Thriving Oceans

While exploring the coral reefs of Hawaii’s Big Island I just couldn’t completely pull away from checking the occasional email.  I was actually coming along quite well until a few work calls popped through and forced me to open Pandora’s box.  But amongst the work craziness I can always find email solace with those pertaining to my wildlife and ocean conservation activities.

And it just so happened that awaiting my attention was an email from Ava over at The Reef Tank.  It was a request for an interview and to say the least I’m flattered.  So upon my return from island paradise I caught up with Ava to talk a little about Thriving Oceans and marine conservation.

So hop on over to The Reef Tank and check out the community blog, forums, photos and of course my interview.

Cheers!

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. 

A love for the ocean can be quite varied and in some instances inexplicable.  It is calming, extraordinary, deadly, mystical, full of life and truly deserves respect.  Honestly, I am not quite sure why I’m drawn to our marine ecosystems but my hypothesis is that it includes the previously mentioned adjectives as well as a hundred more that I could rattle off.  When you are hooked there is no turning back, ask any fish hobbyist; it’s an addiction.  And perhaps my first 10 gallon tank oh those many many years ago was the catalyst that sparked a lifelong love for all that is ocean.  Nirvana is breathing through a snorkel, watching fish, invertebrates, mammals, birds, reptiles and algae come together in perfect ecological balance.  I am an ocean lover!

I am also a conservationist, a biologist by training, and by default an anthropologist.  I look through the eyes of common sense, which is governed by conservation and biology.  And I watch and study people as they interact with the marine world; hence I delve into amateur anthropology.  Watching wildlife can be amazing, but watching people can be just as insightful.  With that I must conclude conservation is an interesting thing;  you never know how it will materialize but as for when it is every day.

A beer can left on the beach, a plastic bag allowed to blow into the waves or a parent that urges children to approach and prod a resting sea turtle are perfect opportunities to impart conservation ideals.  Which by the way can often be accomplished by simply setting a good example.  A beachcomber collecting debris that has washed ashore, a snorkeler collecting bottles and cans while swimming the reef, and an individual capitalizing on situations to educate the next generation are a few easy but worthwhile endeavors.

So just what is this all about?  Well a recent trip to the Big Island of Hawaii presented just such an opportunity as my wife and I wandered a beach along the Kohala coast.  We happened upon a green sea turtle that had pulled itself onto a beach made of lava rocks for a little rest in the morning sun.  As we captured a few snapshots from a distance (thanks to telephoto lenses!), a mother and her two children approached us and asked to see our sea turtle pictures.  After the exchange of a few words we pointed to the resting sea turtle…why look at pictures when actual observations can be made.  From a safe distance, the two girls watched the sleeping reptile as excitement filled their faces.  “Get closer,” the mother said softly, “it is OK as long as you don’t touch.”  As my wife and I exchanged glances the mother again urged the girls to get closer and closer.  After a moment of hesitation, the children heeded their mother’s wishes and were soon sitting next to the resting sea turtle. 

To be honest I was a little shocked at the request, but awe set in rather rapidly as the older child began using her plastic magnifying glass as an exploratory tool in lieu of her fingers.  Sidestepping the do not touch command on a technicality.  I understand the actions of the child and no doubt would have probably done the same at her age as such investigations are essential in learning.  But I was left waiting for the mother to step in and provide some guidance, a little lesson in wildlife respect, a explanation of threatened species, anything.  Although there was a lack of action by the parent, I could not bypass this incredible sea turtle encounter to make a positive learning experience, suggest a safe viewing distance, and hopefully spread a few cool sea turtle facts that she regurgitates while sharing her photos during show and tell.

It’s all in the attitude and one can often move conservation mountains by being non-confrontational, friendly and informative; especially when children are involved.  As I said, one never knows how an opportunity to teach marine conservation will present itself, but when it does just make sure you don’t miss the chance to set a good example.

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

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? 

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

Press Release from Sea Turtle Restoration Project  (Nov. 5, 2009)-

Sea turtle advocates in California and family shrimp fishers from Florida filed a federal lawsuit today against the U. S. State Department for violations of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for allowing shrimp caught in ways that are deadly to sea turtles to be sold in the United States  The lawsuit filed by the Environmental Law Clinic at Stanford Law School (Palo Alto, CA) on behalf of Turtle Island Restoration Network (Forest Knolls, CA) and the Mayport Village Association (Mayport, FL) claims that the U. S. State Department has failed to properly evaluate and prevent harm to sea turtles from overseas shrimp fleets that sell shrimp to the United States under the ESA’s Turtle-Shrimp Law (Pub. L. 101-162 § 609). It was filed in the U. S. District Court, Northern District of California. See the complaint.

“This is not only a tragedy for sea turtles, which die by the tens of thousands in shrimp nets every year, but is unfair to the U.S. fishers who obey the law and must compete in the U.S. marketplace with shrimp imports,” said Todd Steiner, biologist and executive director of Turtle Island Restoration Network a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of sea turtles and their habitat.

“Our Mayport shrimpers are struggling to survive, while foreign fleets get a free pass on the law and flood the market with cheap shrimp,” said Al Millar, representing Mayport Village Civic Association and its small fleet of family shrimpers based in the historic village of Mayport, FL. See www.SaveMayportVillage.net. “We work hard to fish and protect sea turtles but don’t get a break from our own government.”

The lawsuit claims that the State Department has not properly enforced requirements for foreign shrimp vessels to use nets with Turtle Excluder Devices as U. S. fishers are required to do. The lawsuit asks that the foreign shrimp certification process be given additional environmental oversight and review. Recently, shrimp imports from Costa Rica were banned due to failure to protect sea turtles after environmentalists’ complaints, but 15 other nations were certified with little, if any, scrutiny.

“There is a simple, inexpensive, and elegant solution that allows sea turtles to escape drowning in shrimp nets, called a turtle excluder device or TED” said Deborah Sivas, Stanford Law professor, and director of the Environmental Law Clinic, who filed the lawsuit.  “If the State Department can create a reasonable certification program, we can save the lives of thousands of endangered sea turtles while allowing shrimp harvesting to continue.”

Americans consume over 500,000 tons of shrimp annually, and is the top fishery import of the United States, valued at over $3.9 billion last year, according to government figures. This includes trawl-caught wild shrimp and farmed shrimp (which does not capture sea turtles but is environmentally harmful due to pollution of fish ponds and land clearing). About 90 percent of shrimp eaten in the U. S. is imported. See latest U. S. shrimp import data.

Background:
The U. S. Turtle-Shrimp Law was challenged by nations at the World Trade Organization (WTO), claiming to be a violation of the “free-trade” agreement, leading to the famous “Battle of Seattle” protests in 1999 where thousands marched peacefully to protest weak environmental protections in the global trade treaty.  The U.S. Turtle-Shrimp Law was eventually found to comply with the WTO, but poor enforcement has allowed sea turtles around the world to drown in shrimp nets and slide toward extinction. (The movie Battle of Seattle starring Woody Harrelson that dramatized the protests was released in 2008). Read more .

On May 1, 2009, the Department of State certified, pursuant to Section 609 of Public Law 101-162 (”Section 609”), that 15 nations have adopted programs to reduce the incidental capture of sea turtles in their shrimp fisheries comparable to the program in effect in the United States. Belize, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Madagascar, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Suriname, and Venezuela. The Department also certified that the fishing environments in 24 other countries and one economy, Hong Kong, do not pose a threat of the incidental taking of sea turtles protected under Section 609. Read more.