The Online Magazine for Sustainable
Seas
January, 2004, Vol.7 No. 1
January, 2004, Vol.7 No. 1
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The Online Magazine for Sustainable
Seas
January, 2004, Vol.7 No. 1 |
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Coastal Alert |
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Philippines World Philippines Fisheries output up 7.5% in 2003 Lorenzo said this is the highest growth rate so far achieved by the fishery subsector, which contributed more than a fifth of the total agriculture production for 2003. Citing figures from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS), Lorenzo said fish production in aquaculture, municipal fisheries and commercial fisheries registered increases of 8.69%, 6.66% and 6.38%. Production volume was 3.61 million MT valued at Php119.1 billion, or 5.84% more than last year’s value of Php113.2 billion (3.36 million MT). The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) attributed fisheries’ improved performance to the government’s effort in the last few years to adopt environment-friendly aquaculture technologies and promote fishery resource management. Fish prices, however, declined by 1.55%, reportedly because of an oversupply of tilapia and milkfish. Philippine Daily Inquirer, 01.25.04 DA issues new guidelines on municipal waters delineation The order replaces in part the controversial Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Administrative Order No. 17 Series of 2001, which was revoked last year by Environment Secretary Elisea Gozun in compliance with a Department of Justice opinion that the DA, and not the DENR, was the agency mandated to issue the guidelines. The DA is finalizing a second order that will set the guidelines for municipalities and cities with offshore islands, the focus of much of the controversy surrounding DAO 2001-17. RP has world’s first and only tilapia gene bank Housed in a Php2 million two-story building inside the National Freshwater Fisheries Technology Center of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources within the Central Luzon State University compound in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija in central Luzon, the gene bank maintains a collection of both cryopreserved tilapia sperm cells from various tilapia stocks, as well as live specimens of various strains of Nile tilapia from Egypt, Israel, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Kenya, Senegal, Ghana and the Philippines. Presently, the gene bank has a collection of eight strains of founder stocks of tilapia, 281 straws from the founder stocks, and 480 straws of fish samples, which are products of selective breeding and maintained by BFAR. "This is the world's richest repository of various tilapia sperm cells and live specimens that can't be found anywhere else except in the Philippines. It is truly a national treasure," Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo Jr. told PAJ News and Features. Although inaugurated only in March 2003, the facility, now officially called the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources National Freshwater Fisheries Technology Center (BFAR-NFFTC) Tilapia Gene Bank, has years of experience in tilapia breeding. It developed a number of genetically enhanced strains of tilapia, including the EXCEL tilapia, which was introduced last year. EXCEL, a new-generation hybrid tilapia, has registered a survival rate 10% higher and weighs 38 grams more than conventional tilapia. It also shows resistance to common diseases even if raised using current production techniques. Fermin M. Diaz, PAJ News and Features Shrimp exporters seek government help on new Japanese
requirement Ismael Salih Jr., president of the Philippine Confederation of Exporters Central Mindanao, said the industry is facing uncertainty because of a recent move by the Japanese government to conduct chemical tests on Black Tiger shrimp shipments when these enter Japan and reject test results conducted by other laboratories. Japan is currently the country’s biggest market for head-on Black Tiger shrimp. Because of the ban, said Salih, shrimp buyers in Japan now require Philippine exporters to sign “ship back” guarantees, exposing them to the unreasonable risk of having their shipments returned, even if such shipments already passed tests conducted at the port of origin. Salih said the government should request Japan to accredit a local laboratory to conduct the required tests. Japan adopted in 2003 a new regulation banning shrimp imports that do not meet prescribed limits for the antibiotics chloramphenicol, tetracycline, oxytetracyline, and chlortetracycline. He said a local laboratory of Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS), which is accredited by the United States and the European Union, is capable of analyzing shrimp imports for the presence of these antibiotics. Manila Bulletin, 01.18.04 Masbate: Haven of rare manta rays foundMONREAL, Masbate, 01 January 2004 – A “manta bowl” has been discovered in a reef between Sorsogon and Masbate provinces, about 15 km from Bulan, Sorsogon, and 10 km from the nearest point of Monreal town on Ticao Island in Masbate. Five to 10 hectares of the reef, with an average depth of 17.5 meters, is submerged in the middle of the treacherous Ticao Pass, said Conrad Paz, a diver. “That’s why it is also known as a sunken reef,” said Paz. The shallowest area is recorded at about 8 meters. The reef, called Tacdogan Reef, is flat, with patches of stony coral growth. One area has a big concentration of branching Acropora or Staghorn corals. The manta ray (Manta birostris) is one of the five largest species of fish in the world. It can grow up to eight meters wide and weigh as much as 400 kilos. Paz said his group has organized a number of dive trips to the site since they discovered the reef in February last year. “We always saw manta rays in each of our dives,” he added. Nowhere else in the region can one find a dive site where manta rays are as common and guaranteed to be sighted, Paz noted. Even the famous Tubbataha Reef in Sulu Sea, he said, will not guarantee a manta ray sighting. They also saw threshers, a good sign that Tacdogan is a healthy reef and rich in pelagics. But Paz reported serious threats to the rays and their habitats – hunting by local fishers, and the use of destructive fishing. Bicol-based divers belonging to the Ticao Reef Pioneers, Bicol Scuba Divers Foundation Inc. (BSDFI), and Adventure Bound, are pushing for a national campaign to save the manta rays of Ticao. R. Lorejo in Philippine Daily Inquirer, 01.12.04 Occidental Mindoro: No major oil spill at Apo Reef
Marine Natural Park, says DENR chief Protected Area Superintendent (PASU) Rodel Boyles reported that, on December 21,2003, M/Y Island Explorer ran aground in the shallow reef off Binangaan Island in the Apo Reef Natural Park due to strong winds and rough seas. After a failed retrieval operation by another vessel, Oceanic Explorer, on recommendation by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) monitoring team, the vessel’s crew closed the engine room and cup-locked the oil and fuel tank. Oil and crude were pumped into the Oceanic Explorer and transported to Anilao, Batangas. A “minimal” spill was reported when the vessel tilted and became flooded about a week later, but a second inspection team from the Philippine Coast Guard and the PASu found no oil spill. An environmental group earlier said the oil spill coming from the dive boat threatened to destroy the area’s marine life, and said they were considering filing criminal and civil charges against the ship owner “for violation of environment and protection laws under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS).” The ship owner, Scuba World Inc., has submitted salvaging and retrieval plans for the M/Y Island Explorer to officials of the Apo Reef Protected Area Management Board (PAMB), who said they would review the plan before issuing a clearance for the company to initiate salvaging and retrieval operations, to ensure that the operations will not disturb the marine environment. Refuting allegations that company planned to blow up the vessel to cover up traces of crash and oil spill, a company spokesman said, “We have promoted internationally and conducted our trips to Apo Reef for the past 10 years. It remains, along with Tubbataha, one of our prime destinations.” The Apo Reef Natural Park is acclaimed as one of the world’s best dive sites. It is a 34-km reef, located 20 miles west of Mindoro proper off the tip of Busuanga, Palawan, with a narrow channel running east to west, which divides the reef into two lagoon systems. The surrounding waters are abundant with marine fauna and luxuriant coral growth with more than 500 coral species. Marine life includes sharks, stingrays and manta rays. DENR; A. Ilagan in Manila Bulletin, 01.25.04; R. Felix, The Philippine Star, 01.20.04 Cebu: DENR allocates fund for alternative livelihood
for blasting cap makers Environment Secretary Elisea G. Gozun said the department aims to provide alternative livelihood to workers of illegal blasting cap manufacturers and convince them to stop their illegal occupation. “'Our country's waters are under threat from pollution, siltation and destructive fishing practices. To help address this problem, we need to infuse environmental protection initiatives with economic benefits to generate participation from the stakeholders,” Gozun said. Beneficiaries include the villages of San Roque, Tangke, Cansojong, Dumlog and Biasong. The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) will oversee the disposition of the funds while the local government of Talisay will take care of the livelihood projects' implementation. Earlier, IBP spearheaded a law enforcement initiative targeted at the illegal production of blasting caps in Talisay City, 10 kilometers south of Cebu, after the city was identified as the manufacturing center of the banned blasting caps used in blast fishing in the Philippines. Blasting cap manufacturers were previously given a reprieve from arrest to give them a chance to find an alternative livelihood. Said reprieve, arranged upon the request of the local government of Talisay, ends this month. The IBP has mounted an intensive information, education and communication campaign in the affected villages to educate residents on the dangers of manufacturing blasting caps. The group will also conduct a seminar on anti-fencing for fish vendors. Environmental lawyer Antonio Oposa said the selling of fish caught with the use of dynamite violates the anti-fencing law. “Anyone caught selling blasted fish will be arrested and charged with violation of the anti-fencing law, for dealing and selling property illegally taken from the national patrimony,” he said. DENR; L.A. Pinili, Sun.Star Cebu, 01.25.04. Related story Negros Oriental, Cebu: Alarming levels of toxic
metals found in Tañon Strait In their final report to the now defunct Tañon Strait Commission, ENR Consultants Inc. reported that the high level of heavy metals like cadmium, copper and lead in the sea waters off Toledo City and Balamban in Cebu, Bais City in Negros Oriental, and Escalante and San Carlos City in Negros Occidental is “quite alarming.” The presence of heavy metals may be caused by industrial activities, mining and port operations in these areas, the report stated. The Tañon Strait, the narrow sea between Negros and Cebu known for its high biodiversity, is a national protected seascape under the jurisdiction of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. LAP in Sun.Star Cebu, 01.11.04 Palawan: 20 Chinese fishers arrested The group’s vessel was intercepted near the Balabac Strait off the island of Palawan, southwest of Manila, last January 10. Seized from the crew were carcasses of 40 giant sea turtles and six live turtles. Sea turtles, a delicacy in many parts of Asia, are protected species in the Philippines. Local authorities were preparing charges against the Chinese fishers, whose vessel has also been impounded. Many Chinese poachers have previously been jailed after being caught in the waters of Palawan. Military officials said that foreign poachers steal marine life worth up to Php60 billion (USD1 billion) from Philippine waters every year. AFP in The Freeman, 01.13.04 Lapu-lapu City: Adopt-a-mangrove campaign launched The company, Massive Contractors and Developers Corporation (MCDC), has adopted a mangrove area in Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan Island in central Philippines, and hopes to replant and maintain 25 hectares over five years. O.C. Pineda, Sun.Star Cebu, 01.03.04 World Report gives failing grades to efforts to improve
the state of the world The first annual report of the World Economic Forum’s Global Governance Initiative (GGI) represents a year-long independent analysis by seven groups of some of the world’s leading experts in the areas of peace and security, poverty, hunger, education, health, environment and human rights. In September 2000, at the Millennium Summit of the United Nations, leaders from 189 countries endorsed a set of objectives in these areas, many with a specific deadline of 2015. The report finds that during 2003, in no single area did the international community warrant more than a score of 4 on a scale of 0 to 10 measuring the level of effort and cooperation necessary to achieve the goals:
At the same time, the report highlights the positive results of numerous innovative programs in each sector, suggesting that the goals are achievable with the requisite increase in commitment by all sectors. Al Sommer, Dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, stated: "It is no surprise that achievements have, to date, fallen far short of needs. The GGI assessments provide an early warning that unless collaboration, partnerships, responsibility and investments increase appreciably, the world will not achieve these important global goals." Richard Samans, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum’s newly created Global Institute for Partnership and Governance, which organized the project, said: "Particularly striking is the consistency of the appraisals by the seven groups, which worked independently. Across the board, they found that the international community is simply not trying hard enough. The report shines an independent spotlight on the large gap between our aspirations and our actions." World Economic ForumFinland ranks highest in environmental index These results emerge from the most recent update (2002) of the Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI), a project conducted jointly by Yale University, Columbia University, and the World Economic Forum. "The ESI permits systematic cross-national environmental comparisons," says ESI Project Director Daniel Esty of Yale's Center for Environmental Law and Policy. "Environmental decision making has long been plagued by uncertainties and a lack of critical information. As a result, choices are made on the basis of generalized observations and best guesses, or worse yet, rhetoric or emotion. The ESI moves us toward a more analytically rigorous and data driven approach to environmental decision making." According to the study, Finland ranks at the top because of its success in minimizing air and water pollution, its high institutional capacity to handle environmental problems, and its comparatively low levels of greenhouse gas emissions. The United States’ performance is uneven. The U.S. lags in controlling greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change and under-performs its peers in reducing waste. Yet the United States stands at the forefront of the world in controlling water pollution and promoting robust environmental policy debates. The ESI provides a basis for addressing a number of pressing policy questions, such as: does good environmental performance come at a price in terms of economic success? The ESI suggests not. Finland and Belgium, for example, have similar GDP per capita, but are ranked widely apart by the ESI. Finland has a $22,008 GDP per capita and a 73.7 score, while Belgium has a GDP of $24,533 per capita and scores 38.6. "The ESI shows that a nation's economic status does not necessarily predict its environmental success," says Marc Levy of Columbia University's Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), a unit of the Columbia Earth Institute. "Comparative analysis allows us to understand where conditions are improving and where they are deteriorating, which policies are working and which are not, and where 'best practices' might be found," says Yale's Esty. The full report is available at http://www.ciesin.columbia.edu/indicators/ESI/. Consumer appetite eroding quality of life for both
rich and poor -- State of the World 2004 Around 1.7 billion people worldwide-more than a quarter of humanity-have entered the "consumer class," adopting the diets, transportation systems, and lifestyles that were limited to the rich nations of Europe, North America, and Japan during most of the last century. In China alone, 240 million people have joined the ranks of consumers -- a number that will soon surpass that in the United States. "Rising consumption has helped meet basic needs and create jobs," says Worldwatch Institute President Christopher Flavin. "But as we enter a new century, this unprecedented consumer appetite is undermining the natural systems we all depend on, and making it even harder for the world's poor to meet their basic needs." "Higher levels of obesity and personal debt, chronic time shortages, and a degraded environment are all signs that excessive consumption is diminishing the quality of life for many people. The challenge now is to mobilize governments, businesses, and citizens to shift their focus away from the unrestrained accumulation of goods and toward finding ways to ensure a better life for all." Private consumption expenditures-the amount spent on goods and services at the household level-have increased fourfold since 1960, topping more than $20 trillion in 2000, reports State of the World 2004. The 12% of the world's people living in North America and Western Europe account for 60% of this consumption, while the one-third living in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa account for only 3.2%. Consumption among the world's wealthy elites, and increasingly among the middle class, has in recent decades gone beyond satiating needs or fulfilling dreams to become an end in its own right, note State of the World 2004 project directors Lisa Mastny and Brian Halweil. At the same time, consumption is rising rapidly in the developing world, as globalization has introduced millions of people to consumer goods, while providing the technology and capital to produce and disseminate them. There is little evidence that the consumption locomotive is braking -- particularly in the United States, where most people are amply supplied with the goods and services needed to lead a good life. Rising consumption in the U.S., other rich nations, and many developing ones is more than the planet can bear. Forests, wetlands, and other natural places are shrinking to make way for people and their homes, farms, malls, and factories. Despite the existence of alternative sources, more than 90 percent of paper still comes from trees-eating up about one fifth of the total wood harvest worldwide. An estimated 75 percent of global fish stocks are now fished at or beyond their sustainable limit. And even though technology allows for greater fuel efficiency than ever before, cars and other forms of transportation account for nearly 30 percent of world energy use and 95 percent of global oil consumption. At the same time, however, growing dissatisfaction with current consumption trends has led consumer advocates, economists, policymakers, and environmentalists to develop creative options for meeting people's needs while dampening the environmental and social costs of mass consumption. State of the World 2004 points to a range of opportunities that are already available to governments, businesses, and consumers to curb and redirect consumption:
Report on global warming threat to biodiversity
highlights need for action, UN official says "If 1 million species become extinct as a result of global warming, it is not just the plant and animal kingdoms and the beauty of the planet that will suffer," UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer warned. "Billions of people, especially in the developing world, will suffer too as they rely on nature for such essential goods and services as food, shelter and medicines. Many developing countries also rely on nature-based tourism to generate much-needed foreign exchange earnings." The paper, published in the scientific journal Nature, found that 15 to 37% of all species in the six regions studied -- representing one-fifth of the planet's land area -- could become extinct under the mid-range climate warming scenarios that are likely to occur between now and 2050. In contrast, if minimum, rather than maximum, climate warming is achieved, 15 to 20% of all land species could potentially be saved from extinction. The study, which drew the largest collaboration of scientists ever, projected the future distribution of 1,103 plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, butterflies and other invertebrates. Said Toepfer, "Unbridled climate change is the specter haunting many of the objectives enshrined in.the United Nations Millennium Development Goals in areas such as biodiversity, but also in ones such as water and sanitation. Unfortunately, this alarming report underlines again to the world the importance of brining into force the Kyoto Protocol." The report is not without its critics. "Not only are the conclusions outlandish, but the theory upon which the entire article rests has been itself thoroughly disproved," said Iain Murray of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, which advocates free enterprise. "The authors used a theory from 1859 that the absolute area of animal habitat controls the number of possible species, despite ample proof in recent years that that simply isn't true. Without that connection, any predictions about actual extinction rates are hogwash." Link between shrimp farming and shorebird decline
being ignored – report In an article published on the Mangrove Action Project website, Dr Yara Schaeffer-Novelli, head of BIOMA, a center for research and outreach on tropical coastal wetlands based at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, said that while the causes for coastal wetland conversion are diverse, “we find it surprising that the rapid growth of shrimp farming on a global scale could not be identified as a significant agent for these population declines. Said Novelli, “The International Wader Study Group (IWSG), a Specialist Group of Wetlands International and the IUCN's Species Survival Commission, has concluded that the majority of populations of shorebirds (waders) of known population trend are in decline all around the world, making this issue a matter of international conservation concern,” said Novelli. “Of populations with known trends, 48% are declining, in contrast to just 16% which are increasing. Thus, three times as many populations are in decline as are increasing.” Wintering grounds and stopover areas are too remote for US and European researchers to work on, leaving much of the world unaware of the habitat destruction that is happening there, Novelli noted. Novelli said “in-country conservation actions” are not enough to address the impact of aquaculture on shorebird populations, because local communities remain politically weak and “have little say on land use decisions that are made by a politically powerful elite.” She urged consumer groups to organize and use their strength to effect change. “Experience shows that consumers can be mobilized around environmental issues related to the production of internationally traded commodities. Shorebirds, because of their ‘flagship’ status could be used to promote shrimp production under more environmentally sustainable, socially equitable and ethical ways if it were made possible to differentiate these products in the market,” said Novelli. “Ironically, farmed shrimp is now sold in the U.S. as ‘Turtle Safe’ because it is not trawled and does not endanger sea turtle habitats, but consumers are not aware how bird- and (especially) socially-unfriendly these farm-raised shrimp are.” 2003 declared ‘Year of Ocean Decline”; first Rotten
Jellyfish Awards announced Legally Blonde 1 and 2, Best In Show) and Danielle Gaither (MadTV) lent their voices to a growing array of celebrities supporting the Shifting Baselines project. The Rotten Jellyfish Awards honor the worst cases of ocean decline with biting humor. For example, shark fin fishing receives a Rotten Jellyfish Award for devastating shark populations worldwide. It is a particularly wasteful fishery in which the fins of sharks are hacked off, and the rest of the body is thrown overboard. "No wonder sharks are attacking surfers," Danielle Gaither offers. Another Rotten Jellyfish goes to the "Dead Zone," which Jennifer Coolidge points out is not a gathering place for fans of Jerry Garcia, but is in fact an enormous region in the Gulf of Mexico that is now lifeless due to pollution and excess fertilizer washed out of the Mississippi River. In addition to the comic deliveries of Coolidge and Gaither, the Video News Release (VNR) contains an introduction by Shifting Baselines Executive Director Dr. Randy Olson. To help illustrate the awards, the press conference footage is peppered by B-Roll of shark-fin fishing, dynamite fishing, plastics in the sea, dying coral reefs, closed beaches, and other "honored" topics of ocean decline. Additional B-Roll is available after the awards. The overall purpose of the VNR is to call attention to the severity of ocean deterioration and help support the major ocean conservation groups, all of whom are participants in the project. These include The Ocean Conservancy, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Surfrider Foundation, 12 other major ocean conservation groups, and the newest partner, World Wildlife Fund. While presented with a humorous edge, the "winning" issues are in fact serious problems. The Shifting Baselines website provides insight into the major problems. Shifting Baselines is a partnership of ocean conservation and the Hollywood filmmaking community directed by Dr. Randy Olson with scientific support from Dr. Jeremy Jackson, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Hollywood support from producer Gale Anne Hurd ("Terminator," "Aliens," "The Abyss," "The Hulk") of Valhalla Motion Pictures. In addition to delivering the harsh truth about ocean decline, Shifting Baselines also seeks to inform and engage the viewers through the use of humor. Earlier efforts this year included a comedy contest on the subject of "Lowered Standards" and a comic Public Service Announcement featuring actors Jack Black, Henry Winkler, and Tom Arnold. New UN prize honors inventive partnerships in resource
use The Supporting Entrepreneurs in Environment and Development (SEED) Awards aim not to honor outcomes but innovative partnership proposals. Winners - whether they are community groups, businesses, workers organizations or local authorities - will receive support in developing business plans, seeking funding and setting up partnerships, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) reported. "We are not trying to set-up an international standard for ideal partnerships, but rather to honor, support and promote the entrepreneurial spirit of those working in partnerships that contribute to the achievement of the UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the World Summit for Sustainable Development's Plan of Implementation," UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer said. The MDGs are a set of time-bound, measurable targets that world leaders agreed to in 2000 at a UN summit that aim to halve poverty, bring educational parity to boys and girls and cut the rate of HIV/AIDS transmissions, all by 2015. Project suggests “5 ways to create healthier homes
and habitats in the New Year”
Monterey Bay Aquarium issues seafood guide The national guide features 60 of the most popular seafood species found on menus and in markets across the United States, ranked in "Best Choices," "Caution" and "Avoid" categories by the aquarium's Seafood Watch research team. Topping the "Best Choices" list are items including farmed catfish and farmed caviar, stone crab, wild-caught Alaska salmon, tilapia and Pacific halibut. The "Avoid" list includes Atlantic and Icelandic cod, Chilean sea bass, orange roughy, swordfish, imported shrimp, red snapper and shark. The guide will reach 2 million people by Earth Day 2004. By the end of 2004, the aquarium and its partners will have distributed 3 million of the guides. "Fisheries conservation is among today's most important marine conservation issues," said aquarium Executive Director Julie Packard. "It's an environmental problem whose solution is in people's hands every time they buy seafood. Through Seafood Watch, we want people to have the information they need to make wise choices when they shop." The national guide reflects the best information available on the status of the featured fisheries and farm-raised species, as gleaned from government fisheries management agencies, the academic research community, and the fishing and aquaculture industries. An expert panel of scientific advisors reviews the aquarium's methodology for evaluating seafood. Full reports on each seafood species, all reviewed by external experts, are available on the aquarium's web site, and on the Seafood Information Center. The Seafood Information Center, created by Seafood Watch, serves as an online clearinghouse for resource managers, scientists, environmental groups and fishing organizations that want access to the background documents supporting each recommendation. "Information about fisheries and aquaculture is constantly evolving," Dianto said, "and therefore, recommendations on Seafood Watch pocket guides are updated twice a year." NOAA, industry develop technology that saves sea
turtles "The results of this study have global implications for all nations with longline fishing fleets," said William Hogarth, director of NOAA Fisheries. "Our cooperative research with industry has shown that these turtle bycatch-reduction techniques have been successfully tested in the Grand Banks and are a viable solution for meeting everyone's objectives. I'm asking all nations to match our efforts and evaluate these techniques in their fisheries so we can meet our shared responsibility to protect sea turtles and allow commercial fishing to prosper." The agency and partners have concluded that encounters with leatherback and loggerhead turtles can be reduced by as much as 90 percent by switching the type of hook and bait from the traditional "J"- style hook with squid to a large circle style hook with mackerel. For the turtles that are incidentally captured, government scientists and partners have developed new de-hooking and release techniques to increase survival rates. Dehookers and dipnets allow fishermen to remove hooks from turtles with minimal additional trauma. A device used as a turtle elevator, the "leatherback lift," was crafted to allow fishermen to bring larger turtles on board for de-hooking. UN official sees ‘big potential’ at small islands
conference The week-long meeting in Nassau is part of the preparatory process for a meeting slated for later this year in Mauritius to review progress since the adoption, in 1994, of the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States. "For the conference in Barbados, our slogan was 'Small Islands, Big Issues,'" said Anwarul K. Chowdhury, the Secretary-General of the Mauritius meeting. "For Mauritius, reflecting today's realities, I would like to adjust it to say: 'Small Islands, Big Potential.'" Chowdhury also acknowledged that in spite of the efforts made by small islands, the expectations for international cooperation for the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action have not materialized. Chowdhury revealed that the overall assistance for small islands has fallen from $2.3 billion in 1994 to $1.7 billion in 2002. The Bahamas forum aims to develop a common platform in preparation for the International Meeting to the 10-year review of the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of the Small Island Developing States to be held in Mauritius from 30 August to 4 September. This conference will address pressing issues for small islands such as the rising level of seas due to global warming, vulnerability to cyclones, trade, tourism, freshwater, energy, transport and communications, good governance and HIV/AIDS. New UN protocol set to restrict heavy metal emissions
in Europe The Protocol on Heavy Metals, ratified by 18 countries and the European Union, will be the seventh to enter into effect under the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE). "Heavy metals obviously are something that cause great concern for the global environment because they travel throughout oceans," Verner Obermayer of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) told the UN News Service. "We have recorded cases where heavy metals are found in fish, which make up the bulk of protein intake for people in coastal areas and the Artic region." He noted that in Europe, fish is an important food source in the Nordic countries. "It is a very good development to recognize the link between environmental conservation and health," he added. Adopted in June 1998 in Aarhus, Denmark, the Protocol requires parties to reduce their emissions of cadmium, lead and mercury -- identified as being harmful to human health -- to levels below that of 1990, or an alternate year between 1985 and 1995. European Commission promotes citizens' involvement
in environmental matters This will come about as a result of aligning legislation at EU level and in EU Member States with the provisions of the 1998 Århus Convention. In October 2003 the European Commission has adopted three legislative proposals towards full application of the Convention, launching the final step in implementing its provisions into EU law. These proposals should, in practice, act as the catalyst for important changes in the behavior of public authorities at all levels by enabling citizens and associations to assume responsibility for the environment. The EUCC Coastal News Wildlife brings £4.8 billion to the UK economy
-- study A wide range of species are used for consumptive and non-consumptive purposes, including health, nutrition, construction, and leisure, accounting to a minimum contribution of £4.8 billion (US$8.1 billion) to the UK economy and supporting 35,000 jobs. This figure is equivalent to some 0.5% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Indeed, demand outstrips supply from the wild in the UK such that many products have to be imported. "In an increasingly urbanized Britain, with its intensive agriculture, factory-produced foods, imported raw materials, and limited natural habitats, it is perhaps surprising to find that British wildlife is widely utilized and has considerable socio-economic value," said Dr Jane Smart, Chair of the IUCN-UK Committee. "It demonstrates that guidance on how to use wildlife sustainably is as pertinent to the UK as to any other country," she added. Recreation is the number one use of wildlife, which contributes over £3 billion a year, and sports fisheries -- inland and marine -- game and coarse account for most of this figure. Commercial viewing of marine mammals such as whales, porpoises, dolphins and seals is a growing industry. The first commercial whale-watching operation began in Scotland in 1989, and by 1998 there were over 40 businesses in the UK. Direct economic income from whale-watching in Scotland is estimated at £10.7 million, and in remote coastal areas, up to 12% of the total tourism income may be attributable to it. Nutrition is also a major reason for the use of wildlife in the UK. The total net economic value of commercial salmon fishing in England, Wales and Scotland is estimated to be between £9.2 million to £16.9 million. However, there have recently been major decreases in fishing capacity and profitability. On the marine front, the UK fishing fleet landed 748 thousand tons of sea fish with a value of £550 million in the year 2000. The catches peaked in 1998 (923.8 thousand tons, £661.5 million) but have since declined by around 10% every year, to some stocks now being found at historically low levels. Unwanted by-catch is also an issue of concern. Seaweeds are harvested by one company in Scotland (20 tons annually of eight species) for the production of cosmetic soaps, masks, wraps, creams, and lotions based on traditional recipes. Even invertebrates have a price tag. Used as bait for sea-angling, an estimated 140-150 tons of ragworms Nereis spp. and lugworms Arenicola marina are harvested for a total retail value of some £10 million. Presenting the report, Dr Smart said: "Even though the UK as a developed country does not have a primary reliance on biodiversity, the use and conservation of our wildlife continues to make a significant contribution to our economy, to employment and to the enjoyment and well-being of the UK's population." Southern Sea Lion colony in Patagonia at all time
high The Sea Lion numbers at the Estancia la Esperanza reserve are now at an all time high. The colony, established around the same time as the reserve, has increased from 35 individuals in February 2001, to 105 individuals recorded in December 2003. The Southern Sea Lion (Otaria byronia) is found throughout the Patagonian coastal region, and is a magnificent animal. Males grow up to almost eleven feet long and weigh up to 300kg with females up to eight feet long and up to 144kg in weight. However, the Southern Sea Lion has been a victim of the fur trade in the past, which caused a significant decline in numbers on individuals and in their range. Today, although it is illegal to kill Sea Lions in Argentina, numbers are still declining due to human disturbance such as commercial fishing. Armed patrols to protect Australia’s Southern Ocean
fisheries The Australian Customs Service will lease an ice-strengthened ship for full-time surveillance and enforcement of the region, Justice and Customs Minister Chris Ellison said. The ship will carry a deck-mounted machine gun, a customs boarding party armed with handguns, Australian fisheries officers and a civilian boarding crew, Senator Ellison and Fisheries Minister Ian Macdonald said in a joint statement. Patrols of Australian waters surrounding Heard Island and McDonald Island will be conducted and the ship will be able to operate year-round in almost all weather conditions. -- AAP Australian wins highest global award for fisheries
research Dr Keith Sainsbury, a Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) marine ecologist and mathematical modeller received the Prize for his international efforts to conserve fisheries and marine ecosystems. The award relates to food production based on sustainable ecosystems, a concept that Sainsbury and colleagues have championed in both theoretical and practical ways for more than 20 years. A senior scientist at CSIRO Marine Research, Hobart, Sainsbury is also Chair of the Technical Advisory Board of the London-based Marine Stewardship Council, which assesses the sustainability of fishery resources and makes available an EcoLabel to fisheries that pass so that consumers can recognize sustainable seafood products. Most recently Dr Sainsbury, 53, headed a research team to develop and apply the scientific basis for multiple-use planning and management of marine ecosystems in Australia Exclusive Economic Zone, including the North West Shelf region and Australia's South East. This emphasis on understanding and managing fisheries and other human uses of marine ecosystems is a major reason for his being awarded the Japan Prize. "We need to look at our fisheries as just one element of the marine
environment, and to sustainably manage the combination of all the human
uses of the marine environment - uses in the catchments, on the coasts
and in the oceans. This is what is necessary for truly sustainable development
and continued enjoyment of our coasts and marine environment by future
generations. And while we still have a great deal to learn about the
oceans we already have good scientific tools to help identify management
strategies to achieve this,” Sainsbury said.
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