Thriving Oceans

A new publication in Conservation Biology is shedding light on the effect of a low population on fertility success in sea turtles.  And unlike other species that experience reduced fertility when population densities drop, green sea turtles, loggerhead sea turtles, and their conservationists are receiving a bit of good news. 

“We found that there has been no reduction in fertility in small nesting aggregations in either of these species worldwide.”

The well known issue of sea turtle overexploitation has sparked recovery efforts around the globe.  But the lingering question was whether some turtle populations have passed the point of no return and would thus be unable to ultimately avoid extinction.  According to researchers, marine species have had a variable success rate in recuperating from low numbers, which is a product of the biology of the species and human pressures like habitat degradation and harvesting.  However, these latest findings suggest that even populations comprised of very low densities have a chance at recovery (Previous critical density models indicated depensation might occur when populations dipped below 5% of historical numbers).

“Furthermore, there was clearly no pronounced reduction in fertility in either species at low numbers, even in rookeries yielding as few as 10 clutches per year.”

 

“The capacity to maintain functional levels of fertilization success in the face of high levels of exploitation may help in part to explain why total extirpations have been few and recoveries have been possible.  This information does not, however, explain why in some cases recovery has not occurred.”

I guess the biological moral of the story is that even highly reduced populations have an “intrinsic conservation value”, and can provide much needed information in sea turtle biology and aid in global recovery efforts.

BELL, C., BLUMENTHAL, J., BRODERICK, A., & GODLEY, B. (2009). Investigating Potential for Depensation in Marine Turtles: How Low Can You Go? Conservation Biology DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01313.x

In honor of International Coastal Cleanup Day 2009!

California Coastal Cleanup Day
Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup

International Coastal Cleanup Day is Sept. 19, 2009 - Marine debris is any man-made, solid material that enters our waterways directly or indirectly. A problem that not only damages our marine and coastal ecosystems, litter that finds its way into the environment affects wildlife as well as beach goers  Nearly 80% of debris, found on beaches, coastal waters, estuaries, and oceans, is washed, blown, or dumped from shore, while 20% is from recreational boats, ships, fishing vessels, and ocean platforms.

Cigarette butts, soda cans, plastic bags, and fishing gear are slow to degrade and present horrific problems to the life they encounter. Studies have shown that marine debris threatens over 265 different species of marine and coastal wildlife through entanglement, smothering, and interference with digestive systems.

Whether a small or large-scale polluter, the litter entering our seas and oceans is reducing fish and wildlife populations.  In fact, the cumulative impact of continuous, small-scale pollution can be dramatic.  The increase in the use of various kinds of plastic as durable, lightweight packaging has heightened the need for proper management and disposal.  Because of the abundance of plastic in our daily lives, it is of no surprise that it is ubiquitous in our world’s oceans.

Besides the threats to wildlife, certain types of marine debris, such as broken glass and medical waste wash-ups, can pose a serious threat to public health.  This type of debris and pollution has resulted in beach closures and swimming advisories that have robbed coastal communities of significant tourism dollars.

So go beach combing this weekend and forget the shells…GET THAT TRASH AND SAVE WILDLIFE!

California Coastal Cleanup Day
Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup

The Labor Day holiday interrupted last Monday’s  second installment of The Salty Scoop, which is merely a highlight of the previous week’s news and blog posts I found interesting and pertinent to marine life and ocean conservation.  And by all means feel free to add your recommended posts, news, videos and pictures via the comments section.

And now that The Salty Scoop is going on the second week I have found I need to make better on the spot notes. Trying to remember what I’ve read over the course of a week is a daunting task and just not working up to the level I was giving my brain credit for in terms of recall.  Oh well, here ya go…

Protection of Pacific Walrus Under the Endangered Species Act May Be Warranted, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Finds (Sept. 8th)

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced that a petition to protect the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) under the Endangered Species Act presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that adding the species to the federal list of threatened and endangered species may be warranted. This preliminary finding is based, in part, upon projected changes in sea ice habitats associated with climate change.

From Deep Pacific, Ugly and Tasty, With a Catch (Sept. 9)

The answer to the eternal mystery of what makes up a Filet-O-Fish sandwich turns out to involve an ugly creature from the sunless depths of the Pacific, whose bounty, it seems, is not limitless.

Japanese town in ‘The Cove’ setting dolphins free (Sept. 9)

The Japanese town chronicled in the award-winning film “The Cove” for its annual dolphin hunt that turns coastal waters red with blood has suspended killing the animals — at least for this week’s catch — following an international outcry.

Hoping for a Hurricane? Coral Reefs Are (Sept. 9)

Having lived in the hurricane zone for most of the last decade, I have developed a bit of an addiction to The Weather Channel this time of year. Until recently, the general feeling around hurricane coverage and anticipation of hurricane season in the United States has been a fear of “the big one.”

Posted by Stephanie Wear on Cool Green Science

Read the rest of this entry »

Now that I’ve covered ‘Whale Wars’ and the ‘Institute for Delicious Whale Research’ over the last week, I thought I’d keep on topic and present some information over the very controversial  “Scientific Permit Whaling.”

The 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling established Article VIII that provides a means by which whales may be killed for scientific purposes.  But what is most interesting and surely limits any authority of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) is that issuing a scientific whaling permit is actually decided upon by individual nations.  Although the nation has to submit a proposal, the Convention says,

“…it is the member nation that ultimately decides whether or not to issue a permit, and this right overrides any other Commission regulations including the moratorium and sanctuaries.”

So what does this all mean for whales?  Well it means that the IWC has no direct effect on preventing the continued slaughter of whales.  IWC established sanctuaries are in reality not off limits to whaling, and harvesting can continue under the guise of research without any Convention/Commission repercussions.  The IWC is limited to Resolutions that ask governments to abstain from issuing scientific whaling permits, but as per their own words:

“While the Commission cannot interfere with the right of a member nation to issue a permit, it can comment on the permit, after receiving the report of the Scientific Committee.”

Unfortunately comments, strong words and resolutions are not enough of an incentive for some nations to refrain from sinking a harpoon into the side of a fleeing whale.  And as if the situation couldn’t become even more laughable, the IWC member nations, for instance, could not even come to a unanimous decision whether to vote in favor of a 2007 resolution against Japan’s Antarctic whaling program or not.  For all practical purposes the resolution did pass with 40 votes in favor, 2 votes against and 1 abstention, but there were 27 countries that “decided not to participate in the vote as they believed that the submission of the proposal was not conducive to building bridges within the Commission.”

But  there is an environmental  irony with  Japan’s Antarctic whaling program, known as JARPA II, as well.  According to what was presented to the IWC by Japan, the objectives of this so-called scientific harpooning are:

1. monitoring of the Antarctic ecosystem;
2. modeling competition among whale species and developing future management objectives;
3. elucidation of temporal and spatial changes in stock structure;
4. improving the management procedure for Antarctic minke whale stocks.

Since the feasibility study has been completed, the JARPA II program will commence under full-scale research with scientific permits issued for 850 (plus 10%) Antarctic minke whales, 50 humpback whales and 50 fin whales per year.

Hmmm…now I am starting to see the light. Saving, improving and monitoring the Antarctic ecosystem by removing species vital to its health must be sound science.

If you watch Whale Wars then I am sure you have seen the banner trailing the Japanese whaling fleet that is supposed to lend legitimacy to their activities via the website ICRwhale.org .  The Institute for Cetacean Research is definitely the “spin zone” for killing whales and like others I came upon it last year after watching the series.  Well, as I was poking around the web for a post I am planning for next week, I happened upon a Greenpeace blog from October 2008 that brought to my attention a spoof well worth visiting.  I figured that I may not be the only one who missed this parody so just in case…

“The Institute for Delicious Whale Research” introduces itself as a “site has nothing to do with the Japanese Institute of Cetacean Research, except for very scientific research purposes only.”

Although the site has not been updated since Dec. 29, 2008, the latest news article’s title is an eye catcher, “Whale Shepherd Attacks Whale Tickling Vessel.”

The incident occurred when the Keki Maru was undertaking a detour in the iced packing area after completing the day’s whale tickling activities. The Keki Maru topside starboard rear frypan was terminally damaged by the Dutch vessel’s crumbing, although no hindrance to its present cookery operation and extremely scientific research activities has occurred.

The Director General of the Institute of Delicious Whale Research (IDWR) in Tokyo, Mr Morisu Minoru, said that Japan’s right to conduct intensely scientific foodological research in the Antarctic was legally accepted by the most highly bribed member countries of the International Whaling Commission. Article VIII of the International Convention for the Regulation of Lying (ICRL), explicitly provides that member countries may issue permits that allows governments like Japan’s to compete to be the biggest liars in the developed world.

Credit: Institute for Delicious Whale Research

So go check it out and decide for yourself if “this is either a parody site, or extremely accurate scientific research.”