Fish protections protect fish

Big surprise, a law that stops trawling in Venezuela protects fish. Local fishermen are seeing better catches after 2 years of ocean protection, including more fish, bigger fish, and fish closer to shore.

Trawling was mostly catching shrimp for export, while about 70% of Venezuela's fish catch comes from the happy fishermen that have been seeking the trawling ban for decades. So it sounds like a good deal for Venezuela, right?

President Hugo Chavez thinks so, seems like he's good for oceans on this issue, better than some US politicians like...say...John Kerry who say they want to help fishermen but plan to do so through the failed policy of overfishing. Who's your friend, ocean lovers?

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Ocean vacuum cleaner saves corals from algae

If there's something strange
in your neighborhood
Who ya gonna call?
ALGAEBUSTERS

If there's something weird
and it don't look good
Who ya gonna call?
ALGAEBUSTERS

And in this case the algaebusters come equipped with a giant algae vac that sucks smothering algae mats off of coral reefs.

It's one of those sounds good ideas that might come from an 8 year old, but it actually works. It's being used in Hawaii to remove a nasty invasive algae called "gorilla ogo" from coral reefs. Compare before the super sucker vacuum hits the algae (lower picture) and after vacuuming the reef (upper picture).

There is an overfishing connection, algae-eating fish used to keep corals clean but overfishing has ended this free algae-busting service.

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Cure for the plastic bag plague

Plastic grocery bags suck if you're a sea turtle. It's not hard to understand why, they look a lot like a yummy jellyfish.

With this in mind, I was enthused to swing by my local grocery store and learn the results of their recent re-usable bag campaign. Town & Country Market has been giving away resusable bags with purchases, and tracking the number of times those bags come back into the store.

I'll spare you the numbers except one. They've already avoided using 10,000 plastic grocery bags. Wow, that's a lot more than I would have expected. And they're still giving away more re-usable bags! Since plastic bags are forever, this is a real accomplishment. All thanks to one grocery store.

The world isn't saved yet, but I thank Town & Country Market for stepping up to do this one good thing. I guess this is one vote for behavior change as a solution to the ocean plastic plague.

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Sea turtles protected from drift gillnets

Drift gillnets are still used to catch fish?! Wait a minute, I thought they were banned worldwide. That's what most people say when they hear the latest fishing news from the US west coast.

After terrible publicity about 40 mile long "curtains of death" killing many kinds of ocean life, an international ban on drift gillnets was implemented in 1991. But this so-called "ban" actually allows use of drift gillnets up to 2.5 kilometers long.

Now move to the ocean off California and Oregon--there is a legal drift gillnet fishery for sharks, swordfish and tuna. Drift gillnets also catch and kill whales, dolphins, sea turtles and other fish, most of which are thrown overboard dead. To protect endangered sea turtles, a large area off California and Oregon is closed to fishing during turtle season.

This week, federal managers decided not to re-open this area to drift gillnet fishing during turtle season. It's a great victory for conservation. The amazing thing is that the push for more drift gillnet fishing got as far as it did. Fishing interests have strong influence, almost control of fishing regulations in US waters, and they almost got their way in re-starting fishing that is bad for sea turtles. Not this time. I doubt the idea will just go away, but for now, turtles can breathe easier. In this case, the fishery management process worked.

The back story here? Who knew that drift gillnets are still legal?

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Reef recreation that doesn't hurt (reefs)

Are we loving our coral reefs to death? Here's something that might help, a set of standards for coral reef recreation that will reduce the footprint of tourism on coral reefs.

Rick MacPherson over at Malaria, bedbugs, sea lice, and sunsets directs us to this groundbreaking new piece of work from CORAL, a first for the marine tourism world. It's a handbook for safe tourism on the Meso-American reef that extends from Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula to Belize to Honduras. Here's hoping for wide and effective implementation and healthy coral reefs.

I've been there and it's fantastic. I enjoyed swimming out to the reef from the Hotel Ojo de Aqua in Puerto Morelos . Of course, maybe it was so great because it's where my wife and I decided to get married, after a long naked midnight swim in the warm, warm water from a perfect deserted beach.

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Celebrating sustainable seafood at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

Eating well is a joy that elevates and sustains us. When we appreciate and invest in the sources of our food, we connect the circle and build ourselves.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium shows the world that sustainable seafood works for everyone. No matter who you are, you can eat seafood without contributing to ocean decline, and we’ll all profit from the investment in fishing done right.

Last night’s “Cooking for Solutions” Gala at the Monterey Bay Aquarium was a high point for me in the pursuit of sustainable seafood. The experience bordered on overwhelming. Wandering through the aquarium, communing with the life of the sea and sampling sustainable offerings from top chefs, it was easy to picture a world of seafood done right. A world where fish are abundant and what we take goes unnoticed. A world where fishing success means a healthy ocean. And especially, a world where investing in the future of the ocean is so richly rewarding. Sustainability has never tasted so good. Thanks to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for creating a better world for a night.

It’s hard to promote sustainability if it means giving up what you want the most. For a seafood lover, the Aquarium’s Gala proves that there’s reward, not sacrifice, for eating in balance with the ocean. And that’s an attractive vision of sustainability.

The Aquarium’s sustainability work goes well beyond the Gala. So far this year, more than 10 million people have received the Aquarium’s well-loved Seafood Watch cards, packed with advice on how to promote sustainability when you buy seafood. And now, through working with Bon Appetit and other major seafood buyers, the Aquarium is helping transform the larger seafood marketplace by rewarding sustainability. Another featured guest was the head of Wal-mart’s seafood division, who’s busy proving that sustainability need not cost a fortune. The Aquarium’s vision works, and it’s proving that sustainability is a mainstream value.

It’s true that a few favorite seafood items didn’t show up on the menu, but I’ll be looking for them next year, or in perhaps two or ten years. And when they do show up at the Aquarium, they’ll be like good friends welcomed back to the party. So long as there’s a party to be had without them, I can wait.

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Protecting fish benefits corals

Corals benefit from no-fishing marine protected areas. Grazing fish such as large parrotfishes that thrive in the MPA remove algae and improve coral reproduction.

This is the first finding of benefits to coral reproduction from reduced algae cover in no-fishing MPAs, thanks to the helpful work of grazing fish. Not a big surprise, really, but proof is always necessary given the abundance and persistence of MPA critics.

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Ocean wilderness

What is it? Big pristine ocean areas where fish run amok? Or does ocean wilderness live in the hearts of people? It matters, because the answer guides our ocean future.

Imagine a young city person at a beach, putting on a mask and diving cautiously under the surface. What’s there? Murk and muck, and the bright shimmering of the surface seen from below. Further out, what’s that?…A fish. A real live ocean fish in a real live ocean, the first time. A brief sight, and then it vanishes into the depths, a magic visitor from another world. Running up the beach, tearing off the mask and shouting, sky-high with joy.

Is this ocean wilderness? An electric feeling that changes a life?

Picture a scientist, drawing lines on a map. After reading studies of currents, fish, dolphins, whales and corals. Lines on a map become an idea…then a goal, protect a big area forever. Save a piece of the ocean’s finest, forever.

Is that ocean wilderness? Protect the best we have left, save ocean ecosystems for future generations?

The difference is the role of people.

Are we partners? Lovers and protectors of our oceans? Is there a place for us since we’re trustworthy friends who didn’t mean to cause harm?

Or are we some sort of plague on the earth, a virus or cancer that only destroys oceans?

I think we need to be careful of misanthropy when we answer. Do we dislike people, and seek reasons for a purge? Is wilderness just an excuse to create a zone of exclusion where there are no people?

In the underwater world of blogfish, people are welcome. Here, wilderness is a state of mind, and if people say they’re friends of the ocean, then they are. And when that city kid comes roaring out of the ocean with a shout of joy, I want to be there and offer encouragement, because that’s a person who is ready to join the cause.

It's true that we need Ocean Wilderness areas that are protected from human impacts. But we'll never get there by needlessly alienating people. We need to find a way to embrace people, work with their feelings of connection--whatever the source--and pursue shared conservation goals. Sometimes, it seems that too much of conservation has an alienating holier-than-thou flavor. That's not good.

Because we'll never save our oceans by attacking people.

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Fish conservation reborn in California

Here's a fascinating read, a recreational fishing leader rethinks strategy after deciding that his side is "losing" in California (they fought against MPAs, saying they were not needed).

Now they plan to become more reasonable and become the purveyors of conservation. Good idea, if they actually walk the walk.


The Log
Guest Editorial - Common Ground
Wednesday, April 04, 2007

For better or for worse, the end results of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) will be not be determined by the actions of recreational anglers, but rather the general public's perception of what is best for the ocean. While fishing is important, a decade of beating up on the problems of the ocean by recreational anglers (that's right - us!), followed by environmental groups singing the same tune, has left California citizens with the impression that our ocean is on the verge of collapse. Remember, we led the fight against gill nets, long lines and bottom trawls, highlighting their highly destructive nature. The enviros came later! Then, we took them on as we had taken on industrial fishing excesses.

For recreational fishing to prosper, we need to understand the dynamics of the conflict we face. It's a battle for the hearts and minds of the real deciders - the millions of Californians who care about the health of our ocean. The MLPA provides the stage - a public process garnering headlines that equate the Act with the health of our ocean.

Looking at this battlefield from above, one would see two camps of extremes. On one side we find the protectionists, those who would be all too happy to close all fishing and access to our ocean. On the other side, we find the polar opposite - unbridled commercial exploiters who assume anything in the ocean is rightly theirs and fair game. Here's the rub: Perception is everything and, in the public's eyes, if we're against the Act, we're against conservation. We are equated with the exploiters who created these problems in the first place.

Today, sportfishing is at a crossroads. Recreational anglers are perceived as being in this second camp. In fact, UASC (and I personally) can take responsibility for much of this public perception. Leading "red shirt rallies" through the Channel Islands and initial MLPA process, we garnered support from thousands of anglers. At the same time, we fueled the ire of the extremists and alienated millions in the general public who - through the eyes of the LA Times and other media - saw us as spoiled children mad about losing our toys.

But, as Yogi Berra put it: "it ain't over 'til it's over."

The MLPA process is going into high gear on California's north Central Coast and Coastside Fishing Club, our Northern California partner, will be at Ground Zero. We will work closely with Coastside, its founder Bob Franko, and the American Sportfishing Association, to ensure a vibrant future for recreational anglers. Franko will lead the team, taking a conservation-based approach to the Act that will risk the ire of not only the protectionists, but also the trawlers, gillnetters and long liners who make up camp number two. He will also face the anger of recreational anglers who stand with those destructive industrial fishing interests.

I am proud to stand at Bob's side in this battle. Together, Coastside, UASC and ASA hope to reclaim the conservation ground between protectionism and exploitation by building coalitions. We will balance the need for healthy oceans with the light footprint of recreational angling - and maintain the widest possible access to pursue our passion.

Tom Raftican, President of United Anglers of Southern California

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California protects ocean ecosystems

Marine Protected Areas are becomming a tool of choice for conserving ocean ecosystems. Today, California joined the Northwest Hawaiian Islands as home to the first solid networks of MPAs in the US.

Along with the overfishing ban passed recently in the US Congress, these MPAs promise to restore ocean ecosystem health.

A key role of MPAs is to provide unfished areas to demonstrate what our oceans might be like without fishing. That's something worth knowing. Too many ocean areas are sadly depleted, and for some places there is nobody left alive who knows what's gone missing. Ask a young person in southern California whether they've ever seen an abalone in a tide pool.

The California Fish and Wildlife Commission voted this morning to create a network of Marine Protected Areas along California's central coast. Some areas will ban all fishing and others will allow some types of fishing or resource use (e.g. kelp harvest).

This after hearing from fishermen, scientists, conservationists, divers, boaters, and other concerned people. The lengthy processes sought to balance the interests of all concerned, and everybody was forced to accept something other than their preferences.

Thanks to the Commissioners for their courageous action, and thanks to Republican Governor Schwarzenegger for his bold leadership of this process. Conservation need not be a partisan issue; this Republican governor has done more for ocean health than his Democratic predecessor, Gray Davis.

You'll read about this elsewhere tomorrow, but you saw it here first!!

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Global bottom trawling ban fails

The United Nations will not act this year to limit high seas bottom trawling, thanks to opposition from fishing nations led by Iceland.

The proposal was to ban bottom trawling in unregulated high seas areas, which include some 60% of ocean waters. The proposal was designed to protect vulnerable habitats such as seamounts and long-lived deep sea fish such as orange roughy and blobfish.

This failure isn't the end, international conservation action is always slow and progress made this year can be used to elevate the issue and spur future action.

Iceland led the fishing nations that harpooned the ban, and now some are proposing a boycott of Iceland for resuming whaling and also for blocking the bottom trawling ban.

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Bottom trawl ban sought by Bush

Bottom trawling has been widely criticized as a lousy way to catch fish, since it plows through fish habitat to catch fish.

Depending on which analogy you prefer, it's like using a bulldozer to catch birds in a forest or clear-cutting a forest to catch a squirrel.

Either way, there's no doubt that bottom trawling disturbs fish habitat, and that's bad if you want to fish again later. It's true that a few fish benefit from bottom trawling, if they can thrive on a plowed ocean bottom. But in general it's just not a good idea to churn, plow, flatten, and otherwise eliminate habitat complexities that make homes for fish and other animals. Click here for undersea video of a bottom trawl in action.

To address this problem, President Bush thinks we should ban bottom trawling in areas where it's poorly regulated. The White House statement is good. Specifically, the (State Department) is directed to ... establish rules based on sound science ... and to end destructive fishing practices, such as unregulated bottom trawling, explosives and chemicals that destroy the long-term productivity of ecosystems such as seamounts, corals, and sponge fields," the White House statement said.

OK, here's an area where I support our President. It's a good day for the ocean.

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Buying conservation in the ocean

Fishermen paid to stop destructive bottom trawling off California, in a new twist to the Nature Conservancy's market-based approach to conservation.

This effort should help ocean bottom habitats recover, and support rebuilding of depleted bottom fish.

Famous for promoting conservation by buying land from willing sellers, the Nature Conservancy is getting wet and salty with a partner group Environmental Defense. The groups do not intend to end all fishing, when fish recover they hope to promote fishing using sustainable methods.

Buying conservation is more complicated in the ocean, here's to hoping that this approach works.

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Oceans in deep trouble

According to scientist Jeremy Jackson, our oceans are in bad shape and getting worse. When he started in on "the rise of slime" it took a few minutes to figure out he wasn't talking about politics.

As an optimist, I believe it's possible to have healthy oceans in our future. But it's hard to stay optimistic after listening to Dr. Jackson. He's seen dramatic decline in coral reefs in his lifetime, and he believes things are only getting worse.

Maybe ocean ecology is the new dismal science?

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Sensible ocean habitat protection!

Don't destroy habitat while catching fish! That common sense approach is gaining support around the world, most recently on the US West coast. Managers announced recently a ban on bottom trawling for 150,000 square miles of ocean bottom.

As the name suggests, bottom trawl nets drag on the ocean bottom to catch fish. Anything that gets in the way is torn up or caught in the net. It makes little sense to bottom trawl through hundred year old corals to catch fish. That would be like using a bulldozer to hunt for deer in a forest. Web video of a trawl net scraping the ocean bottom.

Recognizing the need for ocean bottom protection, fishermen and environmentalists worked out a compromise which led to this ban. Neither side got everything they wanted, but the end result is some valuable habitat protection and continuation of economically important fishing.

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