Sea Notes

Monday's Photo: Doing the Right Thing

North Atlantic right whales are one of the rarest and most endangered species of whale on our planet.  A live birth had never been witnessed until 2005, when a researcher from the New England Aquarium, (doing routine offshore observations) noticed unusual activity. On closer inspection, it turned out she was witnessing what no other person had observed before.

You're probably thinking we are slow to report this! But this event made the news again in the last few days, as the long-awaited publication of the photographs of this rarest of events finally happened. You can see them here on the New England Aquarium's website.

Find out how scientists are hoping to protect the remaining 350 whales of this species, with a network of "listening" devices. The network detects the endangered mammals as they navigate the eastern seaboard, and alert ships' captains to their presence, so they can try to avoid a collision, one of the leading causes of death for these rare whales. Unfortunately, a federal protection plan to mandate slowing of ship traffic, is on hold. Let's hope lawmakers will do the "right thing" before it's too late.

Film Friday: Winged Migration

May 10 is World Migratory Bird Day. Check out this promotional You Tube video.

We hope you can find a way to join the celebration. Click here to find an event near you.

Even if you do not live on the path of a migratory flyway, you can still find ways to help our feathered friends. Many bird populations around the world are in serious decline, but there are simple ways to make a difference.

Did you know that your coffee choice can have an impact on migratory birds?

Look for bird-friendly alternatives, such as shade-grown beans. Coffee is a shade-loving plant, and was traditionally cultivated underneath existing trees in a process that protected the native forest. Today, many farmers continue to raise coffee beneath shade trees, and the plants provide sanctuary to migratory birds.

For more bird inspiration check out the website for the ultimate wildlife documentary on birds: "Winged Migration".

Aquarium shares the "common vision"

Today sees the launch of the Conservation Alliance for Sustainable Seafood. More than a dozen conservation organizations from the United States and Canada have partnered to pursue a common vision for sustainable seafood and work together as the Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions. Using a range of approaches, participating organizations bring conservation expertise to companies that buy and sell seafood. We envision a future where environmentally sustainable fisheries and aquaculture (or fish farming) thrive along with the communities that depend on them.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has been active in the ocean-friendly seafood movement since the launch of our Seafood Watch program in 1999. Since that time, the Aquarium, by partnering with like-minded organizations across the U.S., has put over 22 million pocket guides in the hands (and wallets) of seafood consumers.

We have worked closely with local restaurants and chefs and have partnered with large buyers of seafood, such as Bon Appetit Management Company, who are the lead sponsors of our annual Cooking for Solutions event May 16-17.

This week, the Seafood Choices Alliance issued a new report which showed that the engagement of seafood businesses in sustainable practices is growing. We hope to see a day in the not-too-distant future when sustainability is the norm and the common vision is both shared and realized.

Carnival of the Blue 12

The monthly roundup of all things ocean comes our way again: It's Carnival of the Blue 12. Check out the news and views assembled by James Hrynyshyn at The Island of Doubt.

Friday's Featured Film: The Magic of Sharks

In a week when we mourn the deaths of two men killed by sharks near San Diego and in Mexico, it's a good time to recall that sharks inspire awe as well as fear.

We need to hold and honor that sense of awe, because if we succumb to fear (or greed), the ocean will lose the great predators whose survival is essential to the health of ocean ecosystems.

Sadly, officials in Mexico unleashed a slaughter of sharks following the death of a young American surfer in the waters near Puerto Vallarta. Our friends at WildCoast are leading a campaign to stop the senseless killing, just as the Monterey Bay Aquarium and others are calling for an end to shark finning worldwide.

Filmmaker Howard Hall captures the majesty of sharks in this clip from the PBS Nature program "Shark Mountain." Enjoy!

Manky & Brian: Seafood Champions

How cool is this? A law school student & blogger named Manky took up a seafood challenge from her boyfriend Brian

If she completed the school paper she'd been laboring over (loudly, while he was trying to sleep) & managed to turn it in on time, he promised that for the next two years he'd only eat seafood that's a Green List choice of our Seafood Watch program (well, except for squid).

She blogged the challenge, then blogged the fact that she met the deadline.

"Whoohoo!" she wrote. "I am totally motivated! If I write this paper, I can save lives!! (Wow, he really wanted some peace and quiet.) He's already given up the red side of the chart and octopus (I think it's just wrong to kill something smart) and I really didn't expect him to take this step. I'm so excited! "

A day later: "Paper was in on time - Save the Sea Turtles!"

So -- what are you doing to save ocean wildlife through your seafood choices? You don’t have to follow Manky & Brian’s lead, and entirely give up the "Good Alternatives" on our Yellow List. (Just ask the necessary questions about how they’re caught, and consume them in moderation.) But if you’re doing something, let us know.

Comment here or blog it, and we'll share the news.

Hi, I'm Simon Willig

Hi, I'm Simon Willig. I’m 12 years old and currently live in Redwood City, California. I love the oceans and all that lives in them. I'm a 2008 Official Explorer for the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Over the next several months I hope to get you more interested in the oceans through the Sea Notes blog.

Right now I'm doing simple things like using compact fluorescent light bulbs, recycling and eating sustainable seafood (to learn more download the Seafood Watch pocket guides). These are all easy things that you can do to conserve the oceans.

I also like working with the organization Save the Bay at the Palo Alto Baylands reserve. (I’ll tell you more, later; keep reading.) I’ve been working with my friend Ayla (2007 Official Explorer) to create a PowerPoint presentation and assembly kit called "Save Our Seas" (S.O.S.) that can be presented at schools in your area. Come to and see Ayla and me present S.O.S, and find out how you can present it, too.

As an Official Explorer, I am excited about learning all I can from the aquarists (scientists who work at the Aquarium doing research and taking care of the animals). I also love educating the public on how to save the oceans and how to eat sustainable seafood by passing out Seafood Watch pocket guides.

February 23-24 was Shark Days at the Aquarium, my first event as an Official Explorer. I was both nervous and excited before the event.

First, we had the passing of the torch (or in this case the vest) ceremony from the 2007 Explorers. We talked about what we were looking forward to as an Official Explorer (which is basically everything). Right after getting the vest, I put it on and got down to business. I had a great time working at the event booth with 2007 explorers Ayla, Sierra and Eduardo, and 2008 explorer Alexa. We had fun helping each other figure out the answers to the Sharks and Rays activity booklet, taking turns helping Aquarium visitors find their way around, and discussing our favorite exhibits.

I had great fun at the sevengill shark feeding where divers held pieces of fish on poles. Sharks swam by and bit off the fish. It was awesome to see these huge sharks prey like they would in the wild. Later, I went with Ayla, Sierra and Alexa to Jellies: Living art and Wild About Otters to pass out Seafood Watch cards and learn more about jellies and freshwater otters.

A couple weekends later I found myself in the new exhibit Splash Zone staring at a wall of eel burrows. Among these strange, but beautiful snakelike fish were snowflake morays, honeycomb morays, white mouth morays and zebra morays. I also had a chance to see leaping blennies (cute little grey fish that actually do jump onto low rocks), and leafy sea dragons (a close but cooler relative to seahorses that camouflages amazingly well by having leaflike green appendages). I saw cuttlefish (a cousin to squid and octopus that, like its relatives, can change its skin to thousands of different colors) and a personal favorite: nudibranchs, which are brightly colored sea slugs that have stinging tentacles.

The next weekend I went to the Palo Alto Baylands with my mom and the organization Save The Bay. I helped plant native vegetation such as common yarrow and common aster to help the indigenous plant population recover and grow. I had a blast learning more about the San Francisco Baylands and their history while helping conserve the oceans.

Stay tuned to learn more about Explorer activities in my next entry. Until then (and always), this is Simon saying: THINK OCEAN!

Hi, I'm Alexa Stefanko

Hi, I’m Alexa Stefanko. I’m 12 years old and live near Burlingame, California. I love climbing, snorkeling, swimming, bird watching, and reading. I want be a marine biologist and specialize in animal communication in the seas. This year, I'm an Official Explorer for the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

For the past two years I have been working to support the Coyote Point Museum, a museum dedicated to educating children about the importance of protecting the environment. Last year, a group of friends and I organized the Environmental Fair and Auction for the museum and this year we are planning a Swap O Rama Rama (SORR), Fashion Show and Green Auction. At a SORR you transform used clothes into wearable art (founded by Wendy Tremayne and described at swaporamarama.org) and then you get to showcase your designs at a fashion show. I also served as a Leader-In-Training helping out at the museum’s summer camps.

I had wonderful time at Shark Days at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and can’t wait for the next event! First, we met last year's explorers: Ayla, Eduardo, and Sierra. They told us all about their experiences as Official Explorers and what to expect for the year. They were all incredibly helpful, and very interesting to talk to. I was amazed and inspired by how committed they were to protecting the underwater community.

My favorite part of Shark Days was meeting last year’s explorers. I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to work with them again. Shark Days was also my first opportunity to work with my colleague, the other 2008 Official Explorer, Simon Willig.

First, I listened to a presentation, which was given by Dr. Steve Webster, a senior biologist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. During the presentation, he told us all about his various shark encounters, from having a flipper nibbled by an enormous whale shark, to encountering the peaceful reef sharks in the waters of Fiji. He also explained that sharks aren’t the vicious and dangerous creatures we constantly hear about from the media. He taught us that sharks are normally passive and completely essential to a healthy ecosystem.

Did you know that more people die from falling coconuts every year than from shark attacks? A very enlightening statistic! I was most curious about what I could do to help protect sharks. After reading the Seafood Watch cards I learned not to eat sharks because their populations are so unstable. I was also reminded how important it is to never litter or pollute because ultimately much of the trash and pollutants make their way to the oceans.

Another fun part of Shark Days was the craft tables. I helped the participants create stamps of ocean creatures to put on their postcards (and even created a few of my own). I also worked at the event booth greeting visitors, handing out information about Shark Days and answering questions.

This year as an Official Explorer, I’m excited about absolutely everything! I can’t wait to meet new people, learn about our precious oceans and how to protect them and share that knowledge with others.

Help Us Win a Webby!

Our Seafood Watch mobile service has been nominated for a Webby Award—the Oscar of the online world—but we'll need your help to win.

We're competing against such heavyweights as NPR, NYTimes.com, Yahoo! Inc., and Zagat Survey. You can help sustainable seafood win by casting your vote for the Webby People's Voice Awards -- and encouraging your friends and family to do the same.

There's not much time left. Voting closes on Thursday, May 1. The winners will be announced on May 6.

New Hope for Chile's Whales

Two great pieces of news for whale lovers -- and anyone who wants the kind of oceans that can support a growing population of whales.

First, new sightings of humpback whales off the Chilean coast are the latest and best sign of a comeback for a population that was hunted virtually to extinction. The Los Angeles Times has not only a report, but fantastic video of a humpback feeding (surrounded at one point by what looks like leaping sea lions).

Second, Chile is poised to declare its entire coastline a whale sanctuary -- perhaps by June, when it hosts the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Establishing the sanctuary would make permanent a ban on whaling that now extends through 2025.

Bárbara Galletti, president of the Cetacean Conservation Center in Santiago -- which is working with Chilean officials to establish the sanctuary, told the Santiago Times, "This is about creating a country where there is respect, deep respect. Respect for our heritage, for our waters, and for life itself. And that’s what should be unilaterally declared, that our country offers a sanctuary to the whales.”

Costa Rica and Mexico have also created sanctuaries and conservation groups are working to establish a protected zone covering all of Latin America’s Pacific coastal waters. All these efforts are being pressed in conjunction with the IWC meeting in Santiago.

The Chilean organization Ecooceanos estimates that nearly half of the world’s whale species, including endangered blue whales, pass through Chilean waters on a regular basis.