Seals wearing special tags are playing a vital role in collecting temperature and salinity profiles from the polar oceans, delivering insights for weather forecasters, climate scientists and biologists, according to a new review... http://planetearth.nerc.ac.uk/news/story.aspx?id=1477&cookieConsent=A
CANADA: 70,000 SEAL "CULL" AKA "SLAUGHTER" WILL NOT REVIVE CANADA'S COD STOCKS - SCIENTISTS http://sco.lt/4i4j33
CNN) -- Despite most humans' land-centric view, Earth is an ocean planet. The global ocean covers more than two-thirds of our planet's surface and makes life as we know it possible: it produces half of the oxygen we breathe, helps regulate our climate and provides the single largest habitat for life on Earth.,,, http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/18/tech/oceans-woods-hole-oped/
Beneath the serene beauty of our ocean waters lurks a nightmare worse than any Jaws movie. You could compare it to alien abduction – massive numbers of fish are being snatched out of the water by high-tech factory fishing trawlers. This nightmare scenario is real, and the impacts on our ocean's ecosystems are extensive. Entire populations of fish are being targeted and destroyed, disrupting the food chain from top to bottom. http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/campaigns/oceans/threats/overfishing/
OVERFISHING AND ITS EFFECT ON THE ENVIRONMENT https://confluence.furman.edu:8443/display/GGY230F10/Overfishing+and+Its+Effect+on+the+Environment
Rajendra Pachuari, head of the United Nation's group of climate scientists, said on Monday that time to act on climate change has nearly run out.
Rajendra Pachuari, head of the United Nation’s group of climate scientists, said on Monday that humanity can no longer be content kicking the can down the road when it comes to climate change...
“We may utilize the gifts of nature just as we choose, but in our books the debits are always equal to the credits. May I submit that humanity has completely ignored, disregarded and been totally indifferent to the debits? Today we have the knowledge to be able to map out the debits and to understand what we have done to the condition of this planet.” ...
Климат планеты зависит от её альбедо,альбедо зависит от формы.Антропогенный фактор является ускорителем глобального изменения климата.Рост внутреннего ядра Земли bit.ly/LW2KOJ деформирует земную кору изнутри http://earth-chronicles.com and http://www.earthiles.com/news.php?
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
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/
BACKGROUND Sea the Truth is based on numerous scientific publications that examine the problems of seas and oceans. Below follows an overview of the themes addressed in the film and a brief explanation.
FISHING POLICY AND QUOTA Fishing policy around the world is destructive. Recommendations from scientists on quotas are ignored by policy makers, wealthy countries plunder the fishing territories of poor countries and bottom trawlers sow destruction all over the seafloor with their dragnets. In Europe, 88% of fish stocks have been overharvested, such as the blue fin tuna which sadly is threatened with extinction.
EFFECTS OF FISHING ON MARINE ECOSYSTEMS In addition to the effect on the fish stocks, fishing also affects all other organisms in the same habitat or ecosystem. Whether the fish being harvested are predatory or prey, the balance of the ecosystem is disrupted and this can have serious consequences. The degree of disruption strongly depends on the fishing method employed.
BYCATCH The term bycatch has come to be used to refer to fish caught unintentionally when fishermen fish for commercial fish. These kinds of fish are not interesting to sell and as a consequence they are thrown back into the ocean either death or mutilated. The average bycatch worldwide is about 40.4% of the total amount of fish being caught. This means that 3 kilos of consumed fish brings about 2 kilos of bycatch. In total, 37 billion kilos of fish per year is wasted bycatch.
FISH SUFFERING People once thought that fish could not feel anything when they are caught. This idea was probably motivated because fish are cold blooded; this is in contrast with humans who are warm blooded. However, the ability to feel pain does not have anything to do with body temperature. From research studying the behavior of fish, as well as the study of anatomy and physiology, it turns out that fish have feelings and are in fact able to feel pain. This means that the current methods to catch and kill fish are in truth a torture for fish, moreover captured fish die of suffocation: a process that can take up to several minutes or hours.
THE PLASTIC SOUP Between Hawaii and San Francisco floats an enormous amount of rubbish -- a plastic soup with a surface area of 8.6 million square kilometres. To compare: This is 33 times greater than the surface area of the Netherlands (41,528 km2). This plastic soup was 'discovered' by Charles Moore when he sailed through this area with his boat and found himself surrounded day in day out by plastic waste. He later returned with scientific equipment to determine the soup's total size. The plastic soup is a huge threat to a number of marine animals and mammals.
TOXINS IN FISH We're told we should eat fish twice a week as it is packed with nutrition. These healthy nutrients are however easily obtained from other food sources, whereas fish may also contain large amounts of toxins. Mercury and dioxins 'enjoy' the status of most researched toxins in fish.
DEEP TROUBLE: WHALE MORTALITY CAUSED BY OVERFISHING According to a report of the New Zealand news channel 3News sea mammals, among which whales, are dying of malnutrition. The makers claim that this is caused by overfishing. Watch the report here: http://www.3news.co.nz/Deep-Trouble-/...
All this make me terrified. However I do not want to hide my head in the sand. Let's take it like a stimulus to protect our sea, avoding plastic soups, doing something when fishing and food sources are involved.
-▶ UN EXPRESSES ALARM ABOUT PROPOSED DUMPING IN GREAT BARRIER REEFApproval for dumping dredged material as part of Abbot Point coal development could place site on UNESCO list of shame
Phys.org, February 24, 2015 -▶ 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
BBC Earth - AMAZING PHOTOS OF AUSTRALIA'S EPIC GREAT BARRIER REEFMore than 100,000 beautiful images of Australia's Great Barrier Reef have been released to the public. The photos include species living on the reef, 360 degree panoramas and map the reef from 32 different locations.http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141114-amazing-great-barrier-reef-photos
BBC News, August 13, 2014 ▶ AUSTRALIA GREAT BARRIER REEF OUTLOOK 'POOR AND DETERIORATING. The bleak forecast came in a five-yearly report released by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-28767993
Sydney Morning Herald, December 16, 2014 'WORLD'S BIGGEST ORGY' AT GREAT BARRIER REEF.
"I've seen it like that once before about 15 years ago but nothing as spectacular as this. Everything aligned, the water visibility was spectacular, there was no wind, no current...coral usually spawn over three to four hours over three to four nights following a full moon in November or December and it was unusual for such a diversity of species to all go on the same night. http://www.smh.com.au/queensland/worlds-biggest-orgy-at-great-barrier-reef-20141216-127ptu.html
Guardian, August 01, 2014 ▶ AUSTRALIA: THE GREAT BARRIER REEF AND THE COAL MINE THAT COULD KILL IT.The Great Barrier Reef is sick. Almost half of its coral is already dead and a massive new coal mine, which was given final approval this week, will only cause further damage. This is not just an issue for Australia, it affects us allhttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/aug/01/-sp-great-barrier-reef-and-coal-mine-could-kill-it
Australian Broadcasting Corporation,January 31, 2014
-▶ GREAT BARRIER REEF MARINE PARK TO BECOME DUMPING GROUND FOR COAL TERMINAL DREDGE SPOIL. Expansion of the coal port at Abbot Point will have detrimental effects on the Great Barrier Reef. Sediment from dredging can smother corals and seagrasses and expose them to poisons and elevated nutrients."http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-31/abbot-point-spoil-dredging-approved/5227774
Guardian Environment, June 05, 2014 -▶ GREAT BARRIER REEF AUTHORITY APPROVED DREDGE SPOIL DUMPING AS PART OF EXPANDING THE ABBOT POINT COALPORT.. The government body that protects the Great Barrier Reef has approved the dumping of more than 370,000 cubic metres of dredge spoil in the marine park. Decision displays 'astounding level of arrogance', conservation group says. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/05/great-barrier-reef-authority-approves-dredge-spoil-dumping-from-hay-point
Greenpeace Australia Pacific, February 02, 2014 -▶ ABBOT POINT DREDGING - WHO'S TO BLAME?Australians are rightly angry about the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s (GBRMPA) decision to approve the dumping of 3 million cubic metres of dredge spoil in the Reef Marine Park near Abbot Point in north Queensland. The Authority’s charter says ”our fundamental obligation is to protect the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the World Heritage Area.” Yet they’ve given permission for coal companies to dump dredging waste inside the Marine Park, just 10km from the fringing reefs of Holbourne Island National Park and close to a sunken World War Two plane wreck. http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/en/news/climate/Abbot-Point-Dredging--Whos-really-to-blame/
"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.
▶ THE END OF THE LINE - THE FUTURE OF NATURALLY GROWN FISH
Fish are the last wild food, but our oceans are being picked clean. Can farming fish take the place of catching them?
"Fish are the last wild food," says Paul Greenberg, author of Four Fish, one of the best books on the state of seafood. "And we're just realizing it."
But we may be coming to that realization too late, because it turns out that even the fathomless depths of the oceans have limits. The U.N. reports that 32% of global fish stocks are over-exploited or depleted and as much as 90% of large species like tuna and marlin have been fished out in the past half-century. Once-plentiful species like Atlantic cod have been fished to near oblivion, and delicacies like bluefin tuna are on an arc toward extinction. A recent report by the International Programme on the State of the Ocean found that the world's marine species faced threats "unprecedented in human history" — and overfishing is part of the problem. Read more:http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2081796,00.html#ixzz2Ll3nuhqO
VIDEO Real Time with Bill Maher EcoWatch, April 09, 2014 ▶ "IF OCEANS DIE, WE DIE" - SEA SHEPHERD FOUNDER TO BILL MAHER . Humans now have the technology to find and catch every last fish on the planet. Trawl nets, drift nets, longlines, GPS, sonar... As a result, fishing operations have expanded to virtually all corners of the ocean over the past century.http://ecowatch.com/2014/04/08/sea-shepherd-bill-maher/
Study shows unprecedented worldwide fish migration as waters warm
Mau 16, 2013 Common Ground:
As ocean waters continue to heat up along with the rest of the planet, fish and other aquatic life forms are fleeing from their habitual regions to find the lower temperatures they have depended on for centuries, according to a new study... http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/05/16-2
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
SYDNEY, Jun 8 2013 (IPS) - The immense scale of the Pacific Ocean, at 165 million square kilometres, inspires awe and fascination, but for those who inhabit the 22 Pacific island countries and territories, it is the very source of life. Without it, livelihoods and economies would collapse, hunger and ill-health would become endemic and human survival would be threatened.... http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/06/the-future-of-the-pacific-ocean-hangs-in-the-balance/
CLIMATE CHANGE, SEAFOOD AND HEALTH: INDUSTRIAL FISHING LEAVING POORER NATIONS SICK WITH EMPTY OCEANS http://sco.lt/5caSET
LOOTING OUR SEAS: 'FREE-FOR-ALL' DECIMATES FISH STOCK IN THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC http://sco.lt/8ClodF
OVERFISHING CAUSES PACIFIC BLUEFIN TUNA NUMBERS TO DROP 96% http://sco.lt/6or1qz
PACIFIC ISLANDS: MARINE PROTECTED AREAS BOLSTER CONSERVATION EFFORTS http://sco.lt/6qC7cX
Weighing up to 1,200 pounds or more, the West Indian manatee looks something like a chubby dolphin or small whale, though it’s related to neither. (In fact, manatees share a common ancestor with elephants.) Manatees lack the blubber layer that allows whales to tolerate cold; in water below 68°F, they begin to weaken and die. The subspecies found in the United States is the Florida manatee, which disperses into coastal areas of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico; in winter, when sea temperatures drop, they congregate inland at natural springs and other sources of warmth, including power plant discharge pipes....http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/04/manatees/white-text
▶ RED TIDE KILLING MANATEES. A record 276 manatee deaths were caused by a toxic red tide bloom in the Gulf of Mexico. There were also the unexplained deaths of more than 100 manatees on Florida’s east coast, where pollution and algae blooms have plagued a vital lagoon ecosystem.
Guardian Environment, August 29, 2014 ▶ SHOWDOWN OVER WHETHER MANATEES SHOULD RETAIN THEIR MOST PROTECTIVE CLASSIFICATION.An ongoing fight with a group of boaters, businesses and conservatives over whether the manatee should retain its 1967 federal listing as an endangered species, the most protective classification. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/aug/29/manatees-florida-endangeres-species-review
▶ "WALLS OF DEATH" Gillnets have often been described in this haunting way due to their devastating ability to catch all kinds of fish, as well as sea turtles, seals, dolphins, and even whales. Marine Marine creatures of all sizes and species are indiscriminately snared and drowned in these death traps...
Other academic studies have estimated that a minimum of 160,000 additional birds are killed each year by another insidious fishing gear – longlines. Longlines, which dangle thousands of deadly hooks on fishing lines up to 50 miles long, are widely used in commercial fishing. Approximately 1.4 billion baited hooks are set in longline fisheries every year. Longlines and gillnets are quickly making seabirds a prime victim of bycatch -- the unintended catch of non-target marine life during commercial fishing activities that often results in huge amounts of fish and marine wildlife being thrown back into the water, dead or dying.
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/
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
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.
On Midway Atoll - 3,200 miles from both Seattle and Seoul - the scourge of plastic pollution in the oceans is obvious and disturbing. Need proof? Just look inside a dead albatross. The American artist Chris Jordan has.
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/
▶ CHEMICAL FROM PLASTIC WATER BOTTLE FOUND THROUGHOUT OCEANS - BIO-ACCUMULATES UP FOOD CHAINhttp://sco.lt/5ogIGf
WATCH "INSIDE THE GARBAGE OF THE WORLD" (80 min) Today we're at the threshold that can't be reversed if we don't stop consuming the way we do as a human race. Pollution is becoming a devastatingly huge problem that will endanger humanity for generations to come. One such pollutant is our use of single-use plastic. All the other species are suffering because of us. http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/inside-garbage-world/
▶ MANTA RAYS IN TROUBLE FROM OVER FISHING AND FOOD DEPLETION. Manta rays, surely one of the oceans most impressive and majestic creatures, are in trouble from overfishing. Both of the manta rays (the larger Manta birostris, and the smaller Manta alfredi) are classified among the Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays). Giant manta rays can grow to a massive 7 metres in width, however nowadays the amount of overfishing in the oceans means that there are few mantas that ever get the chance to grow that big.
The threat from overfishing is due to both so-called bycatch and targeted fishing. Due to the fact that they are unable to swim backwards, manta rays are especially prone to getting tangled in fishing lines and gill nets intended for smaller fish. Demand has risen in China for the mantas’ gill-rakers, which are the cartilaginous structures that increase the surface area of the gills to allow more oxygen to be extracted from the water. Targeted fisheries have developed in several countries in order to feed the demand from the Chinese medicine market.....http://www.stopsharkfinning.net/manta-rays-in-trouble-from-overfishing/
▶ SHARKS AND RAYS IN PERIL: A staggering percentage of the world's sharks and rays are now "alarmingly" close to the brink of extinction, according to the a new study spearheaded by the Shark Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The study -- said to be first global analysis of the conservation status of 1,041 shark, ray and related species -- found that at least one in every four existing species of sharks and rays may soon be wiped off the face of the planet. The shrinking numbers are largely due to overfishing, the researchers said.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/22/shark-ray-extinction-iucn-study_n_4646028.html
GR8 PHOTOS: A SANCTUARY FOR ENORMOUS, MAJESTIC MANTA RAYS
Indonesia established the world’s largest sanctuary for manta rays — those enormous, finned fortresses that can reach nearly 30 feet across. For the first time, manta ray hunting and export is banned within the entire 2.3 million square miles of Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2014/02/indonesia-manta-ray-sanctuary/
It sounds ludicrous, but it could just be true: scientists say seagulls may be responsible for hundreds of southern right whale moralities off the Argentine coastline. Since 2003, scientists have documented the deaths of 605 southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) near Península Valdés which the whales use as a nursery. Notably, 88 percent of these were newborn calves. The death rate is so high that researchers now fear for the whales’ long-term survival.
Scientists now hypothesize that kelp gulls (Larus dominicanus) may be behind the high death rate, since the gulls repeatedly land on southern right whales pecking at them to tear off chunks of skin and blubber for food.,, “The attacks are very painful and cause large, deep lesions, particularly on the backs of young 2-6 week-old calves. ,,, http://focusingonwildlife.com/news/are-seagulls-killing-whales-in-patagonia/
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