Oil Drilling Channel Widening

Slaughtered for the market place: Huge rise in ray hunting threatens ocean’s ‘gentle giants’

By Daily Mail Reporter
8th March 2011

They are known as the ocean’s gentle giants, but an alarming rise in manta and mobula ray hunting could threaten the very existence of the species.

From India to Ecuador, manta and mobula fishing has become big business for fisheries who are selling their gills to be used in soups and traditional Chinese medicine.

Conservationists have warned that demand could soon rival that of the controversial shark fin trade.

The rays are pulled from the ocean, either with fine gill nets or spears, and slaughtered to meet growing demand, mainly from the Chinese market.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1364076/Close-extinction-Alarming-rise-manta-ray-hunting-threatens-oceans-gentle-giant.html#ixzz1G2N96in2

Baby dolphins dying in alarming numbers in gulf

March 6, 2011: Detroit Free Press

Baby dolphins, some barely 3 feet in length, are washing up along the Mississippi and Alabama coastlines at 10 times the normal rate of stillborn and infant deaths, researchers say.

Seventeen young dolphins, either aborted or dead soon after birth, have been collected along the shorelines in recent weeks, the Sun Herald of Biloxi, Miss., reports. Typically, one or two are found during breeding months of January and February.

Read the complete article

Coral Reef Facts: March 7, 2011- Caribbean Spiny Lobster

Coral Reef Fact:

Panulirus argus, Caribbean Spiny Lobster

Caribbean spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus) migrate along shore and offshore seasonally; traveling in single-file lines to deeper water in order to evade the stresses of the cold and turbid waters.

Lobster Migration scene – From the Trials of Life

Donate to Reef Relief today and help protect our marine environment.

March 2011 Reef Relief News: One year from our Silver Anniversary!‏
Coral Reefs support the activities of an estimated 500 million people globally.Yet, in the Caribbean and Florida Keys more than 75% of the reefs are considered threatened, with more than 30% in the high and very high threat categories.
Read the new Reefs at Risk Revisited Report here

Coral reefs around the world are experiencing severe decline due to multiple impacts: over fishing and habitat loss, water quality decline from pollution, coastal development, global climate change, and physical impacts such as anchoring, diver/snorkeler interaction, boat groundings, and marine debris

April marks our 24th Anniversary!!!
We continue our dedication to improve and protect our coral reef ecosystem and our programs focus on rigorous science to educate the public & advocate policymakers to achieve conservation, protection, and restoration of coral reefs.

Become a member today to support Reef Relief’s essential programs

Learn more about Reef Relief’s programs

The majority of the funding that makes our programs successful comes from the generous support of our members.  Please take 2 minutes today to become a member of Reef Relief. To help, click on the reef photo above.
Florida Oceans Day 2011

Reef Relief was well represented at Florida Oceans Day 2011 held in Tallahassee state capitol last Tuesday, March 22nd. Policy and Projects Director Paul Johnson, pictured left at the Reef Relief table with Billy Causey, Southeast Regional Director of the National Marine Sanctuary, on the 3rd Floor Rotunda. “Coral Reefs are one of our signature ecosystems of importance to the state”, said Paul Johnson. “Oceans Day is a great opportunity to show them off to all our state legislators and the many visitors of the state Capitol while they are in session”. Reef Relief was joined by marine and coastal organizations from around the state, including the Florida Ocean Alliance, Mote Marine Laboratory, Florida Coastal and Oceans Coalition (which Reef Relief is a Steering Committee member of), Florida Institute of Oceanography, Florida Sea Grant , Gulf of Mexico Alliance, and many others to bring recognition and focus on the environmental and economic importance of our state’s Coastal and Ocean community.
National Week of the Ocean is April 3-9
 
Get Involved today to Protect our Ocean
As the1 year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster approaches please urge Congress to address the systemic failures in government oversight and industry management that lead to this tragedy. Urge your Senators and Representatives to implement the recommendations of the President’s bipartisan Commission to reform offshore oil and gas drilling.
 
 
 
 Recognition of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and Staff, and the Volunteers in the Rescue and Release of Cold Stunned Seaturtles
In cooperation with the Sea Turtle Conservancy, Reef Relief Policy and Programs Director Paul G. Johnson presented a resolution in recognition and praise to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, it’s staff and volunteers in the rescue and release of cold stunned sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico last January.
In January of 2010, following unprecedented below freezing temperatures for an extended period of time in Florida, over 1,700 sea turtles were cold stunned and had to be removed from St. Joseph Bay, resulting in mortality and an unprecedented volunteer rescue and rehabilitation effort. As a result of lessons learned in the 2010 event, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission staff stocked up on supplies, improved communication, training and transportation protocols and a plan among volunteers and partner organizations, and were generally on the lookout for sea turtles in trouble before they were reported, so when water temperatures dropped into the 40’s in January 2011, FWCC was ready.
As result of these efforts, 342 cold-stunned sea turtles, the majority being green turtles, were released into the Gulf of Mexico on January 19, 2011, and an additional 25 Kemp’s Ridleys, also rescued from the cold, will be released at a later date, along with the green turtles that needed additional rehabilitation.
The dedicated and prepared volunteers from St. Joseph Peninsula State Park and Buffer Preserve, Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City Beach, Florida’s Gulfarium in Fort Walton Beach, St. Andrew Bay Resource management Association, National Marine Fisheries Service, University of Florida turtle researchers and local citizens, turned what could have been a sea turtle catastrophe into a marine wildlife rescue success story.
On February 23, 2011, Reef Relief and the Sea Turtle Conservancy presented a resolution that recognizes the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, its staff and the many volunteers, partner organizations and others that worked together in preparing and responding to the 2011 cold stunning sea turtle event and continue to monitor and respond to the health and well being of sea turtle populations and coral reef ecosystems in Florida and throughout the world.
The Reef Relief online store is back!
Every purchase helps us protect the reef!
P.O. Box 430 | Key West, FL 33041-0430 US

Coral Reef Facts: February 28, 2011- Morays

Coral Reef Fact:

Green Moray Eel (Gymnothorax funebris) photo: Lucja Jakubowska

Moray Eels secrete a protective mucus over their smooth, scaleless skin which in some species contains a toxin. Learn more

Donate to Reef Relief today and help protect our marine environment.

Urgent Action for Clean Water Needed Now!

Numeric Nutrient Criteria and the general ability for EPA to effectively enforce the Clean Water Act is under assault. Please support the EPA’s efforts in implementing nutrient pollution standards.

Send a message to Senator Nelson asking him to stand up to our state’s big polluters and protect the EPA’s authority to keep our water clean, drinkable, fish-able and swim-able. This is an urgent matter and Senator Nelson needs to hear from as many Floridians as possible in the next few days. Let him know you support clean water for Florida’s rivers, lakes, streams, bays and springs!

You can contact him by phone (202-224-5274), fax (202-228-2183) or web mail:  http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm Phone calls are most effective.

On Friday (2/18) night, Congressman Tom Rooney (FL-16) added a rider to the Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Resolution – that would stop EPA from implementing the new freshwater numeric water quality standards – was adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives in a largely party-line vote, 237-189.  Only 17 Republicans voted against the rider but 16 Democrats voted for it – three of those Democrats being from Florida (Alcee Hastings, Corrine Brown and Ted Deutch).  See Florida Times-Union story at:  http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-02-19/story/us-house-budget-vote-threatens-florida-clean-water-rule#ixzz1EbRJGiqS

The Rooney rider was just one of many anti-EPA amendments adopted by the House last weekend and next week the battle moves to the Senate.

Our goal now is to put enough pressure on the Senate to Oppose Section 4035 of the FY11 Continuing Resolution. This language would stop implementation and public education on the EPA rule to protect Florida’s waters from excess pollution from sewage, manure and fertilizer.

Unfortunately, Senator Nelson endorsed a similar rider to stop the EPA numeric nutrient criteria last fall.  And since last summer he has refused to meet with us regarding this issue. We therefore must approach Nelson as we approached Congressman Rooney last week

You can contact him by phone (202-224-5274), fax (202-228-2183) or web mail:  http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm Phone calls are most effective.

Please ask key decision makers in other states to support these standards.  Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Senator Jack Reed, (D-RI), Subcommittee Chairman, Interior and Related Agencies, have jurisdiction over this issue and it is very important that they vote against this amendment if it is offered to the Senate bill and then it is vital that they insist on dropping the language in conference.

You can contact Chairman Inouye’s Committee office by phone (202-224-7363), fax (202-224-2100) or web mail: http://inouye.senate.gov/Contact/ContactDKI.cfm.

You can contact Chairman Reed’s Subcommittee office by phone (202-228-0774), fax (202-228-2345) or web mail: reed.senate.gov/contact/contact-share.cfm

Of course the Democratic Leader should also lead no votes against this amendment and insist on it being dropped in Conference.

You can contact Majority Leader Reid (D – NV) by phone (202- 224-3542), fax (202- 224-7327) or web mail: Web Form: reid.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

The opposition is doing everything it can, with many more dollars to spend, to get rid of Florida’s new nutrient pollution limits.  Go to this web address http://www.3-1-2011.org/ to get a glimpse of the opposition’s maneuvers.

Send thank you messages to Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (202-225-7931), who made a heroic speech on the House floor against the Rooney rider, and to Representatives Kathy Castor (202- 225-3376), Frederica Wilson (202-225-4506) and Cliff Stearns (202-225-3973), who all voted against the Rooney rider.

Coral Reef Facts: February 25, 2011 – Southern Stargazer

Coral Reef Fact:

Southern Stargazer (Astroscopus y-graecum) http://www.texasgulfcoastfishing.com/

The Southern Stargazer (Astroscopus y-graecum) is designed so that its’ eyes, nostrils, most of the mouth are above the sand when they bury themselves to ambush prey. They are, also, capable of protruding their eyes for a short distance above the sand. Learn more

Donate to Reef Relief today and help protect our marine environment.

Coral Reef Facts: February 24, 2011-Sea Stars

Coral Reef Fact:

Ernst Haeckel from the Kunstformen der Natur (1904), plate 40: Asteridea

When attacked or damaged Sea Stars (Class Asteroidea) are able to grow new arms. They usually have five arms but have been found with 4 or 6 arms, this may be because more than one arm has been damaged at one time.

Donate to Reef Relief today and help protect our marine environment.

Sea Turtle Resolution

February 23, 2011

FWC Staff and Reef Relief's Paul G. Johnson, State Programs & Policy Director

“Today, in cooperation with the Sea Turtle Conservancy, Reef Relief Policy and Programs Director Paul G. Johnson presented a resolution in recognition and praise to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, it’s staff and volunteers in the rescue and release of cold stunned sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico last January. The resolution was read at their recent meeting in Apalachicola, Florida.”

Read the Sea turtle Rescue Resolution

Coral Reef Facts: February 23, 2011- Banded butterflyfish

Coral Reef Fact:

Banded butterflyfish photo: Bernard E. Picton

The Banded butteryfish’s (Chaetodon striatus) black bands & vertical, black bar through the eye, is designed to confuse predators. Learn more about butterflyfish

Donate to Reef Relief today and help protect our marine environment.

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