Unintentional bycatch is a concern to fishermen and a serious threat to marine organisms.  A new report shows that in the U.S. alone, commercial fisheries throw away 1.1 million tons of unwanted catch every year – more than a fifth of their total haul by weight.  A spokeswoman from the National Fisheries Institute says, "It’s not advantageous… it just wastes time and money."  The fishing industry is collaborating with groups such as World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to enhance bycatch-reducing gear.  

This month, WWF launched the second International Smart Gear Competition.  A US$25,000 grand prize and two US$5000 prizes will be awarded to the best new designs to reduce bycatch.  Last year’s winner was Steve Beverly, a New Caledonian fisheries development officer for the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).  His winning design calls for setting longlines with baited hooks deeper than 100 meters, to minimize seaturtle bycatch without reducing tuna harvests.  The judges explained that his design is “simple, inexpensive, relies on basic ecological research and modifies existing gear so fishermen will not have to buy or be trained on complicated new gear.”  This year’s competition deadline is March 15, 2006.

The status of Pacific tuna stocks is taking center stage at this week’s Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).  Representatives of 30 countries and territories will address the Scientific Committee’s recent report that bigeye and yellowfin species are being overfished and require a reduced fishing effort.  Recommendations made last week by the WCPFC’s Technical and Compliance Committee include international vessel monitoring and fisheries observer programs.

Bigeye tuna is harvested by longline vessels for the sashimi trade, and eighty percent of the ships are registered by Japan or Taiwan.  Taiwan’s tuna fishermen will be watching the WCPFC meeting particularly carefully, since the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) cut its 2006 big eye tuna catch quota from 14,900 to 4,600 tons.  This penalty for persistent overfishing of Atlantic bigeye is equivalent to US$100 million.  The Taiwan Tuna Association stated that they hope to avoid ‘a domino effect’ of additional sanctions at the WCPFC meeting, and highlighted efforts cooperate with prosecuting authorities by assigning observers on every ocean-going ship to monitor fishing operations.

More than a meter in diameter and weighing 150kg, large numbers of Nomura’s jellyfish (Stomolophus nomurai) are disrupting coastal fisheries in Japan.  Traditionally, sightings were sporadic and confined to the Sea of Japan.  This year, the jellies are widespread, abundant, and arriving on the Pacific coast of the archipelago for the first time.  The giant jellyfish are fouling fishermen’s nets and ruining their catch.  The economic impact is so serious that regional officials are planning a strategic “jellyfish summit” to deal with the problem.  Experts at the Hiroshima University's Graduate School of Science attribute this year’s population explosion to many different factors, including changing currents, warmer waters, nutrient enrichment along China’s southern coast, and overfishing.  Professor Shinichi Ue of Hiroshima University is pushing for restoration of the coastal waters and fish stocks.  He warns, “If we leave things this way, there is a possibility that the [jellyfish] outbreak will become a yearly occurrence.''

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has released a report detailing the threat that manmade underwater noise poses to whales, dolphins, and other marine species.  High-decibel sounds, such as military sonar, interfere with the navigation, social communication, and predatory behavior of marine mammals.  The scientific committee of the International Whaling Commission confirms that the evidence linking sonar to strandings is overwhelming.  “There is no longer serious scientific debate about whether marine mammals are dying from intense ocean noise that originates from human activities”, NRDC spokespeople state, “Nations of the world need to work together now to reduce the impacts of ocean noise before the problem becomes unmanageable and the harm to marine life irreversible."

New data from East Antarctic ice cores prove that current levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide are the highest in the past 650,000 years.  Two research papers published in Science (Volume 310, Issue 5752) extend the existing greenhouse gas record by 210,000 years.  By analyzing air samples trapped inside tiny bubbles in the ice, researchers found that that current carbon dioxide levels (380 ppm by volume) are 27 percent higher than the highest levels in the ice core.  This new expansion of our atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane records will help pinpoint when humans began significantly altering greenhouse gases concentrations, and should allow researchers to improve the accuracy of climate change predictions.

Niue has announced that it signed an agreement with Greenpeace to explore the possibilities for becoming one of the first countries in the world to rely entirely on renewable energy sources.  The plan is still in its initial stages, but the South Pacific Geoscience Commission is reported to have already been assisting with policy planning.  Niue is dependent on foreign aid from New Zealand and Australia.  A large percentage of this assistance funds the annual import of some 3 million liters of fuel at a cost of roughly US$2.8 million.  Eliminating petroleum imports holds the promise of significantly improving Niue’s economic base by reducing aid requirements and enhancing efforts to build a sustainable ecotourism industry.

• Environmental Online Communication Mini-track at the 39th  Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. January 4-7, 2006.  Poipu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii. For more information: http://www.ecoresearch.net/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=62
  
  
• 1st Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate.  Canberra, Australia.  January 16 - Jan 20, 2006. For more information: http://www.sdgateway.net/events/default.asp?EventID=3458
  
  
• 3rd Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands.  January 23-28, 2006.  Paris, France.  For more information: http://www.sidsnet.org/calframe.html
  
  
• The 13th Ocean Sciences Meeting.  February 20-24, 2006.  Honlulu, Hawaii. For more information: http://www.agu.org/meetings/os06
  
  
• Post-Disaster Assessment and Monitoring of Coastal Ecosystems and Biological and Cultural Diversity in the Indian Ocean and Asian Waters.  February 20-24, 2006.  Phuket, Thailand.  For more information: http://westpac.unescobkk.org