Killer Sea Slugs in NZ?

Tetrodotoxin from sea slugs was originally thought to be the cause of a series of animal deaths on the beaches of New Zealand. Now an uptick in dolphin deaths in the Hauraki Gulf has biologists urging that the investigation needs to look beyond sea slugs as the cause.

From the UK Times Online
NZ beaches empty as dogs poisoned by killer seaslugs

New Zealand's normally teeming North Island beaches have been emptied after a spate of mystery poisonings left five dogs dead and the bodies of hundreds of fish, dolphins and penguins littering the coastline.

At least two dogs in Auckland, NZ's largest city have been found to have been killed by tetrodotoxin, a poison found in the deadly pufferfish and at least a dozen others have become seriously ill.

More than 1000 fish,penguins and seabirds also washed up dead on beaches around Auckland at the same time dog owners began reporting their pets' illness.

From the New Zealand Herald:
Biologist urges closer look at dolphin deaths
A spike in the number of dead dolphins in the Hauraki Gulf could point to a problem other than poisonous sea slugs - if only authorities would do the necessary tests, says a researcher.

Marine biologist Karen Stockin, who is responsible for autopsies on common dolphins that wash up around Auckland, wants authorities to investigate the deaths of eight otherwise seemingly healthy dolphins in the space of three weeks.
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Dungeness crab caught off New England

Via the Gloucester Daily Times
West Coast crab shows up off Cape Ann
For the second time in three years, a Gloucester fisherman has caught and landed an adult male Dungeness crab (Cancer magister) off Cape Ann.

Could this commercially important West Coast crab be the Northeast coast's new invasive animal? And how did it get here in the first place?

Read the entire story from Gloucester Daily Times
Read the ScienceDaily account of the 2006 occurrence.
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Martha's Vineyard Protest

The Gloucester fishing fleet has organized a protest to express their displeasure over the recent adoption of a catch shares fisheries management scheme for New England.

From the Gloucester Daily Times:
Fishermen shipping message to Obama

An armada of commercial fishing boats has been organized to make the trip across Vineyard Sound from New Bedford today to deliver a protest message to President Obama, vacationing on Martha's Vineyard.

Richard Canastra, a pivotal figure in the New England fishery, said the boats will swing through Vineyard Haven carrying banners in an effort to get the attention of the president.

Read the entire article at The Gloucester Daily Times.
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Arctic FMP approved

Via the NMFS Alaska Regional Office:

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke today approved a plan to prohibit the expansion of commercial fishing in federal Arctic waters until researchers gather sufficient information on fish and the Arctic marine environment to prevent adverse impacts of commercial harvesting activity on the ecosystem.

"As Arctic sea ice recedes due to climate change, there is increasing interest in commercial fishing in Arctic waters," said Locke. "We are in a position to plan for sustainable fishing that does not damage the overall health of this fragile ecosystem. This plan takes a precautionary approach to any development of commercial fishing in an area where there has been none in the past."

The Arctic Fishery Management Plan, approved today, will be implemented through regulations to be published in the Federal Register. Fisheries managers have identified Arctic cod, saffron cod, and snow crab as likely initial target species for commercial fishing in the region.

The plan governs any future commercial fishing for finfish and shellfish in federal waters, except Pacific salmon and Pacific halibut, which are managed under other authorities. It does not affect fisheries for salmon, whitefish and shellfish in Alaskan waters near the Arctic shore. The fishery management plan also does not affect subsistence fishing or hunting in the Arctic.

Under the plan, in any new Arctic fisheries that may be approved in the future:

* fishermen will be required to keep records that will help determine catch, production, effort, price, and other information necessary for conservation and management
* fishermen may be required to carry certified fisheries observers on board in order to verify catch quantity and composition, track at-sea discards, and collect biological information on marine resources

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council and NOAA’s Fisheries Service will establish prescribed procedures before authorizing a future fishery, and will monitor and adjust the plan periodically. These adjustments might include annual total allowable catch levels and in-season adjustments through gear modifications, closures, fishing area restrictions, and quota restrictions.

In 2006, the council began considering options for fishery management in the Arctic. The council talked extensively with communities on Alaska's North Slope and other stakeholders to consider management options. The council voted to prohibit commercial fisheries until researchers gather sufficient information on fish and the Arctic marine environment.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources. Visit www.noaa.gov. To learn more about NOAA Fisheries in Alaska, visit alaskafisheries.noaa.gov or: www.afsc.noaa.gov.

On the Web: Arctic Fishery Management Plan: http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/sustainablefisheries/arctic/

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GDT: Pollock Numbers Spark Industry Outrage

From the Gloucester Daily Times:
NMFS: Cut pollock catch by 67 percent
Numbers in new system spark industry outrage

Sector fishery cooperatives, the linchpin of federal plans to protect wild fish stocks in New England, could collapse under new catch restrictions for one of the ocean's more unpredictable species, members of the industry working on the system say.

Pollock, the low-profile relative of cod often consumed anonymously in breaded cutlets and fish sticks, is dangerously overfished in the northwest Atlantic, federal scientists say, and needs to be protected with sudden, large-scale catch reductions.

Read the entire article at The Gloucester Daily Times.
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NOAA Fisheries Scallop Survey

Via the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center

Annual Survey Shows High Numbers of Seed Scallops on Georges Bank, Low Numbers in Mid-Atlantic

Total Scallop Biomass Remains High in Mid-Atlantic

A NOAA Fisheries scallop survey off the northeastern coast between North Carolina and Massachusetts shows high numbers of juvenile "recruit" sea scallops and ocean quahogs on Georges Bank tempered with weak numbers for seed scallops in the Mid-Atlantic for 2009. This survey, which included the first successful use of a scallop dredge and high resolution underwater imaging system from the same vessel, also shows the overall biomass for the Mid-Atlantic remains high.

Read the entire press release at NEFSC.

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New Arctic Deep-sea Observatory

Via Underwatertimes.com News Service
Researchers Install New Arctic Deep-sea Observatory To Study Mud Volcano

BREMEN, Germany -- Three research institutes from the German federal state Bremen among others have set up an observation ward for the long-term observation of a mud volcano in the Norwegian deep sea. This took place during RV Polarstern's 24th Arctic expedition from July 10th until August 3rd.

Read the article here at Underwatertimes.com.
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Increased Ocean Acidification In Alaska

The uptake of anthropogenic carbon since colonial times has resulted in an average decrease in seawater pH of 0.1 units. Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations will exacerbate this acidification as dissolved CO2 levels (and consequently H2CO3 levels) rise. Projections based on the IPCC Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) show a reduction in average global surface ocean pH of between 0.14 and 0.35 units over the 21st century, which would be a doubling of H+ ions. (Fields et al. 1993; IPCC 2007) New research out of the University of Alaska finds that "ocean acidification is likely more severe and is happening more rapidly in Alaska than in tropical waters."
Via ScienceDaily.com
Increased Ocean Acidification In Alaska Waters, New Findings Show

The same things that make Alaska's marine waters among the most productive in the world may also make them the most vulnerable to ocean acidification. According to new findings by a University of Alaska Fairbanks scientist, Alaska's oceans are becoming increasingly acidic, which could damage Alaska's king crab and salmon fisheries.

Read the entire article at Science Daily.

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Pacific Halibut Subsistence Fishing

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access:

NMFS proposes regulations to revise the criteria for rural residents to participate in the subsistence fishery for Pacific halibut in waters in and off Alaska. Currently, certain rural residents who reside in locations outside the legal boundaries of specified communities are prohibited by regulations from participating in the subsistence halibut fishery. This action is necessary to allow subsistence halibut fishing opportunities for these rural residents.
This action is intended to allow inadvertently excluded rural residents to participate in the subsistence halibut fishery and to support the conservation and management provisions of the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982.

Comments must be received no later than September 8, 2009.

Read the entire announcement at the Federal Register.

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ESA Status Review for the Humpback Whale

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access:

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces a status review of the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). A status review is a periodic undertaking conducted to ensure that the listing classification of a species is accurate. A status review is based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review; therefore, we are requesting submission of any such information on the all humpback
whale populations in all waters worldwide that has become available since the last humpback whale status review in 1999. Based on the results of this review, we will make the requisite findings under the ESA.

To allow us adequate time to conduct these reviews, we must receive your information no later than October 13, 2009. However, we will continue to accept new information about any listed species at any time.

Read the entire announcement at the Federal Register.
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Spiny Dogfish Amendment 3

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access:

The New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils (Councils) announce their intention to prepare, in cooperation with NMFS, an EIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act to assess potential effects on the human environment of alternative measures to address several issues regarding the Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management Plan.

This notice announces a public process for determining the scope of issues to be addressed, and for identifying the significant issues related to amending the plan. This notice is to alert the interested public of the scoping process, the development of the Draft EIS, and to provide for public participation in that process.

Written comments must be received on or before 5 p.m., EST, on September 4, 2009. Four public scoping meetings will be held during this comment period. See Supplementary Information for dates, times, and locations.

Read the entire announcement at the Federal Register.

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90-day Finding for Largetooth Sawfish

Via the Federal Register Online via GPO Access:

We, NMFS, announce a 90 day finding on a petition to list largetooth sawfish (Pristis perotteti) as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We find that the petition presents substantial scientific and commercial information indicating the petitioned action may be warranted. We will conduct a status review of largetooth sawfish to determine if the petitioned action is warranted. To ensure that the status review is comprehensive, we are soliciting scientific and commercial data regarding this species

Information and comments on the subject action must be received by September 28, 2009
Read the entire announcement at the Federal Register for the address
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Proposed Killer Whale Rules

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access:

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), proposes regulations under the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act to prohibit vessels from approaching killer whales within 200 yards and from parking in the path of whales for vessels in inland waters of Washington State. The proposed regulations would also prohibit vessels from entering a conservation area during a defined season.

Certain vessels would be exempt from the prohibitions. The purpose of this action is to protect killer whales from interference and noise associated with vessels. In the final rule announcing the endangered listing of Southern Resident killer whales we identified disturbance and sound associated with vessels as a potential contributing factor in the recent decline of this population. The Recovery Plan for Southern Resident killer whales calls for evaluating current guidelines and assessing the need for regulations and/or protected areas. We developed this proposed rule after considering comments submitted in response to an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) and preparing a draft environmental assessment (EA). We are requesting comments on the proposed regulations and the draft EA

Comments must be received by NMFS no later than October 27, 2009
Read the entire announcement at the Federal Register for the address

Read the Draft EA from the NWR [PDF]

Read the Proposed Rule Q&A from the NWR [PDF]

Read the Proposed Vessel Regulations for Southern Resident Killer Whales from the NWR

Read more!

New American Lobster Regs

Via the Federal Register Online via GPO Access

NMFS announces new Federal American lobster (Homarus americanus) regulations which implement a mandatory Federal lobster dealer electronic reporting requirement, changes to the maximum
carapace length regulations for several lobster conservation management areas (LCMAs/Areas), and a modification of the v-notch definition for protection of egg-bearing female American lobsters in certain LCMAs.

Read the full announcement at the Federal Register.
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Senate Recess Wrap-up

The Senate is in recess until September 8 for the August Recess. Here is the status of the major bills that have advanced past the introduction step:

• S.170: Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act
  Status: In committee
  


• S.171: The Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009
  Status: House version enacted under H.R. 146, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 - Became Public Law No. 111–11 on 3/30/09



• S.172: The Ocean Research and Exploration Enhancement Act of 2009
  Status: House version enacted under H.R. 146, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 - Became Public Law No. 111–11



• S.173: The Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring (FOARAM) Act of 2009
  Status: House version enacted under H.R. 146, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 - Became Public Law No. 111–11



• S.174: The Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act
  Status: House version enacted under H.R. 146, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 - Became Public Law No. 111–11


• S.532: The Commercial Fishermen Safety Act of 2009
  Status: In Committee
  


• S.783: The Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism Anti-Drilling Act
  Status: In Committee
  


• S.810: The Ocean and Coastal Adaptation Planning Act
  Status: In Committee
  


• S.850: The Shark Conservation Act of 2009
  Status: In Committee
  


• S.858: The National Oceans Protection Act of 2009
  Status: In Committee
  


• S.918: The New York Fair Fishing Act of 2009
  Status: In Committee
  


• S.952: The Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Researchand Control Amendments Act of 2009 (HABHRCA)
  Status: Reported to Senate
  


• S.1609: Longline Catcher Processor Subsector Single Fishery Cooperative Act
  Status: In Committee
  


• H.R.509: The Marine Turtle Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2009
  Status: In committee
  


• H.R.556: The Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act
  Status: In committee
  


• H.R.844: The Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Amendments of 2009
  Status: In committee


• H.R. 2093: The Clean Coastal Environment and Public Health Act of 2009 to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act relating to beach monitoring, and for other purposes
  Status: In committee
  

Read more!

O3 depletion reduces ocean C uptake

Via ScienceDaily.com:

Ozone Depletion Reduces Ocean Carbon Uptake

New research published in GRL finds that

.... ozone depletion, combined with increased atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration, drives stronger winds above the Southern Ocean. These stronger winds bring more carbon-rich deep water to the surface, which reduces the ocean's ability to absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Read the entire story at Science Daily

Read the paper at GRL: Stratospheric ozone depletion reduces ocean carbon uptake and enhances ocean acidification [Subscription Required]

Observational and atmospheric inversion studies find that the strength of the Southern Ocean carbon dioxide (CO2) sink is not increasing, despite rising atmospheric CO2. However, this is yet to be captured by contemporary coupled-climate-carbon-models used to predict future climate. We show that by accounting for stratospheric ozone depletion in a coupled-climate-carbon-model, the ventilation of carbon rich deep water is enhanced through stronger winds, increasing surface water CO2 at a rate in good agreement with observed trends.

\
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S.952 HABHRCA Reauthorization reported favorably

Via GovTrack.us:
The Snowe-sponsored 2009 HABHRCA Reauthorization [S.952] was ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably by the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for consideration by the full Senate.

S.952 is "a bill to develop and promote a comprehensive plan for a national strategy to address harmful algal blooms and hypoxia through baseline research, forecasting and monitoring, and mitigation and control while helping communities detect, control, and mitigate coastal and Great Lakes harmful algal blooms and hypoxia events."

According to the CRS summary:

Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2009 - Amends the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 to require the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to establish criteria for determining which states should serve on the Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia and to implement a nominations process to select representatives for such Task Force.

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Talking Trash: SEAPLEX and Project Kaisei

As the ORV Alguita is wrapping up their 52-day exploration, two new research cruises are headed to the "Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch":

From August 2-21, a group of doctoral students and research volunteers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego will embark on an expedition aboard the Scripps research vessel New Horizon to explore the problem of plastic in the North Pacific Gyre. The Scripps Environmental Accumulation of Plastic Expedition (SEAPLEX) is the first of its kind and will focus on a suite of critical questions.

How much plastic is accumulating, how is it distributed, and how is it affecting ocean life? The researchers hope to provide critical, timely data to policy makers and combine Scripps' long tradition of Pacific exploration with focus on a new and pressing environmental problem.

Visit the SIO SEAPLEX web site.

Another group, Project Kaisei, set sail yesterday:

Project Kaisei consists of a team of innovators, scientists, environmentalists, ocean lovers, sailors, and sports enthusiasts who have come together with a common purpose. To study the North Pacific Gyre and the marine debris that has collected in this oceanic region, to determine how to capture the debris and to study the possible retrieval and processing techniques that could be potentially employed to detoxify and recycle these materials into diesel fuel. This first research expedition, scheduled for the summer of 2009, will be critical to understanding the logistics that would be needed to launch future clean-up operations and testing existing technologies that have never been utilized under oceanic conditions.

Visit the Project Kaisei web site.


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House Recess Roundup

The House is in recess until September 4 for the Summer District Work Period. Here is the status of the major bills that have advanced past the introduction step:

• H.R.14: The Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring (FOARAM) Act of 2009
  Status: Passed under H.R. 146, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 - Became Public Law No. 111–11 on 3/30/09
  


• H.R.21: The Ocean Conservation, Education, and National Strategy for the 21st Century Act (AKA Oceans 21)
  Status: In committee
  


• H.R.365: The Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act
  Status: Passed under H.R. 146, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 - Became Public Law No. 111–11
  


• H.R.366: The Ocean Research and Exploration Enhancement Act of 2009
  Status: Passed under H.R. 146, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 - Became Public Law No. 111–11
  


• H.R.367: The Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009
  Status: Passed under H.R. 146, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 - Became Public Law No. 111–11
  


• H.R.368: The Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program Act
  Status: In committee
  


• H.R.509: The Marine Turtle Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2009
  Status: Passed in the House - Received in the Senate
  


• H.R.556: The Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act
  Status: Passed in the House - Received in the Senate
  


• H.R.844: The Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Amendments of 2009
  Status: Passed in the House - Received in the Senate
  


• H.R.860: The Coral Reef Conservation Act Reauthorization and Enhancement Amendments of 2009
  Status:On the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 103.
  


• H.R.1053: The Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act of 2009
  Status:In Committee.
  


• H.R.1080: The Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Enforcement Act of 2009.
  Status:On the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 126.
  


• H.R.1108: To provide for State enhanced authority for coastal and ocean resources, expansion of America's supply of natural gas and oil, and for other purposes. (AKA Rigs to Reefs)
  Status: In committee
  


• H.R. 2093: The Clean Coastal Environment and Public Health Act of 2009 to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act relating to beach monitoring, and for other purposes
  Status: Passed House - Received in the Senate
  

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A New Definition Of Seawater

Via ScienceDaily.com:

Science Adopts A New Definition Of Seawater

The world's peak ocean science body has adopted a new definition of seawater developed by Australian, German and US scientists to make climate projections more accurate."The new approach, involving Absolute Salinity, takes into account the changes in the composition of seasalt between different ocean basins which, while small, are a factor of about 10 larger than the accuracy with which scientists can measure salinity at sea."

"The new description allows scientists to calculate the errors involved by using this approximation while also presenting a much more accurate measure of the heat content of seawater, namely Conservative Temperature."

Read the article at Science Daily.
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Reauthorizing the Chesapeake Bay Program

The US Senate Commitee on Environment & Public Works, Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife is holding a hearing today, August 3rd, entitled: "A Renewed Commitment to Protecting the Chesapeake Bay: Reauthorizing the Chesapeake Bay Program." at 02:00 PM EDT in the EPW Hearing Room - 406 Dirksen.

Read the list of panel members at the EPW website.
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Hilborn/Worm study published

Dr. Ray Hilborn and Dr. Boris Worm and 19 others have collaborated on a paper published in this week's Science which recommends that catch limits must be more conservative than they have been in the past but sees hope for the eventual recovery of depleted stocks.

New Analysis of Global Fisheries Data Suggests Many Marine Ecosystems Can Recover Under Appropriate Management[NOAA]

An international team of scientists with divergent views on ocean ecosystems has found that efforts to rebuild many of the world’s fisheries are worthwhile and starting to pay off in many places around the world. Their study puts into perspective recent reports predicting a total collapse of global fisheries within 40 years.

The PEW Charitable Trusts issued a statement on the report:
Statement on the Hilborn-Worm Study on Rebuilding Global Fisheries Published in 'Science'

“A large and diverse group of leading fisheries scientists and ecologists have concluded that the common benchmark now used to determine the amount of ocean fish to catch is not a viable approach for managing our oceans. The study disproves the notion that we can push catch targets to their limits and still maintain healthy ocean ecosystems. Fishing targets must be more conservative than they have been in the past." [More]

The seemingly good news was greeted by a fresh round of conspiracy theories in the pages of the Gloucester Daily Times:
Upbeat fishing study raises red flags

Until yesterday, the academic-science-media crusade against alleged "overfishing," mobilized by the Pew Environment Group and the Environmental Defense Fund, suffered from a bad reputation in some circles.[More]

Read the article at Science:
Rebuilding Global Fisheries [Subscription Required]


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Oyster Restoration

I saw a presentation of this research at the NCBO Fisheries Science Symposium this past April and it was very impressive. The VIMS scientists found a correlation between height of the restored reef and the resultant density of oysters with the higher-relief reefs being significantly more successful.

From this weeks Science:
Unprecedented Restoration of a Native Oyster Metapopulation

A group of researchers is claiming an "unprecedented restoration" of oysters in the Great Wicomico River, a small tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. Thanks to a large network of reefs created in 2004, a booming population of native oysters has taken hold, the group reports in a paper published online by Science this week. Some researchers herald the accomplishment as a model for restoration, but others say that the new populations have yet to prove they can survive now-endemic diseases.

Read the article at Science [PDF Subscription Required]
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