Thriving Oceans

Just happened to be thumbing through an April 2007 NatGeo and came across a few stats about our fisheries that caught my eye:

• Estimated 40 million sharks killed annually for their fins
• Global fish catch ~100 million tons (as of 2004)
• Bluefin tuna fished at 4x sustainable rate in the Mediterranean for sushi markets
• In longline fishing, discarded bycatch makes up nearly 30% of the take
• 12 species of shark are commercially extinct in the Mediterranean
• Catches in the northwest Pacific have been declining by more than 3% per year since 1998
• Closed since the early 1990s, the Grand Banks cod fishery shows few signs of recovery
• More than 33% of the world’s fish stocks are overfished
• World tuna catch in 2004 reached 6 million metric tons

It’s unfortunate that administrations and politics have such heavy and far reaching hands when it comes to directing government departments (Does that make any sense?) as I would like to believe in a eco-utopian setting by which they always acted in the best interest of the nation’s natural resources.

Now since we clearly know this is not the case, it is still unfathomable that at the end of an 8 year reign the outgoing Administration is diligently working to slash fisheries protections. In a move that is clearly no treat (blatant Halloween pun intended), a National Marine Fisheries Service rule is undergoing final review that would eliminate the current SOP involving environmental impact statements for certain commercial fisheries operations. In fact, according to the Washington Post, the rule would “give review authority to regional councils dominated by commercial and recreational fishing interests.”

Has not history taught us leaving management of our fisheries to commercial organizations a dire move? Plus, it was only 4 years ago, mind you the midpoint in the term of same Administration, that The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy warned of the deleterious state of our fisheries.

Experts estimate that 25 to 30 percent of the world’s major fish stocks are overexploited, and a recent report indicates that U.S. fisheries are experiencing similar difficulties. Of our nation’s 259 major fish stocks—representing 99 percent of total commercial landings—roughly 25 percent are either already overfished or experiencing overfishing (Ocean Commission, 2004).

Well here’s my spin on the formulaic fair and balanced, point counterpoint, cheers and jeers, and so on in regards to some recent happenings at the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Since listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2006, there has been another positive move in the protection of Elkhorn and Staghorn corals. These corals once dominated reef building in the Caribbean, but over the years have succumbed to the negative implications of encroaching human activities. NOAA estimates a population loss of 90%, while other organizations like the Center for Biological Diversity reports a 97% decline since the 1970s.

However, these two coral species can count their blessings just in time for Thanksgiving as the new rule on Nov. 21 will…

Prohibit the import, export, take, and all commercial activities involving elkhorn and staghorn corals, including:

• collection or any activities that result in the corals’ mortality or injury;
• anchoring, grounding a vessel, or dragging any other gear on the species;
• damaging the species’ habitat;
• discharging any pollutant or contaminant that harms the species.

Just to throw in some information I keep in my back pocket and regurgitate every now and then is that The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy’s Preliminary Draft Report in 2004 advised as much as 60% of the coral reefs may be gone by 2035.

As a perfectly ironic segue to my next thoughts (Take a little…),  let’s keep protections moving in the right direction.