Sea Notes

Oceans Sans Frontier

In the U.S., President Obama's Ocean Policy Task Force is charged with recommending a way forward to create a National Ocean Agenda and Policy for U.S. oceans. Much needed and long awaited. You can support this process on our website and send an e-letter today.

Ultimately, however, if we are to restore our oceans to health, we are going to need international collaboration and cooperation across borders.

That's why it's heartening to read of a new entente cordiale between the U.S. and Cuba when it comes to management of the Gulf of Mexico. In fact, the aim is to create a management plan that the two countries and Mexico can commit to, with an understanding that fish don't have passports or know when they are crossing into sovereign territory!

While there is much to be overcome, it is a positive step in the right direction, and the intent is admirable. There are multiple goals, such as to learn more about populations of sharks and sea turtles - all in decline - and to find ways to improve fisheries management practices in the Gulf.

This model could inspire other similar cooperations around the world. Here's hoping that the politics can be put aside for the good of the whole.

Boost for Beleaguered Bluefin

Yesterday, the U.S. announced its support for a proposal to list Atlantic bluefin tuna on "Appendix I" of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES).

In plain speak, this would effectively ban trade of this highly endangered species -- long the poster child for overfishing.

The bluefin tuna is a remarkable animal: it crosses ocean basins, traveling thousands of miles; reaches a size comparable to dolphins and swims in bursts of speed up to 30 miles an hour; is warm-blooded, with a heat exchange system that enables it to take advantage of deep, cold food-rich waters. Its design is efficient and effective, and it's one of the ocean's supreme predators.

In the 1970's with the advent of longline fishing and distant-water fleets fishing far from home, fishing for bluefin began in earnest. Bluefin were much sought after for their rich belly meat, especially prized for sushi.

As the market price soared, bluefin became scarcer and more desirable. Populations around the world started to fall dangerously low. -- especially in the Atlantic.

Management of species like bluefin, which appear to have home bases breeding and spawning but otherwise are highly migratory, is a complex business. The U.S. has a quota for fishing bluefin in its waters, as do the other countries through whose waters the bluefin travel to and from the Mediterranean. Outside national waters, fisheries management resides with ICCAT -- the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. (Sadly, it's also known by some environmental groups as the International Commissino to Catch All Tuna.) On its, bluefin populations have sunk into serious decline, and quotas remain far too high to allow the species to rebound. Last year, the commission overruled its own scientific experts and set quotas higher than scientists believe are needed to begin restoring their numbers.

U.S. support for the CITES listing is a way to put pressure on ICCAT to adjust its quotas and help bring this species back from the brink. Either way, something needs to happen soon, before it's simply too late.

California's New Sustainable Seafood Bill!

If you wanted to propose legislation in California regarding seafood sustainability, where would you turn for advice?

Well, that's exactly what California Assemblymember Bill Monning (D-Carmel) thought when he called the Monterey Bay Aquarium for their counsel and support for such a bill.

The Aquarium's Seafood Watch and policy teams worked with Monning's office to word legislation that could really benefit both California's fisheries, and the sustainable seafood movement.

Yesterday, (Monday October 12) the bill was signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger! Thank you to all of our supporters who took the time to write via our online tool. Many thanks also to the Seafood Watch partners who co-signed a chef and restaurant letter in support.

We were so pleased to work with Assemblyman Bill Monning in shaping this important piece of legislation. At a time when our oceans are in crisis, commercial fishermen are struggling and fisheries are in decline, it is more important than ever to support the work of people who are fishing responsibly and to ensure that they get the assistance they need to win official certification of their practices. Now they have tools that will help them bring their seafood to market, especially locally, here in California.

Aquarium Vice President, Mike Sutton said, "Governor Schwarzenegger again today proved himself an ocean champion by signing AB1217 into law. This new law will encourage more sustainable fishing in California and help our fishermen compete in global markets that increasingly demand seafood from sustainable sources.”

California is leading the way toward a future with healthy oceans. The Sustainable Seafood Bill is the latest example of legislation recognizing that ocean-friendly is good for people and for ocean ecosystems. It is a wonderful way to help celebrate our 25th anniversary, and a gift for future generations.

Watch Assemblymember Monning introduce the bill for a final vote.

New hope for endangered species

There were two pieces of good news for our planet's endangered wildlife this week. As reported in The Economist, a group of scientists believe that the global extinction crisis may have been overstated. It had been predicted that up to 100 species a day could go extinct - half of all species in the lifetime of people now alive! Some scientists believe that this may not be the case. The downside, however, is that the lucky survivors are tiny tropical insects that few us know or care much about. The species that are being lost are the large birds, mammals and reptiles that conservationists and the rest of us were worried about in the first place. Still, good news is good news.

Last year, we asked our Ocean Action Team to take a stand, when the Bush Administration put forth a new proposal that sought to eliminate the requirement for independent scientific review of projects that could threaten endangered species. In addition, it also proposed that the Endangered Species Act could not be used as a tool to fight Climate Change. Just before leaving office, the Administration approved these changes to the legislation.

Fortunately, the new Administration has announced its intention to reverse this change. Sadly this will mean starting a new process, as the new rule took effect before January 20, but the House Natural Resources Committee is already on the charge! We'll be sure to watch how this goes and keep you informed. But thank you to all who took action on this important issue. On this occasion the voices of 250,000 members of the public were not enough to turn that tide last year, but fortunately, we were heard and the new tide is now turning.

Sea Change

 "We will restore science to its rightful place," said President Barack Obama in today's inaugural speech. Words that bring hope to the ocean science community, whose voice must now be heard if we are to bring about the necessary changes to halt the impacts of climate, overfishing, pollution and habitat damage to our oceans.

There has been some positive news on the science front this week for our oceans: the National Marine Fisheries Service just published its "annual catch limit rule". This rule creates a framework for fishery managers to establish annual catch limits, based on the best available science, in order to end overfishing in U.S. waters by 2011.

Last year, our Ocean Action Team and Aquarium visitors sent over 6,100 letters and postcards to the National Marine Fisheries Service asking them to support an end to overfishing in U.S. fisheries. This announcement represents an important step forward in U.S. fisheries management. We look forward to a successful implementation that can bring an end to overfishing.

A number of species on our Seafood Watch pocket guides are listed as avoid due to this issue. New 2009 pocket guides are now available, so be sure to download yours today to make ocean-friendly choices!

Speak up for Endangered Species

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was enacted nearly 35 years ago to protect vulnerable species like sea otters and also "the ecosystems upon which they depend." Now the Act is being threatened by a proposed change to the rules that seeks to eliminate the requirement for independent scientific review of projects that could threaten wildlife.

Threatened and endangered marine creatures like sea otters rely on the ESA to provide a Federal Management Plan to secure a brighter future for these animals, and the funding necessary to make that happen.

Please go to our Take Action website before September 15th  and let the US Fish & Wildlife hear your voice in support of the best protection for our endangered species.

www.oceanaction.org

Better Protection for North California Coast Proposed

Next week a major decision will be made about protection for the California coast.

California is in the process of creating a statewide network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Right now, the process is looking at the North Central Coast, from Half Moon Bay to Point Arena, as shown.

These underwater state parks and reserves have the power to restore damaged habitats and let threatened species thrive. But the protections will only work if they are strong enough.

There are different proposals on the table, some with much better protection than others. On April 22-23, the Governor's Blue Ribbon Task Force will meet to decide which proposal to recommend to the State's Fish & Game Commission.

Package 4 gets the highest marks from scientists, provides the highest level of protection to special places along the coast, and enjoys support from a wide range of interests. We need your help to make sure decision-makers hear loud and clear that there is support for package 4, the strongest plan for protecting California's coast.

Please use our new website tool today to send a message of support for the strongest protection for our oceans.

The Ocean's Half Full

But first, the bad news: a new report In Dead Water from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) predicts that global climate change is emerging as the latest threat to the world's dwindling fish stocks. "At least three quarters of the globe's key fishing grounds may become seriously impacted by changes in circulation, as a result of the ocean's natural pumping systems fading and falling," UNEP suggests.

You can read much more about this here. And if you didn't already do so, download the latest Seafood Watch pocket guide to find out how you can be a part of the solution.

Or you can turn to the good news. The Joint Ocean Commission Initiative has issued the 2007 U.S. Ocean Policy Report Card and the news is definitely encouraging. Although the overall grade has only risen modestly from a C- to a C, that's definitely a trend in the right direction. Perhaps much can be learned from the actions of regional and state governance, with an A- grade. Good news for the whole nation, as the health of coastal waters impacts us all in some way.

Leaders in state ocean governance are Florida, Washington and California. The latter with a process to implement a statewide network of marine protected areas - which started right here in the Aquarium's backyard in 2007. You can become involved in this process by joining our Ocean Action Team, to receive alerts about the progress of the network and find out how you can take action.

You can read the full report card on the Joint Ocean Commission's website.