12:01AM GMT 18 Feb 2012. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
Current marine protection areas designed to preserve under-threat species generally cover fixed geographical spots where they feed, mate or rear their young.
But to prevent endangered turtles, sharks and other creatures from dying out the designated no-fishing zones ought to be made mobile to ensure the species are always protected, experts said.
Although the concept has existed for some time, it has only recently become technologically feasible to constantly monitor endangered animals and shift conservation areas accordingly.
Satellite tracking devices are now small and affordable enough that they can monitor the precise location, including the depth, of large numbers of sea creatures. Read the full article at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/9088266/Turtles-face-extinction-without-marine-protection.html
by Underwatertimes.com News Service – February 2, 2012 17:41 EST
NEW YORK, New York — A recently published study by the Wildlife Conservation Society and others reveals that humpback whales on both sides of the southern Indian Ocean are singing different tunes, unusual since humpbacks in the same ocean basin usually all sing very similar songs.
A recent study has found humpback whales on both sides of the southern Indian Ocean are singing different tunes. credit S. Cerchio/WCS
The results of the study—conducted by researchers from WCS, Columbia University, and Australia —contradict previous humpback whale song comparisons. Generally, when song from populations in the same ocean basins are compared, researchers find that the songs contain similar parts or “themes.” The differences in song between the Indian Ocean humpback populations most likely indicate a limited exchange between the two regions and may shed new light on how whale culture spreads.
Read the full article at http://www.underwatertimes.com/news.php?article_id=10356201987
January 31, 2012 by Robert Horton www.endangeredspecieslawandpolicy.com
As previously blogged about here, on December 9, 2011, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service (Services) published a notice of proposed rulemaking (PDF) in the Federal Register that will, if adopted, change the Services’ standards for listing and delisting species as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by re-interpreting the definitions of “threatened” and “endangered” species in the ESA.
In a letter to the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service (PDF) dated January 26, 2012, Congressman Markey, the ranking Democrat on the Committee on Natural Resources, expresses his “concerns that this policy has the potential to undermine several key provisions of the ESA by setting the bar for listing declining species at much too high a threshold.” So high, he argues, that “the bald eagle never would have been listed as an endangered species in the lower 48 States” because healthy populations of the bald eagle lived in Alaska “[e]ven during the worst era of DDT pesticide usage . . . .”
Markey also criticized the draft policy for ignoring “Congress’ intent regarding the purpose of the ESA by refusing to consider the historic distribution of a species when making listing decisions about whether a species is in danger of extinction in a significant portion of its range.”
Had such a policy been in place in the 1970s, Markey claims, “Americans would have had to travel to the most remote parts of Alaska to view species like the bald eagle, grizzly bear, or the gray wolf.” According to Markey, in passing the ESA, Congress did not sanction such a “living museum approach” to protect imperiled wildlife, but instead sought to protect ecosystems and restore species to their historic ranges.
The key provisions in the ESA provide that ”‘endangered species’ means any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range . . . [,]” and “‘threatened species’ means any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.”
But the ESA itself does not include a definition of “significant portion” of a plant or animal’s range.
Under the draft policy, when making listing decisions the Services would:
1. Deem a portion of a species’ range to be “significant” if its contribution to the viability of the species is so important that without that portion, the species would be in danger of extinction;
2. Limit consideration of a species’ status to the range used by a species at the time the listing decision is being made; and
3. Extend a listing decision made on the basis of a threat to the species’ viability throughout only a ”significant portion of its range” to the entire species, throughout its entire range.
ScienceDaily (Jan. 30, 2012) — Nova Southeastern University (NSU) and Florida International University (FIU) researchers have drafted a plan to best prepare South Florida for an oil spill off the coast of Cuba.
The proximity of intended Cuban oil drilling and production puts the U.S. coastal zone at risk from Florida to the Carolinas and northward. Oil from a spill would quickly enter the Gulf Stream and reach Florida’s shores in hours or days with potentially devastating effects on the densely populated South Florida coastline and its coastal ecosystems. South Florida’s accounts for 3.4 million jobs and 45 percent of the $587 billion contribution to Florida’s GDP generated by coastal and ocean economic activity.
Read the full article at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130093113.htm
This video podcast highlights 50 years of photographic documentation of coral reefs in the Florida Keys. The photographs show 5 decades of changes that have taken place in both the size and the types of corals that were present at several coral reef sites from the early 1960s to today. The images capture events such as the appearance of coral disease and the die off of coral species like staghorn in the region.
Location: Florida Keys, FL, USA
Date Taken: 12/18/2010
Length: 2:25
Video Producer/Videographer: Matthew Cimitile (U.S. Geological Survey)
Note: This video has been released into the public domain by the U.S. Geological for use in its entirety. Some videos may contain pieces of copyrighted material. If you wish to use a portion of the video for any purpose, other than for resharing/reposting the video in its entirety, please contact the Video Producer/Videographer listed with this video.
Additional Video Credits:Betsy Boynton (graphics, editing), Ann Tihansky (writing, narration) J. Harold Hudson (Video) Gene Shinn (Photographs, Narration)
Man-made pollution is acidifying the world’s oceans at unprecedented rates and is threatening sea life, an international team of researchers reports Monday.
By Dwayne Meadows, NOAA
Scientists have found that human-caused carbon dioxide emissions, from the burning of fossil fuels in the last 100 to 200 years, have already raised ocean acidity far beyond the range of natural variations. Based on computer modeling and observations, they say these emissions, which increase water acidity by reacting with saltwater, may significantly reduce the calcification rate of marine organisms such as corals and mollusks. Read the full article at http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2012/01/greenhouse-gases-make-oceans-more-acidic-threaten-coral/1
Source: EurekAlert!
Contact: Emily Howells
em.howells@gmail.com
61-747-534-203
ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies
Recent experiments conducted at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) produced striking results, showing for the first time that corals hosting a single type of “zooxanthellae” can have different levels of thermal tolerance – a feature that was only known previously for corals with a mix of zooxanthellae.
Zooxanthellae are algal cells that live within the tissue of living coral and provide the coral host with energy; the relationship is crucial for the coral’s survival. Rising ocean temperatures can lead to the loss of zooxanthellae from the coral host, as a consequence the coral loses its tissue colour and its primary source of energy, a process known as ‘coral bleaching’. Globally, coral bleaching has led to significant loss of coral, and with rising ocean temperatures, poses a major threat to coral reefs.
It was previously known that corals hosting more than one type of zooxanthellae could better cope with temperature changes by favouring types of zooxanthellae that have greater thermal tolerance. However, until now it was not known if corals hosting a single type of zooxanthellae could have different levels of thermal tolerance.
Results recently published in the prestigious scientific journal, Nature Climate Change, showed corals that only host a single type of zooxanthellae may in fact differ in their thermal tolerance. This finding is important because many species of coral are dominated by a single type of zooxanthellae.
Read the full article at http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/acoe-mpn012012.php
NRDC Press Release
WASHINGTON (January 13, 2012) – The following is a statement from Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, on the government reorganization plan announced by President Obama.
“Streamlining government to better serve the American people is a worthy undertaking. But we are extremely troubled by the proposal to relocate the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) within the Department of Interior.
“This is not merely some technical, bureaucratic shift. The move could erode the capabilities and mute the voice of the government’s primary agency for protecting our oceans and the ecosystems and economies that depend on them.
“We understand the president’s interest in creating a more nimble, coherent entity for economic policy; but that can be done without sacrificing the scientific and environmental strengths of NOAA, and the independent perspectives it brings to critical issues.”
Author: Melissa Harrold, Senior News Editor, Local10.com
ISLAMORADA, Fla. -
Two men were arrested Friday, accused of poaching corals in the Florida Keys.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it received a call from the U.S. Coast Guard in Islamorada that two men on a small boat were seen taking corals from the reef near Alligator Reef Lighthouse.
The FWC and the Coast Guard responded and found the boat. The FWC said officers found a cooler full of corals and marine life on the boat, as well as two chisels and a chisel hammer, which investigators said were used to extract the coral from the reef. Read the full article at http://www.local10.com/news/2-charged-with-poaching-corals/-/1717324/8175274/-/83wvhbz/-/
By BETTINA WASSENER. The New York Times
A few years ago, something surprising began turning up in Asia’s fish markets: the gill rakers of manta and mobula rays.
Manta Ray of HopeManta and mobula ray gills at a market.Shawn Heinrichs and Paul Hilton, photographers who have been monitoring the international soaring trade in shark fins, decided to find out what was going on. The appearance of those creatures in the markets “came as a real shock to us,” Mr. Heinrichs said by phone from Indonesia. “They don’t even taste good, so what was the reason?”
On Saturday, the conservation organizations Shark Savers and WildAid released the results of a comprehensive global study showing that these species have been driven to the brink of extinction within a chillingly short space of time. The main reason is demand from China, where their gill rakers (filaments that filter the animals’ food from the water) are marketed as a supposed cure for a variety of ailments.
