The Online Magazine for Sustainable Seas
January, 2008, Vol. 10 No. 1
COASTAL ALERT
Philippines
SC
designates 117 environment courts
DENR intensifies geological survey to define country’s
continental shelf
Coral Triangle Initiative gets new boost
BFAR proposes 3in minimum net mesh size for tuna fishing
Fisheries sector seen to drive agri growth
Tuna shortage forces cannery production cut
Strong peso hits seaweed industry
Manila Oceanarium opening moved to February
Marine support facilities proposed in Davao
BFAR notes more investors in Cagayan de Oro and Misamis
Oriental mariculture parks
54,000 mangroves planted along Iloilo River
Fishers say “secret dumping” of Tañon drilling wastes
affects fish catch
Fishing village placed under state of calamity because
of fish kill
BFAR says cyanide levels near mine site ‘tolerable’
‘Climate change’ experiment questioned
No technical studies, no ECC for “ocean fertilization”
project – DENR
GEF/ADB-funded ICRM project launched in Masbate, Davao
Oriental
New PEMSEA office to showcase East Asian coastal resource
management
New environmental master plan drafted for Boracay
Seahorse sanctuary in Bohol judged the best in RP
Center develops environment-friendly fishing gear
Zamboanga Sibugay fisheries ordinance up for adoption
World
World’s fisheries authorities debate the future
of fish farming
WTO head says greening of trade body has started
WTO proposal limits fisheries subsidies
Aquaculture only way to meet future demand for fish
– UN agency
Greenpeace slams 'unsustainable' new tuna quota
UN chief advocates new ‘green economics’
Governments agree on new UN-backed pact to protect sharks
Coral added to IUCN Red List
Marine parks may be only way to save fish stocks --
report
UN report finds environmental progress inadequate
UN Maritime agency to intensify work on greenhouse gas
emissions
UN agency holding video contest to raise awareness about
global hunger
Build up fish stocks now for big money later: study
Method used on Wall Street applied to fish population
forecasts
Greenhouse ocean may downsize fish risking one of world's
most productive fisheries
Overfished species suffer evolutionary damage: report
New study finds biodiversity conservation secures ecosystem
services for people
Whales evolved from raccoon-sized creature, researchers
say
Mussels inspire new surgical glue possibilities
Ancient fish bones reveal impacts of global warming
beneath the sea
New findings show carbon dioxide impacts on corals
At 400, clam may be longest-lived animal known
Decline in uptake of carbon dioxide emissions confirmed
Ocean robots network achieves universal coverage
New center will focus on world's oceans
First organic fish fingers on sale
Friends of the Sea launches first Sustainable Seafood
Marketplace online
'Fair' deal at fisheries summit
UN: Iceland’s fishing quota system unfair
EU has no idea how much fish it catches: watchdog
WTO members adopt dispute panel ruling on ‘salmon’
Atlantic fisheries and aquaculture ministers tackle
economic challenges facing the fishery
Study says sea lice from fish farms could wipe out wild
salmon
US may turn to open ocean fish farms
Moratorium urged on Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean
bluefin tuna
Mediterranean sharks, rays facing oblivion, study says
Pacific Islands: Access fees get the nod in WTO chair’s
text
Asian nations warn of coral 'mass extinction'
Fish vanishing from Southeast Asian oceans: report
Malaysia calls for discussion on cross-border fishery
issues
Bali's fishermen adapt to climate change
Thailand to reduce shrimp production
China is world's largest seafood producer, exporter
-- report
China sets up command center to monitor fisheries
Cyclone-hit shrimp farmers in Bangladesh face uncertain
future
Vietnam’s seafood processors struggle with over-capacity
Uganda: 'Fish farming will not end shortage'
Resources
Manila
Bay Area Environmental Atlas
Shifting Baselines Toolset
UNEP State of the Environment
UN-backed environmental database for developing nations
Coral Reefs on-line
State of Deep Coral Ecosystems of the United States
Newsletter on gender and fisheries
Turkey’s biodiversity database
Philippines
SC designates 117 environment
courts
Manila, 14 Jan 2008 (L. Salaverria/Philippine
Daily Inquirer) -- The Supreme Court has designated 117 trial
courts as “environmental courts” to hear cases involving violations
of laws protecting the country’s natural resources and to speed up
their resolution.
In a resolution, the tribunal approved the recommendation of the Philippine Judicial Academy to designate such courts “for improved environmental adjudication” in the country.
The resolution, dated Nov. 20, 2007, was received by the Supreme Court’s public information office only on Jan. 9, a copy of which was obtained by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Of the 117 environmental courts, 45 were earlier designated as forestry courts.
Forty-eight “first-level” courts and 24 “second-level” courts will handle all types of environmental cases, including violations of the Fisheries Code and the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act, which establishes national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
Metropolitan and municipal trial courts belong to the “first level,” while regional trial courts comprise the “second level.”
Other laws pertaining to the environment include the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, the Coconut Preservation Act, and the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act.
The high court said all single-sala first-level and second-level courts would be considered special courts which can hear and decide environmental cases.
As part of the program, the tribunal will conduct training seminars for the personnel of the environmental and appellate courts.
Chief Justice Reynato Puno earlier said the environment was an important component in ensuring that fundamental human rights to life, health and well-being were upheld.
It was not the first time that Puno created special courts to handle special cases. In March last year, he designated 99 courts to handle cases involving political killings.
The special courts were tasked with resolving the cases in 90 days, with the warning that delays would be punished. Full story
DENR intensifies geological survey
to define country’s continental shelf
13 Nov 2007 (DENR)
– Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza expressed
confidence that the country will submit on time the requirements set
by the United Nations defining the country’s continental shelf which,
at present, extends 200 nautical miles from the baseline but could
still be extended up to a maximum of 350 nautical miles.
Failure to submit survey results before the deadline set by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS will mean that other countries or the International Seabed Authority (ISA) can lay claim to it.
ISA is an intergovernmental body based in Kingston, Jamaica established to organize and control all mineral-related activities in the international seabed area lying beyond the limits of national jurisdiction under the ocean.
UNCLOS has set a 2009 deadline for the submission of geological surveys from countries in the Asian region. Under its rules, governments that want to extend their continental shelf must collect and interpret large volumes of geophysical data describing the shape of the continental margin, measuring sediment thickness and locating the “foot of slope” of the continental shelf.
Atienza said he has ordered the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) and Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to fast-track their geological surveys for the establishment of the extension.
He said the government has created this year the Commission on Maritime and Ocean Affairs (CMOA) to oversee the conduct of the project. The commission is headed by the Executive Secretary and its members include the Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Justice (DOJ), NAMRIA and MGB of the DENR. Full story
Coral Triangle Initiative gets
new boost
12 Dec 2007 (DENR)
-- In a bid to capture greater attention from the international community
to ease the impact of climate change on marine and coastal ecosystems,
senior officials from six countries including the Philippines taking
part in the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) met in Bali, Indonesia
on December 6 and 7 at the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference.
Led by Indonesia, the CTI multilateral partnership aims to ensure long-term benefits from the sustainable management of marine and coastal resources within the Coral Triangle which encompasses all or parts of the six participating countries that also include Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands.
The senior officials meeting (SOM) was held to discuss ways and means of concretizing cooperation activities under the CTI’s purview. During the meeting, the senior officials agreed to develop a comprehensive plan of action for CTI. The Second CTI -SOM to be hosted by the Philippines in 2008 will endorse this plan of action for approval by CTI ministers at their initial meeting in October 2008. The final action plan will then be presented and affirmed by heads of state at the World Oceans Conference in Manado in May 2009.
The SOM also agreed that a technical working group will initially draft this plan of action which would contain quantitative goals and specific timetables. Five initial goals had been identified, namely: the designation and effective management of “priority seascapes”; application of an ecosystem approach to the management of fisheries and other marine resources; establishment and effective management of marine protected areas (MPAs); achievement of climate change adaptation measures; and the improvement of threatened species status.
They also endorsed nine principles that will guide the future implementation of the CTI. These principles include people-centered biodiversity conservation, multi-stakeholder participation, and complementarity with similar initiatives and commitments. Full story
BFAR proposes 3in minimum net
mesh size for tuna fishing
General Santos City, 12 November (G.J. Pardo/PIA)
– A draft regulation, which is in the form of a Fisheries Administrative
Order (FAO), sets a minimum net mesh size of 3 inches for catching
tuna. If approved, it will also prohibit trade in small tuna caught
beyond the bycatch ceiling.
Bycatch ceiling refers to the ceiling of 10% of small tunas caught during fishing operation. Small tuna refers to the young of tuna fish less than 500 gms. It includes juvenile yellowfin tuna, big eye tuna, and skipjack tuna. The widespread catching of small or juvenile tuna, if left unchecked, would eventually lead to stock depletion.
The regulation was presented at a tuna conference in General Santos City, where the Philippine
National Tuna Management Plan was also discussed. The plan is part of the Philippines’ commitments to the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (MHLC) and the United Nations Agreement on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (UNFSA). It provides for management of the three major tuna species: Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis), Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) and Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus). Full story
Fisheries sector seen to drive
agri growth
11 Jan 2008 (MV Go/Philstar.com)
– The fisheries sector will continue to be the primary growth driver
for Philippine agriculture this year, with production target set at
5.34 million metric tons or a hefty 10% hike from the 2007 yield.
In a report to Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Director Malcolm Sarmiento said 2.701 million MT would come from the aquaculture sector; 1.157 million MT from commercial fisheries, and 1.48 million MT from municipal fishing.
The Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao; the Mimaropa region of Mindoro Oriental, Mindoro Occidental, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan; the Zamboanga Peninsula; the CALABARZON provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon; and Western Visayas are expected to fuel the growth of the fisheries sector this year, Sarmiento said.
Yap pointed out that the fisheries sector has consistently been the biggest gainer in terms of growth in the first three quarters of 2007, chalking up an impressive 7.92% growth from July to September 2007.
Fourth quarter production for 2007 is estimated to reach 1.428 million MT or a surplus of 773,000 MT, Sarmiento said.
Yap said the establishment of environment-friendly systems such as mariculture parks; expansion of seaweed farming; farming of high-value species such as abalone, sea urchins and sea cucumbers, and P. vannamei or the Pacific white shrimp; more aggressive enforcement of anti-poaching and illegal fishing and sustained resource conservation efforts, would help sustain the growth of the sector in 2008.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has listed the Philippines as No. 8, up from No. 11, among the top fish-producing countries in the world.
Tuna is the Philippines’ top export to the USA, Japan, China and the European Union.
The Philippines is also the world’s second largest producer of seaweeds, with production reaching 1.39 million MT or 11.6 percent of the total world production of 12 million MT. Source
Tuna shortage forces cannery production
cut
GENERAL SANTOS CITY, 21 Dec 2007 (MindaNews) – Some tuna canning
plants here have cut production time by 16 hours a day due to scarcity
of stock, affecting about half of their labor force, Mariano
Fernandez, president of the Tuna Canners Association of the Philippines-General
Santos, said.
“We are now working eight hours compared to 24 hours operation before,” said Fernandez, manager of Ocean Canning Corporation. Other canning factories may have done the same, he added.
Ocean Canning used to employ 1,500 workers on a 24-hour basis. These days, only 700 are working in an eight-hour operation.
Fernandez theorized higher-then-normal ocean temperatures may be the culprit, affecting tuna production worldwide.
“Tuna likes cool temperatures,” Fernandez explained. Higher sea temperatures may have pushed tuna stocks deep down the ocean where nets of fishing vessels could not catch them, he said.
Fernandez hopes operations will go back to normal in February with cooler sea temperatures.
Ricardo Magnayon, Jr., manager of General Tuna Corp., said his company managed to operate at normal capacity in 2007 by stocking up enough supply to last through the end of the year. But he lamented the scarcity of supplies has raised prices of raw tuna to an all-time high of $1,500 per ton.
Miguel Lamberte, manager of the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority confirmed tuna stocks landed at the fish port complex declined by 20% to 30% in the last few months. He agreed warm sea temperatures may have caused the decline of tuna catches, but added rising fuel prices may also be a factor.
Export volume for January-August 2007 was more than 50 million kg valued at $111 million, according to data from the Department of Trade and Industry in Region 12 or Southwestern Mindanao. Full story
Strong peso hits seaweed industry
MANILA, 20 Dec 2007 (AR Remo/Philippine Daily Inquirer) -- The
seaweed industry expects to lose more than Php2 billion of the peso
value of exports in 2007, largely because of the rapid rise of peso,
an industry leader said.
Even if exports reached $180 million from last year’s $165 million, the peso equivalent in 2007 would be much less than the 2006 level, said Benson Dakay, president of the Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines.
Last year, with an exchange rate of Php55-P56 to the dollar, export value hit more than Php9 billion, Dakay said. In 2007, at an exchange rate of Php40-P41 to the dollar, sales were likely to have reached only Php7 billion, he said.
Dakay estimates “the shutdowns and slowdowns of factories have displaced about 100,000 farmers and workers.”
Dakay earlier urged the government to exempt seaweed farmers and traders from the 1% withholding tax on agricultural suppliers.
Other factors such as global warming and stiffer competition have also taken their toll on the industry, which is reeling from insufficient supply of seaweeds, as farms in the southern provinces of Tawi-Tawi and Sulu have not fully recovered from the typhoons that hit the area in 2006.
Seaweed production fell to 95,000 MT in 2006 from 102,820 MT in 2004 as warmer water temperatures made it more difficult to produce seaweed. Full story
Manila Oceanarium opening moved
to February
Manila, 15 Dec 2007 (M Ortiz/Inquirer.net)
– The country’s first oceanarium has delayed its opening to the first
week of February to finish the construction of additional attractions
like a glass-bottom boat ride.
“We want to finish all our new attractions before opening the ocean park to the public,” said park marketing manager Tina Santos.
Among the new activities, according to Santos, would be the glass-bottom boat ride on top of the Buhay na Karagatan section, which has a 25-meter walkway with curved acrylic walls to show corals, small fishes, sharks and rays.
“With the glass-bottom boat, visitors could observe the interactions among marine species from a different point of view,” Santos said.
The boat that could accommodate 10 people would be manually pulled from one end of the aquarium to the other so as not to disturb the fishes.
“Patrons could interact with resident biologists and ask questions about the ecosystem during the boat ride,” Santos said
The park will integrate sustainability factors in its initiatives, such as information, education and communication campaign; science research programs, resource management programs, and day-to-day operations.
Manila Ocean Park also embarked on a science research program on the development of a technology for coral propagation and reef rehabilitation in cooperation with Professor Benjamin Vallejo of the University of the Philippines. Full story
Marine support facilities proposed
in Davao
DAVAO CITY, 31 Dec 2007 (JR Sevilla/Sun.Star Davao) – The Davao
Integrated and Development Program (DIDP), a local government initiative,
is studying a Php300 million Marine Fisheries Support Facilities Improvement
Project.
The proposed project includes a fish port, upgrading and construction of strategic fish support facilities and installation of post-harvest facilities, and the establishment of distribution linkages between support facilities. Full story
BFAR notes more investors in Cagayan
de Oro and Misamis Oriental mariculture parks
5 Jan 2008 (Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro) – The Bureau
of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) reported high interest
among businessmen and entrepreneurs in Cagayan de Oro City and Misamis
Oriental in its mariculture park project.
Regional BFAR-Northern Mindanao Director Arlene Pantanosas said the Mariculture Park was launched last March with only one private investor operating one fish cage. In eight months, there were six investors. The biggest investor has applied for rights to operate 120 fish cages.
Some 36 fish cages have been deployed, 18 are of which have been stocked. Full story
54,000 mangroves planted along
Iloilo River
21 Dec 2007 (City Hall PIO/News Today) -- More than 50,000 mangroves
were planted along Iloilo River over the last two months under the
Iloilo City Mangrove Reforestation Project.
City agriculturist Jose Gil Parreñas said the project planted seven mangrove species that naturally occur in the area: Avicennia marina, A. officinalis, Sonneratia caseolaris, Rhizophora mucronata, R. stylosa, R. apiculata and Nypa fruticans.
The project is part of the environmental component of the Iloilo Flood Control Project (IFCP), implemented in partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and China International Water and Electric Corporation, a contractor for the IFCP. Full story
Fishers say “secret dumping” of
Tañon drilling wastes affects fish catch
Cebu City, 14 Dec 2007 (N. Gallo, C. Ligan/Cebu Daily News) –
Fishers are complaining about declining fish catch, and the alleged
dumping of an undisclosed cargo of waste materials in Aloguinsan town
in western Cebu hauled from sea drilling operations in the Tañon strait
has prompted calls for investigation.
Lawyer Gloria Estenzo-Ramos urged the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Cebu City and Cebu chapters to look into the environmental impact of the oil exploration at Tañon Strait.
“I urge them to spearhead a fact-finding committee at Pinamungahan and Aloguinsan and look into the situation of our fisherfolk, the health impact of this oil drilling, and inspect the disposal of hazardous waste,” said Ramos, deputy director of the National Environment Action Team (NEAT) for the Visayas.
The challenge came after Ramon Yanong, one of the fishermen in Aloguinsan told a press conference at the University of the Philippines in Cebu: “Before, we could catch four to eight kilos of fish, but now, there is nothing to catch. If we catch anything, it is barely enough for my family to eat, and we have nothing to sell.”
Vince Cinches, head of the Fisherfolk Development Center Inc. also reported that cargo believed to contain toxic materials were loaded from the oil rig and taken to the port of Toledo City.
Ramos said this latest report about waste dumping may be included in the petition for certiorari to be filed before the Supreme Court against the project proponents, the Department of Energy (DOE) and Japex Corp.
Meanwhile, DOE Director Antonio Labios said no complaint about toxic waste in the areas has reached him or the environment department. He claimed the equipment brought by Japex Corp. has no toxic substance, and the Japanese firm complied with all requirements. Full story
Fishing village placed under state
of calamity because of fish kill
Legazpi City, 07 Nov 2007 (E. Aguilar/Inquirer.net)
-- The municipal government of Rapu-Rapu in Albay province placed
Barangay (village) Poblacion under a state of calamity after residents
demanded immediate relief from a fish kill on October 28.
Anti-mining groups immediately blamed Lafayatte Mining Inc. for the fish kill that they claimed endangered the livelihood of thousands of villagers.
The mine firm operates an 18-hectare open-pit copper and zinc mine on the island town east of Legazpi City.
Five days after the reported fish kill, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) cleared the mining firm of any hand in the fish kill, saying the string of dead fish was found 10 kilometers away from the mine site.
But the agency could not establish the cause of the fish kill and has sought the assistance of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in conducting extensive laboratory analysis. Full story
BFAR says cyanide levels near
mine site ‘tolerable’
Legazpi City, 16 Nov 2007 (E Aguilar/Inquirer.net>
-- Cyanide levels in the island town of Rapu-Rapu in Albay were found
to be “tolerable” and “have no effect on marine life,” according to
the Bureau
of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
The BFAR conducted the tests to find out what caused a fishkill reported on Oct. 28 and blamed by certain quarters on mining operations on Rapu-Rapu Island. The mines are operated by Lafayette Philippines, Inc, which runs a 180-hectare open-pit copper and zinc mine occupying almost 80 percent of the island.
But the agency could not clear the Australian-owned mining company of any involvement in the fishkill, said Bert Borbe, fisheries and resource management division chief of BFAR-Bicol.
The BFAR team deployed to Rapu-Rapu gathered fish and water samples in the area on Oct. 30, two days after the fishkill was reported. Borbe said the samples, upon reaching the BFAR central office in Manila, were already decaying and were no longer fit for analysis.
Only water samples were tested for cyanide and mercury, he said.
The BFAR proposed more tests.
“We need to conduct deeper underwater analysis, but it’s something we cannot conduct outright due to financial constraints,” Borbe said in a mobile phone interview.
He said more tests were needed to determine any presence of contaminants on the sand, stone and other elements from the sea floor. Full story
‘Climate change’ experiment questioned
Iloilo City, 19 Nov 2007 (NP Burgos Jr./Inquirer.net) -- The Bureau
of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has withheld endorsement
of a proposed experiment by an Australian firm to release 500 tons
of urea near Panay Island.
Urea, a chemical fertilizer, is expected to stimulate the growth of phytoplankton that is hoped to reduce carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Fisheries regional director Drusila Esther Bayate said she was concerned with the experiment’s impact on marine life because of the big volume of urea to be dumped.
“Once it (urea) is there, it would be beyond our control,” Bayate told the Inquirer in a telephone interview.
She said she has asked a team from the Sydney-based Ocean Nourishment Corp. (ONC) to submit a complete project proposal before she would consider endorsing the experiment to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
ONC’s “ocean nourishment” project involves the release of 500 tons of urea granules into the Sulu and Celebes seas.
But environmental groups, including Greenpeace-Southeast Asia and the Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment, have called for a stop to the plan until its viability and safety is guaranteed. Full story
No technical studies, no ECC for
“ocean fertilization” project – DENR
21 Nov 2007 (DENR)
– The Department
of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will not issue
an environmental clearance to the “ocean fertilization” project in
the Sulu Sea unless the proponent can show that it will not harm the
environment.
“Unless sufficient information is provided to establish that the project will not harm the environment, an environmental clearance will not be issued by the Department for the said project,” DENR Secretary Lito Atienza said.
The DENR chief asked Sydney-based Ocean Nourishment Corporation (ONC) to submit data on the possible negative effects on the ecosystem; safety measures to be implemented in the event of algal bloom; the speed and direction of the sea current on the site together with a computer simulation; and the effect of the northeastern monsoon on the speed of dispersal of nutrient-rich water inasmuch as corals do not thrive in nutrient-rich waters.
ONC applied for a certificate of non-coverage for its Ocean Nourishment Research Project to be conducted in the Sulu Sea south of Anini-y in Antique. In the application filed before the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) in Region 6, Climate Research Ltd. said it plans to “introduce nutrients to the photic zone of the ocean to increase the sustainable fish stocks and mitigate climate change by capturing and storing carbon dioxide in the deep ocean.” Full story
GEF/ADB-funded ICRM project launched
in Masbate, Davao Oriental
Legazpi City, 29 Nov 2007 (DENR/PIA/ADB) — The Integrated Coastal
Resource Management Project (ICRMP) has been launched in Masbate and
Davao Oriental.
ICRMP is funded by a special grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The Integrated Coastal Resources Management Project (ICRMP) will be carried out by at least six line government agencies led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in partnership with the different local government units (LGUs) in Regions 2, 3, 5, 7 and 11.
Besides Masbate and Davao Oriental, ICRMP will also be implemented in Cagayan Valley, Zambales, Cebu, and Siquijor. In all, six priority marine biodiversity corridors and ecosystems encompassing 68 municipalities are covered by the Project. They include four “high priority” biodiversity corridors – the Babuyan corridor along the northern coast of Luzon, the Ticao-Pass-San Bernardino Strait-Samar Sea corridor, the Daanbantayan corridor straddling the Visayan Sea and Tañon Strait, and the Pujada Bay corridor. Also included are the high priority Zambales marine ecosystem in Luzon Sea and Siquijor small-island marine ecosystem between Sulu Sea and Bohol Sea.
The ICRMP steering committee is composed of representatives from DENR, Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatics Resources (DA-BFAR), National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and local government units (LGUs). DENR regional executive director Reynulfo Juan will serve as chair of the steering committee.
The ADB loan, amounting to USD33.8 million is aimed at helping strengthen national and local government agencies and coastal communities undertaking coastal resource management, promote resource management and biodiversity conservation; provide supplementary incomes for fisherfolk through environment-friendly sustainable enterprises and livelihoods; and address social services needs of the disadvantaged communities. Project activities target about 10,000 families and aim to boost household incomes by an average of 10%.
GEF will help finance the biodiversity conservation and management-related activities. The Philippines’ national and municipal governments as well as beneficiary communities will provide an additional $19.52 million toward the total project cost of $62.32 million.
The project will be undertaken over about six years
ADB's loan comes from its ordinary capital resources, carrying a 25-year term, including a grace period of six years.
New PEMSEA office to showcase
East Asian coastal resource management
5 Nov 2007 (DENR)
-- Students and researchers now have a chance to find out how the
Philippines and other countries in the East Asian Region manage their
coastal resources by visiting the Partnerships in Environmental Management
for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) in its new office inside the DENR
compound on Visayas Avenue, Quezon City.
Completed last September 15, the new PEMSEA office building serves as the hub of a regional operation designed to facilitate and support the implementation of local and national projects and programs in coastal and ocean management in the East Asian region. Adjacent to PEMSEA’s existing office, the new building houses the PEMSEA Resource Facility Secretariat and Technical Services. DENR and
PEMSEA collaborated to set up the structure. Full story
New environmental master plan
drafted for Boracay
10 Jan 2008 (DENR)
-- The Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR) has finalized the draft of a
new environmental master plan for Boracay Island which would, among
others, ensure that any construction activity in the internationally-known
tourist destination would take into account the need to take care
of the environment.
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza said the local governments in Boracay promised to support the DENR’s environmental plan once it is put into motion.
Atienza hailed local officials for having started enforcing a ban on the construction of new commercial structures on the Island. The ban was enforced on January 2 or a week after the DENR chief warned Boracay officials of administrative sanctions if they continued to allow the building of new commercial structures there.
Mayor Ciceron Cawaling of Malay town, where Boracays’s famous resorts are located, informed Atienza that he issued a memorandum dated January 2 to implement a municipal council resolution dated Oct. 24, 2007 which declares a six-month moratorium on the issuance of permits for new construction projects. The two-page Sangguniang Bayan Resolution No. 042 was enacted on Sept. 26, 2007 and approved during the council’s regular session on Oct. 24, 2007. Malay town was supposed to enforce the moratorium from Jan. 2, 2007 to July 2, 2008.
The ban excludes government construction projects
related to public utilities that have complied with procedures, laws
and ordinances. Full
story
Seahorse sanctuary in Bohol judged
the best in RP
Manila, 9 Dec 2007 (TJ Burgonio/Inquirer.net
-- The Handumon seahorse sanctuary off Jandayan, Getafe, Bohol the
sanctuary has been adjudged the most outstanding marine protected
area (MPA) in the country by the MPA Support Network (MSN), a multisectoral
alliance of organizations seeking to protect the marine environment.
The 50-hectare Handumon marine sanctuary is part of a large barrier reef in the waters of Bohol, teeming with fish, seashells and thick mangroves, according to the MSN.
It was delineated and established in 1995, an act made official by a municipal ordinance passed three years later.
The Sagay marine reserve in Sagay City, Negros Oriental, home to 60 genera of hard and soft corals, 107 fish species and giant clams, placed second.
The Twin Rocks fish sanctuary in Mabini, Batangas, which teems with a variety of reef fish and shellfish, placed third.
The MSN is composed of the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB), Bureau of Local Governance Development, and the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Resources and Development.
Other members include Conservation International, University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute, Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation, World Wildlife Fund-Philippines, Haribon Foundation, Pamana Ka Sa Pilipinas, Silliman University's Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management, Community-based Coastal Resource Management-Resource Center, Mindanao State University, Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan, Tanggol Kalikasan, and Resources Environment and Economics Center for Studies Inc.. Full story
Center develops environment-friendly
fishing gear
San Fabian, Pangasinan, 26 Oct 2007 (LC Manantan-Yparraguirre/Sun.Star-Pangasinan)
-- The National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center
(NIFTDC) of the Bureau
of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources located in Bonuan Binloc,
Dagupan City has developed a fishing gear called modified fyke net
intended to help marginal fishermen.
The modified fyke net, NIFTDC aquaculturist Muarites Shiuco said, is a “hybrid” large-scale fish trap, the first of its kind in the country.
Shiuco said the gear is environment-friendly as it is passive, limiting disturbance on bottom sea habitats. In addition, it uses large meshed nets and is thus selective and more resource-friendly, allowing small fishes to escape alive.
It is also relatively inexpensive compared to the most common large-scale trap used in the Philippines, the "lambaklad," which costs around Php2 million to Php2.5 million.
The modified fyke net costs between Php150,000 to Php200,000 per unit and has a usable life of 7 to 10 years. Full story
Zamboanga Sibugay fisheries ordinance
up for adoption
IPIL, Zamboanga Sibugay, 20 Nov 2007 (A.M. Manaytay/Sun.Star
Zamboanga -- A unified ordinance for "the management,
conservation, utilization and protection of the coastal and marine
resources" of some nine coastal towns of Zamboanga Sibugay is
up for review and adoption by the Provincial Board by the first quarter
of 2008.
Cleto Lanola, regional coastal resource management specialist of EcoGov, said the Unified Fisheries Ordinance (UFO) is due for review by the PB and the subsequent review and adoption by the local government units in nine coastal towns of the province.
EcoGov or Philippine Environmental Governance 2 Project funded by the United Stated Assistance for International Development (USAID) provides technical assistance to local government units in the management of the environment on three sectors, namely: Forest and Forest Land Management (FFM), Urban Environment Management (UEM), and Coastal Resource Management.
The UFO seeks to unify the efforts of the coastal local government units in order "to jointly implement and enforce the unified ordinance and work together within their common coastal ecosystem." This is in the hope of acquiring more food while at the same time protecting and sustaining fishery resources common to all. Full story
World
World’s fisheries authorities
debate the future of fish farming
Rome, 19 Nov 2007 --
By 2030 an additional 37 million tons of fish per year will be needed
to maintain current levels of fish consumption for an expanded world
population. Because traditional capture fisheries have reached their
maximum production levels, fish farming represents the only way to
fill the gap. But it will only do so if it is promoted and managed
in a responsible fashion.
This was the message FAO gave to a group of the world's top fisheries authorities gathered in Rome for a high level meeting on the contribution of aquaculture to sustainable development.
For a quarter century, fish farming has been the world's fastest growing food production sector, sustaining an annual growth rate of 8.8% since 1970. By way of comparison, livestock production, also considered a growth sector, increased at a rate of just 2.8% a year during the same period.
Today, some 45% of all fish consumed by humans -- 48 millions tons in all -- is raised on farms.
By 2030, the addition of 2 billion more people to the world population will mean that aquaculture will need to produce nearly double that, 85 million tons of fish per year, just to maintain current per capita consumption levels.
Citing these trends, FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf told the meeting that further development of the aquaculture sector should be a priority for the international development agenda.
He cautioned however that good policy decisions regarding the use of natural resources like water, land, seed and feed as well as sound environmental management will be necessary to sustain and enhance aquaculture's growth. Full story
WTO head says greening of trade
body has started
24 Oct 2007 (WTO)
– World Trade Organization (WTO)
Director-General Pascal Lamy, in a speech at the Yale
University, said the WTO has surprised critics by showing
itself to be “capable of delivering not only trade justice, but some
measure of environmental justice too,” citing as examples the dispute
cases about asbestos and sea turtles. He said that the Doha Round
is the first to have a “green chapter,” which includes negotiations
on reduction of fisheries subsidies.
“And, as part of that chapter, you will find the issue… of respecting international environmental treaties,” said Lamy. “But the green chapter is not confined to this issue. Part of the aim of this negotiation is also to help open markets to clean technology — whether in terms of the ‘goods’ or ‘services’ that it entails. That is a very legitimate aim, particularly in light of the enormous environmental problems that we face. Several of the goods that are currently on the table, for instance, could help combat climate change; such as solar panels, air filters and catalytic converters. These technologies must now be allowed to cross borders; they must be made more accessible to the poor. We should not be penalizing environmental goods through tariffs... And the same goes for environmental services.”
Lamy also noted the inclusion in the Doha Round of discussions on the reduction of fisheries subsidies “that have contributed to the perilous state of much of the world’s fish stock.”
“An annual $14-20 billion of fisheries subsidies worldwide has been one of the causes of fish stock depletion, encouraging ‘too many fishermen to chase after too few fish’ as the saying now goes. Worldwide, the global fishing fleet pulls 80 million tons of fish or more from the oceans. This is four times the 1950 total! The negotiations are aimed at helping reverse this dangerous trend,” he said. Full story
WTO proposal limits fisheries
subsidies
Geneva, 30 Nov 2007 (J. Lynn, S. Weeks/Reuters)
- New negotiating proposals at the World
Trade Organization (WTO) impose tough limits on subsidies
on fisheries, a move that delighted environmentalists concerned about
overfishing.
The proposals, from Uruguay's WTO ambassador Guillermo Valles Galmes, who is chairing WTO negotiations on "rules" -- dumping, subsidies and fisheries subsidies -- do not propose a blanket ban on all subsidies to fisheries.
But they list a large number of subsidies, including those for the construction of new vessels, and for operating costs of fisheries, including fuel, that would be banned.
Both the European Union and Korea subsidize fuel for fishing vessels.
Certain subsidies in developing countries, where many poor people depend on fishing for their livelihoods, are exempted from the proposed bans, but countries benefiting from waivers must operate fishery management systems to conserve fish stocks.
The proposals from Valles came in a negotiating text for the Doha round, launched six years ago to boost the world economy and help developing countries grow out of poverty. Full story
Aquaculture only way to meet future
demand for fish – UN agency
New York, 19 Nov 2007 -- The farming of fish under controlled
conditions is the only way to meet future global demand, the United
Nations Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said, estimating that rising
population numbers mean that by 2030 an additional 37 million tons
of fish will be needed to maintain current levels of consumption.
According to FAO, some 45 per cent of all fish consumed today – 48 millions tons in all – is raised on farms. The addition of two billion people to the global population by 2030 will mean farming will have to produce nearly double that, or 85 million tons of fish per year, just to keep up with demand.
Addressing a meeting in Rome focused on fisheries and sustainable development, FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf stressed that while the development of fish farming, also known as aquaculture, should be a priority, it must be promoted in a responsible fashion.
He cautioned that good policy decisions regarding the use of natural resources like water, land, seed and feed as well as sound environmental management will be necessary to sustain and enhance aquaculture’s growth. Full story
Greenpeace slams 'unsustainable'
new tuna quota
Ankara, 18 Nov 1997 (AFP)
— An international commission designed to protect bluefin tuna stocks
has effectively increased the fishing quota for 2008 from what was
already an "unsustainable" level, Greenpeace said Sunday.
"Countries are approving a bigger quota for a species that is on the verge of collapse instead of acting immediately to save it," said Sebastian Losada, Greenpeace Spain's Oceans Campaigner.
The environmental pressure group said the annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)), held in Turkey had approved a nearly 1,000-ton increase in the 2008 catch.
The increases will add to an "already unsustainable quota that will again in 2008 be around 29,500 tons," Losada said. Full story
UN chief advocates new ‘green
economics’
New York, 3 Dec 2007 (UN
News Service) – United
Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged leaders at the
UN Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia to create a global
framework to promote green economics and development.
Writing an Op-Ed in The Washington Post, the Secretary-General said the Bali Conference is an opportunity for leaders to establish a road map for the future and agree on a timeline to conclude a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol – set to expire in 2012 – by next year so that it can enter into force in 2013.
“Handled correctly, our fight against global warming could set the stage for an eco-friendly transformation of the global economy – one that spurs growth and development rather than crimps it, as many nations fear.”
Like the Industrial Revolution, the technology revolution and the modern era of globalization, the Secretary-General observed that the world is on the cusp of a new age of green economics.
Scientists report that human activities are driving climate change, but “largely lost in the debate is the good news,” he noted, citing examples including Brazil, which derives some 44 per cent of its energy from renewable fuels – compared to the 13 per cent global average.
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has estimated that global investment in zero-greenhouse energy will reach $1.9 trillion by 2020 – a figure the Secretary-General called “seed money for a wholesale reconfiguration of global industry.”
Governments agree on new UN-backed
pact to protect sharks
New York, 13 Dec 2007 (UN
News Service)-- Dozens of governments agreed in principle
to a new United Nations global agreement to protect sharks, which
have long been neglected by conservationists and overexploited by
the modern fishing industry.
Three of the largest and most iconic shark species – migratory whale, great white and basking sharks – have been singled out for protection in the agreement reached after a three-day meeting, also attended by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and fisheries bodies, in the Indian Ocean nation of Seychelles.
The meeting was organized by the Convention on Migratory Species, an intergovernmental treaty concluded under the aegis of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) that seeks to conserve wildlife and habitats on a global scale.
To be finalized in 2008, the agreement will promote cooperation among governments, fisheries bodies, scientists and NGOs, as well as further efforts to conserve sharks, including putting controls on shark finning given the surging worldwide demand for fins as a luxury food.
It also includes encourages the creation of a global shark database and identifying and protecting critical shark habitats and migration routes.
Coral added to IUCN Red List
BOSTON, 19 Oct 19 (IPS/IFEJ/Z.
Castrillón) - The inclusion of coral on the Red
List of Threatened Species 2007 -- of the World
Conservation Union (IUCN) -- is the first result of an ambitious
marine life observation project, one that has goals of global conservation.
The decision to add corals to the Red List was based on studies begun a little more than a year ago by the Global Marine Species Assessment (GMSA), a joint effort of IUCN and Conservation International.
Ten species of coral in Ecuador's Galápagos Islands -- two in critical danger of extinction and one vulnerable -- have been included on the Red List, the most detailed guide to the global state of conservation -- or decline -- of plants and animals.
This is the first in a series of assessments and additions to the list focused on marine species around the world, said Kent Carpenter, coordinator of GMSA, based in the biological sciences department of Old Dominion University, in the eastern U.S. state of Virginia.
GMSA compiles information about all known species
of vertebrates and of a selection of invertebrates and plants, and
adds them to the IUCN's Species Information Service database.
ing is "to make sure that the reefs are healthy and strong in
order to cope with climate change." Full
story
Marine parks may be only way to
save fish stocks -- report
23 Oct 2007 (ScienceDaily)
— Creating “national parks of the sea” may be the only effective way
to reverse trends that have left 76 percent of world fish stocks fully-
or over-exploited and marine biodiversity at severe risk, according
to the new report, Oceans
in Peril: Protecting Marine Biodiversity, released by the
Worldwatch Institute.
Marine reserves are essential to protect the biodiversity that maintains ecosystem integrity, say the report’s authors, Michelle Allsopp, Richard Page, Paul Johnston, and David Santillo. The four environmental experts call for a radical change in fisheries management, from a single-species approach to one that is ecosystem-based and also includes the use of precautionary measures to tackle pollution and to reduce carbon dioxide emissions that are changing the temperature and chemistry of the oceans.
“The oceans cannot save themselves,” says Christopher Flavin, president of the Worldwatch Institute. “Collective commitments to thriving ecosystems are needed to save overfished species from being systematically depleted from compromised habitats.” Full story
UN report finds environmental
progress inadequate
New York, 25 Oct 2007 -- While political attention to environmental
issues is increasing, this has not sufficed to achieve significant
progress on climate change, loss of biodiversity and other challenges
which face the planet and threaten humanity, according to the views
of 390 scientists synthesized in a major new United
Nations report on the issue.
“The fact that we are in the year 2007, with all the knowledge that we have and with all the capacity to do things differently – to present to the world at this point a report that essentially says that our response has been woefully inadequate is a very sobering realization,” said Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), at the launch in New York of the agency’s report, Global Environment Outlook: Environment for development (GEO-4).
The report notes that environmental concerns are much closer to mainstream politics everywhere today than when they were first addressed by the Brundtland Commission in its landmark report “Our Common Future” two decades ago. But it warns that despite these advances, problems persist which, if not addressed, may undo progress and threaten humanity’s survival.
“Over the past 20 years, the international community has cut, by 95 per cent, the production of ozone-layer damaging chemicals; created a greenhouse gas emission reduction treaty along with innovative carbon trading and carbon offset markets; supported a rise in terrestrial protected areas to cover roughly 12 per cent of the Earth and devised numerous important instruments covering issues from biodiversity and desertification to the trade in hazardous wastes and living modified organisms,” Steiner noted.
At the same time, persistent problems include the decline of fish stocks; loss of fertile land through degradation; unsustainable pressure on resources; dwindling amount of fresh water; and risk that environmental damage “could pass unknown points of no return,” UNEP said.
Climate change, the destruction caused by forest fires and floods and other problems demonstrate “the cost of humanity trying to cope with the scale of environmental impacts,” said Mr. Steiner.
The report acknowledges that technology can help to reduce people’s vulnerability to environmental stresses, but says there is sometimes a need “to correct the technology-centered development paradigm.” It argues that the future will be largely determined by the decisions individuals and society make now. “Our common future depends on our actions today, not tomorrow or sometime in the future,” it cautions.
UN Maritime agency to intensify
work on greenhouse gas emissions
New York, 16 Nov 2007 -- The head of the United
Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) called for
accelerating the agency's work on greenhouse gas emissions from ships.
Speaking to the IMO Council, Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos said he would present a plan to accelerate work to the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) when it meets in March 2008.
Mitropoulos spoke of the increasing importance and urgency given by the international community to the control of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and "of the globally expressed wish to act, and act now," the agency said in a news release.
He said that IMO and the international maritime community needed to demonstrate their determination to be in the front line of the global campaign to tackle this threat to the global climate without delay. Full story
UN agency holding video contest
to raise awareness about global hunger
New York, 21 Nov 2007 -- The United
Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is inviting filmmakers,
students and other Internet users to take part in a new international
competition called “Hunger Bytes” in which contestants are asked to
make the best short “viral video” that raises awareness about the
subject of global hunger.
The five most compelling video clips of between 30 and 60 seconds in length that are submitted to WFP will be highlighted on YouTube, and the video that enjoys the most views by World Food Day on 16 October next year will be deemed the winner and then given the chance to visit and film one of the agency’s relief operations.
Participants will be encouraged to boost their chances of winning by sharing the web links on blogs and on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace.
To give filmmakers an idea of what they can do, WFP has also produced its own 30-second video in which participants at a competitive eating contest are shown in slow motion wolfing down hot dog after hot dog before a message reminds viewers that “850 million go to bed hungry every night… Share.”
Build up fish stocks now for big
money later: study
Washington, 6 Dec 2007 (D. Zabarenko/Reuters)
- Commercial fishers should cut back on their catch and allow fish
stocks to grow above the levels most governments currently advise
if they want to boost long-term profits, economists reported on Thursday.
Such a strategy would sustain fish populations and save fuel while opening the way to big profits in the future, the researchers reported in the journal Science.
And the more depleted a fishery has become, the better the results when stocks are built up to what the researchers call the biomass maximum economic yield. That might be 10 to 20 percent over what fisheries managers now aim for, which is the level at which fish populations can be sustained.
Co-author Quentin Grafton of the Australian National University condensed the results to five words: bigger stocks mean bigger bucks.
At the same time, the authors suggest that when profits from fishing are maximized, it's more likely that fish populations will be maintained, and fishers will use less fuel seeking out fish, since they won't be that scarce.
To build up the fish populations to the higher level, governments would have to persuade fishers to limit but not eliminate their catch, Grafton said. This could be done by subsidizing fishers during the lean period and taxing them after fish stocks are rebuilt.
To keep fish stocks profitably high, enforceable catch limits would be essential, he said. Full story
Method used on Wall Street applied
to fish population forecasts
Dec-Jan 2007 (M.C. Aguilera/Explorations)
-- Tapping into the same tools that banks and hedge funds have used
to forecast financial markets, scientists at Scripps
Institution of Oceanography at UC
San Diego have developed a powerful new method for forecasting
fish populations.
Scripps professor George Sugihara applies his skills in applied mathematics and theoretical biology to explore natural systems and more fully understand their nonlinear or "chaotic" patterns, not unlike the way financial analysts attempt to forecast stock market fluctuations.
In a paper published in the latest issue of American Naturalist, Sugihara and his colleagues describe a newly developed technique called "dewdrop regression," a method based on equations used for financial forecasting on Wall Street. The technique is gaining attention for its ability to make forecasts based on a small fraction of information required under other methods.
In describing the method in American Naturalist, the researchers took data from the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations for 23 California fish species and constructed population forecasts using only three percent of the information previously required to make similar population forecasts. Individually, each species was less than 10% predictable. When stitched together using dewdrop regression, however, population trends of the 23 species became more than 60% predictable. Full story
Greenhouse ocean may downsize
fish risking one of world's most productive fisheries
11 Jan 2008 (ScienceDaily)
— During this century, the Bering Sea's rich food web--stretching
from Alaska to Russia--could fray as algae adapt to greenhouse conditions.
At present, the Bering Sea provides roughly half the fish caught in US waters each year and nearly a third caught worldwide.
"All the fish that ends up in McDonald's, fish sandwiches--that's all Bering Sea fish," said University of Southern California marine ecologist Dave Hutchins, whose former student at the University of Delaware, Clinton Hare, led research published Dec. 20 in Marine Ecology Progress Series.
"The experiments we did up there definitely suggest that the changing ecosystem may support less of what we're harvesting--things like pollock and hake," Hutchins said.
While the study must be interpreted cautiously, its implications are harrowing, Hutchins said, especially since the Bering Sea is already warming.
"It's kind of a canary in a coal mine because it appears to be showing climate change effects before the rest of the ocean," he noted.
"It's warmer, marine mammals and birds are having massive die-offs, there are invasive species--in general, it's changing to a more temperate ecosystem that's not going to be as productive." Full story
Overfished species suffer evolutionary
damage: report
Vienna, 23 Nov 2007 (Canada.com)--
Industrial-scale fisheries have not only sapped the world's fish stocks
but also changed the species' evolutionary course, exacerbating the
effect of overfishing by producing smaller and less fertile fish.
Scientist Ulf Dieckmann also said overfishing and the practice of throwing lower quality fish back into the sea to raise the value of fishing quotas might explain the massive drop in population.
"Human activity had a possibly irreversible evolutionary effect in just a few generations," said Dieckmann, a member of a group of scientists who wrote a comment in the journal Science on managing fish stocks published Thursday. We are running up a Darwinian debt that future generations will have to pay back."
Some 15 years ago, cod stocks on the Grand Banks in the northwest Atlantic collapsed, bringing down the fishing industry in the region. The same species is now under threat in the northeast Atlantic off Norway and Russia, he said.
On the Canadian Grand Banks, fish stocks still show little sign of recovery, Dieckmann said.
Looking at fishery data from the past few decades, the scientists found that increased mortality due to overfishing had favoured fish that matured smaller and earlier, yet also carried far fewer eggs at their first reproduction.
Older data showed a typical cod caught in Norway might have taken 10 years to mature, while the same fish now would only take six years or even less, said Dieckmann.
"The question is not whether such evolution will occur, but how fast fishing practices bring about evolutionary changes and what the consequences will be," the group wrote in Science. Full story
New study finds biodiversity conservation
secures ecosystem services for people
Arlington, Virginia, 5 Dec 2007 (Conservation
International) – Healthy ecosystems that provide people with
essential natural goods and services often overlap with regions rich
in biological diversity, underscoring that conserving one also protects
the other, according to a new study.
Titled Global Conservation of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, the report confirms the value of making biological diversity a priority for conservation efforts. It shows that more than 70% of the world’s highest priority areas for biodiversity conservation also contain significant value in ecosystem services such as fresh water, food, carbon storage, storm buffers and other natural resources that sustain human life and support social and economic development.
Scientists from Conservation International (CI), the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at the University of Vermont, and the Global Environment Facility found that the value of ecosystem services in the 7% of the planet of greatest biodiversity conservation priority was more than double the global average. Overall, the annual value of the world’s ecosystem services is estimated at $33 trillion, or greater than the gross national product of all nations combined.
The report, published in the November 2007 issue of BioScience magazine, proposes conservation strategies that protect both biological diversity and ecosystem services to increase the efficiency of dollars and efforts spent. Full story
Whales evolved from raccoon-sized
creature, researchers say
20 Dec 2007 (World
Science) -- Whales, dolphins and porpoises — known collectively
as cetaceans — are believed to have evolved from a land mammal.
New research suggests it was a raccoon-sized, hoofed mammal from
India known as a raoellid, which probably took to water in times
of danger, scientists say. Full
story
Mussels inspire new surgical glue
possibilities
8 Dec 2007 (ScienceDaily/Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft)
— In a few years’ time, instead of fiddling with needle and thread,
surgeons may simply use glue to connect implants to living tissue.
They took their idea from mussels, which can stick to any surface,
be it porous rock or the smooth hull of a ship.
It sounds like a venturous plan: Implants such as artificial heart valves and vessels are to be welded to the body’s own tissue using a special glue, completely obviating the need for bothersome sutures. The bond will be rapidly hardened by UV light, so that only 30 seconds later, the foreign object is firmly implanted in the patient’s body.
Dr. Klaus Rischka, a chemist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Applied Materials Research IFAM in Bremen, is confident that this scenario will soon become reality. In the course of this award-winning project, the Fraunhofer researcher and his partners at Frankfurt University Hospital, the Center of Biotechnical Engineering BitZ at Darmstadt University of Technology, the State Materials Testing Institute MPA and the implant manufacturer Straumann in Freiburg will initially demonstrate the glue’s suitability on the basis of a dental implant made of titanium. Full story
Ancient fish bones reveal impacts
of global warming beneath the sea
18 Dec 2007 (ScienceDaily/COML)
— Scientists studying ancient fish bones in Scandinavia have discovered
that warm-water species like anchovies and black sea bream that once
thrived in Danish waters during a prehistoric warm period are now
returning. Some cold-water species, such as cod, were also abundant
during this period, having benefited from a lower fishing effort.
Through the study of archaeological material, tax accounts, church registers and account books of monasteries, an international group of fisheries ecologists and fisheries/maritime historians have drawn a picture of marine life in the northern European seas (North Sea, Wadden Sea, Baltic Sea, and White Sea) as it looked in the past.
New historical documentation is increasingly becoming available. Its interpretation is providing a broader basis for understanding processes and mechanisms that lead to variations in marine populations and ecosystems. The studies in this special issue are important contributions to the establishment of new baselines for management of marine ecosystems including conservation strategies for overexploited living resources. They were conducted under the auspices (or as part of) the History of Marine Animal Populations, a project of the international collaboration, the Census of Marine Life. Full story
New findings show carbon dioxide
impacts on corals
13 Dec 2007 (Bloomberg)
-- Global climate change may push the Great Barrier Reef and other
coral colonies past a fatal tipping point, imperiling fisheries and
tourism-dependent economies of many developing nations, a study said.
Researchers warn in the latest edition of the journal Science that rising global temperatures and increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere may cause irreversible damage from mass coral bleaching, disease and mortality. With declining water quality and over-fishing, reefs are moving “toward the tipping point of functional collapse,'' the study said.
The beauty of coral reefs will likely “fundamentally alter'' as a result of climate change and ocean acidification, a shift that will be particularly devastating to poor coastal countries, it added.
“Under-resourced and developing countries have the lowest capacity to respond to climate change, but many have tourism as their sole income earner and thus are at risk economically if their coral reefs deteriorate,'' said the researchers, who based their analysis on climate scenarios laid out by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Reefs may turn into “rapidly eroding rubble banks'' like what has been seen in some inshore regions of the Great Barrier Reef, where coral populations have disappeared during the past 50 to 100 years.
To save the coral reefs, researchers said there needs to be “decisive action'' to reduce global pollution emissions and step up coral management measures, such as increased grazing by fish and invertebrate herbivores on some reefs. Full story
At 400, clam may be longest-lived
animal known
30 Oct. 2007 (Bangor
University/World
Science) -- Scientists a quahog clam, Arctica islandica,
that lived and grew in the cold waters off Iceland’s north coast
for at least four centuries.
The Guinness Book of Records gives the current record for longest-lived animal to another Arctica clam, age 220, collected in 1982 from American waters. Unofficially, the record belongs to a 374-year-old Icelandic clam found in a museum.
Both these records, the researchers said, seem to have been eclipsed by the latest specimen, whose age, 405 to 410 years, they assessed by counting annual growth lines on its shell. Full story
Decline in uptake of carbon dioxide
emissions confirmed
23 Oct 2007 (CSIRO)--
A decline in the proportion of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
absorbed by land and oceans is speeding up the growth of atmospheric
CO2, according to a paper published today in the US journal
Proceedings of the
National Academy of Science.
Lead author and Executive Director of the Global Carbon Project, CSIRO’s Dr Pep Canadell of Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), says the acceleration is due to three factors: global economic growth; the world’s economy becoming more carbon intense (that is, since 2000 more carbon is being emitted to produce each dollar of global wealth); and a deterioration in the land and oceans’ ability to absorb carbon from the atmosphere at the required rate.
“What we are seeing is a decrease in the planet’s ability to absorb carbon emissions due to human activity,” Canadell says. Full story
Ocean robots network achieves
universal coverage
12 Nov 2007 (CSIRO
-- Scientist’s efforts to fathom how the oceans influence climate
and fisheries productivity hit a milestone with the establishment
of a network of 3,000 futuristic, 1.5-metre tall ocean robots operating
simultaneously throughout the world’s oceans.
The Argo project has already helped Australian scientists to: closely track how fast and where the ocean is warming due to anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases; provide a core data stream for the new endeavor of ocean-forecasting and underpin efforts to include the Indian Ocean in forecasting Australian drought/flood cycles.
Using a satellite-based data delivery system, the Argo robots provide ocean forecasters and climate scientists with a detailed sub-surface view of nearly all corners of the world’s oceans every 10 days. Vast regions of the Southern Hemisphere oceans, which were previously unmeasurable because of their remoteness and often stormy conditions, are now being systematically probed for the first time.
Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) initiated the National Research Flagships to provide science-based solutions in response to Australia’s major research challenges and opportunities. Full story
New center will focus on world's
oceans
10 Jan 2008 (J. Kay/Chronicle) – The David and Lucile Packard
Foundation has donated $25 million to create a center in Monterey
dedicated to protecting the world's oceans, officials announced today.
Called the Center for Ocean Solutions, it will be run by Stanford University, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and their nearby research institutions.
The center will provide a forum where international marine scholars can develop solutions to critical threats to the oceans, Stanford University President John Hennessy said. Some of the threats listed by the foundation are overfishing, water pollution from coastal runoff and climate change - a driver of ocean acidification and coral reef destruction. Full story
First organic fish fingers on
sale
24 Oct 2007 (FOODweek
online) – The world’s first sustainable, organic codfish fingers
are now being stocked by more than 600 Sainsbury’s and Tesco supermarkets
in the UK.
Marketed by Friend of the Sea, the organic-certified fish fingers are branded No Catch.
Shetland-based Friend of the Sea has also developed the UK’s first sustainable, organic sea trout. The fish are free from hormones and pesticides and are sustainably fed on the off-cuts of fish already caught for human consumption. Full story
Friends of the Sea launches first
Sustainable Seafood Marketplace online
07 Nov 2007 (FishUpdate.com
– Friends of the Sea, an international sustainable seafood certification
scheme, has launched www.friendofthesea.com,
the first online marketplace where companies can offer, demand or
search for sustainable seafood and fish feed.
“Products from fisheries which comply with FAO Guidelines and Minimum Requirements can be inputted in the system, even if certified by schemes other than Friend of the Sea.” explains Dr Paolo Bray, director of Friend of the Sea. “Products from overexploited stocks or fisheries whose habitat impact has not been effectively addressed, such as South African hake, New Zealand hoki, Australian mackerel icefish, cannot be included.”
The Marketplace access, consultation and products’ input are free of charge. Companies meet at the Marketplace and can then privately follow up their deals. Sustainable fishmeal, fish feed, organic and Friend of the Sea certified aquaculture products are among the various categories which can be browsed or inputted, apart from the more traditional wild-caught certified sustainable seafood. Full story
'Fair' deal at fisheries summit
16 Dec 2007 (BBC)
-- A "fair settlement" has been reached on 2008 EU fishing
quotas at the annual talks in Brussels, UK Fisheries Minister Jonathan
Shaw has said.
Cuts in fishing days of 18% and 10% were agreed for Scotland's west coast and the North Sea respectively, with an 11% rise in the North Sea cod catch.
Crews will also be "given back" days at sea for helping conservation measures.
Representatives of the Scottish fishing industry were "cautiously optimistic" about the deal.
But Greenpeace said the EU was continuing policies that are dragging the seas "to a point of no return," while the WWF accused European ministers of having "gambled on the future" of cod stocks with the strategy. Full story
UN: Iceland’s fishing quota system
unfair
11 Jan 2008 (Iceland
Review Online)-- The United Nations Human Rights Committee
has determined that Icelandic authorities violated the rights of two
Icelandic fishermen who were not allocated any fishing quota after
applying for it and were deemed to go fishing on a boat that they
did not have.
The Human Rights Committee concluded that the Icelandic state should give the fishermen full compensation and establish a fisheries control system that fulfills the demands of international law, Morgunbladid reports. Full story
EU has no idea how much fish it
catches: watchdog
Brussels, Belgium, 4 Dec 2007 (J. Smith, C. Drees/Reuters)
- The European Union has no real idea of how many fish its national
fleets catch each year and is failing to clamp down hard on vessels
that exceed national quotas, the EU financial watchdog said on Tuesday.
The Court of Auditors said unreliable data on catches, weak inspections with no proper deterrent, as well as general fleet overcapacity were threatening fish stocks. For many species including cod, stocks had been hard hit by years of heavy exploitation.
"Catch data are neither complete nor reliable and the real level of catches is thus unknown," an ECA report said.
It criticized EU governments and the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, for not doing enough to enforce the rules and stop the overfishing -- a phenomenon that international scientists have warned the EU about for years. Full story
WTO members adopt dispute panel
ruling on ‘salmon’
15 Jan 2008 (WTO)
-- The World Trade Organization
(WTO) Dispute Settlement Body, which comprises all members,
adopted on 15 January the panel report on Norway’s complaint against
the EU’s anti-dumping measures on salmon.
Norway welcomed the adoption of the panel report in this long lasting conflict and said the panel found the EC had committed a continuum of violations. Norway said the EC had no choice but to remove the antidumping measure. Norway concluded that this could be done very quickly using the EC regulation allowing a “fast-track” repeal.
The EC said while the panel ruled in favor of Norway on certain points mostly of a factual nature, it had also found in favor of the EC on a similar number of points, predominantly of a legal nature. The EC accepted the recommendations of the panel and would examine them when implementing the ruling. The EC added that the panel explicitly declined to use its discretionary power to recommend the revocation of the measure, despite repeated Norwegian calls for the panel to do so. Full story
Atlantic fisheries and aquaculture
ministers tackle economic challenges facing the fishery
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 23 Nov 2007 (Marketwire) - The strong
Canadian dollar, rising fuel costs and global competition are only
a few of the economic challenges facing the Atlantic fisheries and
aquaculture industries - a sector based in 1,200 coastal communities,
employing almost 67,000 people with an export value of $2.96 billion.
The Atlantic
Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers (ACFAM) met
in Ottawa to tackle these challenges and take action on other important
matters facing the fishery in Eastern Canada.
Ministers noted the importance of taking a more integrated approach to managing the fishery sector that includes all the players in the seafood value chain, particularly harvesters and processors. They agreed to pursue this integrated approach through what is being referred to as the Oceans-to-Plate approach. They discussed at length the importance of looking at the industry through the lens of economic viability, and considered related recommendations from provincial summits and other efforts.
Ministers agreed to continue to work together on these issues and tasked officials to identify the common elements arising from the summits and bring forward options to improve the value of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors for Ministers to consider.
Recognizing that an Atlantic approach to marketing would complement provincial and territorial efforts, Ministers established a federal-provincial-territorial working group to be lead by Quebec. This working group was tasked with exploring opportunities for strategic marketing of seafood products, analyzing international market trends, improving coordination between marketing efforts and harvesters and accessing additional funding for marketing from other sources. The working group will present its recommendations to Ministers at the next ACFAM meeting in early 2008 in Nova Scotia.
Ministers highlighted the tremendous potential of aquaculture and are committed to doing their part in order to enable the Canadian aquaculture industry to realize its full potential. To achieve this, they recognize the need to harmonize the regulatory framework and improve the site application process, while protecting the environment and fish stocks. It was agreed to continue with national efforts to develop programming proposals for a coordinated governance and regulatory framework for the industry and related research, development, commercialization, infrastructure and stewardship. Full story
Study says sea lice from fish
farms could wipe out wild salmon
Edmonton, Canada, 13 Dec 2007 (J. Holubitsky/Edmonton
Journal)- Unless fish farms change their practices, sea lice
could drive British Columbia's wild pink salmon on some rivers to
extinction within four years, a new study led by a University
of Alberta fisheries ecologist says.
The peer-reviewed study published in the journal Science examined wild salmon populations in a coastal area between Vancouver Island and the mainland , known as the Broughton Archipelago north of Vancouver. It is the site of seven streams where wild salmon spawn and also about 20 primarily Norwegian-owned Atlantic salmon farms holding between 500,000 to 1.5 million fish each.
Previous U of A studies confirmed the parasites could spread from farmed to wild salmon and that many juvenile wild pink salmon were not surviving because of the parasites which eat the young fish alive may also transmit other diseases.
The latest study estimates 99 per cent of pink salmon in the area could be wiped out within four years. Full story
US may turn to open ocean fish
farms
New Orleans, 9 Dec 2007 (UPI)
-- US officials want to promote the use of open ocean fish farms as
an alternative to the imported seafood industry.
With US citizens and businesses becoming increasingly reliant on imported seafood, federal fisheries regulators are now turning their attention to promoting the use of underwater cages to breed seafood for the United States, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune said Saturday.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said developing ocean fish farms would allow the United States to reduce its dependence on imported seafood and would allow U.S. officials to control standards. Full story
Moratorium urged on Eastern Atlantic
and Mediterranean bluefin tuna
17 Oct 2007 -- William T. Hogarth, Director of US National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries (NOAA) Service,
head of the U.S. delegation to the International
Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT),
and chairman of ICCAT has issued a statement regarding the need for
stronger conservation measures in the Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery.
Hogarth called for a three-to-five year moratorium on eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna fisheries. Given continued blatant violations of catch limits, closed areas, and reporting requirements in the eastern Atlantic fisheries, international cooperation to support a moratorium is urgently needed, he said.
ICCAT scientists have noted a high risk of stock collapse if overfishing in these areas is allowed to continue. Because the