|
|
| March 19, 2008 - Asia Pacific Ocean News, MARCH 2008
| MARCH 2008
This newsletter is produced regularly and distributed free of charge by SeaWeb to keep interested individuals informed of current news and events. For more information, please email apinfo@seaweb.org.
-------------------------------------------------------
1. KIRIBATI CREATES WORLD’S LARGEST MARINE PROTECTED AREA
2. SEA LEVELS RISE ON CHINA’S SHORES
3. TAIWANESE AND U.S. SCHOLARS TEAM UP TO SAVE CORALS
4. RARE CORALS PLUNDERED FOR AQUARIUM TRADE
5. SOUTH KOREA STILL RECOVERING FROM OIL SPILL
6. MEDIA REVIEWS
7. UPCOMING EVENTS
-------------------------------------------------------
(1) KIRIBATI CREATES WORLD’S LARGEST MARINE PROTECTED AREA
The Phoenix Islands Protected Area, or PIPA, was declared the largest marine reserve in the world. Located half way between Hawaii and Fiji, this ocean wilderness will encompass 164,200 square-miles.
PIPA was established to preserve marine biodiversity, according to the Kiribati Environment Minister Tetapo Nakara. The area will protect eight atolls and two submerged reef ecosystems, as well as numerous sea birds and fish populations. Researchers have dubbed PIPA one of the last intact marine ecosystems in the world, and have identified120 species of coral and 520 species of fish in the area, some of which are new to scientists.
The ministry hopes to fully establish PIPA as a protected area by the end of the year.
Source: Associated Press
Read More:
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=4289881
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080214080527.htm
(2) SEA LEVELS RISE ON CHINA’S SHORES
Coastal towns and deltas along China’s shore are suffering from erosion and sea level rise most likely attributed to climate change.
Last year 2,500 square-kilometer in Laizhou Bay, the southern most bay in the Bohai Sea, eroded into the ocean moving the waterfront 45-kilometers inland, according to an oceanic official in eastern Shandong Province.
A report released earlier this month by China’s State Oceanic Administration, details the increased incidents of sea level rise along the coast. The administration estimates that nationally China will see an estimated 0.032-meter increase in sea level during the next decade.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
Read More:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/22/content_7648799.htm
(3) TAIWANESE AND U.S. SCHOLARS TEAM UP TO SAVE CORALS
Healthy corals off the coast of Taiwan may help scientists save imperiled corals worldwide, or at least this is the premise of the new Taiwan Coral Reef Research Center at the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium in southern Taiwan.
There, scholars from California State University (Northridge) and the National Dong Hwa University will study the reason why Taiwanese corals have for the most part escaped coral bleaching events that have plagued reefs around the world. Bleaching occurs when water temperatures rise, which can result in corals losing their pigment. If temperatures persist, corals can die from this stress.
According to researchers Taiwan’s coral reefs have escaped bleaching because of upwelling and current movements in the western Pacific. Scientists are also studying the high rate of coral cover off Taiwan’s southern coast — 40 percent versus the average rate of 20 percent in other regions.
Source: Central News Agency – Taiwan
Read More:
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/2008/02/28/144822/Taiwan-U.S..htm
(4) RARE CORALS PLUNDERED FOR AQUARIUM TRADE
British customs officers are investigating a series of illegal coral imports that were confiscated at several airports across the country.
In September, the largest live coral shipment was confiscated at Manchester airport. The shipment included 350 corals and clams that are believed to be from protected reefs in Indonesia. The corals and bivalves that were recovered included six species protected under the Convention of International Trade and Endangered Species (CITES).
Also in September, a smaller shipment of illegal corals was intercepted at Heathrow airport. The contents included 159 live corals and 14 sea horses. In August, another package was confiscated at East Midlands airport containing six live endangered corals.
Source: The New York Times
Read More:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3213245.ece
(5) SOUTH KOREA STILL RECOVERING FROM OIL SPILL
One month after 2.7-million gallons of crude spilled off the coast of Taean, a small town located approximately 95-miles southwest of Seoul, local fishers and community members are struggling to pick up the pieces.
The spill was the worst recorded in South Korean history.
More than one million volunteers assisted in the clean-up efforts and for the most part the regions beaches have been cleared of the slick debris, but now residents must deal with a haunting question. How will they maintain their livelihoods, many of which were tied to fishing and tourism?
Conservationists said even though the beaches are mostly clear, the damage from oil in the seabed will last for years, killing fish, marine plants and plankton.
And anger is mounting among the 70,000 residents of Taean, as they wait for more government help and an apology from the owners of the vessels involved in the spill.
Source: Financial Times
Read More:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2008-01/17/content_6400177.htm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22140662/
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ajOLY__vySSE&refer=home
(6) MEDIA REVIEWS
Marine Conservation Biology: The Science of Maintaining the Sea's Biodiversity, Edited by Elliott A. Norse and Larry B. Crowder, Forward by Michael E. Soule, 2005.
For the first time in a single volume leading experts divulge their knowledge of conservation biology and apply it to marine issues. Contributors include: James M Acheson, Louis W. Botsford, Julia K. Parrish, Stephen R Palumbi, and many others. Chapters include topics such as marine populations and ecosystems, threats to marine biological diversity, place-based management and human impacts on marine conservation. This is a must read for anyone interested in ocean conservation issues.
Marine Reserves: A Guide to Science, Design, and Use
By Jack Sobel and Craig Dahlgren, 2004
This guidebook examines no-take marine reserves and offers valuable case studies from California, Belize, the Bahamas, and the Florida Keys, in addition to a review of worldwide experiences across a range of geographic regions, with emphasis on economic conditions and human impacts.
(7) UPCOMING EVENTS
7-11 April 2008. The 4th Global Conference in Oceans, Coasts, and Islands in Hanoi, Vietnam. For more information, please see http://www.globaloceans.org/globalconferences/2008/index.html
7-11 July 2008. The 11th International Coral Reef Symposium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. For more information please see: http://www.nova.edu/ncri/11icrs
|
|
| January 22, 2008 - Asia Pacific Ocean News, JANUARY 2008
| JANUARY 2008
This newsletter is produced regularly and distributed free of charge by SeaWeb to keep interested individuals informed of current news and events. For more information, please email apinfo@seaweb.org
-------------------------------------------------------
CURRENT ISSUE
- PALAU PRESIDENT IS TIME MAGAZINE HERO OF THE ENVIRONMENT
- BALI FISHERMEN TURN TOWARD OCEAN FARMING
- BUILD UP FISH STOCKS NOW FOR BIG MONEY LATER: STUDY
- JAPAN WHALING ILLEGAL, COURT SAYS
- ELECTRICITY REVIVES BALI CORAL REEFS
- REEF VILLIAN MEETS RIVAL: THE SUPER SUCKER
- MEDIA REVIEWS
- UPCOMING EVENTS
-------------------------------------------------------
(1) PALAU PRESIDENT IS TIME MAGAZINE HERO OF THE ENVIRONMENT
Tommy Remengesau Jr., the President of Palau, is one of 45 influential people celebrated in Time Magazine’s 2007 list of “Leaders & Visionaries” working to preserve our planet.
In the article Remengesau explains that his island nation is at the forefront of climate change. He says, “It’s a real threat. We are not visualizing it — We are experiencing it.”
Palau is already experiencing coral bleaching, drought and rising sea levels. But the president warns the plight of his nation will be a preview of what the rest of the planet may expect, if trends are not reversed. Remengesau is not waiting for the rest of the world to react. He has already committed to conserve 20 percent of Palau’s land and 30 percent of the island’s nearshore resources. The president is also working with the Federated State of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands to preserve even more of our ocean planet.
Source: Time Magazine
Read More:
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1663317_1663319_1669885,00.html
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/2007/10/heroes_of_the_environment.html
(2) BALI FISHERMEN TURN TOWARD OCEAN FARMING
Fishers in Southeast Asia are turning away from fishing and towards sustainable algae farming for their income. The program run by the international environmental group World Wild Foundation (WWF) began in 2001 in the village of Sumber Kima. It has since expanded to surrounding coastal communities and now supports approximately 200 households.
WWF set-up the farms in order to minimize human impact on Indonesia’s coral reefs, and to help communities dependent on fishing diversify.
Indonesian fishers are already witnessing the effects of climate change. A massive coral bleaching in 1998 destroyed approximately 16 percent of marine life. A decade later, reefs and fish stocks are still recovering. This has caused fishermen to travel farther offshore in order to find their catch, and with petrol cost at a premium this is no longer feasible for some families. Instead, fishers are opting to leave their boats tied up and farm seaweed. In addition to not being away from their families, fishers turned farmers earn about 750,000 rupiah ($92 US) a month, almost double what they made before.
Source: ABC News, AFP News
Read More:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/12/2116218.htm
(3) BUILD UP FISH STOCKS NOW FOR BIG MONEY LATER: STUDY
Economists recommend that commercial fishers decrease their catches and allow fish stocks to increase to population sizes larger than levels currently recommended by governments. Scientists say this tactic would increase profits in the future by increasing fish populations and decreasing fuel costs.
The study published in the journal Science recommends that fish stocks be allowed to recover to a level know as the ‘biomass maximum economic yield’, which is, in some cases, 10 to 20 percent higher than what current fisheries managers are recommending to sustain fish populations. Co-author Quentin Grafton of the Australian National University condensed the study results to five words: bigger stocks mean bigger bucks. And could also mean a sustainable fishery in the future.
Source: Reuters
Read More:
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN0622801820071206
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/23/AR2007122301515.html?nav=rss_nation
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7147992.stm
(4) JAPAN WHALING ILLEGAL, COURT SAYS
On January 15, 2008 an Australian judge ruled that Japan broke domestic law by killing whales in Antarctic waters, in an Australian whale sanctuary.
However, Japan does not recognize Australia’s claims in the Antarctic and it remains to be seen if the ruling will deter Japan’s plans to kill approximately 900 minke whales and 50 fin whales by mid-April. The Japan fleet maintains that the whales will be used for scientific research, but Australia and other nations say the research could be achieved by using non-lethal methods and call the program a guise for commercial whaling.
For now, the two countries are far apart on whaling issue -- Australian has sent patrol ships to follow Japanese vessels and gather video and photo footage to be used in international courts. In addition, environmental groups Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace have been trailing the fishing fleet in hopes of disrupting the hunt. Japanese whaling officials have condemned the environmental groups, blaming them for past collisions and accusing them of harrasment.
Source: BBC News
Read More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7188674.stm
(5) ELECTRICITY REVIVES BALI CORAL REEFS
In Pemuteran Bay, Indonesia there are dozens of metal structures submerged in the bay. Each is fed by a cable, a low-voltage dose of electricity and after just a few years in an area that was plagued with dynamite fishing and cyanide poisoning the reefs have recovered at an astonishing rate. The project is fairly low-tech and depends on a limestone build-up that gathers on the metal frames. Divers then reattach broken corals from damaged reefs and wait for their revival.
The project, know as Bio-Rock was conceived by scientist Thomas Goreau and the late architect Wolf Hilbertz. The two have similar structures in 20 countries throughout the world, but Bali is their most extensive experiment to date. However, some scientists point out that the electricity used in the project is traditionally generated, a product that is linked to climate change itself. In addition, Rod Salm, coral reef specialist with The Nature Conservancy, said while the method may be useful in bringing small areas of damaged coral back to life, it has very limited application in vast areas that need protection.
Source: Associated Press
Read More:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/071204-AP-bali-electrified.html
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/12/05/coral-reef-bali.html
(6) REEF VILLIAN MEETS RIVAL: THE SUPER SUCKER
Researchers from the University of Hawaii and The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii are battling an invasive alga with a gentle vacuum that literally sucks up the heavy mats of smothering seaweed.
The algae species, which go by the scientific names Eucheuma denticulatum and Gracilaria salicornia, were introduced in the 1970s as an aquaculture experiment. Unfortunately, cages left in Kaneohe Bay allowed the aggressive seaweed to inundate the native habitat. Now, however, researchers are hopeful they have found a solution: The Super Sucker vacuum can slurp up to 800 pounds of seaweed an hour. And any marine life that is inadvertently caught in the machine is carefully sifted though on a barge above water and thrown back to its habitat. The seaweed is then bagged and transported to a local farm where it is used as fertilizer.
Vacuuming Gracilaria is not all researchers have planned to save Hawaii’s reefs. To ensure the reef is kept clear of these aggressive plants, collector urchins, which eat the non-native algae, will be scattered on freshly vacuumed reefs. This action plan has worked in small test plots and now the university and TNC along with Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources are scaling up the program to revive island reefs.
Source: LA Times
Read More: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-reef28dec28,1,949975.story?ctrack=2&cset=true
http://www.malamahawaii.org/news/malama_news.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/070730-super-sucker.html
http://starbulletin.com/2006/04/12/news/story07.html
(7) MEDIA REVIEWS
Planet Ocean: Voyage to the Heart of the Marine Realm
By Laurent Ballesta, Published by National Geographic Society, 2007
This stunning 366-page book features more than 400 photographs astutely compiled in chapters that focuses on specific geographic features of our ocean, rather than the more commonly done dive-boat locations. In addition, 25 essays from leading scientists help readers understand the magnitude of threats facing our seas and why we must protect our ocean planet.
Blue Planet: Seas of Life
Discovery Channel and the British Broadcasting Corporation, 2007
This Emmy Award winning documentary captures marine species, habitats and behaviors never before captured on film. The eight features on five DVDs include: Frozen Seas, Coral Seas, The Deep, Tidal Seas, Coasts, Seasonal Seas, Ocean World and Bonus Features, complete with filmmaker and scientist interviews.
(8) UPCOMING EVENTS
25-January 2008. International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) and International Year Of the Reef (IYOR) Symposium. For more information, please see http://www.iyor.org/
27-February 2008. Public Meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force in Washington D.C. USA. For more information, please see http://www.coralreef.gov
2-7 March 2008. The 2008 Ocean Sciences Meeting in Orlando, Florida, USA. For more information, please see http://www.aslo.org/orlando2008/
7-11 April 2008. The 4th Global Conference in Oceans, Coasts, and Islands in Hanoi, Vietnam. For more information, please see http://www.globaloceans.org/globalconferences/2008/index.html
|
|
|
|
