t mean that derelict gear stops doing its jobs. The lobster pots, crab traps and dense thickets of nets that litter the sea bottom keep snaring fish and other animals for years or even decades after they go missing. It’s impossible to estimate how many marine animals are killed each year by “ghost fishing,” as the problem is known. However, the mosaic of local reports suggests staggering numbers—many of them of commercially valuable or endangered species. In Puget Sound, ghost gear is thought to kill more 3.5 million animals a year, including nearly 25 seals, porpoises and other marine mammals a week. http://qz.com/247942/derelict-fishing-nets-have-turned-the-bottom-of-the-sea-into-a-death-trap-2/
TORONTO, Oct. 15, 2012 /CNW/ - A year-long undercover investigation conducted by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) at the Cayman Turtle Farm, a popular tourist destination and the world's last remaining facility that raises sea turtles for slaughter, has revealed disturbing animal cruelty and potential human health risks.Video footage and photographs from the farm show thousands of endangered sea turtles being kept in dirty, crowded touch tanks. Swimming in water filled with their own waste, the turtles fight for food, bite each other and even resort to cannibalism. Many suffer from disease and birth defects, such as injured fins or missing eyes....http://www.stopseaturtlefarm.org/
-▶ HEALTHY OCEAN FOOD WEB KEY TO GLOBAL CARBON CYCLE
Carbon is present in the atmosphere and is stored in soils, oceans and the Earth's crust. Any movement of carbon between — or in the case of the ocean, within — these reservoirs is called a flux. According to the researchers, oceans are a central component in the global carbon cycle through their storage, transport and transformations of carbon constituents... http://www.science20.com/news_articles/ocean_food_web_key_global_carbon_cycle-131468
ScienceDaily, March 21, 2014 ▶ DEEP OCEAN CURRENT MAY SLOW DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE WITH SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES FOR THE FUTURE OF THE PLANET'SCLIMATE.Far beneath the surface of the ocean, deep currents act as conveyer belts, channeling heat, carbon, oxygen and nutrients around the globe. A new has found that recent climate change may be acting to slow down one of these conveyer belts, with potentially serious consequences for the future of the planet's climatehttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140321164911.htm
- ▶ CHANGING OUR WORLD FOREVER. THE WAY TO A NEW, UNKNOWN ARCTIC ECOSYSTEMhttp://sco.lt/945Zsv
-▶ GOVERNING OUR OCEANS: THE TRAGEDY OF THE HIGH SEAS
IN 1968 an American ecologist, Garrett Hardin, published an article entitled “The Tragedy of the Commons”. He argued that when a resource is held jointly, it is...
The high seas are of great economic importance to everyone—fish is a more important source of protein than beef—and getting more so. The number of patents using DNA from sea-creatures is rocketing, and one study suggests that marine life is a hundred times more likely to contain material useful for anti-cancer drugs than is terrestrial life....
Yet the state of the high seas is deteriorating (see article). Arctic ice now melts away in summer. Dead zones are spreading. Two-thirds of the fish stocks in the high seas are over-exploited, even more than in the parts of the oceans under national control. And strange things are happening at a microbiological level. The oceans produce half the planet’s supply of oxygen, mostly thanks to chlorophyll in aquatic algae. Concentrations of that chlorophyll are falling. That does not mean life will suffocate. But it could further damage the climate, since less oxygen means more carbon dioxide.
For tragedies of the commons to be averted, rules and institutions are needed to balance the short-term interests of individuals against the long-term interests of all users. That is why the dysfunctional policies and institutions governing the high seas need radical reform. The Solutions...
TWO-THIRDS OF HEALTHY FISH BROUGHT ON TO FISHING VESSELS IS THROWN BACK INTO THE SEA - DEAD OR INJUREDhttp://sco.lt/6DbCld
The Ecologist, October 17, 2013 -▶ THE BRUTAL REALITY OF DOLPHIN SLAUGHTER IN PERU.Undercover filming by the UK investigative agency Ecostorm has exposed - for the first time - the brutal hunting and killing of dolphins for use as shark bait off Peru's Pacific coast. a secret slaughter involving thousands of dolphins, dwarfing the high seas drama of the annual whale hunt in Antarctica. Known as "sea pigs" by fishermen in Peru, dolphins are reportedly harpooned and diced up on deck, before being skewered onto hundreds of hooks strung out on long-lines at sea to attract sharkshttp://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2122747
WATCH: CNN VIDEO: "OVERFISHED AND UNDER-PROTECTED:
-▶ AS MUCH AS TWO-THIRDS OF HEALTHY FISH BROUGHT ON TO FISHING VESSELS THROWN BACK INTO THE SEA DEAD OR DYING,because they are less valuable than the species the fishermen are targeting...In some trawl fisheries for shrimp, the discard may be 90 percent of the catch. Other fisheries kill seabirds, turtles and dolphins, sometimes in huge numbers. sea.http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/feb/27/eu-fish-discards-ban-welcomed
-▶ 100 MILLION A YEAR JUST FOR THEIR FINS. SHARK POPULATIONS PLUMMETS BY 90%http://sco.lt/5FNEG1
-▶ THE END OF CORAL REEFS? AROUND FOR 10 MILLION YEARS, WIPED OUT IN 100http://sco.lt/8VOKzx
-▶ “THERE IS NO LIFE OUT THERE": GULF ECOSYSTEM IN CRISIS AFTER BP DEEPWATER HORIZON DISASTERhttp://sco.lt/5EAkaX
-▶ OBAMA'S ARCTIC STRATEGY SETS OFF A CLIMATE TIME BOMB. THE SUICIDAL RACE FOR ARCTIC'S NATURAL RESOURCEShttp://sco.lt
The brutal and senseless killing of endangered Great White sharks is impoverishing our oceans. We need to understand and respect that the ocean belongs to the ocean species and we are, in truth, the invaders. We cannot continue to destroy our environment just to suit the convenience of human beings, lest we wipe ourselves out of existence -- healthy, balanced ecosystems reflect the health of humanity
▶ AUSTRALIAN BRUTAL SHARK SLAUGHTER IMPOVERISHES OCEAN ECO SYSTEMS.On Australia Day (Jan 26, 2014) a beautiful 10-foot female Tiger shark was barbarically ensnared on a baited drum line for likely 12 hours before she was brought alongside a fishing boat, shot four times in the head and died. Her body was dragged to sea and dumped....
▶ WESTERN AUSTRALIAN SHARK KILLINGS ONLY SCRATCHES THE SURFACE.The WA policy of baiting and shooting great white sharks has been met with outcry. But it is just the beginning of a series of regulatory failures that could be devastating for many shark species. FOR MANY YEARS NOW, we've known of the alarming downward trends in populations of the world's large predatory fish: cod, tuna, swordfish, marlin, grouper, halibut and shark. Some estimates suggest the decline has been in the order of 90 per cent.http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2014/07/23/4045733.htm
-▶ SHARK POPULATIONS HAVE PLUMETTED BY 90% IN RECENT DECADES. EXTINCTION AHEAD
Shark populations have plummeted by 90% in recent decades...will be extinct in a few years. The Guardian reports that 2011 may be the last year that eating shark fin soup is regarded as a sign of middle class prosperity: the worldwide movement to ban this casually cruel, wasteful practice (sharks are de-finned by the hundreds, left to bleed-to-death and drown on the ocean floor) is gaining momentum even in Hong Kong...http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/11/shark-populations-have-plummeted-by-90-in-recent-decadeswill-be-extinct-in-a-few-years/
-▶ 100 MILLION SLAUGHTERED A YEAR, JUST FOR THEIR FINS. SHARK POPULATIONS PLUMMET BY 90%...COULD BE EXTINCT IN NEAR FUTUREhttp://sco.lt/6lqeED
HuffPost Green, March 17, 2015 -▶ TUNA INDUSTRY FAILING ON SUSTAINABILITY.The problems with the tuna industry run deep. Destructive fishing methods, like longlining and purse seining with fish aggregating devices (FADs), have significant bycatch problems -- meaning that despite a potential "dolphin safe" label, they are killing millions of turtles, rays, sharks, juvenile tuna and other marine life. These fishing methods are damaging to entire ecosystems. There's nothing safe about that for the ocean and its wildlife. Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea and StarKist all source their tuna from fisheries dependent upon this sort of ocean destruction. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-hocevar/tuna-industry-failing-on-_b_6878666.html
Guardian, January 05, 2015 -▶ SUSHI BOSS PAYS £25k FOR ONE BLUEFIN TUNA IN TOKYO : JAPAN'S FAVOURITE BIG FISH, BUT FOR HOW LONG? Japan’s appetite for bluefin tuna now risks plunging the fish into commercial extinction. Pacific bluefin population has declined dramatically mainly to satisfy demand for sushi and sashimi in Asia. Most of the fish caught are juveniles, making it impossible for them to reproducehttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/05/sushi-boss-nets-bluefin-tuna-25k-tokyo-tsukiji-fish-market
BBC News, December 18, 2014 -▶ THAI TUNA FIRM BUYS US RIVAL BUMBLE BEE FOR $1.5 BILLION.The Thai firm, which owns the John West and Chicken of the Sea brands, has been on an acquisition spree in the past year. Earlier this year, it announced that it was buying Norwegian seafood firm King Oscar and French smoked salmon producer MerAlliance for undisclosed sums.http://www.bbc.com/news/business-30544592
Despite an increased awareness of overfishing, the majority of people still know very little about the scale of the destruction being wrought on the oceans. ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6nwZUkBeas#t=54
DEADLY BY-CATCH:
TWO-THIRDS OF HEALTHY FISH BROUGHT ON TO FISHING VESSELS IS THROWN BACK INTO THE SEA - DEAD OR INJURED http://sco.lt/6DbCld
August 16, 2013 The Fish Site PACIFIC TUNA STOCKS IN ALARMING DECLINE:
-▶ MIS-USING TECHNOLOGY TO EMPTY OUR OCEANS.Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) and Tuna. The fish don't have a chance. We're taking everything in the fishing trawlers nets, leaving NOTHING for regeneration of stocks and totally dimantling the natural biodiversity of oceans. : http://sco.lt/7NiWX3
TO THE LAST FISH
CAPABLE OF FISHING 76,800 HOOKS PER DAY, JENSEN TO DESIGN ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST LONGLINER FISHING VESSELShttp://sco.lt/8ugqB7
SummitVoice, July 27, 2014 - ▶ PACIFIC BLUEFIN TUNA ON THE BRINK AS FED SEEK INPUT ON NEW FISHING.many tuna populations are on the brink of collapse. Five of eight tuna species have been assigned threatened or near-threatened status on the international Red List maintained by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. In the Gulf of Mexico, for example, the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster spewed millions of gallons of oil into the species’ prime breeding grounds, and a 2010 report by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists showed how illegal fishing and inadequate enforcement are decimating tuna stocks all over the world. http://summitcountyvoice.com/2014/07/27/oceans-pacific-bluefin-tuna-on-the-brink-as-feds-seek-input-on-new-fishing-regulations/
▶ DOLPHINS ARE DYING IN DROVES AND SCIENTISTS CAN'T STOP IT
What makes so many deaths disturbing, he said, is that dolphins are regarded as "sentinels for ocean and human health," not unlike canaries in a coal mine.
Dolphins are dying all around Florida and scientists don't know how to stop it.The die-offs of bottlenose dolphins are going on in three different places, and appear to be from more than one cause. Although dolphins are not an endangered species, the loss of so many all at once is clearly bad news, scientists say... http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/wildlife/dolphins-dying-in-droves-and-scientists-cant-stop-it/2152860\
ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) December 12, 2014 ▶ OIL SPILL THREATENS RARE DOLPHINS IN BANGLADESH'S SUNDARBANS REGION, OFFICIALS WARN. Thousands of litres of oil spilled into the protected Sundarbans mangrove area, home to rare Irrawaddy and Ganges dolphins. Bangladeshi fishermen using sponges and sacks have begun cleaning up a huge oil spill in a protected area that is home to the world's largest mangrove foresthttp://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-12/catastrophic-oil-spill-in-bangladesh/5963450
Myanmar Times, December 24, 2014 -▶ BREEDING PROGRAM NEEDED TO SAVE IRRAWADDY DOLPHIN: - The critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphin needs a safe place to breed if it is to stave off the extinction, an adviser to the Myanmar Fisheries Federation.
Dodo, December 02, 2014 ▶ WHY 17 DOLPHINS WERE SHOT TO DEATH OFF THE GULF COAST. Last year, WDC received reports of dolphins being given poison-laced food from a fishing boat, but it could not substantiate the information. Another possible explanation is that the dolphins have fallen victim to, “cruel and intentional victims of random vandalism by thoughtless individuals.” The spate of shootings is eerily similar to the ongoing sea lion killings in San Diego, where several animals were found with gunshot injuries and had to be euthanized.https://www.thedodo.com/why-17-dolphins-were-shot-to-d-852401688.html
“Marine mammals are very good sentinels for ocean and human health, and they really act like the proverbial canaries in a coal mine,” said Dr. Greg Bossart, a veterinary pathologist and senior vice president in charge of animal health at the Georgia Aquarium. “They give us an idea of what’s occurring in the environment.”
▶ MAUI'S DOLPHINS TO BE EXTINCT BY 2030: In a letter to New Zealand's Prime Minister, the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) urges the government to ban gillnets and trawling in Maui's dolphin habitat immediately to avoid their extinction.... http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/extinct-mauis.html
The Ecologist, October 17, 2013 -▶ PERU: THE BRUTAL REALITY OF DOLPHIN SLAUGHTER IN Undercover filming by the UK investigative agency Ecostorm has exposed - for the first time - the brutal hunting and killing of dolphins for use as shark bait off Peru's Pacific coast. a secret slaughter involving thousands of dolphins, dwarfing the high seas drama of the annual whale hunt in Antarctica. Known as "sea pigs" by fishermen in Peru, dolphins are reportedly harpooned and diced up on deck, before being skewered onto hundreds of hooks strung out on long-lines at sea to attract sharkshttp://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2122747
▶ LIVESTREAM DOLPHIN PROJECT: Follow Ric O'Barry as he travels the world to end dolphin exploitation and slaughter.. World Newshttp://www.ustream.tv/dolphinprojec
NICE WATCH NOVA - Full Episode (56:42) PRIVATE LIVES OF DOLPHINS
Published on May 20, 2012
NOVA offers a rare glimpse into the private lives of dolphins with amazing scientific evidence collected over nearly 30 years. Enjoy this unprecedented look at the rarely seen underwater world of dolphins.
NOAA Fisheries ▶ LOOK WHO'S BACK: STURGEON ARE SPAWNING AGAIN IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY.Atlantic sturgeon, a species that has survived since the age of the dinosaurs, had believed to have been long gone from the Chesapeake Bay. But a small number of juvenile sturgeon have turned up, and are too small to have immigrated from elsewhere...http://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/stories/2013/11/11_20_2013sturgeon_we_forgot_all_about_you.html
LIONFISH INFESTATION IN ATLANTIC OCEAN: AN UNSTOPPABLE EPIDEMIC - CAN WIPE OUT CORAL REEFSThe Atlantic Ocean is picturesque and the fish are vividly amazing. But a serious problem lurks: the lionfish. Katie Linendoll reports special for CNN...
The venomous, fast reproducing fish are aggressive eaters and will consume anything and everything, gorging so much they are actually getting liver disease. With no known predators -- except human beings -- they can wipe out 90% of a reef. "The lionfish invasion is probably the worst environmental disaster the Atlantic will ever face,"...http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/18/tech/innovation/lionfish-infestation-atlantic-linendoll/
National Geographic, February 24, 2015 -▶ FIGHTING ONE OF THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE INVASIVE SPECIES IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE -- THE LIONFISH Originally from the Indo-Pacific, lionfish are one of the most destructive invasive species in the Western Hemisphere (mark National Invasive Species Awareness Week). As voracious predators and prolific breeders (one female can produce over two million eggs per year), lionfish are wreaking havoc throughout the Western Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico.http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2015/02/24/fighting-back-lionfish-during-invasive-species-awareness-week/
VIDEO
USA Today, February 16, 2015 LIONFISH: YOU HAVE TO EAT THEM TO BEAT THEM.Worried about the devastating impact of lionfish on commercial fisheries and coral reef health, a growing movement of conservationists, scuba divers and chefs are trying to persuade Americans to eat their way out of this environmental disaster.http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/02/16/fight-against-lionfish/23504661/
Climate Progress, January 2, 2014 -▶ CLIMATE CHANGE WILL STARVE THE DEEP SEA, STUDY FINDS. The deep sea is home to thousands of commercially important species and is one of the last frontiers for new species discovery. The creatures of the deep are also key to the cycling of nitrogen, carbon and silicon in the ocean, a process that maintains the delicate balance of ocean life...http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/01/02/3113101/climate-change-starve-deep-sea/
The Globe and Mail, June 24, 2014
▶ REPORT WARNS WORLD'S FRAGILE OCEANS PUSHED TO POINT OF COLLAPSE....It also wants countries to stop subsidizing fishing outside their own 200-mile exclusive economic zones, to end unregulated and unreported ocean fishing, to stop plastics pollution, to impose legally binding offshore oil and gas extraction standards, and to create areas where industrial fishing would be prohibited http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/report-warns-worlds-fragile-oceans-pushed-to-point-of-collapse/article19304650/
Subsea World News: October 23, 2013 ▶ THE EFFECT OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION ON MARINE HABITATS AND ORGANISMSThe human ramifications of these changes are likely to be massive and disruptive. Food chains, fishing, and tourism could all be impacted. The study shows that some 470 to 870 million of the world’s poorest people rely on the ocean for food, jobs, and revenues, and live in countries where ocean goods and services could be compromised by multiple ocean biogeochemical changeshttp://subseaworldnews.com/2013/10/23/the-effect-of-greenhouse-gas-emissions-on-marine-habitats-and-organisms/
▶ CLIMATE CHANGE TO CAUSE 'MASSIVE' OCEAN DAMAGE – By the year 2100, about 98 percent of the oceans will be affected by acidification, warming temperatures, low oxygen, or lack of biological productivity, and most areas will be hit by a multitude of these stressors, finds a new study of the impacts of climate change on the world’s ocean systems. http://ens-newswire.com/2013/10/18/climate-change-to-cause-massive-ocean-damage-by-2100/
THE REPORT ▶ 2013 IPSO STATE OF THE OCEAN ▶
October 3, 2012
The International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) was established to improve our understanding of the role of the ocean at an Earth System Level and its contribution to enabling life to exist on Earth.
Reuters, October 3, 2013 ▶ OSLO: OCEANS FACE 'DEADLY TRIO' OF THREATS, STUDY SAYS
The world's oceans are under greater threat than previously believed from a "deadly trio" of global warming, declining oxygen levels and acidification, an international study said on Thursday.
▶ 2010 BP DEEPWATER HORIZON DISASTER CONTINUES TO IMPACT GULF'S ECOSYSTEMS - 4 YEARS ONhttp://sco.lt/5Ahg6D
▶ GREENLAND'S MELTING: CREATING A DIFFERENT CLIMATE THAN EARTH HAS EVER SEENhttp://sco.lt/8bjv73
▶ ANTARCTIC ICE LOSS HAVING PRFOUND EFFECTS ON OCEAN FLOOR ECOLOGY AND SEA LIFEhttp://sco.lt/4ynWHh
VIDEO
SWIMMING WITH THE BEAUTIFUL, GRACEFUL SPOTTED EAGLE RAYS - GALAPAGOShttp://sco.lt/6FGIhl
National Geographic, October 3, 2013 CAN LONG-DISTANCE MIGRATING SHOREBIRD SURVIVE. Rufa red knot faces depletion of its food sources and its Arctic breeding grounds. Twice a year, the rufa red knot performs one of the planet's most amazing migrations. After wintering in the southern reaches of Argentina and Chile, the red knot will fly roughly 9,300 miles (15,000 kilometers) north, eventually reaching the Canadian Arctic for a summer of mating and breeding. Come fall, it will return south, this robin-size bird with a mere 20-inch (51-centimeter) wingspan flying without rest for stretches of up to 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers)http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/10/131003-rufa-red-knot-threatened-endangered-migrating-birds/#close-modal
VIDEO:
TAMING THE BLUE FRONTIER:
CAN AQUACULTURE BE SUSTAINABLE? WILD vs FARMED FISH
SCOTTISH FISH FARMERS USE RECORD AMOUNTS OF PESTICIDES, DESTROYING MARINE ECOSYSTEMShttp://sco.lt/4i52I5
- GENETICALLY MODIFIED SALMON -
GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SALMON UNLEASHED ONTO YOUR DINNER PLATE: NO REGULATION, NO OVERSIGHT, NO LABELLING - FATALLY FLAWED" FDA ASSESSMENT http://sco.lt/8ZDraz
Mother Jones, February 2013 -▶ TODAY'S SEAFOOD SPECIAL: PIG MANURE, ANTIBIOTICS AND DIARRHEA BUGS. Next time you tuck into a Red Lobster "Endless Shrimp" special or score some $7-per-pound salmon at a supermarket, consider this: You're very likely eating imported seafood raised on a factory-style farm in Asia—and it almost certainly was never inspected by the Food and Drug Administration on its way into the country and onto your plate.http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/01/imported-seafood-shrimp-fda
"Fish such as skate and halibut once grew to be metres long and were common right up to the coast," said Roberts. "Today, the skate hangs on only in a few places. Wolffish and conger eel have been depleted to the point of rarity, while angel sharks are now completely extinct in UK waters. Fan shells and oysters used to cover the seabeds around Britain, while pilchards and herring were also enormously abundant and sustained an armada of predatory birds, dolphins and whales. However, numbers have now dwindled to a scarcity that would horrify a 19th-century fisherman."
Overfishing and pollution have played significant roles in this destruction. But the nation's fleet of bottom-dredging trawlers is blamed most for the critical state of coastal waters. Their huge metallic claws, designed to catch scallops, also scoop up indiscriminate numbers of young fish, corals, seafans and other creatures. The trawlers also pulverise the reefs that offer protection for many species of fish and shellfish.
"They create a wasteland wherever they trawl," said Lissa Batey of conservation alliance the Wildlife Trusts.
To get content containing either thought or leadership enter:
To get content containing both thought and leadership enter:
To get content containing the expression thought leadership enter:
You can enter several keywords and you can refine them whenever you want. Our suggestion engine uses more signals but entering a few keywords here will rapidly give you great content to curate.
Your new post is loading...
YOU ARE INVITED TO FOLLOW MY NEWS AGGREGATES:
▶ CLIMATE CHANGE WILL IMPACT US ALL http://www.scoop.it/t/changingplanet
▶ CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY http://www.scoop.it/t/environmental-and-human-health
▶ BIODIVERSITY IS LIFE http://www.scoop.it/t/biodiversity-is-life
▶ OUR OCEANS NEED US http://www.scoop.it/t/our-oceans-need-us
▶ OUR FOOD, OUR HEALTH http://www.scoop.it/t/agriculture-gmos-pesticides