Sea Notes

Friday's Film: Turtle Tales Video

The magical moment when five young sea turtles go on exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Enjoy! If you want details, check here for the background story about these cute little guys.

Turtle Tales

The Monterey Bay Aquarium recently acquired 10 juvenile green sea turtles, which are now happily settled in our special exhibition, Hot Pink Flamingos: Stories of Hope in a Changing Sea.

The turtles were part of a “clutch” of 82 born at SeaWorld San Diego in October 2009. Sea turtles bury eggs under the cover of darkness, and aquarists at Sea World were astonished to find the hatchlings when they arrived at work one morning. “They didn’t know they had a nest,” says Monterey Bay Aquarium Senior Aquarist Veronica Franklin. “They came in and found tracks across an artificial beach in the exhibit, leading into the water.”

The event was welcome news. Sea turtles face many challenges in the wild, and 40 from the clutch will join the wild population when they’re released and tracked under the auspices of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Others will serve as ambassadors, on exhibit at SeaWorld, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and other institutions. 

The juvenile sea turtles are roughly six inches long and weigh about two pounds. Their sexes are as yet unknown. They’re replacing two larger green sea turtles that we’ve moved behind the scenes. Those two, along with another pair of larger green sea turtles that are also housed behind the scenes, are awaiting the renovation of the million-gallon Outer Bay exhibit. Look for them when the exhibit re-opens in the summer of 2011.

Floating and Dreaming

What will visitors see on exhibit? While larger turtles are capable of “hauling out” and resting on rocks, these active juveniles prefer to stay in the water. “In the first years of their lives, they’re pelagic [open-ocean] animals,” says Veronica. “They eat and sleep in the water.”

One endearing trait that visitors may see: young turtles sleeping in the water with their front flippers folded up and over their heads.

Because small turtles can be “nippy,” Veronica plans to monitor them closely and see how they interact, especially for the first few weeks.  “Sea turtles are usually separated in the open ocean,” she says. While a small number of turtles are on exhibit now, depending on how things go, Veronica may be adding more in the future. (The remaining turtles are currently behind the scenes.)

The turtles will be fed floating pellets twice a day, which are nutritionally designed for growing aquatic animals. Later in life, the turtles will eat more protein in the form of fish, prawns and clams. By age five they’ll be eating romaine lettuce and bell pepper, which are nutritionally like the sea grasses they eat in the wild.

Eventually, Veronica may be able to “target-train” the turtles. This involves using a long plastic pole with a colored float on the end and placing it in the water. Each turtle learns to associate a specific color with food.

The “Lost Years”

Green sea turtles are a bit of an enigma. They travel far and wide, riding currents across the open ocean. Females return to the same beach each year, using magnetic clues as a map back home. They live to be a remarkable 80 years old. The Aquarium’s new turtles, at less than a year old, are “at the stage most biologists refer to as the ‘lost years,’ ” says Veronica. “Very little is known about where they go in the wild and what they are doing.”

With help from the Aquarium’s newest additions, we may just learn a little more.

Acid Ocean Alert

The dramatic change in ocean chemistry -- unprecedented in the past 800,000 years-- was an Earth Day topic on Capitol Hill. Our colleagues at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute played a major role, as did actress Sigourney Weaver, a star of Avatar and narrator of the documentary film Acid Test that details this growing threat to ocean life.

The setting was the U.S. Senate subcommittee in charge of ocean issues, chaired by Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell. (She's the co-author, with Sen. Susan Collins of Maine,of legislation that would cut U.S. carbon pollution 83 percent by 2050.)

Witnesses -- scientists including MBARI's Jim Barry, a commercial fisherman, a scuba diver and Ms. Weaver -- largely agreed that ocean chemistry is shifting, becoming more acidic, and that the consequences are bad news for ocean food webs and coral reefs.

Oyster farmers in Washington state are already noticing the effects. Now the prestigious National Research Council has concluded that the problem is real, and happening at a rate we've never seen before.

Ocean acidification is one of the critical issues we address in our new special exhibition, "Hot Pink Flamingos." The new report lends urgency to the need for people to reduce our carbon pollution -- in our own lives, through our individual choices, and by acting together in our communities.

You can read the full testimony of witnesses, and watch an archived webcast of the hearing, here. If you want to see Acid Test, it's available online as well as on DVD. Or watch the 22-minute film now:

A Spirited Climate Conversation

It's never easy to talk about issues that make us uncomfortable, or that ask us to change the way we're used to doing things. That's true in our personal lives, and equally true of big social issues that affect many people.

But it's essential to start these conversations, especially  when the issues are as significant -- and urgent -- as global climate change.

That's why we decided, in our new exhibition, Hot Pink Flamingos, to tackle the topic directly. The connection between climate change and life on land is well known. Its impact on the oceans has largely been an untold story -- until now.

It's gratifying to see how engaged our visitors have been with the issue just in the few weeks that the exhibit's been open. They're especially interested in hearing about what they can do to make a difference.

Of course, our living exhibits are still the big draw. The flamingos, spoonbills and other wading birds have a steady crowd; the coral reef, so lively and colorful, is a magnet for visitors. There are always a few kids in the crawl-in area to peek underwater at the sea turtles, and people tracking the penguins as they swim past the exhibit windows.

The pleasant surprise has been how much they're responding to other parts of the exhibit, where we get deeper into problems and solutions.

More than 100,000 people have already visited the exhibit. At least 10,000 have written down the ways that their faith and values call them to be better stewards of Earth, and described the ways their communities can -- and are -- making changes that reduce carbon pollution and build a stronger economy.

More than 18,000 people have taken a simple pledge ("Ditch the car," "Savor the season", "Grab a bag"), and then watched themselves "living" their pledge in an interactive video animation. They're sharing whether they feel hopeful or concerned about climate change, and whether they believe we will (or won't) deal with the issue as a global society.

Not everyone is happy about the messages, or the way we tell the story. Some folks question climate science, and whether people are playing a significant role in global climate change. We haven't heard objections to our recommendations that folks bike more and drive less, or buy local produce, in season, rather than food shipped in from across the ocean.

California's beef and dairy farmers have taken strong exception to the science suggesting cows are a significant source of greenhouse gases, and that reducing red meat and dairy consumption (just a bit) is one way to address the issue. In particular, they object to the cow with a gas mask we use to dramatize the point.

The exhibit’s intent isn’t to tell people to stop eating beef and dairy -- in fact, most of us at the Aquarium do, and aren’t about to give it up -- but to put it forth as one of any number of ways each of us can take a simple personal action to help with the climate change problem.

At the same time, we highlight the innovative spirit of some dairy farms that are converting cow manure into biogas energy. Small actions add up, and the oceans -- and all of us -- benefit from less greenhouse gases.

Starting conversations, getting people talking about climate change and ocean wildlife, helping people take responsibility for their part of the solution. That's what Hot Pink Flamingos is all about. It won't always be an easy path. Because the stakes are high, it's one we have to take.

 

Climate Refugees

Our new exhibit, Hot Pink Flamingos: Stories of Hope in a Changing Sea, tells the stories of many animals whose lives are being affected by global climate change. Magellanic penguins that struggle to find food. Wading birds like spoonbills and flamingos, whose wetland homes will be swamped by rising seas. Coral reefs, which may crumble as a carbonated ocean makes it difficult for animals to build calcium carbonate skeletons.

It also shares stories of human loss -- of island homes being eaten away by the rising tides. The "Iceless Arctic" gallery describes how the native Alaskans of Shishmaref voted to move from their ancestral home as the island was literally eaten away beneath their feet.

They are not alone. A lyrical new documentary, Sun Come Up, recounts the exodus of the Carteret Islanders of Papua New Guinea -- the world's first climate refugees.

Sun Come Up from Jennifer Redfearn on Vimeo.

They are resolute as they take control of their future, even as they mourn the loss of their homeland.

And the numbers of climate refugees all around the world is growing so large that another documentary, Climate Refugees, will tell their stories at film festivals this year.

Hot Pink Flamingos not only tells what's happening to people and wildlife. It offers practical steps we can take -- as individuals and as a society -- to make a difference. It's a place to begin the conversation, and to begin to take action.

Can Pink Flamingos Save the Planet?

Can gangly pink flamingos and a burping cow help turn the tide for ocean wildlife threatened by global climate change?

That’s the hope –- and inspiration –- behind the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s new special exhibition, Hot Pink Flamingos: Stories of Hope in a Changing Sea.

With disarming humor, a hopeful tone and compelling animals, the aquarium is trying to jump-start a conversation about a contentious topic whose impacts affect not only ocean animals but people. It's getting attention (quite a bit of it, actually). And it's starting to work.

The starting point, as always, is the animals: Wading birds like flamingos, spoonbills and ibis, whose wetland habitats will be affected by rising seas. A vibrant living coral reef, endangered as carbon pollution alters ocean chemistry in ways that make it more difficult for corals and other animals to grow skeletons. There are jellies that can’t tolerate rising ocean temperatures, and sea turtles whose newborns will all be girls, because their sex is determined by the temperature of the beach-sand nests where their eggs incubate. And Magellanic penguins that must swim farther offshore seeking fish that can no longer find their own food in familiar coastal waters.

Next add the humor. A cheery young woman talks with visitors from inside a washing machine (cold-water washes save energy -– and money), a frying pan (one vegetarian meal a week for each American would amount to taking 20 million cars off the road) and a refrigerator (high-carbon pineapple from Hawaii, or low-carbon apple from the orchard next door?).

There are opportunities to "Elf Yourself" into a video displaying simple low-carbon conservation actions, from riding a bike more often to keeping car tires inflated for better mileage.

There are places for people to share their feelings and stories: How their faith calls them to stewardship of the planet, what they can do in their community, even an opportunity to ask their senators to support legislation that addresses global climate change.

And there are examples of what others are doing: College students who voted to pay a yearly fee to green their campus, then pick the project on which to spend the money. Cities from Bogota, Colombia to Ann Arbor, Michigan that are cutting their carbon pollution in simple ways. A Catholic church in Carmel, California where parishioners can pick up local, organic produce after Mass.

It’s all about starting the conversation around a difficult topic. It seems to be working. Visitors are talking -- and not just about the animals.

Julie Packard: For Bluefin & Polar Bears, Commerce Trumps Conservation

Once again, conservation yielded to commerce today. The proposal to ban global trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna -- the international poster child for overfishing -- was always a long shot. Nonetheless, it's a huge disappointment that delegates to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) today rejected the ban by a wide margin.

Fishing nations led by Japan were more swayed by potential economic losses than the prospect of driving a magnificent ocean animal to extinction. Despite their apparent self-interest in the long-term survival of the species, Japan and other Asian countries lobbied hard to defeat the proposed trade ban. Delegates in Doha, Qatar opted to leave management of the fast-collapsing Atlantic bluefin population in the hands of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas -- the body that has failed repeatedly for more than three decades to conserve the species.

I am heartened by one thing. We're finally talking about the Atlantic bluefin tuna in the same way we discuss lions, tigers and other charismatic (and endangered) land animals. These are amazing creatures, top predators facing serious threats to their survival, and the international community must act.

We didn't win this time around, but it was an important step forward in gaining broad public recognition of the problem. And elevating the debate puts fishery managers on notice that the world will be watching as they redouble efforts to develop a recovery plan for the bluefin tuna.

Forging international consensus will be a challenge. The same CITES delegates turned down trade restrictions on eight globally endangered shark species, including oceanic whitetips, hammerheads and spiny dogfish. China and other nations argued -- scientific research notwithstanding -- that shark populations are not plummeting, and that fisheries management agencies are the best place to address the issue. Perhaps so, but they are going to have to do a far better job than ever before to reverse the alarming trends of decline.

Not even polar bears could muster a majority in Doha.

A proposal by the United States to prohibit export of polar bear skins and parts was defeated, and for similar reasons. Opponents said that the economies of polar nations -- notably Canada, which is the only nation that allows export of polar bear hides -- would be hurt by a trade ban, and that polar bears' survival isn't affected by hunting.

Last week, I posed the question: Will we only save the cute? Sometimes, even cute isn't enough.

But a single setback is not decisive. All of us at the Monterey Bay Aquarium are in this for the long haul.

We've been doing our part to inspire conservation of the oceans for more than 25 years -- and opening discussion about the critical issues facing ocean wildlife today, like overfishing (through our Seafood Watch program) and climate change (through a new special exhibition, Hot Pink Flamingos: Stories of Hope in a Changing Sea).

We'll continue the fundamental scientific research that contributes to understanding the lives of bluefin tuna in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans -- research that I'm confident will inform policy decisions when international regulatory bodies finally begin the responsible management of tuna fisheries.

I'm incredibly encouraged that, in just over 24 hours, thousands of our friends and supporters stepped up to encourage U.S. efforts to rally other nations to support the bluefin tuna campaign. I encourage you to join us and add your voice to those standing on the side of ocean wildlife. We didn't prevail this time -- but our day will come.

(Monterey Bay Aquarium Executive Directory Julie Packard blogs regularly, both here and on HuffingtonPost.com.)

A Flamingo Among Us?

Gangly pink wading birds aren't the norm among bird life in Elkhorn Slough, the Monterey Bay wetland located inland of Moss Landing Harbor. The federally protected area is home to 346 bird species -- and now a 347th.

A flamingo is indeed hanging out in the slough, and there's evidence from photos taken by several visitors touring the slough in the past month.

It's a banded bird, which makes it likely that it escaped from someone's care -- though no one has stepped up to report a missing flamingo.

That includes our aviculture team at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, who are busy caring for a small flock of Chilean flamingos behind the scenes, in preparation for the March 29 opening of our next special exhibition, Hot Pink Flamingos: Stories of Hope in a Changing Sea.

All of their charges are present and accounted for. (The only flamingos we've loosed recently are the pair featured on one of the Valentine's Day e-cards available on the Aquarium website.)

As for the flamingo that's wandering the wetlands, there's some talk of a rescue effort. Since wild flamingos find safety in numbers, this bird is vulnerable to foxes and other predators.

Flamingo photo (top) courtesy Tom Dexel)

Which way, gray?

It's the height of the gray whale migration here in Monterey Bay, with an estimated 20-30 whales passing by each hour! The southern migration is the best time to see large groups of grays, as the animals usually are closer together. The northern migration is much more spaced out, with animals heading north at different times. Mothers with calves leaving last.

A report in this weekend's Seattle Pi records sightings of gray whales heading north "early." This truly would be early, with absolutely no time to make the 10,000 mile round trip. Most likely what is being sighted here is animals that have elected (if I may use that word) not to go on the migration. Reports of "resident" gray whales are becoming more and more common up and down the coast. While not truly resident, some whales are spending time in Oregon and Washington waters, and then heading north again to the feeding grounds. What is also surprising is the confirmed reports of feeding taking place in these regions. We previously thought gray whales only fed on amphipods (mud-dwelling shrimp) in the cold arctic waters. Turns out they are very opportunistic and will feed on a variety of different invertebrates.

With arctic ice receding each year, the gray whales are able to go further north each summer. Traditional feeding grounds are no longer visited. It's too soon to know if this is a good or bad thing for these animals. What we do know is that their population seems to have decreased since it hit a peak of around 28,000 in the late 90's. The government's 2009 assessment lists this population between 17,000 and 18,000. This has scientists speculating that climate change is impacting their prey species and ultimately their population numbers.

Carbon-Slurping Sea Stars

Turns out sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers and other echinoderms are unsung heroes in the war against global climate change.

A new study published in Nature credits these abundant invertebrates with sequestering 100 million tons of carbon in their tissues each year. Quite a bit, though humans are pumping 30 BILLION tons a year of carbon into the atmosphere. There's a lot more to be done.

Since we're talking climate change, here's a great article from YES! Magazine by psychologist George Marshall examining why it's so difficult for people to take responsibility for our role in climate change, and to alter our behavior in order to avert a climate crisis.

It's a fascinating analysis of how, in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence and an international scientific consensus, we find it so hard to get off a destructive course.

It's critical information, because -- no matter how hard they try -- all the stars in the sea can't save us from ourselves.