Blogpoisson

Here's the big news, the rebirth of blogfish is here.

Blogfish has moved to Switzerland, land of fondue and trains that run on time. Blogpoisson will continue as a personal blog, but drawing from my experiences as a person traveling the globe to work on sustainable seafood. How is this possible? Thanks to the good graces of the fine creature top right.

Blogfish lives, and swims in some new waters. Vive le Blogpoisson!

Just for fun, here's a photo of the Blogpoisson boos playing in the snow of St. Cergue in the Jura mountains with "Uncle Renaud" and Nelson of the fabulous Smith family that has adopted us as new found relatives. Oh, and the view of Mt. Blanc from our balcony, life is rough en Suisse.

Big changes for blogfish

Blogfish is undergoing some big changes. Watch this virtual space for more exciting news very soon. For now, I'll leave you with one clue.

It comes with filets de perches frais du lac Léman.

Green index for all products?

Do you want a green index on everything you buy? Something that lets you comparison shop environmental impacts like you comparison shop on price? Good for you, and prepare to shop at Wal-mart to find your dream green index.

Wal-mart is developing an index, and the first details are starting to come out. Companies will have to reveal their practices in four key areas: energy and climate, natural resources, material efficiency, and people and community. From this information, a yet-to-be-developed ranking system will allow shoppers to compare the sustainability of two similar products.

Interesting that Planet Green couldn't give Wal-mart adequate credit for this earthshaking initiative. They offer plenty of doubt and only "reluctant kudos." Get over it, Planet Green, Wal-mart is leading and they have the clout to begin making their green index a reality. Even if it's not perfect, it'll be the first index and that's a great step forward for sustainability.

Carnival of the blue 29

The best of ocean blogging for September is now compiled and ready for your enjoyment at Cephalopodcast.com.

This month's edition features the artistic touch of Jason as host, along with the stunning variety of ocean goings-on like Miriam's plastic-search expedition, Kevin and Karen doing science under sail, a pack of snails, pseudo-genitalia on the heads of fish, auks, sharks, and even using nuisance algae as fuel may fuel. Be there or be square.

That's right folks, you guessed it, Carnival of the blue is back. Worthy of note is the handoff of czar duties and privileges from me to Jason Robertshaw, the chief cephalopod. From now on, Jason will be coordinating the carnivals and I'll retire to czar emeritus status. Wonder if that comes with a pension? Hidden deep in the carnival post is some exciting news about my future that you might not find anywhere else, since I'm such a shy fellow.

Klamath River dam politics look good for a change

Good news for fish, thanks to heavy politics involving some strange bedfellows.

There is a deal and a plan to remove the 4 nasty Klamath River dams, the ones that harm water quality and salmon and irrigators and fishermen. Just so we don't forget what's at stake, the photo at right is from the bad old days of the 2003 fish kill. Ugh.

These dams block over 300 miles of prime salmon habitat, and some river advocates are calling this the biggest-ever river restoration project. If the money and politics are any guide, they're right.

The Klamath system could produce a lot of salmon if everything were right with the watershed. The dams are probably the biggest problem, so removal will be a helluva good start on renewing the river, salmon, watershed, and communities.

Hallelujah! There's more work to be done, to be sure, but each milestone of progress is worth celebrating.

Coral recovery in the Pacific

Bleached corals are staging a surprising recovery in Kiribati's Phoenix Islands.

Great news for a world where climate change may challenge corals with more bleaching in the future. Scientists are studying the recovery to learn more about what we can expect when our oceans boil in 100 years.

OK, it's not really that bad, just wanted to see if you were paying attention.

Coral bleaching is when corals decide that they don't like their color, and go for something "jazzier" like a nice off-white instead of the more typical greens, reds, and yellows. They bleach themselves by convincing humans to burn lots of CO2 so our atmospheric blanket thickens and warms the ocean.

Do you have a retractable sexual appendage on your forehead?

If not, then you're outshined by a male chimaera, such as the newly discovered black ghostshark.

The strange shark-like fish has lots of strangeness about it, but nothing matches it's ...ahem... tentaculum. According to ichthyologist Douglas Long:

“They have this club on the top of their head with spikes. People think it’s used for mating,” Long said. “It’s like a little mace with little spikes and hooks and it fits into their forehead. It’s jointed and it comes out. We’re not sure if it is used to stimulate the female or hold the female closer.”

Sadly, you can't see it very well in the pictures at right. I'll keep searching for a usable image, because you're not the only one who wants to see it.

Bearsharktopus

What is success in sustainable fishing?

New Zealand hoki is a shining example of success or failure in fishery management, depending on who you ask. Mostly because of a decline in catch in the last decade.

There are other issues that matter, like bycatch of sharks and seabirds, and habitat impacts from trawling. But the most interesting part of the success/failure argument is the significance of the decline in hoki catch that happened in the last decade.

What does it mean when we see a decrease in the amount of a fish caught? Is this a sign of a collapsing fishery? Or is it a sign that managers are doing the right thing? People will claim both, and it's important to look at the details.

When a fishery is virtually unregulated, then declining catches are likely a sign of problems, such as a collapsing fish population. But when less fish are caught because managers reduce fishing limits, in response to scientific advice, then the shrinking catch may be a signal that sustainable management is responding to changing conditions.

A story in the New York Times presents a case for failure, but the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership presents a case for success. All based on the same set of facts about hoki.

Rather than speculate, I'll wait another year to see if hoki numbers increase or decrease. If the fishery is failing, then we should see further declines in the amount of fish. If management is sustainable, then the fishing decline should allow the fish to rebuild.

The latest sign is that managers claim hoki have already recovered to healthy levels. If that's true, then I lean more towards success as the correct story for hoki.

Baghdad's river revival

As the rivers go, so goes the nation...

Or is it the reverse? Regardless of which comes first, you can read the health of a country by looking at rivers. And in Iraq, Baghdad's rivers are in revival.

According to Hamza Hendawi:

Men in shorts splash in its murky brown waters or hop onto pleasure boats that blare sexy Iraqi pop songs. Lovers meet by its banks or take a short nighttime cruise, some even defying the rules of conservative Baghdad to steal a quick kiss in the dark.

During the sectarian violence of 2006-2007, the Tigris River that cuts through the capital was a virtual front line between Sunnis on the west bank and Shiites on the east. It was here, in a river whose name has traditionally evoked poetry and love, that death squads dumped their victims.

Nowadays, as the violence has eased, increasing numbers of Baghdadis are casting aside bad memories and embracing the river like a long-lost friend.

What a treat to hear some good news for rivers from the cradle of civilization. Next up for the Tigris River? How about a little imagination, like Salmon in the Yemen?