Sea Notes

Two Tales of Bluefin Tuna

Following up on yesterday's post about the fishermen's strike in Japan:

Russ Parsons of the L.A. Times blogs about how strikes and high fuel costs are affecting the availability of tuna and other fresh seafood in the U.S. He also quotes Jesse Marsh of our Seafood Watch fisheries research team on the possible long-term impacts if fuel prices remain high.

Our Stanford University colleagues in Barbara Block's research lab are also blogging, this time about their success in placing electronic data tags on Pacific bluefin tuna during last week's expedition out of San Diego. They put 112 new tags on bluefin, for a total of nearly 550 tagged bluefin in the Pacific since their Tag-A-Giant program began. (Monterey Bay Aquarium partners with Stanford on the program.)

As data come back documenting the migrations of these Pacific fish, we'll begin to get a better picture about their migrations across the ocean. Similar work by the Block lab in the Atlantic has resulted in more than 1,000 tags on giant bluefin over the past decade -- and a comprehensive picture of their travels through the Western Atlantic, the  North Atlantic, Mediterranean and Caribbean.

There's data enough to support a dramatic reduction in fisheries quotas -- if the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas can muster the political will to impose it. Sadly, the commission seems unable to do more than preside over a collapse more dramatic than the 90 percent decline it's already suffered.

Calls for a moratorium on bluefin tuna fishing in the Atlantic were ignored last year. Since then, the European fishery was closed early and European chefs have begun to boycott bluefin tuna. ICCAT has another chance this November. We'll be watching.

Green-raising

There's a great article in today's Wall Street Journal about environmentally-friendly fundraising. With concerns about environmental and human health making headline news, some clever entrepreneurs (is that an oxy-moron?) have developed companies that help you find eco-friendly products with which to fund-raise, and replace the more traditional yummy, but unhealthy cookies and candy offerings. Whether that's recycled wrapping paper, or shade-grown coffee that benefits the ecosystem and songbirds impacted by pesticides, there's someone out there that can help connect you to a good source.

At the Monterey Bay Aquarium, our Gift and Bookstore is always looking for eco-friendly gift ideas and recently introduced the first eco-plush animal into its inventory. The penguin--in honor of the newly re-imagined Splash Zone--is made from 100% soy fiber with Kapok stuffing, a sustainable rainforest crop that comes from the seed pod of the Kapok tree.

Carnival of the Blue 14

It's that time again -- when the best ocean blogging from across the web comes together in the monthly Carnival of the Blue.

This month's edition is hosted by Anthony Townsend at The Blue Economy. Check it out.

Monday's Inspirational Photo - Sea Otter

This lovely image was the runner up in our recent World Ocean Day photo contest. Glenn Hightree took this photo of one of our exhibit otters, Joy, in February this year. Joy also acts as a surrogate mom to young otters who have become separated from their moms in the wild. The hope is that these pups will learn the lifeskills they need to survive and can be returned to the wild and later become parents themselves. With only 3,000 sea otters in California waters, each animal has an important role to play in the future success and survival of this population.

California's sea otters are in the news again this week. A new draft report by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife service indicates that "Southern sea otters are holding their own on California's coast but their fragile population still is at risk from disease, oil spills and other disasters."

The Monterey Bay Aquarium's "Sea Otter Research and Conservation" program (SORAC) works with federal and state agencies to try to better understand the threats facing this threatened population, especially infectious disease, which is taking a heavy toll.To learn more, you can listen to our podcast or check out our SORAC web pages.

Want to do more? Check out our Save the Oceans section and learn how you can donate, join our Ocean Action Team or learn about how your seafood choices can make a difference.

The State of the Seas

Not a day goes by without a headline or broadcast report about something happening to the health of the ocean. The news isn't always good, but at least more attention is focused on the largest living space on the planet. With awareness, you open the door for solutions. (In the case of the ocean, ignorance definitely isn't bliss.)

With that in mind, the bad news first:

In the Mediterranean, new research estimates that shark populations are down more than 90 percent from historic levels 200 years ago -- with all the negative impacts on overall ecosystem health that result when you all but eliminate the top predators in the system. Hammerheads, mackerel sharks and blue sharks have been wiped out as accidental bycatch, or killed as pests by fishermen who don't value their place in the ocean's living web. And, sadly, there are still few regulations in place to protect sharks in the wild.

There's also disturbing news about the presence of chemical pollutants in the deep ocean. Scientists surveying deep-water cephalopods in the northwest Atlantic Ocean have detected chemical pollutants (like tributyltin and PCBs) in the tissues of deep-sea squids. Tissue samples from deep-sea squids and octopus -- including the cockatoo squid (Galiteuthis spp.) and the vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) -- yielded surprising concentrations of persistent organic pollutants. Chemical like tributyltin (TBT, used in anti-fouling paint on boats), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDT and flame retardants were documented in tissue samples collected by scientists in the northwest Atlantic Ocean.

Why worry? Because these cephalopods are an important part of deep-sea food web -- including a source of food for deep-diving whales and dolphins.

On the good-news front, Southern California Edison is spending $40 million to create an artificial reef off the coast of Orange County as mitigation for damage to native kelp forests caused by discharge from its San Onofre nuclear power plant.

The 2.5-mile-long reef, mandated by the state Coastal Commission, is intended to provide footings to anchor giant kelp that will become the basis for a restored kelp forest ecosystem where wildlife can thrive.

Here in Monterey Bay, the return of sea otters from near-extirpation by fur hunters in the 18th and 19th centuries provided conditions for a similar revitalization of the kelp forests. Today, you'd never know that the bay was denuded of kelp by sea urchins, abalone and other grazers after otters were eliminated in the bay. They returned in the early 1960s, and the kelp forest followed them. Keep your eyes on San Clemente to see if the reef there has the same effect.

Finally, a celebration reported this week for "the most important microbe you've never heard of." NPR's Joe Palca took part in commemorating the discovery of a marine bacterium called Prochlorococcus. Why? Because it's super-abundant in the ocean, and is probably responsible for the oxygen in one out of every five breaths you take. Although it's one of the most abundant organisms on Earth, it was utterly unknown to science until 20 years ago.

Sharks: End of the Line?

A new and alarming report estimates that more than half of the world's sharks are at risk of extinction.

Yet another signal that the continued overfishing of these long-lived, late-to-mature animals is threatening their very existence. Six new sharks were added to the official "red list" : Thresher shark, Silky shark, Shortfin mako, the Pelagic thresher, the Bigeye thresher and the Salmon shark (a relative of the already listed white shark).

You can take action on overfishing on our website www.oceanaction.org and check out the WildCoast campaign to end the practice of shark finning.

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.

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.