Thriving Oceans

Photos and article found in the February 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine, on newsstands January 25

It’s been two weeks since I found myself talking with a great crew over at the National Geographic Society.  The topic was oceans, more specifically artificial reefs, and to be honest I was begging for something to get me back in the swing of discussing our seas.  Well, 14 days later, a layover in Denver, and a swipe of the forehead for finally catching up on a backlog of graduate classes, I’m ready to engage in a little ocean diversion.

Although I have not been personally involved in the creation of artificial reefs, the idea of restoring habitat is something that I do engage in quite frequently.  And just because these restoration projects involve burrowing owls and in some cases the installation of artificial burrows, were talking about communities, ecosystems, and species.  But unlike my work in a grasslands, building artificial reefs definitely involves a stunning array of….you name it.

“Even officially sanctioned ones are often created from distinctly odd materials, including decommissioned subway cars, vintage battle tanks, armored personnel carriers, oil drilling rigs, and specially designed beehivelike modules called Reef Balls (Relics to Reefs, National Geographic Society, Feb. 2011).”

After getting past the visuals of a submerged tank or ship, there are those concerned about the impact of artificial reefs on the biodiversity of natural reefs and the potential problems of increasing overfishing.  But, I’m going to forgo jumping into that debate for the time being, and instead take a moment to share a few photos, encourage you to check out the article, and allow you to weigh the pros and cons for yourself.

Photo: David Doubilet/National Geographic

 Upholstered with luminous sponges and corals, the bridge of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Duane attracts schools of smallmouth grunts—and divers. The ship was intentionally sunk in 1987 off Key Largo to create an artificial reef 120 feet deep.

Photo: David Doubilet/National Geographic

 In the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico, steel pillars supporting a gas platform make a vertical reef encrusted with tube sponges.

Photo: David Doubilet/National Geographic

 This M60 is one of a hundred tanks sunk in 1994 in a 1,200-square-mile zone of artificial reefs off the coast of Alabama. The 50-ton tanks survive hurricanes better than lighter, less stable objects.

*Photos posted with permission of the National Geographic Society.

Censorship?  I wish I could say “Get the hell outa here” but we are living in the real world after all.  And when that rock is an ocean world and millions of dollars are at stake from the harvesting slaughter of cetaceans it is damn obvious why “severe” reporting restrictions have been placed on a meeting between Taiji leaders and ocean activists at the behest of the Japanese mayor.

“There’s no compromise to be made. There will be no stopping of our activities until the harassment, capture and slaughter of both dolphins and whales on this planet ends,” said Sea Shepherd member Scott West (AP).

On November 1st, Ric O’Barry, The Cove, released a Statement of Non-Participation on his blog, Save Japan Dolphins, and went on to say that he had intended to have a constructive discussion:

“I was expecting and looking forward to a frank dialogue on how the dolphin hunt and the sale of toxic mercury-contaminated dolphin meat to the Japanese public can be terminated, while guaranteeing the financial livelihoods of the Taiji dolphin fishermen and their families.” (Read the entire post)

But even after the Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan went on the record recently by saying, “We must stop this great extinction in our lifetime” and the government pledging $2 billion to help other nations reach species-preservation goals, the Associated Press highlighted what I thought was pure irony:

In Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku told a news conference that dolphin hunting “is part of Japan’s long-held cultural tradition.”

So if I understand correctly, Japan is willing to pay for other nations to get on board with marine species protection but to do so at home would literally break a bloody tradition. To that I can only say traditions are meant to be broken!

I urge you to support Earth Island Institute and  Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project.

Associated Press Article: Japan dolphin hunt town meets with activists

Photo credit: savejapandolphins.org

Oh the ocean conservation irony!  Well, things are certainly on a roll in terms of paradoxes hitting the headlines over the last couple of days, but this time it’s not about underfishing.  My intuition says there’s a payoff in the works; perhaps some good PR, maybe a few feel good dollars to hopefully get the world to close their eyes, or perchance it is simply a BRIBE…a $2 billion dollar dolphin slaughter, whaling kickback if you will.

According to a report by the Associated Press, Japan (the country harpooning whales for “scientific research”) has pledged $2 billion dollars to:

“…help developing nations reach species-preserving goals that are being debated at a U.N. conference…”

Wow!  I know what you’re thinking, “How could this offer by the great whaling nation get any more poignant?”  No worries as I have a quote that will make you realize the country permitting the butchering of dolphins is gung-ho for marine conservation.

“We must stop this great extinction in our lifetime,” Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said at the conference in Nagoya, southwest of Tokyo.

Hmmm, profound indeed and glad to see Japan is committed to preserving whales, dolphins, tuna, etc.  Now I’ll remove my tongue from my cheek and continue on with my day knowing our oceans are in good chopsticks hands.

It’s good to be back and I must say I miss writing about the ocean world.  If you’re curious what I’ve been doing check out my post: Joining Earth Island’s Conservation Ranks.

Now on with the show…I happened upon this Associated Press article that popped out of Boston the other day and I didn’t realize that I was in for quite a laugh.  So the writer goes on to describe a series of natural and regulatory circumstances that had created a situation by which fish stocks were being underfished (oh the overfishing irony!), and how, as an example,  haddock numbers were booming because an area had been closed to U.S. fishermen. Wow, sounds like a great conservation plan and one that had been properly implemented, right?  My thoughts exactly!  But intertwined amongst the words were two ecological gems that I just had to share with all you ocean aficionados and conservationists.  I hope you appreciate the perspective as it is actually quite sad and telling…

Steve Ouellette, a fisheries attorney in Gloucester, talking about underfishing:

“I think it’s just a tragedy.”

“Hundreds of millions of dollars of fish are being wasted.”

Yep, allowing healthy fish to remain in our oceans, contribute to biodiversity, balance ecosystems, and  simply exist unexploited are such catastrophes and a waste of life.  Somehow I doubt that underfishing will become my new mantra.

Yeah, it’s a balancing act, no doubt about it.  And if you’ve been following me for a while here at Thriving Oceans you are probably aware that I’m not in a monogamous relationship with ocean conservation.  I have a burrowing owl mistress on the side, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. 

Besides using it as an excuse for my apparent disappearance from commenting on our wondrous seas, it actually does have a rather unique, albeit indirect, connection with ocean conservation.  At the end of July I was informed that a burrowing owl conservation project I submitted to Earth Island Institute earlier in the year  was approved by the Board of Directors.  I’m still working to get things integrated with this incredible organization, but I simply wanted to spread the word because I’m just plain EXCITED.  And what an opportunity it will be as I continue my journey down the conservation path.

So where’s the link?  Well, if you’ve been paying attention to the Academy Awards, Animal Planet, the news, etc.,  you should be familiar with The Cove, Blood Dolphins, Ric O’Barry, the International Marine Mammal Project, the campaign to end the Japanese slaughter of Dolphins, and Earth Island Institute.  I’ve joined the family and will strive to be just as successful in bringing awareness and changes to burrowing owl conservation as Ric has done for dolphins.

Check out some of his work…

As a follow up to my May 28th post (Proposal to save whales means lifting whaling ban and sanctuary harpooning) and interview with Chris Cutter of the IFAW, I thought I’d share the latest news on the issue…

(Agadir, Morocco – 23 June 2010) – The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW – www.ifaw.org) announced today that a controversial proposal to legalize whaling has failed at the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Agadir, Morocco.

“Under a cloud of corruption allegations the IWC is taking a safe course, opting for a cooling off period that protects the moratorium and other IWC conservation measures,” said Patrick Ramage, Director of IFAW’s Global Whale Campaign. “Had it been done here, this deal would have lived in infamy.”

The proposal, three years in the making, proposed a compromise between whaling and non-whaling nations which regularly clash at annual IWC meetings. Among the most hotly debated components of the proposal was a plan to overturn the worldwide ban on whaling, in place since 1986, by allowing legalized hunting of whales by Iceland, Norway, and Japan – the last three countries still hunting whales commercially. Japan, Norway, and Iceland have illegally killed nearly 35,000 whales since the inception of the moratorium.

“This was an intense three year effort but one conducted behind closed doors and focused on defining terms under which commercial whaling would continue rather than how it would end,” said Ramage. “The proposal it produced could not withstand public scrutiny and ignored the overwhelming global support for permanent protection for whales. Any future process of negotiation should not leave the views, expertise, and perspective of the global NGO community sitting outside.”