Conservation, like expression, comes in many forms and a topic such as declining bluefin tuna is no different. I recently received a digital copy of the following piece of art from Susan S., which was created in response to the latest failures to protect bluefin tuna. The original is pastel and collage so enjoy yet heed its warning.
It is sad but most definitely true that I was completely in the dark. And I am hoping that the first thing that pops to your mind is not ocean or wildlife conservation. But before we all start throwing out a potential subject matter, I’ll let you know. Thriving Oceans was one of 400 reader nominations for Seed Media Group’s Research Blogging Awards 2010 honoring the outstanding bloggers who discuss peer-reviewed research. And I am even more humbled to discover that out of all the nominations Thriving Oceans was a finalist for the Best Conservation or Geophysical Blog. What an honor!
Briefly, the reason I found myself in the shadows is an ongoing landlubber conservation effort for burrowing owls. Yes, with my alter ego I find myself routinely wandering areas out of the salty water, but still working to spark conservationism.
Thanks to everyone for the nomination and all the votes. So let’s get going with some research blogging, a little ocean conservation, and by all means “Let’s Get Ocean Responsible.”
Cheers to the other finalists and winner…what a great list to be connected with in 2010.
Winner: Highly Allochthonous
Finalists:
An organization that delegates [tries to] policy without any foreseeable recourse at their disposal is simply a Think Factory. They ‘THINK’ they can get offenders to comply merely on the basis of suggestion. Perhaps this tactic works in the world of science fiction when the wave of a Jedi’s hand is all that is needed to persuade the weak minded to act in accordance, but on this blue planet it’s the greenery that ‘s the driving force.
As per PhilBee’s recent comment on the posted video “A Ban on Bluefin Tuna?”,
Therein lies the major problem with the whole system: if a country wants to catch a particular species, it knows it can do so without fear. Japan’s done it for years with whales, and intends doing it with Atlantic bluefin tuna until stocks are gone.
When you combine short term philosophies with big profits now, we find ourselves constantly hovering on the brink of a catastrophe. Yet we dismiss the blatant warning signs in an inane refusal to admit a problem is brewing because wallets continue to grow. And this global trend of denial spans Wall Street, the housing market, whales, salmon, bluefin tuna, sharks, and the list goes on and on. Are we so short sighted that we cannot make the historical connections? The age old saying describing those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it is not just a cleaver witticism is it?
Well, we again find ourselves nodding in shame that organizations designed to protect global resources have managed to fall short of garnering enough protections to ensure sustainability. But, it is not the sole fault of the United Nations or the International Whaling Commission to eradicate the problem. It is the consumer behind the iron mask that is completing the profitable circle, continuing to order fish species plagued by depleted stocks, and are thus responsible for contributing to the overharvesting problem . Making responsible choices is of the utmost importance and is quite necessary for conservation. And of course that does not let negligent industries, businesses, and nations off the hook who continue to practice and promote unsustainable fishing and poaching practices.
So what we end up with is a lack-of-action scenario that is aptly manifested by an AP quote in “UN rejects export ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna”:
“Let’s take science and throw it out the door,” said Susan Lieberman, director of international policy with the Pew Environment Group in Washington. “It’s pretty irresponsible of the governments to hear the science and ignore the science. Clearly, there was pressure from the fishing interests. The fish is too valuable for its own good.”
Those concerned for ocean conservation must continue to educate friends and family, spread the word, make responsible consumer choices, and continue advocating sustainability. While we fight for better legislation and protections, it doesn’t hurt to hit them where it hurts…their pocket books.
Photo: Captive bluefin tuna inside a transport cage. Credit: Gavin Newman / European Pressphoto Agency
Just where have I been and what has happened to Thriving Oceans? Well, I managed to find myself preoccupied within the world of burrowing owl conservation. It has consumed quite a bit of my time and to be honest it is a long story that has many twists, turns, and hopefully a few surprised endings to come. If you are at all interested in some landlubber conservation efforts check out JournOwl.com for details on my plight to save burrowing owls.
But, I have made a promise to myself to get back on the ocean wagon starting tomorrow… Although my last self-made promises managed to slip by without action as the calendar hit February 1st and then March 1st, I figure I should publicize the event in an attempt to hold my feet to the flames.
So here it is, hold me to it, and check back tomorrow for the reinstatement of Thriving Oceans!
Just a quick thanks and what better way to celebrate the Holidays than with the traditional Hawaiian tree…floating in the ocean of course. I am looking forward to exploring the world of ocean conservation and wildlife with you in 2010.
While rummaging through the latest research in Conservation Biology, I came across a publication that caught my attention. It’s not that the title conveyed a trinket of enlightenment nor promised to do so as I wound my way from introduction to methods to discussion. In fact, the title evoked an emotional response that was the exact opposite of astonishment. And by that I merely mean I could (or assumed I could) foresee the results, which is practically a staple in the ocean conservation world when discussing the effects of a burgeoning coastal human population on neighboring marine ecosystems. In that context, is there anything else that should pop to mind other than overfishing and declining fisheries?
But, I will admit that my curiosity was peeked as it is my first encounter with parrotfish headlining the research. So, I decided to move forward and examine the text behind the title, “Implications of Urbanization for Artisanal Parrotfish Fisheries in the Western Solomon Islands.” Perhaps the title’s key words like ‘urbanization’ and ‘fisheries’ are dead giveaways, but remember this is a scientific publication and not the latest thriller in the midst of protecting a multi-level plot twist for the sake of sparking revenue.
With the pages rolling it becomes quite apparent that there are a few conservation gems sprinkled throughout the paper and worthy of rehashing, or what a waste of my time in writing and yours in reading this post. Success of marine protected areas, declining species, and the interconnectedness of species in an ecosystem are the themes/take home messages while the family Scaridae is the star, or victims, of the show.
Scarids, or parrotfish, included 83 species at the time of my university courses (~90 species as of 2002) and are so named because their fused teeth resemble a parrot-like beak. And it is this beak that is quite useful for biting off pieces of coral and algal fronds. The bits are ground down in their massive pharyngeal mills and the algal cells are extracted. As discussed by the authors, parrotfish fill a critical role in maintaining coral reef systems by controlling filamentous algae and Scleractinian corals, removing detritus, and digging through the surface of the reef thusly redistributing the ground calcareous pieces as sediment.
As Pacific Island populations grow, the demand for coral reef resources including the parrotfishes themselves increases dramatically. Thus, it is not surprising that the fishing pressures have caused a total parrotfish population decline of 45% from 2004 to 2005 in the Pacific Island study area. But remember I said there were a few conservation gems…well it turns out communities in the Western Solomon Islands have begun to see the frightening trends and instituted management practices and community-based marine protected areas to curb the overfishing (and habitat degradation) problem. Not only are their livelihoods on the line but the whole coral reef system.
The take home lesson is that community-based marine protected areas do in fact work, and is evident with the following results:
-Parrotfish numbers/abundance in outside sites were significantly lower than inside community-based marine protected areas (CBMPA) for each size category.
-Large effects between inside and outside CBMPAs were evident in each size category.
-Combined, these findings reinforce the stark difference in abundance across fish size categories between inside and outside the CBMPAs of villages with customary management and an urbanized center.
We now have yet another piece of evidence highlighting the need for marine protected areas to ensure healthy fish populations and coral reefs, as well as a need to conserve for the future health of a growing human population. However, instilling good ocean management practices is not and an idea we can afford to treat with procrastination. According to the authors, “There is a negative correlation between effective conservation and human population size (beyond a threshold of more than 1000 people) and between market integration and wealth, which suggests that as rural communities urbanize and monetize in Melanesia, their capacity to conserve resources weakens.”
And this negative correlation is perhaps the most interesting finding and something that sounds quite familiar. As populations grow and become more economically viable they effectively lose their ecological self-control and ocean husbandry suffers.
So is this humankind’s innate progression as we become less reliant on the natural course of the environment and aim to control it? I have definitely seen this trend before…Have you?
ASWANI, S., & SABETIAN, A. (2009). Implications of Urbanization for Artisanal Parrotfish Fisheries in the Western Solomon Islands Conservation Biology DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01377.x
Photo credits: Richard Ling
Lucy: 
poor little turtle.
Angela: Interesting indeed! Do you have a link to the original publication?
anika001: aww this is so sad. i hope this will be stopped.
Dan: That’s so sad…I’ve always loved visiting Japan and their culture, but whaling for...
april14344: that’s pretty cool art…go for the conservation!
