[SEASPAN] U.S. Senate Strengthens Fisheries Protections
June-B 2006, volume 12-13******************************
CONTENTS:
A) FEATURE
1) U.S. Senate Strengthens Fisheries Protections
B) NEWS AND VIEWS
2) Most depleted stocks not recovering, researchers say
3) U.S. Coral Eden Found; Others Saved From Destructive Fishing
4) Depletion, Degradation, and Recovery Potential of Estuaries and Coastal Seas
5) Coral Reefs and the Global Network of Marine Protected Areas
6) Designation of Hawaiian waters stirs controversy: Fishing will be limited in national monument
C) PEW INSTITUTE AND PEW FELLOWS (PF) NEWS
7) UN Report on Deep Sea Pollution Publicized
8) "Bush the environmentalist?" Washington Times Editorial
9) "Climate Change and Northwest Hawaiian Islands:" Editorial letter
D) OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS
10) Nature Conservancy MPA Senior Scientist/Advisor
11) Worldfish Center - Research Scientist – Small-Scale Fisheries
12) Packard Foundation Conservation And Science Program
13) Scripps Institution Of Oceanography -Research Scientist Positions
14) Southwest Florida Shells Guide Published
E) GENERAL INFORMATION AND SUBSCRIPTION INSTRUCTIONS
******************************************
A) FEATURE
1) U.S. SENATE STRENGTHENS FISHERIES PROTECTIONS
The United States Senate unanimously approved a bill to revamp management of the nation's marine fisheries and strengthen protections against overfishing of dwindling stocks. The bill requires the use of annual catch limits and enhances the authority of eight regional fishery-management councils, as Congress struggles to protect vulnerable fish stocks while keeping struggling fishing industries afloat. The bill reauthorizes the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the 30-year-old law that oversees fishery management in waters between three miles and 200 miles offshore. The House is considering a different version of the bill. The bill also would bolster the role of scientific advisory committees and incorporate several recommendations from the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, which has called for an overhaul of U.S. ocean policies and laws.
Source: Matthew Daly, The Associated Press, 20 June 2006
http://www.forbes.com/business/energy/feeds/ap/2006/06/19/ap2825708.html
*****************************************
B) NEWS AND VIEWS
2) MOST DEPLETED STOCKS NOT RECOVERING, RESEARCHERS SAY
Just three of 67 depleted U.S. fish stocks have been rebuilt in the past 10 years, according to a new study. The study, which examines 10 years of federal data on overfished fisheries, will be published in the August issue of the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. The study was funded by the Lenfest Ocean Foundation, which was launched by the Pew Charitable Trust in 2004. The three rebuilt stocks are Atlantic sea scallops, Pacific whiting and Pacific lingcod, the report says. "Unfortunately, we are failing to rebuild many of the resources on which our fishing economy depends," said Andrew Rosenberg, chief author of the report and a professor at the University of New Hampshire. The Magnuson-Stevens Act mandates that U.S. fishery management councils draft rebuilding plans for overfished stocks to bring them back to healthy levels within 10 years if this is biologically possible.
Source: Allison A. Freeman, E & E News, 21 June 2006
3) U.S. CORAL EDEN FOUND; OTHERS SAVED FROM DESTRUCTIVE FISHING
Scientists recently announced that large and diverse coral communities have been discovered in the deep, cold waters of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary off Washington State. And in a separate but related development, coral and other seafloor communities in the North Pacific were today given sweeping new protections from destructive fishing practices. A new ruling by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) bans bottom trawling in a 370,000-square-mile (958,000-square-kilometer) area off Alaska's Aleutian Islands. The closure creates the largest no-trawl zone in U.S. waters. The rule is intended to keep the region's deep-water coral and sponge communities safe, along with the marine life these ecosystems support. A similar prohibition protecting 135,000 square miles (350,000 square kilometers) of seafloor stretching from California to Washington went into effect earlier this month.
Source: Scott Norris, National Geographic News, 28 June 2006
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/06/060628-cold-corals_2.html
Related article:
New reefs discovered off Florida's coast
Nicholas Spangler And Curtis Morgan, The Miami Herald, 17 June 2006
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/14839477.htm
4) DEPLETION, DEGRADATION, AND RECOVERY POTENTIAL OF ESTUARIES AND COASTAL SEAS
A recently published article in Science addresses acceleration of estuarine and coastal transformation, stating: "Estuarine and coastal transformation is as old as civilization yet has dramatically accelerated over the past 150 to 300 years. Reconstructed time lines, causes, and consequences of change in 12 once diverse and productive estuaries and coastal seas worldwide show similar patterns: Human impacts have depleted >90% of formerly important species, destroyed >65% of seagrass and wetland habitat, degraded water quality, and accelerated species invasions. Twentieth-century conservation efforts achieved partial recovery of upper trophic levels but have so far failed to restore former ecosystem structure and function. The study's results provide detailed historical baselines and quantitative targets for ecosystem-based management and marine conservation."
Source:
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/sci;312/5781/1750
Reference:
Lotze, H. K., Lenihan, H. S., Bourque, B.J. Bradbury, R. H., Cooke, R. G., Kay, M. C., Kidwell, S. M., Kirby, M. X., Peterson, C. H., Jackson, J. B. C. Science 312: 1806 – 1809
5) CORAL REEFS AND THE GLOBAL NETWORK OF MARINE PROTECTED AREAS
A newly published paper in Science Magazine assesses the relationship between coral reef protection and MPA's. Titled: "Coral Reefs and the Global Network of Marine Protected Areas," the article states: "Existing marine reserves are largely ineffective and as a whole remain insufficient for the protection of coral reef diversity. Coral reefs worldwide are suffering massive declines in their diversity in response to human activities. The accelerating decay of this and other marine and terrestrial ecosystems has motivated multinational efforts to reduce biodiversity loss such as the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development and the 2003 World Parks Congress. The latter recommends that 20 to 30% of all major ecosystems should lie within strictly protected reserves by 2012. Protected reserves should reduce pressure from harvesting and other human activities, which should in turn facilitate the ability of species to cope with natural disturbances. Although much discussion has surrounded the success of protected areas at small spatial scales, little evaluation has been done at the global scale. The article provides a global assessment on the extent, effectiveness, and gaps in the coverage of coral reefs by Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)."
Source:
www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/312/5781/1750
Reference:
Mora, C., Andréfou, S., Costello,M.J., Kranenburg, C., Rollo, A., Veron, J., Gaston, K.J., Myers, R.A. Coral Reefs and the Global Network of Marine Protected Areas. Science 312: 1750-1751
6) DESIGNATION OF HAWAIIAN WATERS STIRS CONTROVERSY: FISHING WILL BE LIMITED IN NATIONAL MONUMENT
The newly declared Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument is not welcomed by everyone in Hawaii. One consequence of the president's declaration is that within five years fishing in the area must cease. "For us, we would like to see the small bottomfish fisheries continue there; it's been going on for 30 years or more," said Kitty Simonds, executive director of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. "It's a good political move for the president, this is going all over the world," Simonds said. She said the council has proven that well-regulated fisheries and a sound ecosystem can coexist. Currently there are only eight fishing permits allowed in NWHI. "Eight doesn't sound like it could harm anything," said Dr. Dennis Heinemann, senior scientist for the Ocean Conservancy. But he said a comprehensive look at fishing populations there over the past 15 years, using statistics from NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, shows the area has been overfished in 11 of the 16 years from 1988 to 2003, even with a relatively small number of commercial fishermen. "Fish populations don't respond instantaneously; there's a time lag in the process," Heinemann said. "These tend to be long-lived fish. It may take many years or a couple of decades to recover from being overfished."
Source: Marsha Walton, CNN, 17 June 2006
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/06/16/hawaii.monument/
******************************************
B) PEW INSTITUTE AND PEW FELLOWS (PF) NEWS
7) UN REPORT ON DEEP SEA POLLUTION PUBLICIZED
A recent UN report on deep sea pollution addresses damage to the once pristine habitats of the deep oceans by pollution, litter and overfishing that is running out of control and indicates that time is running out to save them. The UN said humankind's exploitation of the deep seas and oceans was "rapidly passing the point of no return". Last year some 85 million tonnes of wild fish were pulled from the global oceans, 100 million sharks and related species were butchered for their fins, some 250,000 turtles became tangled in fishing gear, and 300,000 seabirds, including 100,000 albatrosses, were killed by illegal longline fishing. Into the water in their place went three billion individual pieces of litter - about eight million a day - joining the 46,000 pieces of discarded plastic that currently float on every square mile of ocean and kill another million seabirds each year. Pew Fellow Kristina Gjerde, high seas policy adviser with the International Conservation Union's global marine programme, who wrote the new report, said: "Once limited largely to shipping and open ocean fishing, commercial activities at sea are expanding rapidly and plunging ever deeper." She said the effects of climate change made conservation efforts more important.
Source: David Adam, The Guardian, 17 June 2006
http://www.guardian.co.uk/waste/story/0,,1799816,00.html
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=18887&Cr=UNEP&Cr1=
For more on Gjerde, visit: www.pewmarine.org
Citation: UNEP (2006). Ecosystems and Biodiversity in Deep Waters and High Seas.
UNEP Regional Seas Reports and Studies No. 178. UNEP/ IUCN, Switzerland 2006.
8) "BUSH THE ENVIRONMENTALIST?" WASHINGTON TIMES EDITORIAL
Pew Fellow Jane Lubchenco, professor of marine biology at Oregon State University and David Festa, oceans program director for Environmental Defense published the following editorial regarding the northwest Hawaiian Island Monument: "The conservation of our natural resources and their proper use constitute the fundamental problem which underlies almost every other problem of our national life," President Theodore Roosevelt told Congress in 1907. A century later, President Bush literally looked over his shoulder at a portrait of Teddy Roosevelt that hangs in the White House as he shocked and awed his environmental critics by announcing earlier this month the establishment of the world's largest marine conservation area. The new Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument will safeguard a remote, biologically rich string of islands, submerged lands and their surrounding waters, totaling over 84 million acres -- 38 times the size of Yellowstone Park. This monument is an extraordinary victory for the environment and for the recognition of Native Hawaiian traditional and cultural practices, unparalleled in history. It's the result of 100,000 letters and 100 public meetings generated by a Hawaii-based network, or hui, of native Hawaiian cultural practitioners, commercial, recreational and subsistence fishers, kupuna (elders), divers, dedicated researchers and local environmentalists with a national and international reach. However, the need for public input is not over. Continued public involvement will be of vital importance to ensure the creation of strong regulations and an appropriate management plan. Securing funding for strong enforcement and to support the newly expanded role of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be crucial to ensure that these visionary protections do indeed protect this special place forever."
Source: The Washington Times, 28 June 2006
http://www.washingtontimes.com/functions/print.php?StoryID=20060627-090829-7599r
For more on Lubchenco, visit: www.pewmarine.org
9) CLIMATE CHANGE AND NORTHWEST HAWAIIAN ISLANDS: EDITORIAL LETTER
Carl Safina, Pew Fellow and President of the Blue Ocean Institute, submitted the following comments regarding the Northwest Hawaiian Island Monument to the editors of the New York Times: " Many environmentalists hailed president Bush¹s new designation of the oceanic waters around the Northwest Hawaiian Islands as the largest protected area on our planet. But everything worth protecting on and around those islands is threatened by Bush¹s refusal to act on global warming. Global warming threatens the islands¹ wildlife in at least three ways. The sandy land in those small islands is just a few feet above sea level. Current sea level rise will, within this century, force massive crowding of seabirds and eliminate much current breeding area of the endangered monk seals and green sea turtles. Temperature threatens the 90 percent of Hawaii¹s green sea turtles by changing sand humidity needed for egg incubation, and because hatchlings¹ sex ratio is temperature-determined. And as carbon dioxide from oil and coal dissolve into the sea, acidification of ocean waters will destroy animals making calcium carbonate shells, including clams and oysters, major plankton groups at the food-chain¹s base, and reef-building corals; their shells will all dissolve. The U.S is not alone in causing warming, but we¹re the main contributor, and the Bush administration stands outside global political consensus by refusing to acknowledge the science and the obvious. The islands, ocean, and world environment need to be protected not by the Bush administration¹s current policies, but from them. To protect the islands and ocean northwest of Hawaii, we must protect the world from a destabilized climate and an energy policy running counter to the collective long-term self-interest of us all."
For more on Safina, visit: www.pewmarine.org
******************************************
D) OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS
10) NATURE CONSERVANCY MPA SENIOR SCIENTIST/ADVISOR
DEADLINE: 5 JULY 2006
As an integral part of the Global Marine Initiative (GMI), the Marine Protected Area (MPA) Senior Scientist will be a leader and catalyst for helping to shape and realize The Conservancy’s ambitious goals for marine conservation. S/He will provide technical and scientific leadership and support to TNC country and state programs, policy staff, and partners on a variety of activities that will lead to the design, designation, effective management and sustainability of resilient networks of marine protected areas in priority TNC geographies. S/He will be a strategic leader with a strong knowledge of science and conservation, and an established track record in working with others on MPA design and implementation at multiple scales, in multiple socio-political contexts.
For full description go to:
http://www.nature.org/cgi-bin/zope.pcgi/careers/natureorg/20060530120317.html
11) WORLDFISH CENTER -RESEARCH SCIENTIST – SMALL-SCALE FISHERIES
DEADLINE: 31 AUGUST 2006
LOCATION: CAIRO, EGYPT
The WorldFish Center is a world-class scientific research organization with the mission to reduce poverty and hunger by improving fisheries and aquaculture. The Research Scientist position has the following responsibilities: Lead research relevant to small-scale fisheries and their relationships with water and land management in African countries; develop collaborations with regional institutions, national agencies, and advanced scientific institutions to promote the uptake of research results and maximize their impact; and develop project proposals for submission to donors; and engage in the development of new research projects, addressing natural resources management and livelihoods challenges in both inland and coastal zones. Candidates should have a PhD in fisheries ecology, natural resource management, or related field with more than 1 year of research experience and field experience addressing in natural resource management or fisheries in developing countries (experience in Africa would be an added advantage). For more information, go to:
http://www.worldfishcenter.org/cms/list_article.aspx?catID=34&ddlID=327
Interested applicants are invited to submit their applications online to:
worldfish-hr@cgiar.org
12) THE DAVID AND LUCILE PACKARD FOUNDATION
PROGRAM OFFICER, CONSERVATION AND SCIENCE PROGRAM
The Program Officer for the Science subprogram is responsible for the design and implementation of grantmaking strategies aimed at strengthening the contribution of science to achieving the goals of the Conservation and Science Program's agenda. A major emphasis of this work will be on the further development and implementation of the existing strategy focused on the application of EBM in coastal-marine conservation. This work will include an important emphasis on learning from the early experiences in this area and modifying the strategy as needed. The Program Officer will also guide the further evolution of the sub-program in such areas as additional work addressing the emerging debate in the United States regarding science and its role in setting critical public policy, or additional grantmaking in the area of science related to climate and energy policy. Candidate qualifications include: Recognition in their field of science and possessing a proven track record of success and accomplishment; demonstrated experience and understanding in the role science plays in policy development and conservation of natural resources; Experience with project management, such as with the management of resource management or conservation projects.
Interested candidates should reference job number 06-03-3700R and send their cover letter and resume to: Daniel Sherman, President, Explore Company, 1054 31st Street NW
Suite 330, Washington, DC 20007 ExploreCompany@aol.com
13) SCRIPPS INSTITUTION OF OCEANOGRAPHY -RESEARCH SCIENTIST POSITIONS
Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO, http://sio.ucsd.edu/) invites applications for full time Research positions (9-month academic year appointment) to be funded by extramural research grants and contracts. The appointments may be at the Assistant, Associate, or Full Research level with rank and salary depending on qualifications and experience. Associate level appointments receive 25% matching salary support from SIO funds, and Full appointments receive 50% matching salary support for the academic year (subject to availability of institutional funds). Start-up funds and moving expenses may be available.
1) Oceans and Atmospheres: Candidates with research interests and experience in physical oceanography, meteorology, climate sciences, or closely related fields are invited to apply. Possible research areas include ocean-atmosphere observations and analysis, general circulation modeling, data assimilation, instrumentation for oceanic and atmospheric observations, and geophysical fluid dynamics.
2) Physical Coastal Oceanography: Candidates with research interests and experience in observational oceanography of inshore waters are invited to apply. Possible research areas include but are not limited to wind-driven flows, mixing, internal waves, coastal and estuarine circulation and sediment transport. Collaborations with chemical and biological oceanographers are encouraged.
3) Marine Biology/Biological Oceanography: Candidates with research interests and experience in any aspect of marine biology or biological oceanography are invited to apply. Possible research areas include planktonic, pelagic and benthic ecology, systematics, biophysics, and the biochemical, genetic, or physiological bases of adaptations to marine environments.
All candidates will be judged on the basis of research excellence and ability to contribute to the diverse research programs at SIO. Interdisciplinary research is especially encouraged and the search committees will share candidate files when appropriate. Interested applicants should send curriculum vitae, statement of research expertise, selected reprints, and names and address of three suggested referees to:
Chair, Search Committee (Specify position) C/o Leslie Costi, 0209
Scripps Institution of Oceanography La Jolla, CA 92093
14) SOUTHWEST FLORIDA SHELLS GUIDE PUBLISHED
A new shell guide has been published which depicts species from the collection of The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum in Sanibel, Florida. All shells were collected, at different times and by many collectors, on the islands of Sanibel, Captiva, and neighboring areas. The guide has been organized by José H. Leal, Ph.D., Director, The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum
To review the guide, visit:
http://shellmuseum.org/sanibel_shells.html
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E) GENERAL INFORMATION AND SUBSCRIPTION INSTRUCTIONS
SeaSpan welcomes comments, as well as submissions of general interest to the international marine conservation community. Please send email to the editor at seaspan@pewoceanscience.org.
To subscribe, email LISTSERV@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU with no subject, and type the following as the only text in the message:
SUBSCRIBE SEASPAN Your Name
To read or search past issues of SeaSpan, go to: http://listserv.miami.edu/archives/seaspan.html
© 2006. Sections of SeaSpan not attributed to other sources may be reproduced at no charge, with proper acknowledgment and citation as follows:
Source: SeaSpan, from the Pew Institute for Ocean Science
http://www.pewoceanscience.org.
A) FEATURE
1) U.S. Senate Strengthens Fisheries Protections
B) NEWS AND VIEWS
2) Most depleted stocks not recovering, researchers say
3) U.S. Coral Eden Found; Others Saved From Destructive Fishing
4) Depletion, Degradation, and Recovery Potential of Estuaries and Coastal Seas
5) Coral Reefs and the Global Network of Marine Protected Areas
6) Designation of Hawaiian waters stirs controversy: Fishing will be limited in national monument
C) PEW INSTITUTE AND PEW FELLOWS (PF) NEWS
7) UN Report on Deep Sea Pollution Publicized
8) "Bush the environmentalist?" Washington Times Editorial
9) "Climate Change and Northwest Hawaiian Islands:" Editorial letter
D) OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS
10) Nature Conservancy MPA Senior Scientist/Advisor
11) Worldfish Center - Research Scientist – Small-Scale Fisheries
12) Packard Foundation Conservation And Science Program
13) Scripps Institution Of Oceanography -Research Scientist Positions
14) Southwest Florida Shells Guide Published
E) GENERAL INFORMATION AND SUBSCRIPTION INSTRUCTIONS
******************************
A) FEATURE
1) U.S. SENATE STRENGTHENS FISHERIES PROTECTIONS
The United States Senate unanimously approved a bill to revamp management of the nation's marine fisheries and strengthen protections against overfishing of dwindling stocks. The bill requires the use of annual catch limits and enhances the authority of eight regional fishery-management councils, as Congress struggles to protect vulnerable fish stocks while keeping struggling fishing industries afloat. The bill reauthorizes the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the 30-year-old law that oversees fishery management in waters between three miles and 200 miles offshore. The House is considering a different version of the bill. The bill also would bolster the role of scientific advisory committees and incorporate several recommendations from the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, which has called for an overhaul of U.S. ocean policies and laws.
Source: Matthew Daly, The Associated Press, 20 June 2006
http://www.forbes.com/business
******************************
B) NEWS AND VIEWS
2) MOST DEPLETED STOCKS NOT RECOVERING, RESEARCHERS SAY
Just three of 67 depleted U.S. fish stocks have been rebuilt in the past 10 years, according to a new study. The study, which examines 10 years of federal data on overfished fisheries, will be published in the August issue of the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. The study was funded by the Lenfest Ocean Foundation, which was launched by the Pew Charitable Trust in 2004. The three rebuilt stocks are Atlantic sea scallops, Pacific whiting and Pacific lingcod, the report says. "Unfortunately, we are failing to rebuild many of the resources on which our fishing economy depends," said Andrew Rosenberg, chief author of the report and a professor at the University of New Hampshire. The Magnuson-Stevens Act mandates that U.S. fishery management councils draft rebuilding plans for overfished stocks to bring them back to healthy levels within 10 years if this is biologically possible.
Source: Allison A. Freeman, E & E News, 21 June 2006
3) U.S. CORAL EDEN FOUND; OTHERS SAVED FROM DESTRUCTIVE FISHING
Scientists recently announced that large and diverse coral communities have been discovered in the deep, cold waters of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary off Washington State. And in a separate but related development, coral and other seafloor communities in the North Pacific were today given sweeping new protections from destructive fishing practices. A new ruling by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) bans bottom trawling in a 370,000-square-mile (958,000-square-kilometer) area off Alaska's Aleutian Islands. The closure creates the largest no-trawl zone in U.S. waters. The rule is intended to keep the region's deep-water coral and sponge communities safe, along with the marine life these ecosystems support. A similar prohibition protecting 135,000 square miles (350,000 square kilometers) of seafloor stretching from California to Washington went into effect earlier this month.
Source: Scott Norris, National Geographic News, 28 June 2006
http://news.nationalgeographic
Related article:
New reefs discovered off Florida's coast
Nicholas Spangler And Curtis Morgan, The Miami Herald, 17 June 2006
http://www.miami.com/mld
4) DEPLETION, DEGRADATION, AND RECOVERY POTENTIAL OF ESTUARIES AND COASTAL SEAS
A recently published article in Science addresses acceleration of estuarine and coastal transformation, stating: "Estuarine and coastal transformation is as old as civilization yet has dramatically accelerated over the past 150 to 300 years. Reconstructed time lines, causes, and consequences of change in 12 once diverse and productive estuaries and coastal seas worldwide show similar patterns: Human impacts have depleted >90% of formerly important species, destroyed >65% of seagrass and wetland habitat, degraded water quality, and accelerated species invasions. Twentieth-century conservation efforts achieved partial recovery of upper trophic levels but have so far failed to restore former ecosystem structure and function. The study's results provide detailed historical baselines and quantitative targets for ecosystem-based management and marine conservation."
Source:
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi
Reference:
Lotze, H. K., Lenihan, H. S., Bourque, B.J. Bradbury, R. H., Cooke, R. G., Kay, M. C., Kidwell, S. M., Kirby, M. X., Peterson, C. H., Jackson, J. B. C. Science 312: 1806 – 1809
5) CORAL REEFS AND THE GLOBAL NETWORK OF MARINE PROTECTED AREAS
A newly published paper in Science Magazine assesses the relationship between coral reef protection and MPA's. Titled: "Coral Reefs and the Global Network of Marine Protected Areas," the article states: "Existing marine reserves are largely ineffective and as a whole remain insufficient for the protection of coral reef diversity. Coral reefs worldwide are suffering massive declines in their diversity in response to human activities. The accelerating decay of this and other marine and terrestrial ecosystems has motivated multinational efforts to reduce biodiversity loss such as the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development and the 2003 World Parks Congress. The latter recommends that 20 to 30% of all major ecosystems should lie within strictly protected reserves by 2012. Protected reserves should reduce pressure from harvesting and other human activities, which should in turn facilitate the ability of species to cope with natural disturbances. Although much discussion has surrounded the success of protected areas at small spatial scales, little evaluation has been done at the global scale. The article provides a global assessment on the extent, effectiveness, and gaps in the coverage of coral reefs by Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)."
Source:
www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content
Reference:
Mora, C., Andréfou, S., Costello,M.J., Kranenburg, C., Rollo, A., Veron, J., Gaston, K.J., Myers, R.A. Coral Reefs and the Global Network of Marine Protected Areas. Science 312: 1750-1751
6) DESIGNATION OF HAWAIIAN WATERS STIRS CONTROVERSY: FISHING WILL BE LIMITED IN NATIONAL MONUMENT
The newly declared Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument is not welcomed by everyone in Hawaii. One consequence of the president's declaration is that within five years fishing in the area must cease. "For us, we would like to see the small bottomfish fisheries continue there; it's been going on for 30 years or more," said Kitty Simonds, executive director of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. "It's a good political move for the president, this is going all over the world," Simonds said. She said the council has proven that well-regulated fisheries and a sound ecosystem can coexist. Currently there are only eight fishing permits allowed in NWHI. "Eight doesn't sound like it could harm anything," said Dr. Dennis Heinemann, senior scientist for the Ocean Conservancy. But he said a comprehensive look at fishing populations there over the past 15 years, using statistics from NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, shows the area has been overfished in 11 of the 16 years from 1988 to 2003, even with a relatively small number of commercial fishermen. "Fish populations don't respond instantaneously; there's a time lag in the process," Heinemann said. "These tend to be long-lived fish. It may take many years or a couple of decades to recover from being overfished."
Source: Marsha Walton, CNN, 17 June 2006
http://edition.cnn.com/2006
******************************
B) PEW INSTITUTE AND PEW FELLOWS (PF) NEWS
7) UN REPORT ON DEEP SEA POLLUTION PUBLICIZED
A recent UN report on deep sea pollution addresses damage to the once pristine habitats of the deep oceans by pollution, litter and overfishing that is running out of control and indicates that time is running out to save them. The UN said humankind's exploitation of the deep seas and oceans was "rapidly passing the point of no return". Last year some 85 million tonnes of wild fish were pulled from the global oceans, 100 million sharks and related species were butchered for their fins, some 250,000 turtles became tangled in fishing gear, and 300,000 seabirds, including 100,000 albatrosses, were killed by illegal longline fishing. Into the water in their place went three billion individual pieces of litter - about eight million a day - joining the 46,000 pieces of discarded plastic that currently float on every square mile of ocean and kill another million seabirds each year. Pew Fellow Kristina Gjerde, high seas policy adviser with the International Conservation Union's global marine programme, who wrote the new report, said: "Once limited largely to shipping and open ocean fishing, commercial activities at sea are expanding rapidly and plunging ever deeper." She said the effects of climate change made conservation efforts more important.
Source: David Adam, The Guardian, 17 June 2006
http://www.guardian.co.uk
http://www.un.org/apps/news
For more on Gjerde, visit: www.pewmarine.org
Citation: UNEP (2006). Ecosystems and Biodiversity in Deep Waters and High Seas.
UNEP Regional Seas Reports and Studies No. 178. UNEP/ IUCN, Switzerland 2006.
8) "BUSH THE ENVIRONMENTALIST?" WASHINGTON TIMES EDITORIAL
Pew Fellow Jane Lubchenco, professor of marine biology at Oregon State University and David Festa, oceans program director for Environmental Defense published the following editorial regarding the northwest Hawaiian Island Monument: "The conservation of our natural resources and their proper use constitute the fundamental problem which underlies almost every other problem of our national life," President Theodore Roosevelt told Congress in 1907. A century later, President Bush literally looked over his shoulder at a portrait of Teddy Roosevelt that hangs in the White House as he shocked and awed his environmental critics by announcing earlier this month the establishment of the world's largest marine conservation area. The new Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument will safeguard a remote, biologically rich string of islands, submerged lands and their surrounding waters, totaling over 84 million acres -- 38 times the size of Yellowstone Park. This monument is an extraordinary victory for the environment and for the recognition of Native Hawaiian traditional and cultural practices, unparalleled in history. It's the result of 100,000 letters and 100 public meetings generated by a Hawaii-based network, or hui, of native Hawaiian cultural practitioners, commercial, recreational and subsistence fishers, kupuna (elders), divers, dedicated researchers and local environmentalists with a national and international reach. However, the need for public input is not over. Continued public involvement will be of vital importance to ensure the creation of strong regulations and an appropriate management plan. Securing funding for strong enforcement and to support the newly expanded role of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be crucial to ensure that these visionary protections do indeed protect this special place forever."
Source: The Washington Times, 28 June 2006
http://www.washingtontimes.com
For more on Lubchenco, visit: www.pewmarine.org
9) CLIMATE CHANGE AND NORTHWEST HAWAIIAN ISLANDS: EDITORIAL LETTER
Carl Safina, Pew Fellow and President of the Blue Ocean Institute, submitted the following comments regarding the Northwest Hawaiian Island Monument to the editors of the New York Times: " Many environmentalists hailed president Bush¹s new designation of the oceanic waters around the Northwest Hawaiian Islands as the largest protected area on our planet. But everything worth protecting on and around those islands is threatened by Bush¹s refusal to act on global warming. Global warming threatens the islands¹ wildlife in at least three ways. The sandy land in those small islands is just a few feet above sea level. Current sea level rise will, within this century, force massive crowding of seabirds and eliminate much current breeding area of the endangered monk seals and green sea turtles. Temperature threatens the 90 percent of Hawaii¹s green sea turtles by changing sand humidity needed for egg incubation, and because hatchlings¹ sex ratio is temperature-determined. And as carbon dioxide from oil and coal dissolve into the sea, acidification of ocean waters will destroy animals making calcium carbonate shells, including clams and oysters, major plankton groups at the food-chain¹s base, and reef-building corals; their shells will all dissolve. The U.S is not alone in causing warming, but we¹re the main contributor, and the Bush administration stands outside global political consensus by refusing to acknowledge the science and the obvious. The islands, ocean, and world environment need to be protected not by the Bush administration¹s current policies, but from them. To protect the islands and ocean northwest of Hawaii, we must protect the world from a destabilized climate and an energy policy running counter to the collective long-term self-interest of us all."
For more on Safina, visit: www.pewmarine.org
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D) OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS
10) NATURE CONSERVANCY MPA SENIOR SCIENTIST/ADVISOR
DEADLINE: 5 JULY 2006
As an integral part of the Global Marine Initiative (GMI), the Marine Protected Area (MPA) Senior Scientist will be a leader and catalyst for helping to shape and realize The Conservancy’s ambitious goals for marine conservation. S/He will provide technical and scientific leadership and support to TNC country and state programs, policy staff, and partners on a variety of activities that will lead to the design, designation, effective management and sustainability of resilient networks of marine protected areas in priority TNC geographies. S/He will be a strategic leader with a strong knowledge of science and conservation, and an established track record in working with others on MPA design and implementation at multiple scales, in multiple socio-political contexts.
For full description go to:
http://www.nature.org/cgi-bin
11) WORLDFISH CENTER -RESEARCH SCIENTIST – SMALL-SCALE FISHERIES
DEADLINE: 31 AUGUST 2006
LOCATION: CAIRO, EGYPT
The WorldFish Center is a world-class scientific research organization with the mission to reduce poverty and hunger by improving fisheries and aquaculture. The Research Scientist position has the following responsibilities: Lead research relevant to small-scale fisheries and their relationships with water and land management in African countries; develop collaborations with regional institutions, national agencies, and advanced scientific institutions to promote the uptake of research results and maximize their impact; and develop project proposals for submission to donors; and engage in the development of new research projects, addressing natural resources management and livelihoods challenges in both inland and coastal zones. Candidates should have a PhD in fisheries ecology, natural resource management, or related field with more than 1 year of research experience and field experience addressing in natural resource management or fisheries in developing countries (experience in Africa would be an added advantage). For more information, go to:
http://www.worldfishcenter.org
Interested applicants are invited to submit their applications online to:
worldfish-hr@cgiar.org
12) THE DAVID AND LUCILE PACKARD FOUNDATION
PROGRAM OFFICER, CONSERVATION AND SCIENCE PROGRAM
The Program Officer for the Science subprogram is responsible for the design and implementation of grantmaking strategies aimed at strengthening the contribution of science to achieving the goals of the Conservation and Science Program's agenda. A major emphasis of this work will be on the further development and implementation of the existing strategy focused on the application of EBM in coastal-marine conservation. This work will include an important emphasis on learning from the early experiences in this area and modifying the strategy as needed. The Program Officer will also guide the further evolution of the sub-program in such areas as additional work addressing the emerging debate in the United States regarding science and its role in setting critical public policy, or additional grantmaking in the area of science related to climate and energy policy. Candidate qualifications include: Recognition in their field of science and possessing a proven track record of success and accomplishment; demonstrated experience and understanding in the role science plays in policy development and conservation of natural resources; Experience with project management, such as with the management of resource management or conservation projects.
Interested candidates should reference job number 06-03-3700R and send their cover letter and resume to: Daniel Sherman, President, Explore Company, 1054 31st Street NW
Suite 330, Washington, DC 20007 ExploreCompany@aol.com
13) SCRIPPS INSTITUTION OF OCEANOGRAPHY -RESEARCH SCIENTIST POSITIONS
Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO, http://sio.ucsd.edu/) invites applications for full time Research positions (9-month academic year appointment) to be funded by extramural research grants and contracts. The appointments may be at the Assistant, Associate, or Full Research level with rank and salary depending on qualifications and experience. Associate level appointments receive 25% matching salary support from SIO funds, and Full appointments receive 50% matching salary support for the academic year (subject to availability of institutional funds). Start-up funds and moving expenses may be available.
1) Oceans and Atmospheres: Candidates with research interests and experience in physical oceanography, meteorology, climate sciences, or closely related fields are invited to apply. Possible research areas include ocean-atmosphere observations and analysis, general circulation modeling, data assimilation, instrumentation for oceanic and atmospheric observations, and geophysical fluid dynamics.
2) Physical Coastal Oceanography: Candidates with research interests and experience in observational oceanography of inshore waters are invited to apply. Possible research areas include but are not limited to wind-driven flows, mixing, internal waves, coastal and estuarine circulation and sediment transport. Collaborations with chemical and biological oceanographers are encouraged.
3) Marine Biology/Biological Oceanography: Candidates with research interests and experience in any aspect of marine biology or biological oceanography are invited to apply. Possible research areas include planktonic, pelagic and benthic ecology, systematics, biophysics, and the biochemical, genetic, or physiological bases of adaptations to marine environments.
All candidates will be judged on the basis of research excellence and ability to contribute to the diverse research programs at SIO. Interdisciplinary research is especially encouraged and the search committees will share candidate files when appropriate. Interested applicants should send curriculum vitae, statement of research expertise, selected reprints, and names and address of three suggested referees to:
Chair, Search Committee (Specify position) C/o Leslie Costi, 0209
Scripps Institution of Oceanography La Jolla, CA 92093
14) SOUTHWEST FLORIDA SHELLS GUIDE PUBLISHED
A new shell guide has been published which depicts species from the collection of The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum in Sanibel, Florida. All shells were collected, at different times and by many collectors, on the islands of Sanibel, Captiva, and neighboring areas. The guide has been organized by José H. Leal, Ph.D., Director, The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum
To review the guide, visit:
http://shellmuseum.org/sanibel
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E) GENERAL INFORMATION AND SUBSCRIPTION INSTRUCTIONS
SeaSpan welcomes comments, as well as submissions of general interest to the international marine conservation community. Please send email to the editor at seaspan@pewoceanscience.org.
To subscribe, email LISTSERV@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU with no subject, and type the following as the only text in the message:
SUBSCRIBE SEASPAN Your Name
To read or search past issues of SeaSpan, go to: http://listserv.miami.edu
© 2006. Sections of SeaSpan not attributed to other sources may be reproduced at no charge, with proper acknowledgment and citation as follows:
Source: SeaSpan, from the Pew Institute for Ocean Science
http://www.pewoceanscience.org.
