Pacific Spirit Marine Institute
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Source: IUNC.org
A team of the world’s leading marine experts, paired with scientists from the Indian Ocean region, have just returned from a six-week research expedition above seamounts in the high seas of the Indian Ocean with a whole new understanding of seamount ecosystems. They gathered a very rich collection of data and specimens, including some strange-looking marine creatures.
The scientific survey was organized by IUCN and its partners to improve knowledge of seamounts across the southwest Indian Ocean ridge. Seamounts, underwater mountains of volcanic and tectonic origin, are known to be hotpots of biodiversity and attract a range of oceanic predators, including seabirds, whales and sharks. They also attract deepwater fisheries, as they host many species of commercial interest, most of which are very vulnerable to over-exploitation. The results of the research do not only have a scientific interest, but will help improve conservation and management of Indian Ocean marine resources.
“I am extremely pleased with the data that we have collected and the number of species that we have encountered”, says Dr Alex David Rogers, Chief Scientist of the Cruise and Senior Research Fellow at the Zoological Society of London. “The diversity of species that we sampled is higher than what I would have expected. Some species have been recorded for the first time in the region, and we hope to have found some species new to science. It was also very interesting to discover that the six seamounts we surveyed are very different from each other, and I believe our findings will certainly improve our global knowledge of seamount ecosystems”.
The Norwegian research vessel Dr Fridtjof Nansen left on 12 November from Reunion island, and travelled 6,000 miles in 40 days to study five seamounts on the southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, and one seamount further north on Walters Shoal, south of Madagascar, before docking in Port Elisabeth, South Africa, today. All features were located in waters beyond national jurisdictions, at two to three days’ sailing from the nearest land. Two of them had been set aside on a voluntary basis as protected areas by the Southern Indian Ocean Deepsea Fishers Association, which would allow comparison between fished and unfished seamounts.
“It is gratifying to know that this work is not an isolated scientific trip, but will directly feed into conservation and management recommendations”, says Sarah Gotheil, Programme Officer with IUCN’s Global Marine Programme. “Through our study we hope to confirm the conservation benefits of protecting seamount features on the ridge. This will inform future management of deep-sea ecosystems in the high seas globally”.
In total, nearly 7,000 specimens have been collected and labeled, from two-metre long fish to tiny crustacean larvae. They include an impressive variety of fish, shrimps, squids and gelatinous marine creatures. Many more microscopic species of phytoplankton and zooplankton, representing the base of the food chain in the ocean, have also been collected. The two seabird and marine mammal observers recorded thousands of seabirds from as many as 36 species, and 26 marine mammals. Two of them, majestic humpback whales, even offered the team a wonderful 30-minute show of jumping around at just a few metres from the ship.
A team of the world’s leading marine experts, paired with scientists from the Indian Ocean region, have just returned from a six-week research expedition above seamounts in the high seas of the Indian Ocean with a whole new understanding of seamount ecosystems. They gathered a very rich collection of data and specimens, including some strange-looking marine creatures.
The scientific survey was organized by IUCN and its partners to improve knowledge of seamounts across the southwest Indian Ocean ridge. Seamounts, underwater mountains of volcanic and tectonic origin, are known to be hotpots of biodiversity and attract a range of oceanic predators, including seabirds, whales and sharks. They also attract deepwater fisheries, as they host many species of commercial interest, most of which are very vulnerable to over-exploitation. The results of the research do not only have a scientific interest, but will help improve conservation and management of Indian Ocean marine resources.
“I am extremely pleased with the data that we have collected and the number of species that we have encountered”, says Dr Alex David Rogers, Chief Scientist of the Cruise and Senior Research Fellow at the Zoological Society of London. “The diversity of species that we sampled is higher than what I would have expected. Some species have been recorded for the first time in the region, and we hope to have found some species new to science. It was also very interesting to discover that the six seamounts we surveyed are very different from each other, and I believe our findings will certainly improve our global knowledge of seamount ecosystems”.
The Norwegian research vessel Dr Fridtjof Nansen left on 12 November from Reunion island, and travelled 6,000 miles in 40 days to study five seamounts on the southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, and one seamount further north on Walters Shoal, south of Madagascar, before docking in Port Elisabeth, South Africa, today. All features were located in waters beyond national jurisdictions, at two to three days’ sailing from the nearest land. Two of them had been set aside on a voluntary basis as protected areas by the Southern Indian Ocean Deepsea Fishers Association, which would allow comparison between fished and unfished seamounts.
“It is gratifying to know that this work is not an isolated scientific trip, but will directly feed into conservation and management recommendations”, says Sarah Gotheil, Programme Officer with IUCN’s Global Marine Programme. “Through our study we hope to confirm the conservation benefits of protecting seamount features on the ridge. This will inform future management of deep-sea ecosystems in the high seas globally”.
In total, nearly 7,000 specimens have been collected and labeled, from two-metre long fish to tiny crustacean larvae. They include an impressive variety of fish, shrimps, squids and gelatinous marine creatures. Many more microscopic species of phytoplankton and zooplankton, representing the base of the food chain in the ocean, have also been collected. The two seabird and marine mammal observers recorded thousands of seabirds from as many as 36 species, and 26 marine mammals. Two of them, majestic humpback whales, even offered the team a wonderful 30-minute show of jumping around at just a few metres from the ship.
Labels: Indian Ocean, Octopus, PSMI, Silver spinyfin, ecosystems, marine mammals
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
21st century explorers return with unique data from Indian Ocean
Monday, October 6, 2008
The International Union for Conservation of Nature updated the “Red List” which may be the world’s most respected inventory of biodiversity.
On Monday, at the IUCN’s World Conservation Congress in Barcelona many experts agreed that the Earth is undergoing the “first wave of mass extinction since the dinosaurs died out 65 million years go.”
Aggressive, commercial fishing techniques have more than tripled the amount of fish being harvested from the worlds oceans. Trawlers and factory ships using radar and sonar have been able to find fish with nearly pin point accuracy as they prowl the oceans stalking their prey. Using nets as large as jumbo jets has led to the extinction of some intended catches, and other unintended catches.
Over the past two decades an 89 percent decline in hammerhead sharks in the Northeast Atlantic have been attributed to bycatch. The Caribbean monk seal was officially, albeit woefully late, extinct in June of this year. Though the last reported sighting of this monk seal was reportedly in 1952.
I hope I’m not dead 56 years before anyone notices I’m gone.
The seals demise is also officially attributed directly to man. Will it be too late to save the last two monk seal species? There are now estimated only 1,200 Hawaiian monk seals, and only 500 Mediterranean Monk seals inhabiting the planet.
The photo was taken May 27, 2007 of two Hawaiian monk seals. One died from drowning after being tangled and trapped in fishing lines. The other followed his friend to shore barking at people for assistance at Makua Beach on Oahu.
The IUCN estimates that 25% of the planet’s known Mammals are at risk of disappearing forever and in reality that number could be as high as 36%.
Experts say the window of opportunity to save great apes and monkeys appears to be closing far more quickly than Scientists realised.
Can Mankind be far behind?
Ocean-dwelling mammals are reportedly dying at a rate of 1,000 per DAY, victims of mile-wide fishing nets, vessel strikes, toxic waste and sound pollution.
For many decades man’s hubris has increased as the quality of life in the world around him has decreased. If mankind has believed the world was his oyster, the Planet is setting out to prove him wrong.
Photo thanks Gordon Olayvar/ Hawaii Dept. of Land and Natural Resources.
Labels: IUNC, Mass extinct, Monk seal, Ocean, Ocean Habitat, Ocean Mammals, marine mammals
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
Tangled up and blue. Marine mammals and primates forecasted to be the first victims of mass extinction.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
26 members of the 180-foot Alaska Ranger have been rescued from life boats. The Seattle based fishing boat started taking on water after losing control of its rudder This morning around 3a.m.
The boat was about 120 miles off Alaska.
Komo TV Seattle is reporting all 47 crew members abandoned ship and made it safely to life rafts. No injuries have been reported so far. The rafts are in 6 to 8 foot seas being pushed by approximately 25 knot winds which is said to be rough weather for life rafts, but it could be worse.
The boat was about 120 miles west of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. The boat is a catcher-processing vessel operated by the Fishing Company of Alaska.
The Alaska Ranger’s sister ship, the Alaska Warrior was nearby and is helping the Coast Guard in the rescue.
According to a report at NOAA, in 2001-2004 the Fishing Company of Alaska, through its agents, committed numerous violations, including: tampering with or destroying observer’s samples and equipment; failing to provide observers a safe work area; failing to notify observers prior to bringing fish aboard to allow sampling of the catch; failing to provide reasonable assistance to observers; and interfering with or biasing sampling procedure employed by observers.
The fine for these actions, which came in 2006, was $254,500.00 for violations of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The fishing vessel Alaska Juris’s 3 captains were also assessed a protion of that civil penalty. The charges were a result of a multiple-year investigation conducted by special agents in the Alaska division of NOAA Fisheries Service’s Office of Law Enforcement.
Read more about this here!
Read about a successful appeal by the Fishing Company of Alaska in relation to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Act here!
We wish the crew and rescue persons safety.
Photo: Alaskan Ranger, Yahoo news
Labels: Alaska, FV Alaska Ranger, Fishing Company of Alaska, Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, NOAA, Rescued, Ship sinking, marine mammals
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
Alaska Ranger Sinking. 47 Crew Being Rescued Near Alaska.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
The Christian Science Monitor has reported the aircraft carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln, and her accompanying ships began exercises Wednesday in the waters off San Diego.
U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper highlighted in her preliminary injunction against the use of sonar the Navy’s own estimate that these exercises would temporarily disrupt or harm 170,000 marine mammals and permanently injure more than 400.
Rear Admiral Lawrence Rice says, he doesn’t understand “why the sonar has become such a big deal.” Whales and other marine mammals are killed by ship strikes, fishing nets and loud sounds from oil and gas exploration. Rear Adm. Rice is the Navy’s director for environmental readiness. With friends like Rice the marine mammals might be asking themselves; who needs enemies?
The ocean is a mighty big place. It’s could be conceivable there is more than enough room for the Navy and marine mammals to stay out of each other’s way. The days of Navy training exercises being carried out far far away from coastlines vanished with the ‘war on terror’. The U.S. now feels attacks on ports by enemies using ’silent’ subs is a likely potential. This is what has prompted the Navy to move some exercises closer to shore.
Logic could dictate that detecting an enemy’s ’silent’ sub before it came close to port would be the prudent thing to practice.
Navy officials say more than 40 countries are using sophisticated diesel-electric submarines which are less expensive and more stealth. These cheaper stealthier submarines could be accessed by potential U.S. enemies. Navy officials also contend the coast simulates smaller waterways like those found in the Middle East.
Richard Kendall, National Resources Defense Council attorney, believes Bush used an agency within his own executive branch to overturn a federal court ruling which limited the use of sonar during these exercises. “The president’s effort to use a White House agency to override a court order is very dangerous in our legal system, highly illegal, and completely unjustified.”
Read the “Presidential Exemption from the Coastal Zone Management Act”
Council on Environmental Quality Letter to Navy (Don’t miss page 150) of 151 pages pdf format
Photo Thanks: PH3 Kittie VandenBosch, USN.
Labels: California, Sonar, US Navy, marine mammals
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
Marine Mammals Paying The Price For The War On Terror. U.S. Navy resumes training with sonar.
