COASTAL ALERT

Philippines
One in four of Philippine coral species face extinction -- scientist
Environmental protection now part of Philippine school curriculum
Six countries adopt Manila Resolution on Coral Triangle Initiative
Fisheries to miss growth target for 2008
Fish conservation week tackles climate change
Tuna fishermen incur Php200M loss
Canned tuna exporters see trouble in lack of orders from the US
Fishers group opposes sectoral talks at WTO
RP tuna industry nixes ban on FADs
RP eyes more fishing grounds in the Pacific
Qatar to undertake agri and fisheries ventures in RP
DA enforces closed season for sardines, herring in the Visayan Sea
Group files protest vs poaching of Japanese tuna factory ships in RP
RP vows full cooperation with US wildlife service on coral smuggling
DENR seeks better coordination of Manila Bay cleanup
Fisheries bureau harnesses wind energy
Atienza bares heightened efforts to stop DENR’s fishpen demolition
Fisheries bureau lauds conservation champions
Environment secretary stops operations of seabed quarry project in Cavite
Mariculture park planned in Liguasan Marsh
Fishers save stranded sea cow
Whale buried in Dagupan fish cemetery
BFAR urges stricter ‘shellfish checkpoints’ in red tide-affected areas
24 fishermen arrested in Indonesia return to GenSan
Fishers told to keep off Batangas marine reserve
PFDA ordered to pay back taxes to Navotas
Fisheries bureau in Region 11 seeks new markets for seaweeds
Project seeks to increase fish harvests

World
Countries agree on guidelines for protecting deep-sea species and habitats
New conservation measures adopted for Bluefin tuna and other species
Conceptual “roadmap” on fisheries subsidies circulated by WTO rules chair
New questions raised on the future of fish farming
World's fish catches being wasted as animal feed
Progress reported in UN-backed efforts to reduce pollution, emissions from ships
2008 among the warmest years on record – UN
New ‘seawater’ definition bared
Oceans acidifying much faster than was thought: study
Global methane levels on the rise again
Line fishers catching fewer birds; seabird safeguards urged for net fisheries
Policy on fish quotas shows benefits but more efforts needed
EU fish stocks at risk of collapse, warns leading scientist
Tropical tuna management plan is a step in the right direction -- EC
Noisier oceans threaten whales and dolphins, experts warn at UN gathering
Overfishing causing increased shark attacks?
Trawling making legal return in Indonesia
Taiwan to cut bigeye tuna catch by 10%
Myanmar fishers struggle to pay back loans
Pacific tuna commission gives a glimmer of hope for the world's favorite fish
First comprehensive 'inventory' of life in Antarctica shows highly diverse region
Mauritania bans most fish exports to feed locals
Melamine found in feed at Hong Kong fish farms -- report
Obama urged to end overfishing
Fish digestions help keep the oceans healthy
Too few sharks is a bad thing
European Commission proposes deep cuts in fishing
Guam fishermen oppose US-planned marine park
First certified cold water prawns launched in the UK
EU introduces new IUU certification measures for imported fishery products
Study: Fishing hurts Hawaii's nearshore fisheries
Mexico pays fishermen to help save a species by not fishing
Climate change threatens Australian fisheries
Rising Asian shark fin demand hits stocks: report
Globalization drives a bubble in Indonesia's seaweed market
Asia Pacific nations to hold marine conservation summit
Iceland will not increase its fish quotas
Solomons to benefit from US assistance for marine conservation
Hundreds of new marine species discovered: Australian scientists
Japan and South Korea to invest in ‘green’ stimulus plans
83% of China's coastal waters polluted
Australian scientists warn of coral decline
140-year-old lobster rescued from seafood restaurant

Resources
Managing fishing capacity
Global Analysis of Protected Areas
Fisheries stock assessment software
Status of Coral Reefs
Global study of shrimp fisheries
Sea cucumbers - A global review of fisheries and trade
Building an ecosystem approach to aquaculture
Global review of capture-based aquaculture

Philippines

One in four of Philippine coral species face extinction -- scientist
1 Nov 2008 (UP Newsletter) -- A marine biologist has warned that one in four of the Philippines' coral species face extinction due to climate change and local impacts such as overfishing and indiscriminate waste discharges.

Dr. Wilfredo Y. Licuanan, adjunct researcher at the UP Diliman Marine Science Institute (MSI) and chair of the Dr. Alfred Shields Marine Station of De La Salle University in Manila, said rising sea surface temperatures and acidification are adversely affecting the country’s coral species.

Licuanan and 38 others (including two Filipinos) compose an international team of researchers in a Global Marine Species Assessment project. Their findings, published in Science in July of this year, concluded that one-third of the world’s reef-building corals face an elevated risk of extinction due to climate change and local impacts.

After the project, Licuanan cross-checked listed Philippine coral species with the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List to determine their extinction risk and found that 25% of these were vulnerable. He said that 53% of Philippine reefs need to be protected if near-shore fisheries are to be made sustainable.

The rapid increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere leads to rising sea surface temperatures and acidification, which reduces the ability of corals to build skeletons. On the other hand, local impacts include coastal development, overfishing, coral mining, sewage discharge, sedimentation from poor land-use and watershed management, nutrient loading from agro-chemicals, etc. These local threats further weaken the corals’ resistance to the problems brought about by climate change.

During a conference in October last year, Dr. Edgardo D. Gomez, University of the Phhilippines’ Marine Science Institute founding director and university professor emeritus, announced that the ongoing studies of Philippine coral reefs showed at least seven new records of coral and one new species.

Licuanan, who works closely with Gomez, explained that “new records” refer to coral species which were previously thought to not be present in the country. The new records announced by Gomez during the conference are already in scientific literature but the descriptions of these species are pending publication.

These new records attest to the richness of Philippine coral diversity. “We might even rival Indonesia,” said Licuanan. Rajah Ampat, Indonesia has the highest record of coral species with 553, while Sulu, Philippines has 540, excluding new records species that are often encountered in surveys. Full story

Environmental protection now part of Philippine school curriculum
7 Jan 2009 – Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law last December 2008 Republic Act 9512, which requires all public and private schools to integrate environmental education in their curricula at all levels.

The law mandates the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Science and Technology, and other relevant agencies to integrate environmental education in the school curriculum at all levels, whether public or private, including in barangay day-care pre-school, non-formal, technical vocational, professional, indigenous learning and out-of-school youth courses or programs.

Environmental education includes environmental concepts and principles, environmental laws, the state of international and local environment, local environmental best practices, the threats of environmental degradation and its impact on human well-being, the responsibility .of the citizenry to the environment and the value of conservation, protection and ,rehabilitation of natural resources and the environment in the context of sustainable development and shall cover both theoretical and practicum modules.

The act further orders the inclusion of environmental education and activities in the National Service Training Program under Republic Act No. 9163, as part of the Civic Welfare Training Service component required for all baccalaureate degree courses and vocational courses with a curriculum of at least two (2) years. Source: DENR Memorandum

Six countries adopt Manila Resolution on Coral Triangle Initiative
24 Oct 2008 (DENR) -- The Manila Resolution on the Coral Triangle Initiative was adopted at the culmination yesterday (Oct. 23) of a three-day meeting in Manila attended by representatives from the six countries sharing jurisdiction over the Coral Triangle.

The six governments jointly pledged to intensify cooperation and engage broader stakeholder involvement to reverse the degradation of the Coral Triangle.

The Coral Triangle is the global epicenter of marine species diversity and a source of livelihood and life support for 150 million. It covers six million square kilometers, spanning the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste.

The six countries committed to implement priority targets such as rapid regional seascape assessments in the entire region, delineation of seascapes, identification of priority seascapes for investment and sustainable management, development of a “common regional framework for legislation and policy” supporting an ecosystem approach to fisheries management; establishment and effective management of a region-wide and fully functional marine protected areas system, and assessment of species status by supporting ongoing and new assessment programs on sharks, sea turtles, seabirds, marine mammals, corals, seagrass, mangroves, and other identified threatened species.

“One new element found in the Regional CTI Action Plan that is not yet part of some of the similar marine agreements is the climate change factor. The Regional Action Plan is a concrete measure on how each of the CTI countries will be able to work together and help each other in adapting to climate change,” noted Philippine environment and natural resources secretary Lito Atienza.

The Manila Resolution will pave the way for the timely implementation of the Regional Plan of Action that will put into place specific measures needed to conserve and sustainably manage the Coral Triangle.

“This is the first step towards getting an action going and sustaining, but what is more important than the final agreement that will come out of this and the commitments of the different countries would be the efforts that will be undertaken in line with the final plan of action,” Atienza said. Full story

Fisheries to miss growth target for 2008
9 Nov 2008 (AR Remo/Philippine Daily Inquirer) – The fisheries sector is not expected to meet the government’s 2008 growth target because of the adverse effects of high fuel prices on the commercial and municipal fisheries sectors.

Over the past few years, the fisheries sector posted a production gain of about 7%, the biggest production the agriculture segment, according to Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Director Malcolm I. Sarmiento Jr.

But with higher oil prices this year forcing many commercial fishermen to cut back on their operations, the government expects the growth to hit a maximum of just 6%, far short of its initial target of 11 percent.

Sarmiento said that fuel constitutes about 60-70 percent of fishermen's operating cost.

"Because it's already the lean season for captured fisheries, a lot of municipal and commercial fishermen have slowed down on their operations, which is understandable. With lesser fish to catch and high fuel prices, any prudent businessman would naturally scale down operations," he explained.

Oil prices breached the $100-a-barrel level earlier this year and hit a peak of $147 last July. World market prices have seen softened following the US-induced financial contagion. Full story

Fish conservation week tackles climate change
21 Oct 2008 (CB Corrales/Sun.Star) -- The 2008 fish conservation week celebration focuses on mitigating the effects of global warming on the fishery sector with the theme "Pagbabago ng Klima: Hamon sa Likas-kayang Pangisdaan" (Climate change: Challenge to Sustainable Fisheries).

"Wherever you go people talk about the threats of the global warming," remarked David Ernacio, officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) office in northern Mindanao, as he noted the diminishing fish supplies in the region.

Northern Mindanao’s current annual fish production of 150 metric tons is not enough to cover demand, with the region’s fish sufficiency level estimated at only 70 percent, Ernacio said.

He believed that climate change, as well as population and the conversion of beachfronts into beach resorts, is a key factor contributing to declining fishery trends, but remained optimistic that his office will remain on track toward achieving a 100% fish sufficiency level for the region by 2010.

Ernacio commended the initial success of BFAR's mariculture park in Balingasag, Misamis Oriental, touted as one of the more successful mariculture parks in Mindanao.

"As of September 2008 there were 83 investors with 93 existing fish cages in the park, with total production reaching 287 metric tons of milkfish," Ernacio said. Full story

Tuna fishermen incur Php200M loss
General Santos City, 28 Nov 2008 (A Zonio, G Lacorte/Philippine Daily Inquirer) -- Tuna handline fishermen incurred losses of around Php200 million during the past two months because of pirates and bad weather at sea, an industry official said Friday.

Roger Lim, president of the Alliance of Tuna Handliners in the Socsksargen (South Cotabato-Sultan Kudarat-Sarangani-General Santos City) area said they thought they could already recover from losses when fuel prices recently started to go down.

"The tuna industry was about to bounce back when another whammy hit us hard. Our boats cannot sail out to sea due to bad weather," Lim said.

Lim said since September, each tuna handline boat lost an average of Php200,000 in income per month because sailing out to sea became too risky.

There are about 500 tuna handline vessels in the Socsksargen area.

"Tuna handline vessels operating in international waters were 100% paralyzed since the month of September, and those operating in our territorial waters are very careful because of the presence of sea pirates. This is one ticklish issue that we're trying to address with the help of various government agencies," Lim said.

He said that there was no remedy for the bad weather but the issue of piracy could be addressed.

Lim said fishing grounds near the provinces of Jolo, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Sarangani, Davao Del Sur and Davao Oriental teem with tuna but fishing operations in these areas are often disrupted by sea pirates.

He said among the remedies they considered against piracy was to ask government to allow them to carry firearms. Full story

Canned tuna exporters see trouble in lack of orders from the US
General Santos City, 14 Oct 2008 (RS Sarmiento/Business World) — The economic slowdown in the United States may have started affecting demand for imported canned tuna, a development that could force factories in the Philippines "to stop operations" if it persists, an industry leader said last Sunday.

Mariano M. Fernandez, president of the Tuna Canners Association of General Santos, said canned tuna have been piling up in local warehouses due to a sudden lack of orders. Full story

Fishers group opposes sectoral talks at WTO
22 Nov 2008 (AR Remo/Philippine Daily Inquirer) -- A national fisherfolk coalition warned against mandatory sectoral talks in the World Trade Organization, saying it would only benefit rich countries that wanted greater market access for their products.

In a statement, the Kilusang Mangingisda (Fisherfolk Movement) denounced the Philippine negotiators’ refusal earlier this month to join the Non-Agriculture Market Access (NAMA) 11 group of countries against mandatory or compulsory sectoral talks.

Sectoral talks refer to a type of negotiations in the WTO that would cover specific industries, it said.

NAMA refers to products that are not covered by the Agreement on Agriculture or the negotiations on services. These include manufacturing products, fuel and mining products, fish and fish products, and forestry products. The negotiations are deemed crucial as NAMA products account for almost 90 percent of the world’s merchandise exports. Full story

RP tuna industry nixes ban on FADs
8 Dec 2008 (Sun.Star) -- The local tuna industry expressed its support for international conservation efforts in the face of depleting yellowfin tuna stocks brought by overfishing.

Bayani B. Fredeluces, executive director of the Socsksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries Inc., said the local tuna industry is sending representatives to a meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) on December 8 to 12 in Busan, South Korea.

The commission, which counts the Philippines as a member along with 31 other countries, is convening to discuss, among others, management measures that would reduce the harvest of yellowfin tuna by 30%.

"But while we are for conservation, we have to consider the doability and sustainability of the measures to our tuna industry," Fredeluces said.

He said the local tuna industry does not favor proposals to totally ban the use of fish aggregating devices (FAD), which is used to attract fishes. Full story

RP eyes more fishing grounds in the Pacific
Manila, 23 Oct 2008 (NJC Morales, BusinessWorld in GMA News) -- Officials of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and Philippine businessmen met today with counterparts from Timor-Leste and Indonesia to discuss the implementation of a recently signed agreement to foster cooperation on sustainable fishing, the head of the agency said.

The government is looking at harvesting 30,000-50,000 metric tons of tuna from Banda Sea in the Coral Triangle.

The so-called Coral Triangle is a 2.3-million square mile area bounded by the Philippines, Timor Leste, Indonesia, Malaysia (Sabah), Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands.

Studies show the area is home to more than a third of all the world’s coral reefs, about 600 species of reef-building coral or 75% of all known coral species, over 3,000 species of reef fish, nearly 75% of the world’s mangrove species, over 45% of seagrass species, 58% of tropical marine mollusks, five species of sea turtles and at least 22 species of marine mammals, including 97 species of reef fishes endemic to Indonesia, and more than 50 to the Philippines.

The Philippines and Timor-Leste signed in August 2008 a memorandum of agreement covering post-harvest fishery operations; fish processing development and marketing; coastal management and development; marine fisheries conservation; combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing practices; as well as environmental protection.

"Subject to their respective laws and regulations, the Parties agree to grant fishing licenses to each other’s fishing vessels," the pact read.

During the first half of 2008, the fisheries subsector slowed down to a growth rate of 2.74% from 7.24% expansion in the same period last year due to steep increases in oil prices and typhoons and other natural calamities, according to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics. Full story

Qatar to undertake agri and fisheries ventures in RP
Doha, Qatar, 15 Dec 2008 (PNA) -- Qatar has expressed interest in investing in agricultural and fisheries projects in the Philippines, among other business ventures that are expected to draw more Qatari investments to the country.

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, told President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of his country's interest in undertaking agricultural and fisheries ventures in the Philippines during their bilateral meeting at the Emiri Diwan Royal Palace on Sunday.

Full story

DA enforces closed season for sardines, herring in the Visayan Sea
21 Dec 2008 (JA Ng) -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced the start of a four-month annual closed season for sardines, herring and mackerel in the Visayan Sea.

The ban, or “closed season,” covers  more than half of the 10,000-square-kilometer Visayan Sea, a rich fishing ground because of its generally shallow waters, and is in effect mostly in northern Negros, northern Iloilo and along municipal waters.

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources regional director for Western Visayas Drusila Bayate said the ban has been implemented annually since 1989 under BFAR Administrative Order 167 to shield the Visayan Sea from overfishing and pollution.

Under this BFAR order, Bayate said, the killing and the catching of sardines, herrings and mackerels are prohibited within the closed season. Selling, buying and having possession of the three fish species are also illegal, he added. The ban covers mature fish or their larvae, fry or young.

Any violation of the prohibition will be punishable with a fine of Php500 to Php5,000, or an imprisonment from six months to four years, or both. Full story

Group files protest vs poaching of Japanese tuna factory ships in RP
Manila, 6 Jan 2009 (DJ Lazaro/GMA News) — A national federation of small fisherfolk organizations filed at the Japanese Embassy Tuesday a protest against alleged poaching by Japanese tuna factory ships in waters off Aurora province.

"We view this poaching and invasion activities of Japanese factory ships as gross violations of our national sovereignty and patrimony as people and as a nation, and therefore, we lodge this strongly worded protest in behalf of affected sector and in behalf of the 90 million Filipinos," said Pamalakaya in a letter to the Japanese ambassador.

The group’s action came after Senator Edgardo Angara revealed last month that Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese fishing vessels regularly come to Baler Bay in Aurora province between January and July to fish for tuna.

Angara, who is from Baler, said eight fishing vessels, some with canneries, have been seen almost daily during these months. His sister, Aurora Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo, had asked the Philippine Coast Guard to establish a station in northern Aurora and assign patrol boats to protect the province’s waters from foreign poachers.

According to Aurora provincial fishery officer Victoriano San Pedro, fishermen reported seeing long-line fishing gears being used in the hauling of tuna, blue marlin and other high value fish species.

San Pedro said foreign fishing vessels even entered in the town’s 15-kilometer municipal waters. Full story

RP vows full cooperation with US wildlife service on coral smuggling
23 Dec 2008 (DENR) – Philippine environment and natural resources secretary Lito Atienza said his department will cooperate fully with US authorities in prosecuting a German national who was caught smuggling corals into the United States.

In a letter sent to Atienza last November 24, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service senior special agent Neil Mendelsohn said their investigation showed that Scleratinia corals seized from the suspect came from the Philippines. The unidentified German national was charged with nine counts of violating Philippine and US environmental laws.

“Should this case go to trial, we may need a legal expert from the Philippines to testify in US court,” Mendelsohn said, adding that the US courts will shoulder the expenses associated with such trip.

Mendelsohn’s office had been building up a case against the suspect since March for violation of the U.S. Endangered Species Act and Lacey Act.

Importation of corals is banned under the U.S. Endangered Species Act while the Lacey Act makes it illegal to import wildlife species caught in violation of local laws.

Mendelsohn also cited three Philippine laws that had been violated by the German national, namely Republic Act (RA) 9147 or The Wildlife Resource and Management Act, Presidential Decree 1219 or the Coral Resources Development and Conservation Decree, and RA 8550 also known as the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998.

All three laws strictly prohibit collection and trading of corals. Full story

DENR seeks better coordination of Manila Bay cleanup
25 Dec 2008 (DENR) – Environment and natural resources secretary Lito Atienza announced he will convene the members of the multi-agency Manila Bay Coordinating Committee to discuss ways to strengthen coordination in the management and immediate rehabilitation of Manila Bay.

Originally created in 2003 under the name Manila Bay Project Coordinating Committee, the inter-agency body is tasked to oversee the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the water body’s operation plan and to provide guidance and direction to the various activities under the plan.

The committee includes the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Departments of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), the Interior and Local Government, Health, Science and Technology, the National Economic Development Authority, Metro Manila Development Authority and the Regional Development Council 4.

Also involved in the committee are the provincial governments of Pampanga, Bataan, Bulacan and Cavite, and the city governments of Manila, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Pasay and Malabon.

The Supreme Court has issued a ruling directing relevant national government agencies to come up with measures to help rehabilitate Manila Bay. The 26-page decision described the Bay as “a place with a proud historic past, once brimming with marine life and a spot for different recreational activities, but is now a dirty and slowly, dying expanse because of the indifference of the people and institutions.” Full story: DENR; with additional info from positivenewsmedia.net

Fisheries bureau harnesses wind energy
(BFAR Press Office) -- The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources is tapping the power of wind at its aquaculture center in Compostela Valley Province, which uses a windmill-operated pump.

The 30-foot 32-blade windmill supplies the water requirements for a 4,005-square meter fishpond subdivided into three hatchery ponds, two conditioning ponds and a nursery pond.

The aquaculture center produces a total of 2.3 million tilapia fingerlings annually and disperses 1.85 million fingerlings in communal bodies of water. It caters to 600 to 1000 backyard fishponds in the locality.

The windmill-operated pump has a pumping capacity of 45-60 gallons per minute, roughly equivalent to the output of 3 units of 2 horsepower submersible pumps.

The windmill cost Php250,000 to fabricate and install, according to BFAR, a great investment given its minimal maintenance (about Php150 every six months) and long usable life span (15 years).

BFAR plans to install windmills in other facilities. Full story

Atienza bares heightened efforts to stop DENR’s fishpen demolition
20 Nov 2008 -- Environment and natural resources secretary Lito Atienza disclosed that some state officials and politicians have intensified their efforts to prevent the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) from demolishing fishpens and other illegal structures in Laguna Lake and Manila Bay.

“Officials of the Laguna Lake Development Authority and some politicians have heightened bureaucratic maneuvers and backroom pressure calculated to allow the continuous proliferation, if not expansion, of fishpens in Laguna Lake and Manila Bay,” Atienza said.

But Atienza said DENR will continue the demolition, saying the clearing of illegal structures in the country’s water bodies is a “non-negotiable issue.”

Atienza assailed LLDA General Manager Edgardo Manda for resisting the cleanup of Laguna de Bay on grounds that the LLDA charter gives the agency "exclusive jurisdiction’’ over the fishpens.

The DENR chief said that the President has transferred the control and supervision of Laguna Lake to the DENR. “This means that LLDA should follow our direction,” Atienza said, as he pointed out the harm done by chemical residues from fish feeds in water bodies. “The residues of food fed to the fishes pollute the water and the environment, adversely affecting the health and welfare of millions of people. We cannot allow this to continue.” Full story

Fisheries bureau lauds conservation champions
(BFAR Press Office) -- The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) formally recognized to four fish conservation advocates for their significant contribution to the protection and conservation of the country’s fisheries and aquatic resources.

The BFAR conferred the first Gawad Sagip-Dagat award at last October’s celebration of Fish Conservation Week to Dr. Jose Ma. Lorenzo “Lory” Tan of the World Wildlife Fund-Philippines; Dr. Romeo G. Trono of the Conservation International-Philippines; and environmental lawyers Antonio Oposa, Jr. and Asis Perez.

Tan has been a major partner of the bureau in many conservation projects as well as in the development of mariculture areas in the country. He is currently the Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the WWF-Philippines.

Trono is known for his works in the conservation of marine turtles and the whale shark. He is currently the Country Executive Director of CI-Philippines.

Perez has been volunteering his time and efforts to help improve the plight of the small fisherfolk. He is currently a member of the National Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Council, an advisory and recommendatory body to BFAR.

Oposa is known for his efforts to stop illegal fishing in the Visayan Sea. He is also an awardee of a UN Environment Programme Global Roll of Honor for Contributions to International Environmental Law.

BFAR said the Gawad Sagip-Dagat plaque of recognition will be an annual feature of the fish conservation week celebration to recognize individuals and organizations whose accomplishments have significantly contributed to ensuring the stability and sustainability of the fisheries and aquatic resources. Full story

Environment secretary stops operations of seabed quarry project in Cavite
16 Dec 2008 (DENR) -- Environment and natural resources secretary Lito Atienza has ordered the Philippine Reclamation Authority to stop its quarrying activities in Rosario and Tanza towns in Cavite following protests from local fishermen that the quarrying damaged their source of livelihood and posed a threat to the marine environment of Manila Bay.

In an order, Atienza asked the government-run PRA to first address five issues brought to DENR by the fisherfolk of Rosario town whose complaint was even endorsed by their mayor, Jose M. Ricafrente Jr., and vice mayor, Jose Rozel E. Hernandez.

Atienza said that PRA could be charged with violation of Presidential Decree 1586, which requires private and public firms to undertake an environmental impact assessment before conducting quarrying activities in a marine habitat like the Manila Bay. In addition, under the Fisheries Code of 1998, no quarying permit can be issued in areas within a marine habitat.

The PRA is the government agency vested with the power to approve reclamation projects under Executive Order No. 543 and undertake infrastructure and facilities in the reclamation area by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 1084. Full story

Mariculture park planned in Liguasan Marsh
General Santos City, 17 Nov 2008 (Business World in GMA News) — The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) plans to set up a mariculture park in Liguasan Marsh, said Keise T. Usman, DAF-ARMM secretary.

"There are studies to develop a mariculture park in Liguasan Marsh that will be undertaken with the support of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources," he said.

Usman said a mariculture park in Liguasan Marsh should contribute to eventually achieving food security in Mindanao.

Plans of setting up a mariculture park in Liguasan Marsh, however, face uncertainties with the wetland’s destruction caused by both man and nature.

Cotabato’s Catholic Archbishop Orlando B. Quevedo said at least Php9 billion is needed for the rehabilitation of the 288,000-hectare wetland that is reportedly rich in mineral gas deposits.

"The rehabilitation work will take years," Quevedo, head of the Presidential Task Force for Mindanao River Basin Rehabilitation, said in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Web site.

The marsh supports a huge variety of aquatic wildlife, including 20 species of fishes, three species of reptiles and over 20 species of waterfowl, herons, egrets and ducks.

It is the only place in the country where the Comb-crested Jacana bird can be found.

The marsh is also home to the endangered Philippine Crocodile and the Estuarine Crocodile. Full story

Fishers save stranded sea cow
Manila, 5 Jan 2009 (AP) — Filipino fishermen rescued an endangered sea cow, pushing it back into open water after it was stranded off a beach in the western Philippines, conservationists said Tuesday.

The World Wildlife Fund said two fishermen tied a rope around the refrigerator-sized mammal on Jan. 1, one day after it was trapped by low tide on the shore of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

After recuperating in the waist-high water, the 8.5-foot-long (2.6-meter-long) animal was declared fit for release by WWF activists.

Onlookers cheered as the sea cow — nicknamed Enero, or January in the Tagalog language — was slowly coaxed out of the lagoon.

WWF said the gentle creatures, scientifically known as Dugong Dugon, had once plied the Philippine archipelago until hunting and habitat degradation wiped out most of the herds. Full story

Whale buried in Dagupan fish cemetery
Dagupan City, 31 Dec 2008 (Y Sotelo-Fuertes/Philippine Daily Inquirer) – A dead whale found floating at the South Pier 13 in Manila Bay on December 29 was buried at the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources' fish cemetery here on Wednesday.

The whale measured 9.8 meter long and weighed from 2.5 to 3 tons. It was named Roxanne by reporters and BFAR personnel to commemorate the 2009 Year of the Ox in the Chinese calendar.

It took almost three hours to bury the whale at a corner of the 1,000-square meter fish cemetery. It was the 15th sea mammal and the biggest so far to be buried there.

Dr. Westly Rosario, BFAR Center chief, said the sea mammal's species has not yet been verified although it has features of either the Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostata) or the Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera edeni).

"It is only through DNA tests that we can determine the species," he said, adding that it was the first time such kind of whale was seen in the country.

Rosario said the whale could have been dragged by a ship to the harbor. Necropsy results indicate the whale could have died from drowning. Full story

BFAR urges stricter ‘shellfish checkpoints’ in red tide-affected areas
Manila, 17 Nov 2008 (GMA News) -- Following several deaths caused by red tide-infected shellfish in Bicol, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) urged local governments in areas affected by red tide to set up stricter "shellfish checkpoints" to prevent similar deaths.

In an interview on dzBB radio, BFAR head Malcolm Sarmiento Jr said the checkpoints should make sure the shellfish being transported was not gathered in any of three bodies of water deemed infected by red tide, including the Sorsogon Bay and Juag Lagoon in Sorsogon; and Dumaguilas Bay in Zamboanga.

Local government units make up the frontline in efforts to prevent shellfish-related deaths.

"The ideal scenario is to have local governments keep watch over their respective areas of assignment)," he said. Full story

24 fishermen arrested in Indonesia return to GenSan
Manila, 30 Nov 2008 (GMA News) -- Some 24 fishermen arrested for illegal fishing in Indonesia in October returned to General Santos City, a radio report said.

Bombo Radyo reported that the local Coast Guard said the fishermen's vessel docked at the fish port, after getting assistance from the Philippine consulate in Indonesia.

The fishermen were taken into the custody of the local social welfare office for documentation. Full story

Fishers told to keep off Batangas marine reserve
Batangas City, 28 Oct 2008 (MA Luistro) -- Officials reminded fishers to keep off the waters of Calatagan in Batangas if they are not registered to fish in the town. The warning came as police filed charges before the Calatagan Municipal Trial Court on Tuesday against four fishermen who were caught fishing illegally in municipal waters, which had been declared a marine reserve.

Supt. Manuel Abrugena, Calatagan police chief, identified the suspects as Jay Atienza, 36; Rolando Villela, 28; Ronald de Los Reyes, 20; Jeremias Mendoza, 23, all residents of barangay Luyahan in Lian town. In a phone interview with GMANews.TV, Abrugena said that the four suspects violated the municipal fisheries code as they failed to register themselves as fisherman and their boat used for fishing. Full story

PFDA ordered to pay back taxes to Navotas
29 Oct 2008 (BT Natividad/Philippine Daily Inquirer) -- The Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA), the agency that operates the fishing port complex within Navotas City, was ordered to pay its host P62.8 million in back taxes after an earlier Supreme Court decision directing it to pay its 10-year tax obligation to the city became final and executory.

The high court said that while the PFDA, as an instrumentality of the national government, is exempt from paying real property taxes, the exemption does not extend to portions of the Navotas Fish Port Complex leased to private persons. Full story

Fisheries bureau in Region 11 seeks new markets for seaweeds
27 Dec 2008 (JGRS/Sun.Star) -- The regional office of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Region 11 is looking for other markets for seaweeds.

"Our processing plant here is not that active in buying our growers' produce so we will look for other markets," Regional Director George Campeon said, adding his office will ensure the new markets will be beneficial to the farmers.

He also revealed plans to increase the region’s seaweed production by expanding to “non-traditional areas.” Full story

Project seeks to increase fish harvests
Sinacaban, Misamis Occidental, 7 Jan 2009 (R Rosauro/Philippine Daily Inquirer) – An aquaculture project that seeks both to increase regional fisheries production and diversify Misamis Occidental’s economic base was launched on Monday.

Rod Smith, Australian ambassador to the Philippines, led inaugural rites for the Marine Finfish Hatchery at the Misamis Occidental Aquamarine Park (MOAP). Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was also a guest at the launching.

The project costs Php8 million; at least Php5.5 million was funded by Australia and the rest by the provincial government.

Mario Ferraren, the project’s chief executive, said the hatchery is currently focused on producing grouper fingerlings in cooperation with the Iloilo-based Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center. Full story

World

Countries agree on guidelines for protecting deep-sea species and habitats
Rome, 3 Sep2008 (FAO) – After two years of preparation and negotiation, members of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have adopted international guidelines aimed at limiting the impact of fishing on fragile deep sea fish species and habitats.

The guidelines provide a framework that fishing nations should use when operating in high-seas areas outside of national jurisdictions, where many deep sea fisheries (DSF) are located.

Stating that all fishing activity in deep sea areas should be “rigorously managed,” they lay out measures to be taken to identify and protect vulnerable ecosystems and provide guidance on the sustainable use of marine living resources in deep-sea areas.

Additional recommendations include:

• Fishing nations should assess the deep-sea fishing being undertaken by their fleets in order to determine if any significant adverse impacts are involved;

• Deep sea fishing activity should cease in any area where significant adverse impacts to vulnerable marine ecosystems are thought to be taking place;

• Where DSF can be undertaken responsibly, more appropriate fishing methods should be used to reduce impacts on non-target species.

The guidelines also outline steps for improving information on the location and status of vulnerable marine ecosystems and deep sea fisheries. Full story

New conservation measures adopted for Bluefin tuna and other species
28 Nov 2008 (NMFS) -- Despite a strong U.S. proposal to conserve bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) failed to heed scientific advice and adopt measures that would end overfishing and put this species on the path to recovery.

However, the commission adopted a strong measure, championed by the U.S., to rebuild the western Atlantic bluefin tuna stock, the stock harvested by U.S. fishermen. The catch level for the western Atlantic stock was reduced from 2,100 metric tons to 1,800 metric tons by the year 2010. This stock is also fished by Canada, Mexico, and Japan.

The U.S. delegation to the meeting in Marrakech, Morocco, urged the international body of 45 nations and the European Commission to cut catch levels for the much larger eastern and Mediterranean bluefin tuna stock from about 29,000 metric tons to 15,000 metric tons to comply with what an international panel of scientists have recommended to end overfishing and allow the stock to recover. The much larger eastern and Mediterranean stock mixes with the western stock. Conservation of the species depends on science based management and effective compliance with the rules on both sides of the ocean. Source. Additional information

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov

Conceptual “roadmap” on fisheries subsidies circulated by WTO rules chair
19 Dec 2008 (WTO) – The chair of the Negotiating Group on Rules in the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ambassador Guillermo Valles Galmés, circulated new negotiating texts on anti-dumping and horizontal subsidies disciplines, and a conceptual “roadmap” on fisheries subsidies.

Galmés stated that the anti-dumping and subsidies texts are based on a new, bottom-up approach, that is, draft legal language is provided only in those areas where some degree of convergence appears to exist; while in other areas, the issues are identified and a brief summary of the range of views expressed is set forth, in brackets.

On fisheries subsidies, instead of a new draft text, the chair issued a conceptual roadmap for further discussions. His view is that all participants recognize the global crisis of overcapacity and overfishing, with its consequent negative economic and environmental effects, and are committed to ensuring that the disciplines ultimately developed must be effective in fulfilling the negotiating mandate from Ministers.

Galmés stated that these new documents are intended to provide a platform for further discussions, to which end he will convene an intensive series of meetings in 2009, the first of which is scheduled for the week of 2 February. Full story

New questions raised on the future of fish farming
6 October 2008, Puerto Varas, Chile/Rome - The aquaculture industry has reached an important crossroads, with new challenges emerging regarding the sector’s ability to meet future world demand for fish. Small-scale farmers in developing countries are facing difficulties in exporting their produce, and need help to become competitive and access global markets, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

In 2006, the world consumed 110.4 million tons of fish, with 51.7 million tons of that coming from aquaculture.

Production by traditional capture fisheries has reached a plateau, so to meet the projected demand for fish of an expanded world population, in 2030 aquaculture will need to produce an additional 28.8 million tons – 80.5 million tons overall -- each year just to maintain per capita fish consumption at current levels.

However FAO cautions countries attending a meeting of the UN agency’s Committee on Fisheries (COFI), Sub-Committee on Aquaculture in Puerto Varas, Chile last October that a series of emerging challenges need to be addressed if aquaculture is to live up to its potential.

“The question remains whether the aquaculture sector can grow fast enough to sustain projected demand for fish while ensuring consumer protection, maintaining environmental integrity, and achieving social responsibility,” the report said.

Already there are some signs that the sector’s rapid growth over the last three decades is starting to slow. The sector sustained a yearly growth rate of 11.8 percent from 1985 to 1995. That slowed to 7.1 percent during the following decade, and to 6.1 percent for the 2004-2006 period.

Most farmed fish that are consumed in the developing world, such as carps and tilapia, are herbivores or omnivores.

But species like salmon or shrimp – often raised in developing countries and exported to wealthy consumer markets, providing jobs and income for millions of people -- need other fish, in the form of meal or oil, to eat.

In 2006 aquaculture consumed 3.06 million tons (56%) of world fishmeal production and 780,000 tons (87%) of total fish oil production. Over fifty percent of the sector’s use of fish oil occurs on salmon farms.

Fishmeal and fish oil production has remained stagnant over the last decade, and significant increases in their production are not anticipated, according to FAO. At the same time, the volume of fishmeal and fish oil used in formulated aquaculture feeds tripled between 1996 and 2006. This was made possible due to significant reduction of the poultry sector’s reliance on fishmeal in poultry feeds.

“It is probable that the livestock and poultry sectors will continue to use less and less fishmeal in their feeds, which is good for the future of feed-based aquaculture,” noted Rohana Subasinghe, an FAO expert on fish farming and Secretary of the COFI Subcommittee. “However, more and more formulated feeds are being used for non-filter feeding omnivorous fish like carps, thus the need for fishmeal is increasing. So we must make efficiency improvements in the use of feed and also some serious strides in terms of coming up with alternative protein supplements,” he said.

FAO is also now seeing that, for some commodities and in some producing countries, the overall number of fish farms is decreasing, while the size of individual farms is increasing, pointing to the concentration of fish farms into fewer hands.

Other challenges highlighted by FAO include the environmental impacts of fish farming, food safety and antibiotic use, and the impacts that climate change may have on aquaculture. Full story

World's fish catches being wasted as animal feed
New York NY, 30 Oct 2008 (Terradaily) -- A new study published in the November issue of the Annual Review of Environment and Resources finds that one-third of the world's marine fish catches are ground up and fed to farm-raised fish, pigs, and poultry, squandering a precious food resource for humans and disregarding the serious overfishing crisis in our oceans.

Lead author Dr. Jacqueline Alder, senior author Dr. Daniel Pauly, and colleagues urge that other foods be used to feed farmed animals so that these "forage fish" can be brought to market for larger-scale human consumption.

"Forage fish" include anchovies, sardines, menhaden, and other small- to medium-sized fish species which are the primary food for ocean-dwelling marine mammals, seabirds (especially puffins and gulls) and several large fishes.

Currently, catches of forage fish are predominantly used in animal feed, but these species are highly nutritious and well-suited for direct human consumption.

Although feeds derived from soy and other land-based crops are available and are used, fishmeal and fish oil have skyrocketed in popularity because forage fish are easy to catch in large numbers, and hence, relatively inexpensive.

"It defies reason to drain the ocean of small, wild fishes that could be directly consumed by people in order to produce a lesser quantity of farmed fish," said Dr. Ellen K. Pikitch, executive director of the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science and a Professor at Stony Brook University's School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. "Skyrocketing pressure on small wild fishes may be putting entire marine food webs at great risk."

Forage fish account for a staggering 37% (31.5 million tons) of all fish taken from the world's oceans each year, and 90% of that catch is processed into fishmeal and fish oil. In 2002, 46% of fishmeal and fish oil was used as feed for aquaculture (fish-farming), 24% for pig feed, and 22% for poultry feed. Full story

Progress reported in UN-backed efforts to reduce pollution, emissions from ships
14 Oct 2008 – The United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) has reported major progress on efforts to cut polluting and global warming emissions from ships, achieve more environmentally friendly recycling of vessels and prevent contamination from harmful organisms in ballast.

Under amendments to the so-called MARPOL (marine pollution) accords unanimously adopted by IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) earlier this month, emissions of sulphur oxide (SOx), nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter from ships will be progressively reduced.

“The MEPC maintained momentum on the issue and made substantive progress in developing technical and operational measures to address such emissions, including the development of an energy efficiency design index for new ships and an energy efficiency operational index, with associated guidelines for both,” the agency said in a news release.

According to a consensus estimate for 2007, CO² emissions from international shipping amounted to 843 million tons, or 2.7 per cent of global CO² emissions, as compared to the 1.8 per cent estimate in 2000. In the absence of regulation, such emissions were predicted to increase by a factor of 2.4 to 3.0 by 2050.

MARPOL Annex VI Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships entered into force in May 2005 and has so far been ratified by 53 countries, representing some 81.88 per cent of the gross tonnage of the world’s merchant shipping fleet. Full story

2008 among the warmest years on record – UN
New York, 18 Dec 2008 (UN) -- The year 2008 is likely to rank as the 10th warmest year on record since the beginning of the instrumental climate records in 1850, although the global average temperature was slightly lower than previous years of the 21st century, according to the United Nations meteorological agency.

The combined sea-surface and land-surface air temperature for 2008 is estimated at 0.31 degrees Celsius (C) or 0.56 Fahrenheit (F), above the 1961-1990 annual average of 14C, or 57.2F, while the Arctic Sea ice volume during the melt season was its lowest since satellite measurements began in 1979, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said.

The average temperature of 2008 was moderated by La Niña, a weather phenomenon that shrinks the warm pool water in the central and western Pacific, which developed in the latter half of 2007.

Climate extremes, including devastating floods, severe and persistent droughts, snowstorms, and heat and cold waves, were recorded in many parts of the world, with above-average temperatures all over Europe and a remarkably cold winter over Eurasia stretching from Turkey to China, causing hundreds of casualties in Afghanistan and China.

The most deadly tropical cyclone of the year was Cyclone Nargis, which killed nearly 78,000 people and destroying thousands of homes in Myanmar. Sixteen tropical storms formed in the Atlantic including eight hurricanes, five of which were major at Category 3 or higher (averages are eleven, six and two, respectively), causing many casualties and widespread destruction.

For the first time on record, six consecutive cyclones made landfall in the US and a record three major hurricanes hit Cuba. In the East Pacific, 17 tropical storms were recorded, of which 7 evolved into hurricanes, 2 of them major (averages are 16, 9 and 4, respectively).

In the western North Pacific, 22 tropical storms were recorded, 10 of them typhoons, compared to the long-term average of 27 and 14, respectively.

In the Antarctic, the ozone hole reached a maximum of 27 million square kms, less than the record of more than 29 million square kms in 2006, but larger than the 25 million square kms of last year.

In the Arctic, the average sea ice extent over the month of September was 4.67 million square kms, the second lowest on record after last year’s low of 4.3 million square kms. Because ice was thinner in 2008, overall ice volume was less than that in any other year.

A remarkable occurrence in 2008 was the dramatic disappearance of nearly one-quarter of the massive ancient ice shelves on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic. Ice 70 meters thick, which a century ago covered 9,000 square kms, has shrunk to just 1,000 square kms today, underscoring the 30-year downward trend in Artic sea ice. Full story

New ‘seawater’ definition bared
22 Dec 2008 -- A proposed new definition of ‘seawater’ is drawing the attention of the world’s oceanographic community in a change that will advance the accuracy of climate science projections.

The science case for a change in the definition of seawater was first agreed to in 2006 when the international guiding body, the Scientific Committee on Oceans Research (SCOR) established a working group, chaired by Dr Trevor McDougall, of the Wealth from Oceans Flagship of Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO). 

“The changes are important because variations of salinity and temperature are responsible for driving deep ocean currents and the major vertical overturning circulations of the world’s oceans,” McDougall says. “Getting these circulations right is central to the task of quantifying the ocean’s role in climate change.”

“We feel we are sufficiently well-advanced with our arguments to now go out to the oceanographic community and propose adoption of new and more accurate oceanographic variables that we suggest be called ‘Absolute Salinity’, and ‘Conservative Temperature’.”  These more accurate variables will take the place of today’s Practical Salinity and Potential Temperature.  

“To date, ocean models assume that the heat content of seawater is proportional to a particular temperature variable called ‘potential temperature’,” McDougall adds. “The new description of seawater allows us to measure the errors involved by using this approximation while presenting a much more accurate measure of the heat content of seawater, namely Conservative Temperature.  The difference is mostly less than 1º C at the sea surface, but it is important to correct for these biases in ocean models.”

Sea water is a mixture of 96.5 per cent pure water and 3.5 per cent other material, such as salts, dissolved gases, organic substances, and undissolved particles. Salinity, comprising the salts washed from rocks, is measured using the conductivity of seawater. This technique assumes that the composition of seawater is the same in all the world’s oceans. It has been known for some time that there are small variations in the composition of seawater around the globe, and the SCOR working group is now in a position to recommend a practical method for taking these variations into account. The changes in salinity, while small, are a factor of about ten larger than the accuracy with which scientists can measure salinity at sea. 

Dr McDougall believes the new values for salinity will be in widespread use by 2010. Source

Oceans acidifying much faster than was thought: study
26 Nov 2008 (University of Chicago/World Science) -- The oceans are becoming more acidic, and much faster than previously thought, scientists say. The pro­cess, a possible threat to some ocean life, seems to be linked with rising levels of atmospheric gas­es that are blamed for glob­al warming, according to the researchers.

University of Chicago scientists detailed the new findings in a pa­per published on­line by the re­search journal Proceedings of the Na­tional Academy of Sciences Nov. 24.  The study is based on 24,519 mea­sure­ments of ocean ac­id­ity span­ning eight years.

During that time, “the acidity increased more than 10 times faster” than climate change models and other studies had predicted, said the university’s J. Timothy Wootton, lead au­thor of the study. “This increase will have a severe impact on marine food webs.”

The scientists said that the acidity could re­duce the ocean’s abil­ity to soak up more car­bon di­ox­ide, a pro­cess which some have hoped would miti­gate cli­mate change. Full story

Global methane levels on the rise again
30 Oct 2008 (CSIRO) -- After eight years of near-zero growth in atmospheric methane concentrations, levels have again started to rise.

“This is not good news for future global warming,” says Dr Paul Fraser of Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO). Fraser co-authored a paper to be published in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. “Over recent years, the growth of important greenhouse gases, namely methane and the CFCs, had slowed. This tended to offset the increasing growth rate of carbon dioxide that results mainly from large increases in the consumption of fossil fuels, particularly in the developing world. Now that methane levels have resumed their growth, global warming may accelerate.”

Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere after carbon dioxide, accounting for nearly 20 per cent of global warming since the industrial revolution. Methane is emitted to the atmosphere from natural wetlands, rice fields, cattle, forest and grassland fires, coal mines, natural gas leakage and use, and other sources. Full sources

Line fishers catching fewer birds; seabird safeguards urged for net fisheries
22 Sep 2008, Rome (FAO) -- Safeguards introduced in recent years to protect seabirds from longline fishing activities are successfully reducing the number of accidental bird kills, and experts are now calling for similar measures to be used in other forms of industrial fishing in areas where seabirds are at greatest risk.

According to figures reported to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO ), collateral damage to seabirds by Chilean longline fisheries dropped from 1600 kills – including 1500 Albatrosses -- in 2002 to zero in 2006. Significant progress was also reported in the southern Ocean around Antarctica, where bird kills went from 6500 in 1996 to zero in 2007 and in Australian waters, where unintentional seabird “bycatches” dropped from 2000 to 200.

Measures to lessen the impact of fishing on seabirds, particularly albatrosses and petrels are currently being implemented or in an advanced state of preparation in ten countries – South Africa, Australia, Chile, Canada, Brazil, Japan, Uruguay and the United States, Argentina and Namibia. The measures are contained in National Plans of Action, or NPOAs operated by individual countries under an International Plan of Action (IPOA) for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries developed by FAO and approved by member countries in 1999.

An expert consultation was organized by FAO in Bergen, Norway, earlier this month to help countries more effectively implement the IPOA-Seabirds. Among the key “best practices” guidelines suggested by the meeting was to extend safeguards from longline to trawl and gillnet fisheries in areas of high seabird density. Full story

Policy on fish quotas shows benefits but more efforts needed
Brussels, 10 Nov 2008 -- The European Commission today tabled its proposal on fishing possibilities and fishing effort for 2009 for the main stocks in the North-East Atlantic, including the North Sea. This takes account of the latest scientific advice on the state of fish stocks from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), advice from the Commission’s own Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee on Fisheries (STECF) and input from stakeholders.

European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Joe Borg commented: "We have made real progress in fisheries management over the last six years, and we are starting to see positive results, such as the recovery in certain stocks under long-term management plans. But this good news remains the exception, not the rule. There has been so much overfishing over many years that the balance of the marine ecosystems on which our fisheries depend, is seriously disturbed. To nurture them back to their former productivity will often mean fishing less today so that fish stocks have a chance to recover. I know this will be hard on the fleets affected. But there is no other choice, if we want to restore the ecological basis for a truly viable European fishing industry."

The highlights of the Commission's proposal are:

• For whitefish stocks: In the area west of Scotland, the stocks of cod, haddock and whiting are overfished and catches have fallen steeply over the last ten years. The Commission is proposing to give a “breathing space” to these stocks so they can rebuild. This means stopping targeted fishing of these species and bringing in new kinds of fishing gear that let these fish escape while enabling fishermen to continue catching the prawns and anglerfish that are the most valuable parts of the fishery.

• For herring: A substantial reduction in herring quotas is needed in order to prevent the further decline of stock. For the West Scotland stock the Commission is proposing a 25% reduction in quotas.

• For North Sea sole: The North Sea sole stock is managed under a long-term management plan, which this year points to a 7% increase in the quotas

• For spurdog and porbeagle: The recent scientific advice on these stocks of deep sea sharks confirms their extremely poor biological condition, so the Commission is proposing a zero TAC (Total Allowable Catch).

• For blue ling: Following the scientific advice and consultation with stakeholders, the Commission is now proposing measures to protect blue ling spawning aggregations through the introduction of two protection zones in the area west of Scotland.

• For short-lived species: In-year management systems will be applied for short-lived species such as anchovy in the Bay of Biscay and sandeel, Norway pout and sprat in the North Sea. In the case of anchovy, the fishery will remain closed, subject to revision when data on spring abundance of the stock becomes available. Full story

EU fish stocks at risk of collapse, warns leading scientist
15 December 2008 (I Sample/The Guardian) -- European fisheries are at risk of widespread collapse if responsibility for setting catch sizes is not given over to an independent body, a leading marine scientist said today.

The warning follows research that reveals EU ministers have consistently ignored scientific advice on catch limits, and agreed quotas up to 140% higher than sustainable levels.

The systematic mismanagement of fisheries was akin to a "doctor assisting the suicide of a patient", that ultimately "condemns the fishing industry to extinction," said Callum Roberts, professor of marine conservation at the University of York.

In the 1970s, three quarters of Europe's fisheries were in a healthy or slightly at risk state, but today more than half are in danger. Despite scientific advice, which in some cases, such as cod, has called for complete regional bans on fishing, ministers continue to argue for quotas above sustainable levels.

Fish stocks and sustainable catch limits are determined each year by scientists at the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), but ministers use this only as a starting point when they meet to decide annual fishing quotas.

Roberts argues that instead of deciding quotas, ministers should only be involved in working how the scientifically-agreed catch limits are divided among member states. Full story

Tropical tuna management plan is a step in the right direction -- EC
(7^th Space) –The European Commission has welcomed the adoption last December of a three-year management plan for yellowfin and bigeye tuna by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).

Key elements include a 30% reduction over three years in catches of bigeye tuna, and a two-month prohibition on fishing with floating platforms which are used to attract fish, to be extended to three months in 2010. Though these measures do not go as far as the results the European Union was seeking, they represent a positive step in the right direction towards the conservation of these stocks. This is particularly the case for bigeye tuna, on which scientists have been calling for a substantial reduction in fishing pressure.

The plan also contains control and monitoring measures, as well as a ban on discards in these two fisheries.

In addition to the plan for tropical tunas, the WCPFC also adopted a number of other measures during the course of the meeting, including a limit on capacity in the swordfish fishery to prevent the stock becoming overexploited. A list of IUU vessels (vessels engaged in illegal, unrecorded and unregulated fisheries) was adopted, and measures to introduce a centralized satellite-based vessel monitoring system (VMS) were finalized. The VMS system, which has been some time in the planning, will now come into operation from 1 April 2009.

The meeting also adopted new measures for the protection of sharks and sea turtles, and a long-term plan (through to 2018) for the gradual transfer of fishing capacity from developed states to developing states, with the aim of ensuring that small island development states get a greater share of the fishery. Full story

Noisier oceans threaten whales and dolphins, experts warn at UN gathering
Rome, 3 Dec 2008 – Increased noises generated by larger numbers of ships, seismic surveys and use of new military sonars are imperiling creatures such as whales and dolphins, who use sound to communicate and find food, experts said today at a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) gathering here.

An alliance of wildlife groups at the 9th meeting of the Convention on Migratory Species – an intergovernmental treaty concluded under UNEP’s aegis – that seeks to conserve wildlife and habitats on a global scale issued the warning, urging governments and the private sector to use quieter ship engines.

They also called for tighter laws on using seismic surveys to explore for gas and oil, as well as less intrusive sonar technologies by militaries.

“Underwater, man-made noise is already triggering a kind of acoustic fog and a cacophony of sound in many parts of the world seas and oceans,” said Mark Simmonds, Science Director of the Whale and Conservation Society, who is attending the UNEP conference.

Compounding the problem is the rising acidity levels in the seas and oceans, which could reach a point in the coming decades where noise generated by vessels, surveys and others will travel 70 per cent further than they do currently. Full story

Overfishing causing increased shark attacks?
13 Jan 2009 (J Maynard/The Epoch Times) -- A spike in shark attacks in Australian waters has been attributed to overfishing.

Vic Hislop, a veteran shark hunter and known authority on big whites in Australia, says many years of overfishing Australian waters had forced big sharks to seek “gentler” prey, such as dugong, turtles and dolphins.

“That’s what’s in their stomach now every day,” he told Macquarie Radio. “As the turtles disappear, which is inevitable, and the dugong herds disappear, humans are next in line on the food chain. It will definitely get worse.”

Dr Wayne Sumpton from the Queensland Department of Primary Industries (DPI), however, says there is no evidence that shark behaviors and patterns of feeding are changing.

Sumpton says this time of year always sees increased shark movements because it is spawning season. Full story

Trawling making legal return in Indonesia
15 Jan 2009 (FE Satriastanti/The Jakarta Globe) – Former Indonesian President Suharto saw the dangers of trawl fishing 28 years ago when Thai poachers were blamed for the serious depletion of fish stocks around the Riau Islands. His solution was to ban trawl fishing throughout the archipelago, except around the Arafura Islands in the country’s far east. But the practice continued illegally.

Now, Indonesian authorities are taking a different tack to regulate the practice: legalizing it.

A new regulation from the Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries allows trawling to begin this year in the waters off four districts: Nunukan, Tana Tidung, Bulungan and Kota Tarakan, all in East Kalimantan Province. About 1,299 vessels will be allowed to operate in these areas, according to Indonesia’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

Trawling continues to be illegal in the rest of the country but the possibility remains for other regions to apply for legalization.

The planned resumption of legal trawling in East Kalimantan has environmentalists worried that it will only speed up the depletion of the country’s maritime resources, as well as increasing environmental degradation. Full story. Additional info

Taiwan to cut bigeye tuna catch by 10%
(Central News Agency) Taiwan's fishing quota for bigeye tuna in the Pacific Ocean will be cut by 10 percent next year after an Pacific Ocean tuna commission called on 25 of its members to slash bigeye tuna catches by 30 percent over the next three years, Taiwan's Fisheries Agency announced yesterday.

The new quota, proposed by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission's (WCPFC's) science sub-commission in an effort to maintain the sustainability of the threatened species, was approved at the WCPFC's annual meeting in South Korea's Busan Dec. 8-12, according to the agency.

Myanmar fishers struggle to pay back loans
Pyapon, Myanmar, 19 Dec 2008 (IRIN) -- Fishermen hit by Cyclone Nargis are struggling to pay back government loans meant to jumpstart their livelihoods.

While the loans have helped, more assistance will be needed to sustain them for the long term, they said.

"I'm not sure whether I will be able to make the payments in time," Mya Win Maung said from his home in Pyapon, in Ayeyarwady Delta.

In July, he received a US$800 loan from the Livestock and Fisheries Development Bank to repair his 30ft vessel at an interest rate of 1.42% per month for one year.

Between June and November this year, the government lent more than $2.2 million to fishermen affected by Cyclone Nargis, in amounts ranging from $250 to $25,000, a bank official, who declined to be identified, told IRIN.

Qualifying fishermen were required to submit property deeds for collateral. In addition, applicants had to provide at least four guarantors -- mostly fellow fishermen.

But for some fishermen, the loans have only put them in greater debt.

Others maintain that while the loans have helped, they are not enough to sustain their business.

With a complicated application process, some fishermen even became brokers to their colleagues, adding 10 percent more to the expense, while at the same time encouraging them to take out larger loans than necessary. Full story

Pacific tuna commission gives a glimmer of hope for the world's favorite fish
19 Dec 2008 (Solomon Times) -- Greenpeace declared the outcome of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) a failed compromise, one which is too weak to stop the overfishing of the Pacific bigeye and yellowfin tuna.

Greenpeace has, however, applauded the positive decision to close two of the high seas pockets between Pacific Island Countries to purse seine fishing from 2010.

The Commission will also consider the closure of the third such area in 2009. Greenpeace has been campaigning for these areas to be designated as marine reserves in order to support sustainable fisheries, protect Pacific marine life and to clean up pirate fishing in the region.

Scientists have been warning since 2001 that the bigeye and yellowfin stocks in the Pacific are in decline and recommended a minimum of 30% fishing effort reduction for 2009. Yet the commission only agreed to a compromise measure to cut fishing on bigeye with a range of measures including a 10% reduction in longline catch.

"Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Island countries, and the US all put up a strong front, but the resistance from Japan, Korea, China, Chinese Taipei and Philippines meant the Commission failed to reduce catch enough to make a difference." said Lagi Toribau, Greenpeace Australia Pacific Oceans Campaigner. Full story

First comprehensive 'inventory' of life in Antarctica shows highly diverse region
21 Dec 2008 -- The first comprehensive "inventory" of sea and land animals around a group of Antarctic islands reveals a region that is rich in biodiversity and has more species than the Galapagos. The study provides an important benchmark to monitor how they will respond to future environmental change.

Reporting this week in the Journal of Biogeography, the team from British Antarctic Survey and University of Hamburg, describe how they combed the land, sea and shores of the South Orkney Islands, near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, using scuba divers and trawled nets to catch creatures as deep as 1500 metres.

Animals recorded were then checked with a century of literature and modern databases and the team concludes there are over 1200 known marine and land species. These include sea urchins, free-swimming worms, crustaceans and molluscs, mites and birds. Five were new to science.

Lead author Dr David Barnes from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) says: "This is the first time anybody has done an inventory like this in the polar regions. It's part of the Census of Marine Life (COML) - an international effort to assess and explain the diversity and distribution of marine life in the world's oceans. If we are to understand how these animals will respond to future change, a starting point like this is really important."

More information about the work of the Survey can be found at: www.antarctica.ac.uk, Full story

Mauritania bans most fish exports to feed locals
Nouakchott, Mauritania, 5 Nov 2008 (V Fertey/Reuters) -- Mauritania banned most fish exports this week to try to meet domestic needs, angering local fisherman and those workers laid off by fish factories.

Mauritania, an arid country at the western end of the Sahara which boasts rich fisheries off its Atlantic coast, was among the countries worst hit by a surge in food prices earlier this year as it depends heavily on imports of staple foods like rice.

"This ban is intended to redirect output to prioritise the needs of Mauritanians, who have a right to eat their own fish," Fisheries Minister Hassena Ould Ely told Reuters after the ban took effect.

But the export ban on three popular fish, imposed from Monday by the fisheries minister installed after an August military coup, flies in the face of advice from some economists that curbs on exports risk disrupting vital food industries.

The ban covers sea bream and two species of grouper known locally as thiof and merou, which together account for around 80 percent of fish exported from Mauritania by local operators. Full story

Melamine found in feed at Hong Kong fish farms -- report
12 Nov 2008 (A Pan/Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong food regulators found the toxic chemical melamine in samples of feed used at a fish farm on the city's Lantau Island, The Standard reported, citing Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.

Animal feed tainted with melamine has ``limited effect'' on edible meat tissue, the Standard said, citing an unidentified government spokesman. Full story

Obama urged to end overfishing
Washington, 13 Nov 2008 (D Zabarenko, V Allen/Reuters) -- US President-elect Barack Obama could protect ocean wildlife and save jobs in commercial fisheries by ending widespread overfishing, environmental and economic leaders and scientists reported on Thursday.

About 70 percent of the world's fisheries are over-exploited or have already crashed, the report said. If this long-term trend continues, scientists have predicted that all current salt-water fish and seafood species will collapse by 2048.

The report said this could be remedied by instituting a system known as catch shares, where the total amount of fish allowed to be taken in a given fishery is capped and fishermen are given a share of the fishery's quota.

That is different than the conventional way of trying to limit the number of fish taken, which is to shorten the length of the fishing season, which prompts fishermen to get the absolute maximum during whatever time they are permitted to fish.

Unlike other environment problems facing the new administration, most notably the pressure to limit climate-warming carbon emissions, overfishing is an issue that can start to be fixed in Obama's first four-year term, the report's authors said.

The report urged Obama to make sure that all federal fishery management plans are evaluated by 2012 and that at least 50 percent of them feature catch share management by 2016. It said Congress could help by passing legislation to require that catch shares be considered in all plans by 2012. Full story

Fish digestions help keep the oceans healthy
London, 15 Jan 2009 (M Kahn, N Vinocur/Reuters) - The digestive systems of fish play a vital role in maintaining the health of the oceans and moderating climate change, researchers said on Thursday.

Computer models showed how bony fish produced a large portion of the inorganic carbon that helps maintain the oceans' acidity balance and was vital for marine life, they said.

The world's bony fish population, estimated at between 812 million and 2 billion tons, helped to limit the consequences of climate change through its effect on the carbon cycle, University of British Columbia researchers reported in the journal Science.

Calcium carbonate is a white, chalky material that helps control the acidity balance of sea water and is essential to the health of marine ecosystems and coral reefs. It helps regulate how much carbon dioxide oceans would be able to absorb from the atmosphere in the future, the researchers said.

Until now, scientists believed calcium carbonate came from microscopic marine plankton. The new findings suggested between 3% and 15% of the material comes from bony fish, said Rod Wilson of the University of Exeter in Britain, who worked on the study. Full story

Too few sharks is a bad thing
Toliara, Madagascar, 4 Dec 2008 (IRIN) -- When shark fisherman Zoffe loads his nets into his pirogue (a dugout canoe, often with a sail) in the morning and sets out from his home in the coastal town of Morombe into the deep waters of the Mozambique Channel, he knows that he will be lucky if he catches anything.

"It is really hard to catch shark now," Zoffe told IRIN. "Things are not like they used to be; before, there used to be shark very near the shore - just five metres below the surface of the sea - now they are only found very far away, and are very deep. They are very difficult to catch."

The coral reef system along Madagascar's southwestern coast is almost 500km long and one of the largest in the world. Marine resources provide the primary source of income for all coastal communities, supporting more than 20,000 people in Toliara Province alone. Entire villages have traditionally relied on catching sea cucumbers and octopus, and fishing on near-shore coral reefs as their sole source of income.

"Communities here depend massively on marine resources, yet these are over-exploited and they desperately need to find a way to utilise them sustainably," Garth Cripps, a marine scientist based in Toliara town, told IRIN.

"If they carry on as they are, they will push the ecosystem to the brink of collapse, and the social and environmental consequences of that will be very negative for them."

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates the value of Madagascar's fisheries at US$160 million annually; fishing mining and tourism are the three main drivers of economic development.

Madagascar has a long way to go in protecting its marine resources. There are no conservation programmes in place to protect sharks. "It is not a sustainable fishery because it is not properly regulated," Volanirina Ramahery, of the World Wide Fund for Nature told IRIN.

The decline of the primary predator could unbalance the entire marine food chain. Studies in the Caribbean have shown that too few sharks mean other carnivorous species increase and eat too many other useful fish, such as those keeping algae on the coral in check, which can eventually endanger the entire reef ecosystem.

"The disappearance of sharks would have devastating impacts on marine habitats and the local communities that depend on these," Frances Humber, a marine biologist studying shark populations in southern and western Madagascar with the British conservation organisation, Blue Ventures, told IRIN.

"A collapse in the shark fishing industry could threaten the economic stability of the region, and would mean the loss of livelihoods for thousands of fisherman." Full story

European Commission proposes deep cuts in fishing
Brussels, Belgium, 10 Nov 2008 (AP in IHT) -- Fishermen are continuing to deplete fish populations across the northeastern Atlantic, the European Commission said Monday. It proposed deep cuts in 2009 catches for almost 30 species and a ban on fishing for several others.

Later this week, the commission will propose much higher fines for violators of EU fishing rules, arguing governments are too soft on fishermen who overfish, officials said

EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said some fish species have recovered in recent years, "but this good news remains the exception, not the rule." His proposed fishing quotas for 2009 must be endorsed next month by EU governments to take effect. But EU governments, yielding to political pressure at home, regularly ignore EU pleas to limit fishing.

Borg proposed cuts up to 52 percent in the maximum allowed for some fish, so "stocks have a chance to recover," he said in a report to the EU governments. "I know this will be hard on the fleets affected. But there is no other choice if we want to restore the ecological basis for a truly viable European fishing industry," he added. Full story

Guam fishermen oppose US-planned marine park
24 Oct 2008 -- The president of the Guam Fisherman's Co-Op says US federal plans to make the Marianas Trench a marine park, will hurt thousands of years of sustainable fishing in the area.

The Marianas Variety reports the Fisherman's Co-op has backed the Northern Marianas government's opposition to White House plans, to make the deepest part of Pacific ocean waters around the territory a marine sanctuary. Full story

First certified cold water prawns launched in the UK
United Kingdom, 28 Oct 2008 (The FishSite) – UK’s Lyons Seafoods, Europe’s leading processor of king prawns, has launched the first ever range of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified cold water prawns in the UK.

The MSC is the world's leading certification and eco-labeling program for sustainable wild caught seafood and its blue MSC logo provides a guarantee to customers that the products are sourced in a way that safeguards seafood supplies for present and future generations. Full story

EU introduces new IUU certification measures for imported fishery products
On 29 September the European Union Council of Ministers passed the new regulation to control illegal, unregulated and unrecorded fishing (IUU), and to prevent IUU products from being sold on the EU market. From 1 January 2010, imports of fishery products from outside the EC (except freshwater and aquaculture products, and some bivalves) should be accompanied by a catch document which certifies that the consignment was caught in compliance with the laws of the flag State of the catching vessel.

Flag States will be obliged to make arrangements for verification of catch certificates, and ensure that consignments are traceable to the vessel of origin through transshipment and processing.

A copy of the regulation is available at Megapesca. Full story

Study: Fishing hurts Hawaii's nearshore fisheries
Honolulu, 30 Oct 2008 (AP) -- A study by six scientists concludes fishing hurts Hawaii's nearshore fisheries more so than coastal development and pollution.

The study published in the journal Environmental Conservation shows the reef fish most coveted by fishers -- such as uhu, ulua and redfish -- are severely depleted. Full story

Mexico pays fishermen to help save a species by not fishing
Mexico City, 28 Oct 2008 (E Malkin/New York Times) -- About 800 fishermen in the northernmost crook of the Gulf of California have taken up the government’s offer of payments to stop fishing with nets and, in some cases, to stop fishing altogether, Mexican conservationists said on Tuesday.

The offer is intended to save a small porpoise that is threatened with extinction as an unintended byproduct of commercial fishing. The porpoise, called a vaquita, is often trapped and killed in the gill nets that fishermen use to catch shrimp, mackerel and sharks.

Probably no more than 150 vaquitas survive, conservationists say. Full story

Climate change threatens Australian fisheries
Sydney, 6 Oct 2008 (M Perry, S Miglani/Reuters) - Climate change threatens Australia's A$2.1 billion (US$1.6 billion) commercial fishing and aquaculture industry, but may create new wild fisheries as tropical marine species move south as sea temperatures rise.

Changes in sea temperatures, currents, winds, rainfall, sea levels and extreme weather events threaten to adversely affect fish and shellfish numbers, said a report by the Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO).

It said many marine species "may be lost as the climate continues to warm" and alters the island nation's two main ocean currents, the East Australian Current and the Leeuwin Current, which support several commercially important species like rock lobsters, scallops, sardines, whitebait and tropical tuna.

Australia's A$220 million salmon industry off the southern island state of Tasmania could be the hardest hit as salmon are already cultivated close to their upper thermal limit. Full story

Rising Asian shark fin demand hits stocks: report
Nov 3, 2008 By Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent

Oslo, 3 Nov 2008 (A Doyle/Reuters) - Rising demand for shark fin soup in Asia is spurring illegal fishing and contributing to a plunge in stocks, a report said on Monday.

The study, by the Australian government and the wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic, urged governments to crack down on illegal catches. Registered legal shark exports totaled $310 million worldwide in 2005, up from $237 million in 2002.

"As the world's demand for sharks continues to grow, shark populations are plummeting," said a statement accompanying the 57-page report. One in five shark species is considered threatened with extinction.

"The Asian market for shark fin is the key driver of shark fishing globally and is fuelling illegal fishing and high levels of legitimate shark fishing of questionable sustainability," it said. Full story

Globalization drives a bubble in Indonesia's seaweed market
21 Oct 2008 (Mongabay.com) -- International demand and rampant speculation drove excess in Indonesia's emergent seaweed market, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Patrick Barta reports that the market for a yellowish seaweed used to produce carrageenan, a widely-used thickening agent, has fallen sharply after roughly tripling over the past few months. The price for the seaweed on the island of Sulawesi has fallen from a peak of 18,000 rupiah ($1.80) to less than 10,000 rupiah between early September and October. The culprit? Speculation.

"Easy to grow and prized for an ingredient used in making toothpaste, cosmetics and chicken patties, tropical seaweed has helped poor fishermen to offset the waning fishing industry," writes Barta. "But a few months ago, parts of the $14 billion global seaweed market started soaring. The price for a key type of Indonesian seaweed suddenly more than tripled, to as much as 18,000 rupiah (or $1.80) per kilogram, from about 5,000 rupiah."

"Then, just as quickly, the seaweed bubble burst, adding the spindly plant to the long list of the world's assets -- including oil, stocks and houses -- that have tumbled in value." Full story

Asia Pacific nations to hold marine conservation summit
24 Oct 2008 (Radio Australia) -- Six Asia Pacific nations meeting in Manila have agreed to hold a summit next year, to adopt a plan to protect coral reefs and fisheries in one of the world's most important marine areas.

The Coral Triangle, where the Indian and Pacific oceans meet, is home to the world's biggest expanse of mangroves, coral reefs and varieties of fish.

The summit, which is due to be held in Indonesia in May, will bring together leaders from Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands and East Timor. Source

Iceland will not increase its fish quotas
23 Oct 2008 (FishUpdate.com) -- Iceland has made it clear that it will not increase fish quotas to try to help the country through its economic crisis, despite appeals from its fishing leaders. The news will disappoint the Humber markets in particular.

Various Icelandic media are reporting that the Government has said the all important cod quota for 2008-2009 will remain at 130,000 tons -- some 60,000 tons less than two years ago. Full story

Solomons to benefit from US assistance for marine conservation
(Solomon Times) -- The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) pledged nearly $40 million to support the international effort to save the Coral Triangle, the world's greatest expanse of mangroves, coral reefs and diversity of fish, currently under threat from pollution, unsustainable fishing practices and climate change.

"The Coral Triangle Initiative builds on three decades of assistance that the USG has provided for coastal resources management in the Asia-Pacific," said U.S. Ambassador to Solomon Islands Leslie Rowe.

USAID, for instance, has several ongoing bilateral assistance programs in coastal and marine resource management, valued at over $10 million that will also contribute to achieving the CTI's objectives.

USAID and the U.S. Department of State (USDOS) will provide these new funds over five years to the Coral Triangle Initiative, a consortium formed to promote sustainable fisheries and coastal resource management programs in East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and the Solomon Islands.

The CTI seeks to protect 6 million square kilometers of ocean and coasts, an area that has been called the "Amazon of the Seas" for its biodiversity. The Coral Triangle, where the Indian and Pacific oceans meet, is home to 30% of the world's coral reefs representing 75% of the known coral species.

The USG funding is intended to support the commitments and progress made by the six Coral Triangle (CT6) countries' governments on the CTI's plan of action. Supporting the CT6 is an association of development partners, including non-governmental organizations, private donor foundations, and governmental agencies, including USAID and USDOS. Full story

Hundreds of new marine species discovered: Australian scientists
Sydney, 8 Oct 2008 (AFP) — Hundreds of new marine species and previously uncharted undersea mountains and canyons have been discovered in the depths of the Southern Ocean, Australian scientists said Wednesday.

A total of 274 species of fish, ancient corals, mollusks, crustaceans and sponges new to science were found in icy waters up to 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) deep among extinct volcanoes, they said.

The scientists mapped undersea mountains up to 500 meters high and canyons larger than the Grand Canyon for the first time, the government's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) said.

The finds were made in marine reserves 100 nautical miles south of the Australian island of Tasmania during two CSIRO voyages in November 2006 and April 2007 using new sonar and video technology as well as seafloor sampling. Full story

Japan and South Korea to invest in ‘green’ stimulus plans
New York, 9 Jan 2009 (UN) -- Japan has announced that it aims to expand the ‘green business’ market and create up to one million new jobs, through measures that include zero-interest rate loans for environmentally-friendly companies.

The Republic of Korea, meanwhile, will invest $38 billion over the next four years in a series of eco-friendly projects to create 960,000 new jobs and lay the groundwork for future economic growth. The 36 projects include the creation of green transport networks, the provision of two million energy-saving homes and the clean-up of the country’s four main rivers. Full story

83% of China's coastal waters polluted
Beijing, 17 Jan 2009 (AFP) --Raw sewage and pollution from agricultural run-off polluted 83% of China's coastal waters in 2008, state media said Saturday.

China's coastal waters last year witnessed 68 red tides, or algae blooms, which feed off nutrients found in excess pollution and sap water of oxygen, killing off large amounts of sea life, Xinhua news agency said.

The State Oceanic Administration was cited as saying the algae blooms covered 13,700 square kilometers (5,500 square miles), an increase of more than 2,100 square kilometers over 2007, the report said.

While some experts said the red tides were a result of climate change and heavy rain, environmentalists believe they were largely due to sewage and agricultural pollutant run-off, it said. Full story

Australian scientists warn of coral decline
Sydney, 2 Jan 2009 (AFP) — A sharp slowdown in coral growth on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef since 1990 is a warning sign that precipitous changes in the world’s oceans may be imminent, scientists said Friday.

Strong evidence points to the cause being a combination of warmer seas and higher acidity from increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, Australian Institute of Marine Science researchers reported.

“The data suggest that this severe and sudden decline in calcification is unprecedented in at least 400 years,” said Glenn De’ath, principal author of a paper published Friday in the international journal Science.

The research shows that corals on the reef have slowed their growth by more than 14 percent since the “tipping point” year of 1990 and on current trends the corals would stop growing altogether by 2050. Full story

140-year-old lobster rescued from seafood restaurant
10 Jan 2009 (Daily Mail Reporter) -- A 140-year-old lobster is to be reunited with the ocean after being liberated from a New York seafood restaurant.

The 20lb crustacean was the focus of tug of love between animal rights activists Peta and staff at the City Crab and Seafood. But after initially blocking the bid for freedom, restaurant bosses have agreed for George the giant lobster to be transported to the coast and allowed to swim with the fishes once again. Full story

Resources 

Managing fishing capacity
Overcapacity is a key factor contributing to the decline in many of the world’s fisheries. The FAO International Plan of Action for the Management of Fishing Capacity (IPOA-Capacity) encourages States to address this problem by aligning fishing capacity with sustainable use of their fish stocks. The recently-published FAO Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries Management - Managing fishing capacity (No. 4, Suppl. 3) is intended to help stakeholders, fisheries managers and policy-makers in the development of national and regional plans of action for the management of fishing capacity. The guidelines outline the key concepts and techniques for monitoring, measuring and assessing capacity, and they provide information about the design and effects of different management programmes on fishing capacity.

Global Analysis of Protected Areas
The World’s Protected Areas captures the input of more than 100 experts from around the world on one of the most potent tools available for nature conservation: protected areas. The book examines the relationship between people and protected areas, investigates threats and opportunities, cites the history of protected areas, provides expert conservation advice and celebrates the success of protected areas around the world.

With more than 114,000 sites, protected areas cover 19 million km², equivalent to 12.9 percent of the Earth’s land surface. This is a larger area than all of the world’s croplands combined and 18 times larger than the combined area of the world’s urban landscapes. Protected areas have been established in every country and territory on earth as a means to protect nature as well as the species and livelihoods that rely on a particular ecosystem. Protected areas also safeguard water supplies, prevent erosion, replenish fish-stocks, offer places of solace and recreation, and store a treasure-trove of genetic diversity for future pharmaceuticals and crops.

The World’s Protected Areas also draws particular attention to the world’s oceans, because less than 1 percent of our seas are effectively protected,

At 352 pages, The World’s Protected Areas contains 110 colour illustrations, 165 line illustrations and 39 colour maps. It is available from University of California Press; Tel + 510-642-4562. More info

Fisheries stock assessment software
The most widely used software package for the development of state-of-the-art fisheries stock assessment methods, AD Model Builder, or ADMB, can now be downloaded without charge from a public Web site.

ADMB-based computer models are used globally to monitor populations of many endangered and commercially valuable species, to develop place-based resource management policies, and to reconstruct movements of animals tracked with electronic tags. ADMB-based stock assessments are critical to the management of commercially important fisheries stocks worth billions of dollars, as well as ecologically sensitive species in the United States and internationally. Every NOAA Fisheries Science Center uses the ADMB software.

Status of Coral Reefs
This Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2008 report is the 5th global report since the GCRMN (Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network), was formed in 1996 as an operational network of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI). More info

Global study of shrimp fisheries
A recently-published FAO Fisheries Technical Paper presents the results of a global study on the development and status of shrimp fisheries, with a focus on direct and indirect social, economic and environmental impacts. The Global study of shrimp fisheries, now available online, reviews the current situation, problems and issues, as well as the solutions found and the trade-offs in shrimp fisheries and includes ten country case studies.

Sea cucumbers - A global review of fisheries and trade
A comprehensive and up-to-date evaluation of the global status of sea cucumber populations, fisheries, trade and management is now available. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper, Sea cucumbers -- a global review of fisheries and trade reviews the worldwide population status, fishery and trade of sea cucumbers from five regions, covering known sea cucumber fishing grounds: temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere; Latin America and the Caribbean; Africa and the Indian Ocean; Asia; and the Western Central Pacific.

Building an ecosystem approach to aquaculture
Aquaculture growth worldwide involves the expansion of cultivated areas, an increasing number of farms (all sizes), higher density of aquaculture installations and farmed individuals, and greater use of feed resources produced outside the immediate culture area. Recently-published FAO proceedings, Building an ecosystem approach to aquaculture, present the output of an expert workshop organized by FAO and the Univesitat de les Balears from 7-11 May 2007 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. It includes contributed papers on definitions, principles, scales and management measures, human dimensions, economic implications and legal implications that are relevant for an ecosystem-based management in aquaculture.

Global review of capture-based aquaculture
Capture-based aquaculture -- the harvesting of wild individuals for on-growing under confined and controlled conditions -- is used in aquaculture fish production. The FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, in an effort to evaluate the sustainability of this farming practice while promoting the responsible use of wild fish and fishery resources, has published Capture-based aquaculture - global review. This technical paper contains two reviews on environmental/biodiversity and social/economic impacts of capture-based aquaculture as well as eleven species review papers. Both marine and freshwater examples have been reviewed and include finfish (mullet, bluefin tuna, European eel, cod, grouper, yellowtail, Clarias catfish, Indian major carps, and snakehead and Pangasiid catfish), crustaceans (mud crab) and molluscs (oyster).