The Online Magazine for Sustainable
Seas
August, 2002, Vol.5 No. 8
August, 2002, Vol.5 No. 8
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The Online Magazine for Sustainable
Seas
August, 2002, Vol.5 No. 8 |
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Coastal Alert |
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Philippines AFMA
3-year extension endorsed Global
fishing ground "ecological footprint" growing rapidly
Philippines AFMA 3-year extension endorsed Agriculture committee chair Alfredo Maranon said that that AFMA (Republic Act 8435) appropriated the amount of Php20 billion as initial funding for the first year of its implementation, and an additional amount of not less than Php17 billion for the next six years. Despite such huge appropriations, however, Maranon noted “miserable amounts were actually released annually.” Financial constraints caused by the global economic crisis and the government’s poor revenue collections affected the implementation of AFMA, he added. To address the issue, the committee introduced House Bill 4829, which proposes to extend AFMA’s life through the continued appropriation of funds for its implementation for another three years. Manila Bulletin, 08.05.02 (To dowload a study on areas of conflict between AFMA and the Fisheries Code of 1998, click here) US Congress junks tuna billThe United States Congress has rejected the proposed “Andean Trade Preference Expansion Act” (ATPEA) that would have resulted in major losses for the Philippine tuna industry, Mindanao’s major employer. The proposed legislation sought to give the Andean countries – Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru – duty-free access to the large US tuna market. This would have cost the Philippines at least US$40 million a year, and 117,000 jobs. G. Cantal-Albasin in Philippine Daily Inquirer,07.28.02 Fishers group says cartels controlling fish pricesAn organization of fishers accused big traders and cartels of dictating the prices of “poor man’s fish” like galunggong (scads). Gerry Albert Corpuz, information officer of the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said “fish lords” and big fish traders control the distribution and marketing of fish products, buying from local fishers and petty producers at rock-bottom prices, and then selling the fish to end-consumers at high prices. G. Lacuarta in Philippine Daily Inquirer,07.26.02 Recovery seen for local shrimp industryIn a show of unity, close to a thousand Philippine shrimp growers attending last July's Shrimp Congress in Bacolod City hammered out seven "urgent" resolutions to save the moribund industry. Four of the resolutions, addressed to the Department of Agriculture (DA), called for the recognition of the newly organized Philippine Shrimp Association (PhilShrimp) as the legitimate and official entity to represent the country's shrimp industry; the reevaluation of the business viability of shrimp culture and creation of new financial schemes for shrimp farming (also addressed to the Department of Trade and Industry or DTI); the strengthening and expansion of existing diagnostic laboratories in the regional offices of DA; and the establishment of a regular program of DA to support the development of the country's shrimp industry. The three other resolutions called for the abolition of the controversial power purchase adjustment (PPA); adherence to environmental sustainability; and support to the full implementation of Fisheries Administrative Order No. 207 series of 2001 and related laws and regulations. The Congress was organized by the DA-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), PhilShrimp, the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC-AQD), DTI, Board of Investments, and Negros Prawn Producers Marketing Cooperative. In the 1980s, shrimp production was generally regarded as a "sunshine" industry following breakthroughs in research, induced spawning, shrimp seed production, and the completion of the life cycle of the tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon) in captivity. As quality hatchery-produced fry and commercial feeds became available, shrimp grow-out in ponds spread all over Asia and the world. By 1993, the Philippines became the world's biggest shrimp producer. But the boom abruptly ended when farmers, motivated by the promise of high profits, began stocking their ponds at intensive rates of up to 500,000 fry per hectare. Disease problems, spawned by the industry's "self-generated pollution" resulted in mass mortalities, and subsequently, the closure of many farms nationwide. By 1998, the Philippines slid to No.8 in the world's rankings of top shrimp producers. To address the industry's problems, the Iloilo-based Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC-AQD) has developed new environment-friendly shrimp farming technologies and disease diagnostic techniques. DA Secretary Leonardo Montemayor said that the Congress signaled the "reinvigoration of the industry that saw an almost total collapse in the 1980s [because of] environment-related problems." He said that with the growing consciousness on the limitations of the environment and its sustainability, he finds no reason why the industry cannot bounce back to its glory years two decades ago. R.A. Fernandez, The Philippine Star, 08.11.02 Port system study completedThe implementing arrangement on “The Study on the Master Plan for the Strategic Development of the Philippine National Port System” was signed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) last August 19. The signing set the stage for the study, which aims to formulate a master plan for the strategic development of the national port system in the Philippines up to 2024 and pursue technology transfer to the counterpart personnel of the DOTC throughout the course of the study. The study, which will be conducted from November 2002 to March 2004, will analyze present conditions of sea-borne trade and ports, and formulate a port development strategy up to the target year 2024. It will cover all port areas in the Philippines. JICA is Japan’s official agency responsible for the implementation of its technical cooperation programs. The Philippines is one of the largest recipients of technical cooperation assistance offered by Japan through JICA. Manila Bulletin, 08.18.02 Experts warn of danger of using payao as water boundary markersThe National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), during its first annual official update on DAO 17 implementation this year, reported that the municipal waters of 408 out of the total number of 1,610 coastal cities and municipalities have been delineated. In the same report, NAMRIA said 6 out of the 408 have already enacted ordinances adopting NAMRIA-certified technical description of their municipal water boundaries to complete the delineation process. Following these developments, some local government units (LGUs) are now proposing that their municipal water boundaries be marked in the same way that land boundaries are demarcated. Some LGUs have proposed the use of buoys and even payao, a fish-aggregating device, a position that NAMRIA has supported. According to NAMRIA, such devices can serve as water boundary markers if they are properly labeled with the longitude and latitude values and included in nautical charts. NAMRIA’s position, however, is not shared by other experts, who say marking municipal water boundaries would not only be costly but could also pose hazards to navigation. Capt. Rudy Estampador, a Cebu-based mariner, said the proliferation of markers on sea-lanes could confuse navigators, whether or not these markers are shown on nautical charts. The use of payao is of particular concern, because a payao is normally lighter than buoys, and therefore difficult to contain in a fixed location. The real danger, said the Philippine Coast Guard, arises when the abaca or nylon anchor line of the payao gets entangled in the ship’s propeller. Mar Guidote, CRMP Breakthrough in abalone research achievedAbalone, a marine mollusk, can withstand prolonged food deprivation without any adverse effects on its growth, a new study revealed. Armando Fermin of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center-Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC-AQD) noted that prolonged and intermittent starvation did not affect the feeding, growth and survival of abalone upon return to full rations. Abalone, one of the most expensive marine mollusks, inhabits rocky reef areas of the coasts facing the outer sea. It feeds mainly on seaweeds, and has demonstrated limited mobility. The Philippine abalone (Haliotis asinina) is one of the largest (it grows to a maximum size of 10-11 cms shell length) of the four species of tropical abalone. It can grow to a marketable size of 55-60 grams within one year of culturing on seaweeds. SEAFDEC-AQD researchers have successfully spawned H. asinine in captivity and have been producing juveniles for growing to marketable size in tanks and floating sea cages, or for releasing into the wild to repopulate depleted natural stocks. In nature, low food availability is one of the factors contributing to the slow growth of abalone. Because of its limited mobility, the species depends mostly on drifting macroalgae or seaweeds carried by water currents for food. Fermin’s study showed that abalone could exhibit compensatory growth following a series of starvation and re-feeding periods. Abalone is sold commercially in fresh, frozen, canned or dried form, and can be eaten raw (sashimi) or cooked. The foot of the larger varieties can provide several sliced steaks. RAF in Philippine Star, 08.18.02 Palawan fishers fight off foreign poachers Two days before the apprehension, residents saw the same group fishing in the reef, but by the time the apprehending team led by Cagayancillo Mayor Joel Carceller arrived in the area, the Chinese fishers had left. This time, they encircled the poachers and called Carceller who, with a composite team of Navy men, Philippine National Police personnel and staff of the Kabang Kalikasan ng Pilipinas (KKP), immediately responded. Ten nautical miles off Cawili Island, however, the mayor noticed a Chinese fishing vessel leaving the area and dispatched two speedboats to chase the fleeing vessel. During the chase, the fishing vessel’s crew reportedly threw several items into the sea. Three of the items were retrieved, and these turned out to be plastic containers filled with liquefied sodium cyanide. As it attempted to elude arrest, the fishing boat captain ignored warning shots and eventually rammed his vessel into the reef, destroying a five-meter stretch of live corals. The arresting team found 389 pieces of live humphead wrasse (mameng) and grouper (lapu-lapu) weighing a total of 653.5 kg inside the fishing vessel. It also confiscated 31 bottles of liquefied cyanide, three containers of water with cyanide, and 35 tablets of cyanide from the Chinese fishing crew. The vessel was equipped with a global positioning system, radar, depth sounder, radios and five maps of Palawan with 14 markings, indicating area where they had fished. Norwin Abes, law enforcement foficer of KKP Tubbataha project, pointed out that the handwritten Chinese markings on the map indicated that the Chinese also fished in the Apo Reef Protected Area as well as in the Calamian group of islands and Balabac. Abes later dived in the reef where the Chinese fished and saw five spots of bleached and dying corals, each measuring two meters. The inventory of fish found in the Chinese vessel showed that some of the wrasses weighed 17 kilos and measured 140 cm each while the groupers weighed 6.5 kilos and measured 72 cm each. The sizes of the fish indicated that these were breeders and the destruction of their habitat will affect future stock of wrasses and groupers. Three days after the Chinese fished in their area, Cawili residents found that their seaweeds were destroyed because of the presence of cyanide in the sea, said Carceller. The seaweeds were supposed to be harvested last June. Seaweed farming is the primary livelihood of around 9,000 residents in Cagayancillo, Palawan – about 40 percent of resident derive their income purely from seaweeds, and another 30 percent from fishing and seaweed farming. Some 90 percent of the population lives below poverty level. From an average income of about Php10,000 every three months last year, seaweed farmers now barely earn Php2,000 every three months. Residents say they can no longer allow any further decrease in their income with the illegal competition and destructive fishing means being used by the foreign fishermen. They have started to put a check on this threat to their survival with the May 12 apprehension of 17 Chinese poachers, and they vowed they would not hesitate to do the same thing with any foreigner who would dare to encroach on their territory. Local government authorities and KKP have committed to support them in the effort. Mayor Carceller, however, lamented the delay in the prosecution of the Chinese poachers. He worried that with the frequent bad weather, witnesses would not be able to travel the 178 nautical miles from Cagayancillo to Puerto Princesa to testify. D. Monera-Tabora, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 08.08.02 Short anchovy supply makes local fish sauce uncompetitive
in world market Lorenzana Food Corporation (LFC), a manufacturer of fish sauce and other condiments, used to export all of its products. But the company is facing tough competition from Thailand, said its president and general manager George Lorenzana. Lorenzana said they are unable to compete in the international fish sauce market because they have to import the raw material – anchovies or dilis – from Thailand, where the species is still abundant. Anchovies used to occur abundantly in the Philippines, but have become depleted because of unsustainable fishing practices, said Lorenzana. JBN, Sun Star Cebu, 07.30.02 SEAFDEC opens ‘fish clinic’ Samples of milkfish, grouper, red snapper, seabass, and other marine finfish are also accepted for detection of viral nervous necrosis (VNN) and iridovirus. These virus have long been the scourges of the aquaculture industry, causing massive mortalities in cultured fishes and shrimps, and affecting almost all penaeid shrimp-producing countries. The diagnostic services are available for a minimal fee. RAF in The Philippine Star, 08.25.02 Aquaculture lab seen paving way for GM products Dr. Rolando Platon, chief of the Southeast Asia Fisheries Development Center-Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC-AQD)<, said that a Php400-million grant from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is expected to propel the country into the development of genetically modified fish. Initially, the new facility, called the Advanced Aquaculture Technologies, will focus on hybrid technologies using conventional means of propagating fishes that make them bigger and more prolific. It will include an infection laboratory, a crustacean hatchery and nursery building, marine plants facility, and other facilities related to enhancing aquaculture production. Platon said the infection laboratory is important in producing “disease-free” fishes. M.M. Aguiba, Manila Bulletin, 08.25.02 Health department issues warning against shellfish
consumption Contaminated shellfish can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning. Symptons include vomiting, nausea, malaise, difficulty in swallowing and speaking, and numbness. B. Parco, The Freeman, 08.02.02 Fishing villages going ‘high-tech’ The fishing village of Bonawon in Siaton, Negros Oriental, is now equipped with a satellite-based telecommunication facility, which allows local fishers to contact fish dealers and check the day’s fish prices. In the past, recounted one fisherman, “we had to sail back to the open sea to be able to catch a signal using a citizens’ broadband radio.” If the weather was bad and the seas were rough, they traveled to the town center, about 15 kilometers away, where they had to wait for the calling station to open at 9a.m. “It used to cost us Php50 in transportation and an hour’s travel time. Being late meant lower income, or none at all, because fish does not stay fresh for long,” he said. “Now my pricing is competitive, as I am able to call my contacts in Cebu the moment I come ashore, without any middleman to cut down my earnings.” In Iloilo, the Bantay Dagat (sea patrol volunteer group) is equipped with global positioning system (GPS) units, which aids them in determining whether or not commercial fishing boats have intruded on municipal waters. The group recently apprehended commercial fishers poaching in the municipal waters of Barotac Viejo town. Republic Act 8550 prohibits commercial fishing in municipal waters, which extends up to 15 km from the shoreline. M.D. Labiste, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 08.05.02 Fishers help save endangered turtles Marine turtles are listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) and protected locally under Administrative Order No. 12 issued in 1979 by the then Ministry of Natural Resources. Under the Wildlife Conservation Act (RA No. 9147), violations of regulations
on endangered species face from 6 to 12 years imprisonment and a fine
ranging from Php100,000 to Php1 million.
C.A. Fuentes, Cebu Daily News, 07.26.02 World Global fishing ground "ecological footprint"
growing rapidly A population's EF is the total area of productive land or sea required to produce all the crops, meat, seafood, wood and fiber it consumes, to sustain its energy consumption and to give space for its infrastructure. While the EF of the average African or Asian consumer was less than 1.4 hectares per person in 1999, the average Western European's footprint was about 5.0 hectares, and the average North American's was about 9.6 hectares. A country's fishing ground EF takes into account the kind of fish (whether it lives high or low in the ecological food chain) and the quantity it consumes. The global fishing ground EF grew rapidly by 2.6 percent per year on average between 1961 and 1999. The EF of the world average consumer in 1999 was 2.3 hectares per person, or 20% above the earth's biological capacity of 1.90 hectares per person. In other words, humanity now exceeds the planet's capacity to sustain itself. The Living Planet Index (LPI) is derived from trends over the past 30 years in populations of hundreds of species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish. Between 1970 and 2000, it declined by about 35%. The LPI is the average of three ecosystem-based indices. The forest species population index declined by about 15%, the marine species population index fell by about 35%, while the freshwater species population index dropped 55% over the 30-year period. The full report can be downloaded from http://www.panda.org/livingplanet/lpr02
FAO says global food production will exceed population
growth in 2030, but food security and environmental problems will remain
serious Population growth will slow down and many people will be better fed. As a result, the growth in demand for food will be lower. The pressure emanating from agriculture on natural resources will continue to increase, but at a slower pace than in the past. For many of the currently more than 1.1 billion people that are living in extreme poverty, economic growth based primarily on agriculture and on non-farm rural activities is essential to improve their livelihoods. The majority of the poor lives in rural areas. Promoting agricultural growth in rural areas and giving rural people better access to land, water, credit, health and education, is essential to alleviate poverty and hunger. International trade plays an important role in improving food security and further agricultural trade liberalization could boost incomes. FAO projects that the agricultural trade deficit of the developing countries will increase drastically over the period to 2030. The report calls for better access to OECD markets, the elimination of export subsidies and the reduction of tariffs, in particular on processed agricultural goods, in both developed and developing countries. In addition, where it is still the case, developing countries should stop to discriminate against their agriculture in national policy making. The benefits of globalization in food and agriculture could outweigh the risks and costs. For example, globalization has generally led to progress in reducing poverty in Asia. "But it has also led to the rise of multinational food companies with the potential to disenfranchise farmers in many countries. Developing countries need the legal and administrative framework to ward off the threats while reaping the benefits." Openness towards international markets, investments in infrastructure, the promotion of economic integration and limits on market concentration, could make globalization work for the benefit of the poor. Top judges meet in Johannesburg to boost prospects
for enforcing environment-related laws Experts are convinced that, the worldwide effort to crack down on pollution, challenge environmentally damaging developments and comply with agreements covering issues such as hazardous wastes and trade in endangered species is being undermined partly as a result of weaknesses in many countries legal systems, but mainly as a result of the lax way in which these laws are being implemented and enforced. These weaknesses are particularly acute in many developing countries and nations of the former Soviet Union, where lack of resources, the difficulties of turning international treaties into national laws and lack of awareness, if not apathy, as a result of difficult economic conditions are making it harder for cases to reach or succeed in the courts. Klaus Toepfer, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which has organized the meeting, said: "The field of law has, in many ways, been the poor relation in the worldwide effort to deliver a cleaner, healthier and ultimately fairer world. We have over 500 international and regional agreements, treaties and deals covering everything from the protection of the ozone layer to the conservation of the oceans and seas. Almost all, if not all, countries have national environmental laws too. But unless these are complied with, unless they are enforced, then they are little more than symbols, tokens, paper tigers". The Global Judges Symposium, attended by some 90 justices and believed to be the largest gathering ever of senior judges to discuss environmental and development issues, ran from August 18-20. A key part of the talks centered on how to take forward access to information, public participation and access to justice as enshrined in the 1992 Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. Their work looked at global and regional ways of strengthening public involvement in environment decision-making as embodied in the Aarhus Convention which entered into force on 30 October 2001 and involves European countries. The Convention is a ground-breaking agreement because it brings human rights and environmental rights together. It also recognizes that giving the public access to solid, reliable, information is one of the keys to ensuring that governments and, if necessary, the courts meet their responsibilities. The public will only be in a position to fight environmental degradation when armed with full and free access to all relevant information is the Convention's mantra. The symposium formulated an overall action plan which organizers hope could lead to better training of all sectors of society involved in environment-related law from judges to prosecutors, magistrates, customs officers and the police. Donor countries pledge to increases support to
environment fund The GEF has, over the past 10 years, committed more than US$ 4 billion and mobilized some US$ 11 billion for more than 1,000 projects in 160 countries. Successes include helping developing countries to cope with the impacts of global warming to ones that are assisting poorer nations to conserve wildlife, monitor and improve the health of international waters and overcome land degradation. The GEF was officially established in October 1991, for a three-year pilot phase. Core contributions to the Trust Fund for the pilot phase amounted to US$ 841.64 million. Additional contributions to the GEF Pilot Phase, provided under co-financing arrangements, amounted to US$223.79 million. In 1994, in the first replenishment of the restructured GEF, thirty-four nations pledged US$2.023 billion. In 1998, thirty-six donors agreed to a second replenishment of the GEF to the amount of US$2.75 billion involving new pledges of a further US$ 1.991 billion. On 7 August 2002, agreement was reached among 32 donor nations on the third replenishment of the GEF to the amount of US$ 2.92 billion, including US$2.2 billion in new funding. Currently, UNEP runs a portfolio of GEF projects and other activities valued at approximately 0.5 billion dollars. Use of tax restructuring to protect the environment
gaining acceptance The market price for a gallon of gasoline, for example, reflects the cost of drilling, extracting, refining and transporting the oil. The market price does not account for the air pollution and acid rain produced by burning gasoline, nor its contribution to climate change as evidenced by rising temperatures, rising sea levels, and more destructive storms. Raising taxes on environmentally destructive products and activities is designed to more closely align the market prices with their actual costs. Germany, a leader in tax shifting, has implemented environmental tax reform in several stages by lowering income taxes and raising energy taxes. In 1999, the country increased taxes on gasoline, heating oils, and natural gas, and adopted a new tax on electricity. This revenue was used to decrease employer and employee contributions to the pension fund. Energy tax rises for many energy-intensive industries were substantially lower, however, reflecting concerns about international competitiveness. Eliminating subsidies to environmentally destructive industries will also help the market send the right signals. Worldwide, environmentally destructive subsidies exceed $500 billion annually. As long as government subsidies encourage activities that the taxes seek to discourage, the effectiveness of tax shifting will be limited. If properly constructed, tax shifts can help make markets work more effectively by incorporating more of the indirect costs of goods and services into their prices and by changing consumer and producer behavior accordingly. The emergence of a world-leading wind turbine industry in Denmark, for example, is one result of Danish taxes on fossil fuels and electricity, which are among the highest in the world. These measures have also spurred sales of energy-efficient appliances and encouraged other energy-saving behavior. Expanding the tax base to encompass more products and services with deleterious environmental impacts would greatly enhance the effectiveness of tax shifting. Aviation fuel, for example, is currently tax-free worldwide, despite airplane emissions causing 3.5 percent of global warming. However, recent European discussions of imposing taxes on jet fuel are a promising development. Such taxes might slow the projected growth in worldwide air travel and encourage manufacturers to make efficiency improvements that lower jet fuel consumption. The goal of tax restructuring is to get the market to tell the ecological truth. Thus far, tax shifts have been limited in scope and have produced positive, if modest, results. Creation of an eco-economy calls for tax shifts on a broader scale, and of much larger magnitude, in order for prices to incorporate environmental costs and to produce the requisite changes in individual and collective behavior. For a full report, which includes country examples, "Sustainable development security imperative"
says top US government official Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, says "sustainable development" is a "compelling moral and humanitarian issue", but “sustainable development is also a security imperative. Poverty, environmental degradation and despair are destroyers – of people, of societies, of nations. This unholy trinity can destabilize countries, even entire regions". Powell, writing in a special edition of the magazine handed to world leaders attending the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, argues there is real cause for optimism. "Despite the stories and images of trouble we read in the our newspapers and view on our television screens, this is a time of great opportunities to expand peace, prosperity and freedom. The spread of democracy and market economies, combined with breakthroughs in technology, permits us to dream of a day when, for the first time in history, most of humanity will be free of the ravages of tyranny and poverty," he says. Klaus Toepfer, executive director of UNEP, says that unless a new course is chartered for planet Earth we risk a new 'Iron Curtain', dividing not East and West, but the haves and the have-nots, with all the ramifications of increased tensions, jealousies and hatreds between and within countries". He looks to the new world trade talks, in which environment is now playing a part; the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and the recent agreement in Mexico where nation's agreed to reverse the decline in official overseas development aid, as real glimmers of hope. World’s leading scientists form global network against threat to whales and dolphinsBOSTON, 23 July 2002 – Twenty-five of the world's leading whale and dolphin scientists joined World Wildlife Fund in urging governments, conservation organizations and fishermen to work together to address the leading threat to dolphins and whales -- entanglement in fishing gear. New research released at a press conference at the New England Aquarium today finds that nearly 60,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises (classified scientifically as cetaceans) are killed each year worldwide by entanglement. That compares with an average killing of 21,000 whales a year by whalers during the 20th century, a practice that caused severe declines in nearly all large whale species. The scientists also agreed to form a global rapid response team, the Cetacean Bycatch Action Network, that will provide expert assistance to regions where species are in crisis. Working on the ground, they will join with fishermen, governments and other stakeholders to find solutions that work for individual fisheries. Their call to action, released at the press conference, says in part: "Incidental capture in fishing operations is the major threat to whales, dolphins and porpoises worldwide. Several species and many populations will be lost in the next few decades if nothing is done. Urgent national and international action is needed." "This is the first coordinated effort by the world's experts to tackle the global problem of death from entanglement, the number one killer of whales and dolphins," said William Reilly, EPA administrator in the first Bush administration and chairman of the board of WWF. "Because of the urgent need for action, World Wildlife Fund has now made this one of its priorities for our marine conservation work." Unintentional deaths of whales and dolphins in fishing gear, known as bycatch, has pushed some cetacean species to the brink of extinction. In Mexico's Gulf of California, for example, up to 15 percent of the critically endangered vaquita population is killed every year in fishing nets. With a population of only around 500, the small porpoise -- found nowhere else on Earth -- is being decimated by bycatch. "The numbers are staggering: my research estimates that at least 150 whales and dolphins die each day after being accidentally caught in commercial fisheries," said Dr. Andy Read of the Duke University Marine Laboratory and co-chair of the new Cetacean Bycatch Action Network, who today released new figures for global bycatch. "There are effective solutions being used by some fishermen around the world, but more action is needed to apply those lessons learned to other fisheries." "My experience working with fishermen to reduce harbor porpoise bycatch in New England is a good illustration of the challenges and opportunities the network will face," said Scott Kraus, director of research at the New England Aquarium and a member of the network. "Generally, fishermen want to avoid bycatch for economic reasons, so reducing bycatch is a win-win situation for fishermen and cetaceans. But one-size-fits-all solutions will not work and our network is committed to working toward solutions for individual fisheries." The global response network will provide scientific expertise to regions of the world where cetaceans are in crisis to help reduce bycatch. It will also play an advisory role to fisheries and governments, provide training and promote research and outreach. A website launched today, www.cetaceanbycatch.org, will serve as a virtual resource center for scientists to collaborate and share their expertise with each other and with governments and fishermen that request assistance. "In releasing this call to action, we are urging governments worldwide to address this issue as part of their fisheries management," said Andy Rosenberg, co-chair of the Cetacean Bycatch Action Network and dean of the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture at the University of New Hampshire. "The United States has made some progress in mitigating bycatch, but we need to show more leadership by helping solve this problem worldwide and continuing to improve our own track record." Whales and dolphins can become entangled in commonly used fishing gear like gillnets, tangle nets, trammel nets, trawl nets and long lines. Solutions to the problem of entanglement vary by region and species involved, but can include adding gillnet floats that break away when hit by a whale, acoustic "pingers" that warn marine mammals away from nets and buoy lines that are less likely to snare whales and dolphins. Fishermen have been crucial in developing these successful gear modifications, the scientists noted. WWF has made reducing cetacean bycatch a priority of its Ocean Rescue initiative, acting as the global leader in safeguarding marine ecosystems and working to end destructive fishing practices, stop illegal trade in marine wildlife and reduce pollution on land and sea. WWF's Ocean Rescue also promotes innovative market incentives for responsible fishing and works to reform government policies that undermine the ocean's web of life. Copies of the call to action by the world's leading cetacean scientists and additional background can be found at http://www.cetaceanbycatch.org. Africa reports ask, ‘Where have all the beaches gone?’PARIS, 29 July 2002 -- When some of the 27 million international tourists visiting Africa go to relax by the ocean this summer, they could find the beach is no longer there. The coastline is receding at 1-2 metres per year in parts of Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia and other African countries. The seafront of Grand-Bassam, the colonial capital of Côte d'Ivoire, is in danger of crumbling into the water. Meanwhile, sections of the Nigerian coastline are disappearing at an astonishing 20-30m a year. Coastal degradation is a problem worldwide, but 11 African countries (Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa and Tanzania) have now teamed up to do something about it. Eleven hard-hitting national reports, just published as part of Africa's contribution to the World Summit on Sustainable Development, wind up the fact-finding phase of a project, implemented by UNESCO and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), that germinated back in 1998 in Maputo (Mozambique), when environment ministers from over 40 African countries met to address the problem of coastal deterioration. Africa's 63,124 km of coastline is crucial to the economies of many of its states, especially through fishing and tourism. And some island states, like Seychelles and Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, are almost entirely dependent on their coastal resources for income. For a total area of 455 square kilometres, the Seychelles has 491 km of coastline, with the entire population effectively living on the coast. A boom in tourism has brought rapid growth to the economy. The number of visitors swelled from 54,490 in 1971 to 130,046 in 2000, while GDP per capita rose from US$3,600 in 1975 to US$7,192 in 1998. The new prosperity, though, has put pressure on the very coastal ecosystems that created it. The Seychelles is an archipelago of 72 low-lying coral islands and 43 mountainous granite islands. But 90% of its 80,410 population live on just one of these islands, Mahe. With that island's rocky interior unsuitable for development, the limited coastal zone attracts most of the construction, whether for homes, hotels or new roads. And this often has negative effects on coastal ecology. "Tourism," says the Seychelles report, "is a primary cause of coastal erosion, mainly arising from attempts to cosmetically improve the beach and swimming areas, as well as the provision of marine facilities such as marinas and piers." And, while the government has passed a wide range of laws to protect the environment, says the report, "enforcement is often a major problem." The Gambia report tells a similar tale. "The beach fronts of most of the hotels have been washed away," while some of those that are left have invested over US$300,000 protection measures. Coastal erosion, says the report is "one of the most devastating in environmental problems" facing the country. Some 45% of the population and 60% of jobs are in the coastal zone, not to mention wildlife, including rare species such as the green turtles, which use the receding beaches as nesting grounds. Coastal erosion is part of a natural process. Sandy beaches are naturally changing. When waves hit the beach at a certain angle, they drag the grains from one spot and deposit them further along, causing the beach to "migrate" sideways. Under normal conditions silt from rivers replenishes them. But any construction on the seafront, such as piers, marinas, landfill and buildings, interferes with this process. In Nigeria's Barrier Lagoon, moles (walls of the artificial harbor) stop the silt from replenishing the beaches. The lagoon's popular Victoria Island beach, for example, at the entrance to Lagos harbor, is now eroding at a rate of 20-30m a year. Meanwhile the silt is building up outside the harbor. These man-made causes, compounded by upstream damming of the Niger River and sand-mining, add to the vulnerability of the Lagos coast, which is already battered by strong tides and waves. If sea-level does rise by 0.5m to 1m with global warming by the end of the century, as predicted by the International Panel on Climate Change, the barrier lagoon area of Lagos State alone would lose 284-584 square kilometers of its coastline through erosion and flooding. This could cause an estimated US$12 billion loss of revenue from tourism, commerce and spending by residents in one district alone. Some low-lying settlements are already flooded regularly when storms coincide with high spring tides. None of the reports envisages a quick fix to these coastal problems. And, as Patricio Bernal, Executive Secretary of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), says, the project recognizes the complexity of the issues. "The pressure to attract investment for coastal tourist facilities, that bring much-needed new jobs and revenue to developing countries, for example, often ends up with projects that do not meet minimum standards of coastal protection. Dramatic cases can be seen all round the world, where huge tourist complexes, built immediately adjacent to the beaches, are surrounded after a few years by pebbles and rocks, as tourist run away from waves crashing on their hotel doorstep. This is frustrating, since the scientific and technical knowledge to prevent it are available and good practices have been clearly defined." The "African Process" project is an effort to apply this knowledge where it is most needed. Its very structure looks for synergy between coastal states, setting up continental and sub-regional responses to shared problems. Further information on coastal issues and sustainable development can
be found at here. UNESCO's Coastal Regions and Small Islands platform for inter-sectoral action has a lively and informative internet forum that links stakeholders all over the world and also regularly publishes informative booklets for coastal communities and decision-makers including a book on 'Coping with Beach Erosion' by Gillian Cambers Leaders must take action curb climate change in
Africa The WWF report, entitled Impact of Climate Change on Life in Africa, outlines the extensive effects of climate change on Africa, and highlights that if carbon pollution continues at current rates, people, animals and plants will suffer serious consequences. As natural resources become scarce or disappear, many African communities will suffer the effects of climate change-induced alterations of agriculture, water supply and disease. At the same time, climate change will exacerbate the already numerous stresses on biodiversity in Africa, possibly even causing some ecosystems to go extinct. Coral reefs off the eastern coast of Africa have already experienced massive bleaching due to climate change, resulting in the death of over 50 percent of the corals in some regions. Damage to coral reef systems has far-reaching implications for fisheries, food security, tourism and marine biodiversity. "If carbon pollution is left unchecked, climate change will have a pervasive effect on life in Africa. It will threaten the peoples, animals and natural resources that make Africa unique," said Dr. Paul Desanker, co-Director of the Center for African Development Solutions in Johannesburg and environmental science professor at the University of Virginia in the United States." World leaders have an opportunity now to help slow climate change and protect Africa by reducing carbon pollution and supporting sustainable land use that promotes conservation." According to the report, shifts in annual and seasonal rainfall variations due to climate change will impact ecosystems and the migration patterns of some birds, large mammals and nomadic peoples. The prolonged drying trend in the semi-arid region south of the Sahara since the 1970s has demonstrated the vulnerability of nomadic peoples to climate change. The result of this change in climate has been widespread loss of human life and livestock, and substantial changes to the social system. When the more fertile migratory destination is already densely occupied and permanent water points fail at the more arid end, changing the migratory path and destinations is difficult and frequently impossible. Wild animals, birds and plants will face similar difficulties in finding alternate migratory routes and destinations in a world of intense human land use. The Summit provides an opportunity for governments to make commitments that reduce the carbon pollution that causes climate change by using clean, renewable energy instead of burning dirty fossil fuels. WWF is asking governments to commit to a global new renewable energy target under which 10 percent of energy will come from new renewable energy resources by 2010. The Bush Administration, along with Saudi Arabia, Australia and Canada oppose this target. "This report shows that without responsible leadership on energy, Africa and its peoples will pay a dramatic cost," said Jennifer Morgan, Director of WWF's Climate Change Program. "Many developing countries are ready to move ahead at the summit in Johannesburg and commit to reducing their carbon pollution through a renewable energy target. The Bush Administration should follow suit." Sea Grant establishes National Marine Law CenterWASHINGTON D.C., 20 August 2002 -- A new National Sea Grant Law Center at the University of Mississippi will focus on the dissemination of information about marine laws and policy and offer a coordinated center for legal research and analysis of coastal and ocean law. The center, operated with the Mississippi-Alabama Legal Program, competed among others nationwide to become the first of its kind. Besides research on coastal and ocean legal issues, its services include an Advisory Service, a quarterly publication, "The Sandbar," and website. The center, at the request of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, is currently undertaking research and analysis of the multitude of laws affecting the nation's oceans. Its work with the Commission is aimed at meeting a Congressional mandate, in the Oceans Act of 2000, that such information be collected. The resulting publication, "Governing the Oceans," is a compilation of the most relevant regulations and statutes that apply to U.S. oceans, coasts and the management of marine resources. Through the center, constituents have access to a much-needed central resource for marine laws and policies. The Center's Research Service offers a chance to submit an inquiry, join a listserv, access research results on various topics and discuss recent regulations, legal decisions, and statutes online. Using the law center's website, interested people can also find information about research topics, publications and useful links. Keiko, star of ‘Free Willy,’ gets chance at freedomWASHINGTON 20 August 2002 - The Humane Society of the United States said that Keiko, the orca that starred in the feature film “Free Willy”, has spent nearly two months in the wild. While the possibility remains that Keiko could return to Iceland or that The HSUS would intervene because of indications of distress, each day marks another milestone in Keiko's quest for freedom. Keiko, which means "Lucky One" in Japanese, was captured in Icelandic waters more than 22 years ago at the age of two. Taken to perform in the marine park industry, Keiko was first sent to Canada for a few years and then transported to Mexico City, Mexico where he became the only killer whale to perform in Mexico or Central America. Languishing in an inadequate facility, Keiko nevertheless became the star of the hit film “Free Willy” and the world learned of his plight. Over a million individuals, including many children, sent an outpouring of letters, emails, drawings and donations demanding that he be set free. Through the efforts of the HSUS, the Free Willy/Keiko Foundation and Ocean Futures Society and with help from thousands of donors throughout the world, the Keiko reintroduction program continues in Iceland. As of August 20, Keiko was 200 miles northeast of the Faroe Islands, 190 miles from the closest part of Norway and 150 miles north of the Shetlands. Keiko's progress has amazed the staff of the Keiko Project, who expected that he would interact with wild whales off the coast of Iceland but thought he would likely return to spend the winter in Klettsvik Bay. His travels this summer have left the staff working diligently to track his whereabouts since Keiko left the immediate area after a storm forced the tracking boat back to port in Iceland. Two aerial attempts to make visual observations of Keiko have failed, though both times staff picked up his radio signal. The HSUS is currently tracking Keiko by satellite, which provides readings at least once a day, and is encouraged by his progress this summer. The Free Willy/Keiko Foundation, The HSUS and others launched the effort to free Keiko in 1994. Each summer, Keiko makes incremental progress towards fulfilling the goal of reducing and eventually eliminating his dependence on people. Since he was first led out to the open ocean from the bay that is his winter home, Keiko has indicated interest in the wild whales. "Keiko picked up where he left off last summer," said Charles Vinick, executive vice president of the Ocean Futures Society and manager of the Keiko Project for The HSUS. "He is choosing to spend all his time with the wild whale pods, staying near them as they mill about and traveling with them when they travel." Keiko's progress has experts wondering if this is the year that he goes truly free. Unlike in the summer of 2001 when Keiko would spend brief periods of time with wild whales, this summer Keiko has chosen to spend almost all his time with the wild whales. "Keiko is in charge," said Vinick, "he has the option of swimming away from our boats and staying near whales. This year he has surprised us by spending almost all of the last three weeks with wild whales." "Even if Keiko's bid for freedom does not ultimately succeed, we have given him a chance for freedom. Several other orcas were actually better candidates for rehabilitation and release, but the marine park industry was not going to consider giving them the opportunity that Keiko has had," said Naomi Rose, HSUS marine mammal scientist. Since the Free Willy/Keiko Foundation stepped in to rescue Keiko from a marine park in Mexico, 21 orcas have died in captivity, according to David Phillips, who heads the foundation. Sea World alone accounts for seven orca deaths since 1995. Other orcas have died at Six Flags/Marineworld, the Vancouver Aquarium, Marineland Canada, and marine parks in Argentina and Japan. There are currently 47 orcas kept in captivity worldwide. "I think the Keiko project continues to provide extremely important data on the process of releasing whales from captivity," said Paul G. Irwin, HSUS president, who has been part of this rescue effort from the beginning. "Clearly, had we not intervened he would have died in Mexico. Bringing him back into his home waters was a long process. We've accomplished what most people said was impossible, and almost everyone agrees that Keiko continues to learn, move ahead, and become more wild." The HSUS is accepting donations to help fund the Keiko Project. To donate, visit The HSUS' web site Climate change threatens the future of US marine ecosystems – reportWASHINGTON, DC, 14 August 2002 - A new study by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change predicts US coastal and marine ecosystems will become increasingly challenged in the next century by the potential impacts of climate change. "Climate change could likely be the 'sleeper issue' that pushes our already stressed and fragile coastal and marine ecosystems over the edge," said Eileen Claussen, President of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. "Particularly vulnerable are coastal and shallow water areas already stressed by human activity, such as estuaries and coral reefs. The situation is analogous to that faced by a human whose immune system is compromised and who may succumb to a disease that would not threaten a healthy person." Based on current projections for climate change in the next century, The Pew Center report, Coastal and Marine Ecosystems and Global Climate Change: Potential Effects on U.S. Resources, explores the hazards climate change will pose to delicate marine life. The key conclusions of the report include:
"It is increasingly apparent that the United States needs a strategy to address the very real threat of climate change. The longer we wait, the graver the risks - and the cost of averting them," said Claussen. A complete copy of the report and other Pew Center reports can be accessed from the Pew Center's web site New WWF report highlights potential for technology to protect the planetGLAND, SWITZERLAND, 21 August 2002 - A few days before the opening of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), in Johannesburg, South Africa, WWF, the conservation organization, has launched a new publication that shows how Information and Communication Technology (ICT) could play a positive role in achieving sustainable development. The WWF report, Sustainability at the Speed of Light, underlines how ICT -- which can be defined as any product or system that communicates, stores, and process information -- may have a positive impact on human activities if properly managed. For example, it can be used to save energy through remote energy management of commercial and residential buildings. Similarly, ICT can curb the rapid growth of transportation and business travel through commerce over the Internet and wider use of videoconferences. The study also demonstrates that ICT can help conservation work, by more efficient monitoring of land use, or satellite tracking of illegal logging, among other things. In order to focus and get actual concrete results, the WWF report further presents seven strategic areas -- including ICT products, transport of goods, and changes in production and consumption patterns -- where progress is needed. "ICT will play a crucial role in tomorrow's society. It will give us totally new opportunities to both preserve the best elements of our societies, and develop new and better solutions," said Dennis Pamlin, Policy Advisor at WWF Sweden, and Editor of the report. "But it also faces important challenges, such as bringing together all parts of the world to reach a situation in which everyone can meet their basic needs." According to the report, the biggest danger on the global level is if ICT is only used to make the existing economy more efficient, with influential groups trying to exploit it to reap short-term benefits. The study calls for the development of strong policies to prevent the creation of wrong incentives that could worsen the current negative ecological, social, and economic trends. Model predicts grim future for right whaleWASHINGTON D.C., 20 August 2002 - If conditions remain as they are today, the northern right whale will be extinct by the year 2202, say Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sea Grant biologist Hal Caswell and his graduate student, Masami Fujiwara. But there is hope for the endangered creatures. According to their model, extinction can be prevented if two female deaths are prevented per year. Fujiwara says that, while the population grew slightly in the early 1980s, it has since dropped. "To avoid extinction, we need to find out what happened between 1980 and now that is causing the whales to die," he explains. Only about 300 northern right whales remain, with most deaths caused by ship collisions and fishing gear entanglements. In their most recent study, Caswell and Fujiwara set out to examine the survival probability differences of each whale. They considered the differences between male and female whales, and classified them according to life stage (calf to mature adult). Their model, based on the mark-recapture statistical method, was developed in part by Fujiwara with support from WHOI Sea Grant. It enabled the researchers to estimate survival, transition probabilities, sighting rates and the response of those variables to environmental factors. Results found that the survival probability of female northern right whales is declining. In the future, Caswell and Fujiwara's model could be incorporated into management decisions. Fujiwara notes, however, that the population growth rate will require continued monitoring in order for that to happen, and that is not an easy task. Author calls for radical reform of aquaculture practicesWASHINGTON D.C., 22 July 2002 - The aquaculture industry in the United States and around the world will never grow to its full potential unless it radically reforms its practices, and produces positive impacts on the environment and society, says Barry Costa-Pierce in his new book "Ecological Aquaculture." Costa-Pierce, director of the Rhode Island Sea Grant Program, believes that the ecological and social impacts caused by aquaculture must be addressed in order for the industry's reputation to improve and to gain support of its many detractors. His recommendations for improving the aquaculture industry include the following:
To succeed, says Costa-Pierce, "Aquaculture developers will need to spend as much time on the technological advances coming to the field as they do in designing ecological approaches to aquaculture development that clearly exhibit stewardship of the environment." "Ecological Aquaculture: Evolution of the Blue Revolution" is available from Rhode Island Sea Grant for $110 plus shipping. See http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu/news/index.html#Ecological for ordering information. Search for elusive freshwater sharks on in AustraliaA survey of Australia’s northern river systems is expected to confirm that while some of the largest freshwater fish species on the planet may have disappeared from many areas, the Australian systems may contain surviving populations of spear-tooth sharks and freshwater sawfishes. Once prominent in tropical river systems, natural shark populations have been decimated by fishing pressure, pollution and habitat destruction through over-development, according to shark biologist Dr John Stevens. "Australia may contain the last healthy populations of speartooth sharks and freshwater sawfish and there is an urgent need to establish how many remain, where they occur and how those should be managed," says Dr Stevens, from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Marine Research. "Sharks and rays are more vulnerable to human exploitation than bony fishes because of their different life-history strategy. Freshwater sharks and rays are even more at risk because they combine these biological characteristics with all the problems associated with a reduced habitat and inland development", he says. Currently, there is international concern over the population status of freshwater sharks and rays around the globe and this has been expressed through the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Shark Specialist Group and the Food and Agriculture Organisation International Plan of Action for Sharks. In Australia, the Freshwater Speartooth Shark, the Northern River Shark and the Freshwater Sawfish are listed as threatened under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. Speartooth sharks are currently known from only about 25 specimens from Queensland and the NT. Concern for sawfishes extends to the marine species, which are large, long-lived predators with inshore distributions, particularly susceptible to fishing due to entanglement of their saws in nets. For more information about the project, visit the project web site New threat to commercial fishing baredMELBOURNE, 12 August 2002 -- Commercial fishing practices can reduce genetic diversity in fish populations, possibly threatening their productivity and adaptability to environmental change, new research has found. An Australian zoologist now at the University of Melbourne, along with colleagues from the United Kingdom and New Zealand, was the first to record a decline in the genetic diversity of a commercially exploited marine species. Their findings, published in the latest volume of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shout a warning that could force a rethink to current fisheries management and the research focus into sustainable fishing. Dr Greg Adcock analyzed the DNA found in scales preserved from two populations of New Zealand snapper collected from the 1950s to 1998. One population had been commercially fished since the late 1800s. The other was a 'virgin' population, being subjected to subsistence and recreational fishing only until the scale collection began. Adcock and colleagues found that the 'virgin' population from Tasman Bay on New Zealand's South Island had suffered an unexpected decline in genetic diversity, starting from the time it began to be commercially exploited in the 1950s. The other population, from the North Island's Hauraki Bay, showed no decline in genetic diversity in the nearly 50 years to 1998. The paper reports that the Tasman Bay's effective population size (the number of fish in the population capable of breeding) is 100,000 times fewer than its total number, and several orders of magnitude lower than expected. "In Tasman Bay, commercial fishing has often reduced total numbers to as low as about one million. This leaves only a few hundred fish to contribute to the next generation, a dangerously low genetic base from which to sustain a population," says Adcock. "With a high effective population you can retain a large amount of rare genetic variation. Such variation is lost as numbers decline. A rare variant may not play a significant role in the current environment, but if a fish population loses a large number of these genes, such as happened in Tasman Bay, they risk losing the ability to adapt to changes such as global warming, pollution and human induced changes to predator and prey populations," he says. Adcock points to recent assertions that ocean warming is suspected of causing recruitment failure of cold-adapted North Sea cod. "Until now nobody suspected that any loss of diversity was happening as it was thought that even in over-fished populations where their numbers are still be in the millions, that there would still be a sufficiently large effective population to prevent declines in genetic diversity," says Adcock. "A population of several million may actually be in danger of losing genetic variability, which may have long-term consequences," he says. "Genetic diversity should become a management consideration in many exploited marine species. Many fully exploited or over-fished stocks may be already suffering loss of diversity. We don't know yet the minimal level of genetic diversity required to sustain a commercial fishery long-term, but there is enough evidence now to suggest we need to be cautious and begin to reassess our understanding of fishery management and the sustainability of the industry." Novel science to ensure sustainable abaloneMELBOURNE, 21 August 2002 -- Australian scientists and abalone fishers are conducting novel fishery experiments to help protect and boost Australia's multi-million dollar abalone industry. With support from the Abalone Industry Association of South Australia, scientists from the University of Melbourne and local abalone divers have lugged tons of rock around underwater to create a series of boulder reefs at three sites off South Australia's coast. The research team will be the first to study how density affects the growth rates and survival of greenlip abalone under fishing. They will also be the first to conduct such a series of controlled ecological experiments in a marine environment. "By studying the density-dependent affects on greenlip abalone, we will gain a greater understanding of how to operate a sustainable abalone fishery and even boost its production," said Dr Rob Day, research group leader and senior lecturer at the University's Department of Zoology. "This type of ecological knowledge is vital for the sustainable management of both our marine and terrestrial environment and it is an area that Australia is at the leading-edge of.” Initial research findings are promising with a high percentage of juveniles seeded onto the reefs surviving and growing. Survival rates of juvenile abalone have been greater than 50 percent, more than 3 times the previous best has of about 15 percent. Discovering that juveniles need two layers of boulders to create sufficient places to hide from predators was one of the keys to their success. A second key was, unlike previous seeding trials, these juveniles had learnt to stay hidden during the day when they were most likely to be eaten, an attribute the researchers suspect is due to the way they were raised in the hatchery. Day said data collected so far shows growth rates are strongly density dependent, indicating the potential exists to boost productivity by seeding reefs with the right numbers for maximum growth rates and size. The team's second task is to look at unproductive stocks. In some areas abalone occur in high densities but never reach legal size. "Currently, we don't understand what limits the growth of such abalone, or how it could be increased," said Day. Australia supplies nearly three quarters of the abalone imported into Tokyo. The South Australian industry alone is worth over $36 million annually. Regional and global impacts of vast pollution cloud detailed in new studyLONDON, 12 August 2002 - A vast blanket of pollution stretching across South Asia is damaging agriculture, modifying rainfall patterns including those of the mighty monsoon and putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk, a new study suggests. The findings, by scientists working with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), indicate that the spectacular economic growth seen in this part of the world in the past decade may soon falter as a result of the "Asian Brown Haze". Vital follow-up studies are needed to unravel the precise role this three kilometre-deep pollution blanket may be having on the region's climate and the world's. But the preliminary results indicate that the build up of the haze, a mass of ash, acids, aerosols and other particles, is disrupting weather systems, including rainfall and wind patterns, and triggering droughts in western parts of the Asian continent. The concern is that the regional and global impacts of the haze are set to intensify over the next 30 years as the population of the Asian region rises to an estimated 5 billion people. The global models used in the report suggest that the haze may reduce precipitation over northwest India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, western China and the neighboring western central Asian region by between 20 per cent and 40 per cent. The aerosols and particles in the haze are also affecting rainfall in other ways. Raindrops are becoming smaller and more numerous triggering less frequent rainfall and longer-lived clouds. One potential consequence is to move precipitation away from populated regions. A 10 per cent reduction in the levels of solar energy hitting the region's oceans in turn reduces the evaporation of the moisture that controls summer rainfall. The reduction in sunlight may be having significant impacts on agriculture, the report says. Acids in the haze may, by falling as acid rain, have the potential to damage crops and trees. Ash falling on leaves can aggravate the impacts of reduced sunlight on the Earth's surface. Moreover, the pollution that is forming the haze could be leading to "several hundreds of thousands" of premature deaths as a result of higher levels of respiratory diseases, the report suggests. Studies indicate that the level of fatalities is rising along with the levels of pollution. Results from seven cities in India alone, including Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai, estimate that some kinds of air pollution were annually responsible for 24,000 in the early 1990s. By the mid-1990s they resulted in an estimated 37,000 premature fatalities. While this study focuses on the impacts on South Asia, the haze problem is comparable, if not more severe, in Southeast and East Asia, including China. The scientists are calling for an action plan to address the threats across Asia as a whole. A copy of the report is available at www.rrcap.unep.org/abc/impactstudy/ US takes first step toward protecting endangered Beluga sturgeonConservation organizations lauded the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's proposal to list beluga sturgeon - the source of coveted beluga caviar - as an endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. If beluga sturgeon were to be listed as endangered, all importation of beluga caviar into the U.S. would be prohibited. The United States is the world's largest beluga caviar importer. The Service issued its proposal on July 31, in response to a lawsuit filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to compel the Service to act on a petition to protect beluga sturgeon filed in 2000. The petition was put forth by Caviar Emptor, a coalition of NRDC, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and SeaWeb. "Beluga sturgeon are on the brink of extinction, largely due to the demand for beluga caviar," said Lisa Speer, senior policy analyst for the NRDC. "We are literally killing the goose that lays the golden eggs," she said. "The United States imports 80% of the world's beluga caviar. As a result, a ban on beluga caviar imports into the United States would reduce pressure on the fish and improve its prospects for survival." The Service has opened a 90-day period for the public to provide comments on its proposed listing of beluga sturgeon as an endangered species. Sturgeon of the Caspian Sea -- the cradle of world caviar production -- are in crisis. The global caviar market has placed a premium on sturgeon, prompting overfishing and illegal trade. Experts say the worldwide caviar market is estimated at $100 million, but the illegal traffic of caviar from the Caspian Sea is about 10 times the legal trade. Other major threats to the species include habitat loss and pollution. "In a recent fisheries survey in the Caspian Sea, only 28 beluga sturgeon were caught and more than 85% of the beluga found were immature, suggesting that this population is severely overfished," said Dr. Ellen Pikitch, director of Marine Programs of WCS. "There are no quick fixes that could remedy this dire situation. As a fish that can take 15 years to mature and can live for 100 years, the sturgeon needs long-term protection." NRDC, WCS and SeaWeb launched Caviar Emptor in December 2000 to seek a halt to international trade in beluga sturgeon. The groups also support the long-term reduction of export quotas for other Caspian Sea sturgeon and international funding for improved management and enforcement practices. In March, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) approved resumption in the international trade in beluga caviar following a nine-month voluntary halt, despite vehement objections from scientists and environmental organizations. Citing beluga sturgeon's 20-year downward spiral and a recently released scientific report that further documents the fish's perilous state in the Caspian Sea, the three conservation groups of Caviar Emptor have reiterated their call for an immediate and sustained halt in international trade of beluga caviar. Wildlife Atlas underlines vital role of ecosystems in reducing poverty and delivering prosperityLONDON/NAIROBI, 1 August 2002 -- Experts estimate that, at current extinction rates of plants and animals, the Earth is losing one major drug every two years. It is estimated that less than one per cent of the world's 250,000 tropical plants has been screened for potential pharmaceutical applications.
The first 'World Atlas of Biodiversity: Earth's Living Resources for the 21st Century', launched today by the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) shows how humankind is dependent on healthy ecosystems for all its needs. The Atlas is the first comprehensive map-based view of global biodiversity. It provides a wealth of facts and figures on the importance of forests, wetlands, marine and coastal environments and other key ecosystems. It is the best current synthesis of the latest research and analysis by UNEP-WCMC and the conservation community worldwide - providing a comprehensive and accessible view of key global issues in biodiversity. It also highlights mankind's impact on the natural world. During the past 150 years, humans have directly impacted and altered close to 47 per cent of the global land area, it is reported in the Atlas. Under one bleak scenario, biodiversity will be threatened on almost 72 per cent of the land area by 2032. The Atlas reveals losses of biodiversity are likely to be particularly severe in South East Asia, the Congo basin and parts of the Amazon. As much as 48 per cent of these areas will become converted to agricultural land, plantations and urban areas, compared with 22 per cent today, suggesting wide depletions of biodiversity. The new Atlas outlines some of the broad ecological relationships between humans and the rest of the material world and summarizes information on the health of the planet. More specifically it shows how "wilderness areas" are on the retreat as roads and urban centres spread into places like the Amazon basin, the Arctic and desert zones. Pulling together the latest thinking on the subject it also shows, through a scientific assessment of the entire range of living plants and animals, just how robust, resilient and accommodating biodiversity can be -- within limits. By using maps to show the location of biodiversity UNEP-WCMC draws together the work of researchers across the world who have identified particularly rich or vulnerable areas, including "hot spots" and "eco-regions". These are regions where it is particularly important to identify development paths that can serve humankind without reducing nature's capital. The maps are available at http://stort.unep-wcmc.org/imaps/gb2002/book/viewer.htm Argentina denies export permit for wild-caught orcaWASHINGTON, 31 July 2002) -The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the nation's largest animal protection organization, commended Argentina's decision to deny an export permit on a wild-caught orca that has been kept at a marine park in that country since 1992. Last October, Six Flags Worlds of Adventure in Ohio made a joint request to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for a permit to import Shouka, a captive-bred orca from France, and Kshamenk, a wild-caught orca kept at Mundo Marino in Argentina. The HSUS and other organizations expressed concerns about this permit request in letters to the NMFS in December and March. In its letters, The HSUS argued that questions surrounding the legality of Kshamenk's acquisition from the wild could lead to the denial of his export permit and leave Shouka languishing alone at the marine park in Ohio. At the time that the joint import permit application was made, Shouka's export permit had already been approved by France but the status of Kshamenk's export permit was undecided. In May, the U.S. import permit was approved by the NMFS despite the fact that Argentina had not yet made a decision on Kshamenk's export permit. Shouka was flown to Ohio only days later and since then has been housed alone at the Six Flags park in Geauga Lake. Argentina's denial of the export permit issued on July 29 was prompted by controversy over the manner in which Kshamenk was acquired from the wild in 1992. The HSUS and animal protection organizations in the U.S. and in Argentina have argued that Kshamenk may have been forcibly stranded as a way for Mundo Marino to get around Argentina's laws and resolutions that currently prohibit the capture of marine mammals from the wild. "The Argentinean government made the right move in denying the export permit," said Dr. Naomi Rose, marine mammal scientist for The HSUS. "We only wish that the NMFS would have been as attentive as Argentina to issues concerning Kshamenk's acquisition. We are now asking them to rescind the import permit." The HSUS argues that flying Shouka back to France and her tank-mates would be the lesser of two evils when the alternative is for her to continue to swim alone in Ohio. Rose said, "Orcas are intelligent, highly social animals who live in close-knit communities. The current living conditions for both orcas are inhumane. Now that Argentina has denied the export permit on Kshamenk, NMFS's actions have, in effect, sentenced Shouka to an indefinite existence of social deprivation. We are also concerned about Kshamenk's situation. He too is swimming alone and probably in poor conditions in the Mundo Marino marine park. If he cannot be rehabilitated for release to the wild, we believe that as a second-best alternative he should be retired from the entertainment business and allowed to spend the rest of his life in a sea pen in the waters of his birth." Ban on importation, inter-state shipment of black carp proposed in USThe black carp, used by American aquaculture farmers to control snails but feared by scientists who see potential widespread damage should the fish escape into the wild, would be banned from further importation into the United States as well as in interstate transport under a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to name the black carp as an injurious species. The proposed rule, published in today's Federal Register, would invoke the Injurious Wildlife Provision of the Lacey Act, and is in response to concerns about the possible impact of black carp on imperiled native mussels and snails in the Mississippi River basin, outlined in a petition to the Service by the Mississippi Interstate Cooperative Resources Association. The only exceptions to the bans imposed would be for zoological, educational, medical or scientific purposes. Black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus), also known as snail carp, Chinese black carp, black amur, Chinese roach and black Chinese roach, is a freshwater fish that inhabits lakes and lower reaches of rivers in the wild. It was first brought to the U.S. in the early 1970s in a shipment of imported grass carp that were shipped to a private fish farm in Arkansas. A second introduction occurred in the early 1980s when the fish was imported as food and as a biological control agent to combat the spread of yellow grub (Clinostomum margaritum) in aquaculture farms. Unlike other species of Asian carp, black carp have not been found in the wild. The black carp, native to parts of China, Russia and Vietnam, can reach 5 feet in length, weigh up to 150 pounds and live up to 15 years. A single female can produce 129,000 to 1.18 million eggs. Black carp feed on zooplankton and fingerlings when small, but as adults, their powerful teeth permit the black carp to crush the thick shells of large mollusks. Yellow grubs, which are carried by the ram's horn snail, appear to be controlled with the elimination of the snail from aquaculture farms, especially those populated by channel catfish and certain species of striped bass, and black carp have been found to be effective in feeding on the snail. It is not known how many of the 396 catfish aquaculture facilities in North Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Florida might be threatened by yellow grubs, but data presented by the National Warmwater Aquaculture Center at Mississippi State University at an Asian Carp Workshop in April, 2000, suggested that only 1.5 percent of existing catfish farms and one research station had permits for black carp, and five additional farms and another research station were awaiting approval. However effective black carp might be in the control of yellow grubs, there are alternative means: chemical control with hydrated lime, copper sulfate and aquatic herbicides that have been shown to greatly reduce the snail population and in conjunction with biological control, can eliminate snail infestation during catfish production. Were black carp to escape from aquaculture ponds and enter rivers and tributaries of the lower Mississippi River, they would pose a "significant threat," the Service reported, to commercial shellfish stocks and threatened and endangered mollusks. "The value of the potential loss to the citizens of the affected States cannot be estimated at this time, but it is believed to be substantial," according to a Service document. Other species of Asian carp, which are established in the wild have caused significant ecological impacts in the Mississippi Basin. Freshwater mussels, while providing valuable service as natural filters, are also harvested and used to make seeds for cultured pearls. Black carp that escape into the wild may pose a grave threat to that industry as well. Public comment on the proposal to list the black carp as an injurious species under the Lacey Act will remain open for 60 days. Comments should be mailed to the Chief, Division of Environmental Quality, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22203, transmitted by fax to the same address at 703-358-1800 or sent by email to blackcarp@fws.gov in an SCCII format. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses nearly 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting and fishing equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. Global eco-tour database launchedNEW YORK CITY, 25 July 2002 – A new interactive sustainable travel directory, listing over 400 eco-tour operators from around the globe, is now available at Worldsurface.com. These unique opportunities include cycling the volcanoes of the Kamchatka Peninsula with local guides, working with WWF-Philippines to protect the local coral reefs and staying with a village community in Belize that is working to protect the rare Black Howler Monkey. These opportunities and hundreds more can be found by today's travellers all with a few clicks of a mouse. People in the 21st Century are increasingly calling for a more "Organic" lifestyle, from their choice of food, to their clothes and their beauty products. This is also starting to impact their choice of holiday. There is an increased awareness that traditional package holidays can damage the environment and, in most cases, do little to boost the overall economies of developing countries. In contrast, Worldsurface.com has an ethos of only promoting tour operators who actively promote and help sustain their local communities. By buying a tour from an operator who promotes a more eco-friendly holiday, you are helping improve the places you are visiting. Worldsurface.com eco-tours engage local people, buy local products and charge local prices. By staying in locally run and managed hotels and lodges, rather than foreign-owned chain hotels, travellers also ensure their tourist dollar stays where it should. Tourism impacts local societies in many ways. It can be beneficial if planned responsibly, however mismanagement can result in the creation of tourist ghettos and can ruin the lives, the environment and the culture of local communities. Worldsurface.com has promoted eco-tourism in all four corners of the world for the past three years by providing up to date and informative travel stories, award winning photographs and a wealth of information by experienced travellers for the benefit of everyone. Worldsurface.com has over 10,000 active members and now, has the added feature of a full and growing interactive directory of sustainable tours, which makes the choice of an eco-friendly holiday even easier. Worldsurface.com was a delegate at the 2002 World Eco-tourism Summit held in Quebec in May and helped develop the final resolution, which will be presented at the Earth Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in August 2002. Worldsurface.com works closely with NGO's, local community leaders, tourist authorities and government ministers from across the world, to actively promote sustainable tourism for the 21st Century. US interior secretary proposes ban on importation of snakehead fishWASHINGTON - Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton today announced a proposal to ban importation and interstate transportation of live snakeheads, voracious fish indigenous to Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Africa.. Norton's proposal would add the family of snakeheads, comprised of 28 species, to the Federal list of "injurious wildlife" under the Lacey Act, which authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to list non-indigenous wild animals deemed to be "injurious, or potentially injurious, to the health and welfare of people as well as to the interests of agriculture, forestry, and horticulture, or to the welfare or survival of wildlife or wildlife resources of the United States." "These fish are like something from a bad horror movie," said Secretary Norton. "A number of these species can survive in the wild in freshwater almost anywhere in the United States. They can eat virtually any small animal in their path. They can travel across land and live out of water for at least three days. They reproduce quickly. They have the potential to cause enormous damage to our valuable recreational and commercial fisheries. We simply must do everything we can to prevent them from entering our waters, either accidentally or intentionally." "I would like to thank the Department of Interior for taking this action today. Across the country, nonnative species invasions pose great threat to our natural landscape," said Eric C. Schwaab, Maryland Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Service Director. "As you know, the presence of northern snakeheads in Maryland has created a potentially serious and highly visible threat to our state's freshwater fisheries. Prohibiting the importation and transportation of these species across state lines is a valuable step in the right direction, and for this species, may prevent this problem from happening somewhere else. In order to better manage the state's resources and combat the growing threat presented by invasive species, we will need strong leadership in the form of improved science, technical support, increased funding and effective regulatory action from our federal partners." Three species of the fish have been found in open waters in California, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, and at least two have been established as reproducing populations (Florida and Hawaii). Thirteen States currently prohibit possession of live snakeheads; nevertheless, there is continuing evidence of illegal activity involving these fish even in States where they are prohibited. Almost 17,000 snakeheads, worth nearly $86,000, are known to have been imported in the U.S. between 1997 and 2000, where they were in tur |
