Sea Notes

Take One Final Step to Ban Shark Fin Trade

Sharks & shark conservation advocates worldwide are one step from a major victory after Tuesday's vote in the California state Senate to ban the trade in shark fins. But it's not a done deal until Gov. Jerry Brown signs AB 376 into law -- and you can make it happen.

Take a moment to send a message to Gov. Brown urging him to stand up for sharks. As lead sponsor of the bill, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has made it easy to send a Take Action email to the governor.

California would become the fourth state to enact a trade ban, following Hawaii, Washington and Oregon. And it's the largest market for shark fins outside of Asia, where demand for shark-fin soup is fueling the global killing of tens of millions of sharks each year.

It would also strengthen the hand of advocates in China who are pressing for an end to shark finning in the world's largest market for fins. And it would give new momentum to a campaign for a national ban on the shark fin trade in the United States.

That's a lot of impact for one small action that each of us can take.

Art and the Open Sea

The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s newly renovated Open Sea exhibit is best known for amazing animals, including giant green sea turtles, ocean sunfish, speedy tunas, puffins and more.

But it also has an artistic streak. That’s because in the Open Sea’s final gallery, Ocean Travelers, visitors are introduced to artists and activists Chris Jordan, Alyssa Irizarry, Alison McDonald, Bryant Austin – who have devoted their work to conserving the world’s oceans. Each live animal exhibit in Ocean Travelers is paired with an art installation to raise awareness about the threats facing those animals. Visitors learn what they can do to ensure safe passage for the unique fishes, sharks, sea turtles, seabirds and marine mammals that live in the open ocean. Nearby, short video clips of the artists explain the motivation and passion behind their work.

Shark Teeth

Photographer Chris Jordan’s piece, Shark Teeth, represents the thousands of sharks killed each year for their fins. Viewed from afar, you see a yin-yang image of two species of sharks encircling a mercury symbol. Move closer and you see the image comprises thousands of fossilized shark teeth.

Sea Turtle Murals

In 1996 a group of artists set out to create a series of sea turtle murals along the 1,000 mile-long Baja Peninsula. Most of the artists were self-taught and in collaboration with the conservation group, El Grupo Tortuguero, agreed to create beautiful sea turtle murals if given paints, brushes and food. Alyssa Irizarry, a Tufts University student, was curious if the murals could help turn the tide in local communities away from consuming sea turtles to protecting them. Her findings showed the murals did indeed help change attitudes and behaviors about endangered sea turtles. Her admonition: “Keep on painting!”

Message in a Bottle

Australian Alison McDonald created Message in a Bottle, a dozen sculptures that examine the relationship humans have with plastic. McDonald’s installation features meticulous cutwork using recycled plastic to create delicate algae. The piece invites viewers to re-shape their thinking about plastic and its often disastrous effect in the open sea and on land.

Giant Whale Photo

Bryant Austin of Santa Cruz, California, creates life-size photographs of whales. In the Open Sea, you’ll be eye-to-eye with a black-and-white composite photograph of the face of an endangered humpback whale calf. Austin captured the photograph on a Hasselblad portrait camera while free-diving in the Kingdom of Tonga. After composing a series of photographs, he digitally stitches them together and produces a profound, life-size representation. Through his creations, Austin and the group Marine Mammal Conservation through the Arts hope to inspire change within countries that continue to hunt or harm whales.

Each artist featured in the Ocean Travelers gallery uses different materials to create their pieces, but the common thread is an awareness of environmental issues affecting the oceans and a clear message of how visitors can help conserve the oceans and ensure safe passage for transoceanic animals.

-Angela Hains

Julie Packard: It's Time to Save Sharks

Sharks -- and ocean ecosystems -- are winning big victories these days. It's not a minute too soon.

The United States has banned shark finning in U.S. waters. It's a wasteful practice that involves catching sharks just for their fins, with the animals themselves tossed overboard -- dead or dying -- so the fishing boats have room to pack in more fins.

The fins are primarily used to make shark fin soup -- a luxury item in Chinese cuisine that's sometimes on the menu for festive and ceremonial occasions. While conscious chefs are creating delicious shark-free alternatives , shark fin soup is growing in popularity, costing the lives of tens of millions of sharks each year.

The number is not sustainable: Not for sharks, which reproduce slowly. And not for the oceans, which rely on these top predators to maintain the natural balance that keeps ecosystems healthy.

In recent years, organizations like WildAid have been working to raise consumer awareness in Asia about the plight of shark populations, to reduce and someday eliminate the demand and market for shark fins. Without a market for the fins, they'll stay on sharks -- where they belong.

In 2010, Hawaii became the first state to outlaw the trade in shark fins. Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands have banned the fin trade as well. Earlier this year, the state of Washington joined them. In Oregon, legislation to ban the shark fin trade now awaits the governor's signature.

Now the California State Assembly, on a vote of 65-8, has passed a bill to outlaw the possession and sale of shark fins in the state. The legislation, co-authored by Chinese-American Assemblymember Paul Fong and his colleague Jared Huffman, now heads to the State Senate, where final action is expected this summer. UPDATE: The senate Natural Resources and Water committee will vote on the bill June 28. Committee members need to hear from constituents that they support the bill.)

This is a big step, as California represents one of the largest markets for shark fins outside Asia.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a lead sponsor of the bill, along with a broad coalition of environmental and Asian Pacific American groups -- as well as notable chefs like Charles Phan and Martin Yan, and prominent figures such as NBA star Yao Ming, a native of China.

The vote reflected the sentiments of most Californians who, according to an aquarium-commissioned poll of registered voters, overwhelmingly support the ban.

The movement is gaining ground not just in the United States but in China as well. Recently, a prominent Chinese businessman and legislator proposed a ban on selling shark fins in China. According to the Agence France Presse report, such a measure would be highly controversial and take many years to enact. The fact that it's even being discussed is a quantum leap forward. It's likely that he was inspired by the debate taking place in the United States.

We've demonized sharks for far too long. Sharks and our oceans are paying too high a price. Now the tide is turning, and when it does, sharks won't be the only winners. All of us will benefit from a world where ocean ecosystems teem with the myriad species that provide humankind with food and livelihoods, and from the joy of sharing our world with mysterious and beautiful animals like sharks.

Californians ♥ Sharks!

Golden State voters have a soft spot for sharks. That's the finding of a new poll commissioned by Monterey Bay Aquarium to gauge support for legislation that would ban the sale, possession and trade of shark fins in California.

The poll found overwhelming support among Californians of all ages and backgrounds for AB 376, authored by State Assembly members Paul Fong and Jared Huffman.

The bill (heading to the Assembly floor for a vote) would end California's participation in the global shark fin trade that costs the lives of tens of millions of sharks each year and decimates ocean ecosystems worldwide.

The survey of found that 76 percent of all respondents, and 70 percent of Chinese-American registered voters surveyed, supported the shark fin trade ban.

While shark "finning" -- killing sharks only for their fins and discarding the carcass -- is prohibited in all U.S. waters, federal law does not prohibit the import of shark fins from other countries. That's what AB 376 would do.

Support for the bill is across the board: Californians young and old; Democrats, Republicans and independents; men and women; people with college degrees and those without.

Even people who have eaten shark-fin soup are strong supporters of the ban: 69 percent of those who have eaten the soup –- a luxury dish sometimes served at special occasions in the Chinese-American community -– expressed support for the proposed legislation. That includes 65 percent of California Chinese-American voters. Bill co-author Paul Fong, himself a Macau native, stopped eating the soup several years ago because of his concern about what overfishing sharks means for the health of the oceans.

(Demand for shark fin soup drives the global fin trade.)

Only 14 percent of all voters surveyed oppose the legislation, with 10 percent having no opinion. Among Chinese-Americans, only 18 percent of voters oppose the ban and 12 percent have no opinion.

Monterey Bay Aquarium is a lead sponsor of AB 376 and is working with a broad coalition of Asian Pacific American leaders to win passage of the bill. It's also allied with prominent Asian Pacific American "Chefs Against Shark Fins," who have created recipes for shark fin soup prepared without the use of shark fins.

You can take action to support the bill. And, if you'd like to taste a delicious and ocean-friendly soup, you can go here to find a recipe for faux shark-fin soup created for the aquarium by Chef Peter Pahk of Kingsmill Resort in Virginia.

Here's what Hong Kong-born chef Kin Lui of Tataki Sushi Bar in San Francisco has to say about why he won't serve, sell or eat shark fin.

Julie Packard: Thoughts on the Gulf, One Year Later

One year later, from the shores of beautiful Monterey Bay, the horrific images of the BP blowout seem like a distant memory. Media stories talk of recovery, though it will be decades before we understand the true impacts of this disaster. (A team from the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Stanford University is studying one critical area: the long-term impact on tunas and related species.)

The national oil spill commission, comprised of an outstanding set of citizens with deep expertise, produced an excellent set of recommendations that offers a blueprint for reform in safety and oversight of offshore drilling. Their recommendations are practical and sane -– but will they be implemented? Only if people care.　

Our oceans are an irreplaceable treasure and give us so much, from jobs to food to inspiration. We know this in our hearts -– and yet so often we fail to act on their behalf. But when we do, amazing results can follow.

There’s no better example than along the coast of California, where we can point to the most inspiring demonstration of public will on behalf of the oceans that I can think of. From my lucky vantage point on Monterey Bay, I can see the expanse of the largest National Marine Sanctuary on the coast of North America, a network of fully protected state marine reserves along the shore, and abundant ocean life that’s thriving because we have acted to protect this wild place.

People have taken action on their convictions, from supporting wildlife protection bills and coastal land conservation, to choosing sustainable seafood and investing in the many respected marine science institutions ringing the shore of the bay. Not the least among them, and (of course) my favorite is a place designed to tell these stories –- stories of animals, and of people working together on behalf of the oceans: the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

The story of Monterey Bay and the aquarium is already a source of inspiration for people far and wide, and with your continued support, we’ll carry this message far into the future. We’ve clearly demonstrated how individual actions do make a difference -– whether through your direct support of our work, or your everyday decisions that make a difference for the future of the oceans.

If we take away one lesson from the Gulf of Mexico disaster –- that we truly have the power to make a difference –- then the future is bright for the oceans we all depend upon and love so much.

Julie Packard is the executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Sharing Japan's Pain

Our hearts and thoughts are with the people of Japan -- and for us especially with colleagues at our two sister aquariums: Tokyo Sea Life Park and Aquamarine Fukushima.

The good news is that there was apparently no loss of human life from the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Sadly, Aquamarine Fukushima -- which sits closer to the epicenter and was hit by tsunami waters -- will lose much of its living collection. We just learned from the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums that arrangements are being made to move the surviving mammals and birds to other zoos and aquariums in Japan. This includes Eurasian otters, walruses, Steller sea lions and tufted puffins.

This video clip, posted to our Facebook page, shows Aquamarine Fukushima in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami. As you'll see, its beautiful buildings are standing but show damage to the first floor from floodwaters. Life support systems and seawater intake lines have been knocked out, according to the information we've received.

Monterey Bay Aquarium has enjoyed sister aquarium relationships with both institutions for many years. We've welcomed staff from the two Japanese aquariums here in Monterey, and our staff have interned in Japan. Our connections are deep, personal and long-lasting. So the news of damage, loss and recovery is all the more painful.

Our concern is compounded by unfolding news of serious problems at the nuclear power plants located just 40 miles from Aquamarine Fukushima. (UPDATE: The situation appears to be worsening.)

As we find ways to be of help to our sister aquariums, and as we learn more about their evolving situation, we'll let you know. Right now, Japan's most pressing need is disaster relief. A number of respected international organizations have risen to the challenge. You can support their work with online or text message donations.

And please: Hold them close in your hearts.

 

How Many Fish in the Sea?

We're frequently asked at the Aquarium, "How many fish are there in the ocean?"

That's pretty easy to answer if you're talking about who lives in one of our exhibits, but if you're asking about a fish you'd find on one of Seafood Watch pocket guides, then it's not so simple.

And if you don't know how many fish there are in the sea (and equally important, how many there should be in a well-functioning ecosystem), then how can you properly manage fisheries in a sustainable way?

That's one of the reasons for the Census of Marine Life. An extremly ambitious 10-year project, its aim was to -- quite literally -- account for every fish in the sea. The project also wanted to set the census in context of what used to be in the ocean, as well as project ahead to what will be there in the future.

At the beginning of August, the Census released a number of papers summarizing findings to date. (It als put together a music video, which you can watch below.)

The Monterey Bay Aquarium's colloboration with Stanford University and the Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP) program contributed to the findings. Tagging and tracking apex predators like great white sharks and bluefin tuna is helping scientists understand how animals use the ocean, but also identifies whether populations are mixing with animals found in different ocean basins, or are otherwise distinct or unique in some way.

There's so much more to learn about our ocean planet, and despite all of this great effort, we're still only scratching the surface.

Julie Packard: A Great Day for the Oceans

I am excited to share two wonderful pieces of news that offer great hope for the health of our oceans.

Later today, President Obama is expected to sign an executive order establishing –- for the first time ever -– a National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, Coasts and Great Lakes that makes protection and restoration of our coasts and oceans the top priority for all federal agencies that manage marine resources.

The executive order will also create a National Ocean Council made up of senior administration officials to implement the new policy.

The announcement reflects more than a decade of talking with –- and listening to –- ocean experts and user groups across the United States, and reviewing thousands of citizen comments (including many submitted by Aquarium members and supporters). It draws on the longstanding recommendations of two separate blue-ribbon panels, including the Pew Oceans Commission on which I served.

The President’s announcement comes just days after a significant ocean protection bill cleared a key committee in the House of Representatives. Among other things, the bill, known as the CLEAR Act, would help safeguard the oceans from catastrophic events like the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster by authorizing substantial reforms of federal offshore and onshore oil and gas leasing programs.

It would also establish a sizable ocean investment fund to pay for fund projects that conserve, protect, maintain and restore ocean and coastal ecosystems.　

The Aquarium has long supported these approaches, and worked hard to see them through. Last month when I was in Washington, DC for Capitol Hill Ocean Week, I advocated for exactly this kind of thoughtful, far-reaching response to the Gulf oil disaster.

There’s still a lot of work to be done so that our oceans reap the full benefit of these exciting, and promising, developments. We have come a long way –- and with your help and support we’ll get closer to our goal of a future with healthy oceans.

-- Julie Packard, Executive Director, Monterey Bay Aquarium

 

 

 

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Julie Packard: The Unfolding Oil Spill Disaster

The news from the Gulf of Mexico remains grim. It’s a sobering reminder of just how precious the ocean is to all of us –- and how vulnerable it can be.

Though there are some signs of progress, I’m very concerned about the fate of ocean wildlife, and of the coastal communities that ring the Gulf. Beyond the depressing images we see daily of oiled birds and other animals, a larger question looms: What will the long-term effects be on the health of the Gulf?

That’s where the efforts of the team at the Monterey Bay Aquarium are directed. Long after the gushing well is capped and clean-up teams head home, our Seafood Watch researchers will be assessing what the spill means for commercial fisheries in the Gulf region. We and our scientific partners will be studying the impact of the spill on threatened Atlantic bluefin tunas. Already, our colleagues at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute are deploying tools to help federal scientists track the spread of the largest oil spill in U.S. history.

Right now, there’s an urgent need to care for the birds, sea turtles and other wildlife fouled with oil. Our staff members stand ready when called upon to aid our colleagues from wildlife rescue organizations already on the ground, including California’s Oiled Wildlife Care Network, of which we’re a part. The International Bird Rescue and Research Center is playing an important role in this unfolding tragedy, too. Both organizations can use your support.

Our Seafood Watch team is monitoring the situation closely, though we have not yet changed our recommendations about fish and shellfish from the Gulf region. The secretary of commerce has declared a fishing disaster and the National Marine Fisheries Service has closed 54,000 square miles of Gulf waters to commercial fishing. (The good news is, at this writing, more than three-quarters of the Gulf remains open.)

The spill will affect many popular commercial species and the people who depend on them for a living: wild shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic; snappers caught in the same waters; wild Eastern oysters; groupers; U.S. farmed oysters; and U.S. farmed shrimp.

If the oil spill changes the abundance or safety of these species, we’ll reflect that in updated seafood reports and Seafood Watch recommendations. Until there is a change, you can support beleaguered fishing communities by continuing to select Best Choices and Good Alternatives when you buy seafood from the Gulf.

One species we’re most concerned about is the threatened Atlantic bluefin tuna. Just months ago, our team pressed hard for stronger international protections for these amazing and valuable fish, but lost the battle. Sadly, the findings from our Tuna Research and Conservation Center –- a collaboration with Stanford University -– document that these incredible fish arrive in the Gulf of Mexico to spawn every year in April and May, and in waters at the heart of the Deepwater Horizon spill. We hope to learn more about how this year’s spawning season was affected. And we’ll continue to monitor the long term health of a species that needs much greater international protection.

To measure the reach of the spill below the surface, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute just dispatched a high-tech robotic submersible that, under the direction of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists, will track the spreading oil plume.

Crisis response and research alone aren’t enough to protect the health of our oceans. This is just the beginning. Tragic as it is, the oil spill provides a case as never before to demand better governance of our oceans and coasts: a national ocean policy, a full commitment to comprehensive ecosystem research before any development occurs, and much stronger safeguards to prevent disaster when things go wrong.

There’s a lot of work ahead of us. And you can help: by staying connected, taking action on issues and supporting our work. I’ll share further thoughts on June 8, when I’ll address legislators and ocean leaders at the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation’s annual gathering in Washington, DC.

We have an opportunity right now to do the right thing by our oceans. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has helped inspire millions of ocean lovers, and now is our chance to get serious. We’ll be involved, every step of the way, to create a future with healthy oceans.

-- Julie Packard, Executive Director, Monterey Bay Aquarium

Not a Red Herring!

Earlier this week, we reported on a gray whale sighted in the Atlantic for the first time in a couple of hundred years. Today, it's a fish that appears to have come back from extinction.

An eleven foot herring, classified a giant, and justifiably so, has been found off the coast of Sweden. Sadly deceased, but clearly not a fossil, the "king of herring" was last seen 130 years ago. It's reputed to grow up to 34 feet long, which would be quite the fish sandwich.

Legend says it's the type of creature that spawned stories of Nessie, and other mythical water beasties. For now this particular specimen is headed for the museum and a possible appearance in an exhibition of sea monsters.

It would be nice to think that this is just the start of the comeback of this giant fish and that the Atlantic will soon be teeming with gray whales and similarly sized herring!