[Atlantic bluefin tuna]…the adult breeding population had declined to 10% of what it had been twenty years ago, when regulation of the taking of these great ocean rangers began. The population as a whole had been reduced by more than half, and most of of what remained were immature. Stunned, I blurted out, ‘Are we trying to exterminate them? If so, congratulations! We’re making great progress.’
Sylvia Earle, NOAA’s Chief Scientist 1990-1992 (in Sea Change, 1995)
Currently reading “Tuna: A Love Story” by Richard Ellis and just had to post this quote I found quite humorous-
[Tuna] Does it contain mercury? Well, yes, but the scientists and the tuna industry are still arguing about how much is bad for you, and that means you can keep eating it.
The above reminds me of something my organic chemistry professor once told all of us regarding carcinogens we just happened to be working with…they are only suspected carcinogens so just be a bit careful. As for me [the professor] they were definitely not carcinogens when I was in college so they are perfectly fine for me to handle with no worries.
What an idea! Today is “A Day Without A Plastic Bag” and although it is coming to a close I hope this great notion continues the plight of an ever increasing crisis, which by the way was the size of Texas back in 2007. This grassroots movement got me thinking about the vast garbage heap floating in the ocean and with a few simple clicks was reminded that this accumulation of marine debris consisted of 80% plastic and weighed over 3 million tons.
Just happened to be thumbing through an April 2007 NatGeo and came across a few stats about our fisheries that caught my eye:
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).
Apparently levying six and seven figure fines is an oily drop in the bucket to commercial shippers as yet another company has been caught illegally dumping their waste. It seems Casilda Shipping Ltd. got off easy with a $750K fine for violating international law by forging their “oil record book” and discharging waste oil at sea prior to coming to port in Oakland. By easy, I mean that this was a mere sub-million dollar fine imposed for polluting our oceans with untreated waste oil over a period from July 2007 to May 2008. They should consider themselves quite lucky that their ecological indifference and criminal activities did not result in fines topping $7 million, as was the case with an Egyptian shipping company earlier this year.
Since commercial shipping companies continue to bypass their anti-pollution systems, discharge waste, and risk fines, we need to ask ourselves if these fines are at all adequate. Obviously guilty operating companies are performing a classic cost-benefit analysis and realizing that it is cheaper to incur periodic punitive assessments than disposing of the sludge properly, which can be quite expensive and time consuming.
The Journal of the U.S. EPA Oil Program (2003)
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!
