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Nobody wants to get infected by COVID-19, aka coronavirus. As the world prepares for the impending spread of the virus, we’re seeing basic necessities fly off the shelves, buying restrictions of one bag of rice per customer, Italy in lockdown mode, and even the President of Portugal putting himself 
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Some visit San Francisco's North Beach because it tastes like Italy, and some visit because it howls like the Beat Generation. But the times, they are a-changing.
PIRatE Lab's insight:
Another installment in the changing coastal zone of California:
"There is no beach. Once upon a time there was a beach. But in the late 19th century, as San Francisco’s leaders used landfill to create more real estate, Fisherman’s Wharf grew and North Beach found itself landlocked, with Chinatown to the south and Coit Tower rising from Telegraph Hill to the east."
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Melvin & Micaela's insight:
The Port of Hueneme has been given the 2018 Comprehensive Environmental Management Award by the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA).
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The 10th edition of Greenpeace’s Carting Away the Oceans report, released this week, found that while grocery retailers across the US have vastly improved on providing sustainable seafood, many have largely failed to take significant action on other issues pertinent to achieving sustainability in this area. While Carting Away the Oceans primarily scores retailers on their sustainable seafood efforts, this edition also examined their efforts to eliminate labor and human rights issues and plastic pollution — two other issues of grave importance to the sustainability of the industry. While the majority of retailers passed this assessment, many have significant work to do on both fronts. Via EcoVadis
EcoVadis's curator insight,
August 21, 2018 1:53 AM
Environmental repercussions of overfishing have traditionally been the focus among seafood consumers, labor practices in the seafood industry supply chains have recently emerged as the most discussed Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) issue plaguing the sector.
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Maritime invests in Green Technology, Damen's Philip Rabe explains
PIRatE Lab's insight:
Growing popularity of Green Tech for the Marine Industry.
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Google reveals it is on track to offset 100% of data centre and office electricity use with renewable energy.
Lauren Wilson's insight:
BOOM! With an institution as big as google, it's a good thing they're always aiming to be leaders (at least to the public eye) in sustainability.
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There are two measures on the November ballot dealing with SOAR, the law that protects Ventura County from urban sprawl.
Measure C was written and is funded by the supporters of SOAR, a grassroots coalition that is working to extend SOAR and preserve open space and farmland in the County. Measure F was written and is funded by opponents of SOAR, big landholders and wealthy developers who want to weaken our protections. SOAR has a proven 20-year track record of effectively protecting open space and agricultural land from development and maintaining the local agricultural economy and jobs. The key to the effectiveness of SOAR is the fact that land zoned for open space and agriculture cannot be rezoned for development without a vote of the people. The single most important and fundamental difference between SOAR's Measure C and the opponent's Measure F is the degree to which they empower the voters to block urban sprawl projects. Measure C requires a vote of the people before virtually all land zoned open space and agricultural can be rezoned for development. This makes it impossible for politicians, developers and special interests to push through a major project that is opposed by the public.
PIRatE Lab's insight:
This is the renewal (after 20 years) of Ventura County, California's landmark natural and agricultural landscape effort. On the edge of sprawling Los Angeles, this policy tool is both helpful and essential. It has helped keep agriculture viable in Ventura and planning across the county coordinated, with minimal piecemeal/hazard project tainting the overall vision for our county.
This is in stark contrast to a Trojan Horse of an alternative supposedly promising similar protection, but instead offering a tool that would effectively gut the existing state of affairs (that is Measure F).
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Critically-endangered species of fish are being sold in sushi restaurants in the UK without adequate labeling, report researchers. Overfished species of tuna and eel are among the sushi dishes being served up without adequate information to consumers, the report outlines.
PIRatE Lab's insight:
More mis-identified seafood. Surprise, surprise.
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Certifying seafood as USDA organic is complicated
PIRatE Lab's insight:
And see this piece from 2007.
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Japanese sushi chefs often can't resist bluefin tuna on offer. Some American chefs can't either, even though conservation groups and marine biologists have been badgering them about bluefin for years.
PIRatE Lab's insight:
I am not one for banning all of everything. But there are certain things that I actively choose not to eat for ecological or ethical reasons. But I am not one to stop eating all fish simply because we are not properly managing some (or the majority of) stocks. But Ahi (bluefin and big eye) Tuna has now entered into that realm for me. This is very sad for me. I think of the seafood I used to eat when I was younger and it is not what I eat now.
Most conspicuously, abalone is no longer part of my diet unless I pick up a few small steaks from my mariculture friends' farms. That was literally what my extended family built parts of our summers around when I was a child: men popped, kids transported them up the cliffs, and the ladies pounded the steaks so that all had frozen abalone steaks for the year. Now it is not only illegal to harvest abs here in my region of California, but there literally are none to be had. Victims of overfishing, elevated sea temperatures, Rickettsia-like infections, etc.
These times are always very interesting to me: swearing off gas-powered personal vehicles, blood diamonds, drinking too many drinks on a Friday night, etc. When the facts are in that we really need to do something different to be responsible adults and members of our larger community, follow through can be difficult. It should be that the more "first world problem-y" the issue is, the easier it should be to quit or change our behavior. After all, we are not talking here about a choice of feeding our family or going hungry. But it seems the psychology of such "superficial" changes vs. more consequential/truly difficult choices is much more similar than it is distinct. This posting is a great example of that.
PIRatE Lab's curator insight,
January 8, 2015 1:25 AM
I am not one for banning all of everything. But there are certain things that I actively choose not to eat for ecological or ethical reasons. And Ahi (bluefin and big eye) Tuna has now entered into that realm for me.
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John Muir is the patron saint of environmentalism, an epic figure whose writings of mystical enlightenment attained during lone treks in California's wilderness glorified individualism, saved Yosemite and helped establish the national park system.
PIRatE Lab's insight:
This seems to clearly be an deliberate attempt to provoke debate and drive people to their conference/news stories...because we all know the UCLA Geography is the hub of cutting edge sustainability science.
All snark aside, this seems to be a strange and yet common refrain: that out leaders and heroes from the past were not all they were cracked up to be, imperfect human beings who flaws often outnumbered their singular achievements. But does that mean it is time to eject these individuals for our cultural pantheon? To be sure I have have a much more nuanced view of Martin Luther King in the wake the revelations about his affairs, of Thomas Jefferson in the wake of the revelations of his slave ownership and yellow journalism, etc.
But the reject of these figures as they were not perfect seems very simplistic and childish in my book. Something that a senior in High School or freshman in college sprawled on her dorm floor eating pizza suddenly makes them see the world is less black and white tones. To be sure, wearing rose-tinted glasses is not the recommended course. But similarly inadvisable is to toss the baby out with the bathwater per se.
To argue that the environmental movement has morphed into the more inclusionary sustainability movement is to state the obvious. Part of this evolution is the understanding that this movement needs to be much broader-based, acknowledge the more typical global (as opposed to American) view of wilderness and protected areas, and come to terms with problems not understood in previous generations.
But Muir still has much to teach us: the power of effective communication with the masses who are ignorant of the power and value of our natural world, the ability of a generation to forestall short-term gains for longer term benefits to ourselves and groups beyond ourselves, and the absolute spiritual value and (what we now have come to call) ecosystem services. There is much to learn also from someone who was nearly blind and chose to dedicate their life to a larger purpose.
The rejection of Muir sounds like someone is bucking for tenure or seeking to get a new funding source, not a proper debate about the value of one the largest figures in the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th century.
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The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program will release a new scientific assessment for U.S. west coast groundfish next Tuesday, September 2, which upgrades several commercially important species. All groundfish caught in California, Oregon and Washington are either a Seafood Watch “Good Alternative” or “Best Choice”. This reflects a continuing pattern of improvement for U.S.-managed fisheries.
PIRatE Lab's insight:
Some of the highlights:
All trawl- and longline-caught rockfish have been upgraded from “Avoid” to either “Good Alternative” or “Best Choice”
Major flatfish species including Dover sole, English sole, Pacific sanddab, rex sole – have been upgraded from “Good Alternative” to “Best Choice” Pacific grenadier has been upgraded from “Avoid” to “Good Alternative” U.S. Pacific spiny dogfish has been upgraded from “Avoid” to “Best Choice” 13 of the species in this report are also certified by the Marine Stewardship Council
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From Europe to Asia to the Americas, major retailers and restaurant chains have made big promises regarding sustainable seafood. Are they keeping their word though?
PIRatE Lab's insight:
This is a very interesting analysis. Firstly there are lots of apples to oranges comparisons. But if we get through that, it seems that more amorphous targets (e.g. "increase" use of sustainably-sourced seafood) are met, but the specific numeric goals (100%, top 20 items, etc.) are not that often met...although the compliance was much greater than I would have guessed.
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Textile companies burnish their sustainability profiles by using recycled PET but it's difficult to verify material integrity claims.
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You may also like: Bolton increases revenue, though higher tuna, oil costs hit operations Tuna giants Bolton, Thai Union try to ‘outdo each other’ in sustainability race Bolton, Tesco Ecuador tuna supplier opens small pelagics line, builds pet food plant […]
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If you live in Los Angeles, change is a guaranteed part of the bargain. But if you had to sum it all up, would you say L.A. is getting better or worse?
PIRatE Lab's insight:
A great thing to ponder for all our areas, cities, and regions.
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From
vimeo
A project 7 months in the making. All miniatures 100% handcrafted. Created by Four Story Treehouse.
PIRatE Lab's insight:
Great visualizations. For more details see:
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The latest health and science news. Updates on medicine, healthy living, nutrition, drugs, diet, and advances in science and technology. Subscribe to the Health & Science podcast.
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“Finding another way to feed fish in aquaculture systems is very important,” says Ben Colello ’18.
Amanda Shepherd's insight:
New study in finding a more sustainable method in aquaculture fish food diet. They used a microalga called Schizochytrium as the main source of fish oil and the results were the same and sometimes better fish growth, better food conversion, and an overall better use of protein in the diet.
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GENEVA -- May 11, 2016 -- The sustainable seafood market is surging. In 2015, demand from big retailers and restaurant chains pushed suppliers to certify a catch valued at $11.5 billion USD, a study published Wednesday found.
Sustainable seafood now accounts for 14 per cent of global production, a dramatic rise from just 0.5 per cent in 2005, according to The State of Sustainability Initiatives (SSI) Review: Standards and the Blue Economy, which was produced by an alliance of international organizations. In one of the first studies of its kind, SSI researchers took a deep dive into the market and performance trends of the nine most prevalent seafood certification schemes, including the Marine Stewardship Council, GLOBAL G.A.P. and Friend of the Sea. The SSI Review documents that, globally, certified seafood production grew 35 per cent per annum over the last decade, nearly 10 times faster than conventional seafood production over the same period. “The rapid expansion of sustainable seafood practices is helping to address decades of mismanagement, which has led to the collapse of fisheries and destruction of fragile marine ecosystems,” said lead author Jason Potts, a senior associate at the International Institute for Sustainable Development. “By giving fishermen an economic incentive to protect the environment, these initiatives have the potential to help link sustainable livelihoods to sustainable production practices.”
PIRatE Lab's insight:
Sustainable seafood market is surging, study finds - Certified seafood accounts for 14 per cent of global production, up from 0.5 per cent in 2005 - Good news for the environment and fish stocks - The majority of certified seafood does not offer comprehensive protection of worker’s rights - The majority of certified seafood sold in retail markets comes from developed countries - Targeted investment in developing country certification is needed to facilitate transformative change on a global scale
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Eco-seafood Chef Andrew Gruel turned his Los Angeles food truck concept into a chain of thriving seafood restaurants, with five locations in the Los Angeles area, one at Baltimore’s airport and two in the Middle East. So what's next? The Big Apple. On October 13, Gruel, founder of LA's Slapfish, will be serving up his fresh, sustainable seafood for a special event at Brooklyn's Loosie's Kitchen. Gruel, seen on the Food Network, Cooking Channel, and FYI Network, in celebration of National Seafood
PIRatE Lab's insight:
There is clear marking appeal of a sustainable seafood business. The question is will this stay in the rarified air of exclusive restaurants or move more mainstream?
Breannon Wright's curator insight,
May 28, 2020 7:17 AM
Rescooped: This article explains how chef Andrew Gruel created a sustainable food truck in the LA area that ultimately turned into a successful restaurant chain. This article sparked the idea for a food truck mini unit.
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A multitude of resources come from the world's oceans.
PIRatE Lab's insight:
Nice to see such a post coming from the Economist (although, in truth they are a co-sponsor of a big international conference on this topic).
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Half of fish come from ‘well or reasonably’ managed fisheries, the other half from fisheries that need ‘significant improvements’.
Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) today released its annual review of the state of wild salmon fisheries. The analysis covers 82 principal Pacific salmon fisheries that target five species (pink, chum, sockeye, coho, and Chinook salmon) across the North Pacific and account for 95% of the global wild-capture commercial salmon harvest.
The fisheries are rated as either category A, B or C depending on the quality of the management and the status of the stock. An ‘A’ fishery is considered ‘very well managed’ while a ‘B’ category fishery is considered to be ‘reasonably well managed’. A category ‘C’ fishery is considered to be poorly managed and in need of significant improvements. The report concludes that: - 52% of the total volume of Pacific salmon comes from well or reasonably managed fisheries (Categories A and B). This includes 99% of coho, 87% of sockeye, 60% of pink, 48% of Chinook, and 23% of chum salmon global harvest.
- 48% of the total volume of Pacific salmon comes from fisheries in need of significant improvements (Category C). 22% is accounted for by Russian fisheries with illegal fishing issues; 13% by Japanese chum fisheries with hatchery issues; and 10% by Prince William Sound, Alaska, fisheries with hatchery issues.
- 74% of Alaskan, 95% of British Columbian, and 47% of Russian salmon harvest volumes come from well or reasonably managed fisheries.
- All of the Pacific Northwest US and Japanese fisheries included in this report need significant improvements.
- In 2013–2014, the salmon sector exhibited increased engagement in the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) program. Over half (50.3%) of global supply now comes from fisheries either certified by or under full assessment by MSC.
- Scoring of Category C fisheries indicated four priority areas where improvements are needed: (1) illegal fishing, (2) hatcheries, (3) harvest control practices for depleted stocks, and (4) offshore fisheries.
The report is available here: http://cmsdevelopment.sustainablefish.org.s3.amazonaws.com/2014/12/04/Pacific_Salmon_SFP_Sector_Report_2014_dec01-ea8f0079.pdf All fishery profiles can be found at www.fishsource.com Pacific Salmon: SFP Fisheries Sustainability Overview 2014 Contact: Blake Lee-Harwood (UK time zone), blake.lee-harwood@sustainablefish.org, +44 7872621071Lani Asato (US West Coast), lani.asato@sustainablefish.org, 1+ (760)271-1545
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Reuters investigates how rising seas are not a future threat, but a troubling reality in the U.S. and around the world.
PIRatE Lab's insight:
Reuter’s has launched a new investigative series on the causes and consequences of sea level rise. Their first investigation reveals increased flooding throughout the United States. Other stories will be rolling out over the next few days/weeks.
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Alaska senator Lisa Murkowski is asking McDonald’s to stand down on an issue that could impact the long-term availability of one of its signature products — the Filet-O-Fish sandwich, according to Lance Morgan, president of the Marine Conservation Institute (MCI). These canyons — Zhemchug and Pribilof — are the largest underwater canyons in the world and occur along the fruitful, yet totally unprotected, Green Belt zone.
“Comments urging precautionary protection for the canyons have come from a broad coalition of NGOs, together with more than 130,000 individuals, indigenous stakeholders, independent scientists, Seattle businesses, and even some of our nation’s largest supermarket chains,” writes Morgan.
Safeway, Trader Joe’s, SuperValue, Ahold USA and HyVee have all sent letters urging protection for the canyons, and other companies, including McDonald’s, have communicated their concerns directly to the fishing industry, he claimed.
PIRatE Lab's insight:
You know the heat is starting to get cranked up on the efforts to set aside some of the Bering Sea under a new MPA umbrella when Senators start sending e-mails asking businesses to ignore the campaign.
See: http://greenpeaceblogs.org/2014/08/01/mcdonalds-murkowski/
http://www.lib.noaa.gov/about/news/Bering_Sea_Canyons_NOAA_seminar.pdf
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/stories/2013/06/6_11_13b_sea_canyons.html
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