Amazon river dolphins are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Sylvain CORDIER / Gamma-Rapho / Getty Images
By Peter Yeung
A pair of pink Amazon river dolphins emerges for just a moment, arcing above the chocolate brown waters inside the Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, a research facility at the tropical heart of the Brazilian Amazon. Powerful jets of water spray out of their blowholes as these freshwater mammals take in air before submerging.
<p>Moments later the duo reappear on the other side of the Japurá River, playfully dovetailing, and skirting the edge of the <em>várzea</em> rainforest — a seasonal floodplain where, in this part of Amazonia, river levels can rise and fall by up to 12 meters (39 feet) a year, at times opening up vast swathes of rainforest to these graceful swimmers.</p><p>"They are very special creatures," says Natanael dos Santos, a guide working at the Mamirauá Institute. "They are extremely intelligent and can display a complex set of behaviors, even like humans." These skilled, sharp-toothed hunters, often reaching more than eight feet in length, are well adapted to shifting river levels. During highwater periods they penetrate deep into the rainforest using echolocation to search murky pools amid submerged tree roots for prey including dozens of fish species, turtles and freshwater crabs.</p><p>The Amazon river dolphin (<em>Inia geoffrensis</em>) or boto, already <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/10831/50358152" target="_blank">classified as "endangered"</a> since 2018 by the IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, is now coming under even more serious threat across Brazil and Latin America. An estimated population in the <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/amazon-river-dolphin" target="_blank">low tens of thousands</a> is thought to exist in the wild, though counting the animals accurately in the Amazon's murky streams is challenging. Like other river dolphins, the boto communicates with variable whistle tones.</p><p>Occupying the Amazon and Orinoco river basins, which cut across the northern half of the South American continent, these freshwater mammals were historically abundant, and are protected today by Brazilian law; it is illegal to kill them. But for years, poachers have <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261359911_Insights_on_the_use_of_dolphins_boto_Inia_geoffrensis_and_tucuxi_Sotalia_fluviatilis_for_bait_in_the_piracatinga_Calophysus_macropterus_fishery_in_the_Western_Brazilian_Amazon" target="_blank">targeted the dolphins</a>, using their fatty blubber as bait to catch a carnivorous catfish called <em>piracatinga</em>, which is drawn to the scent of rotting flesh.</p>
<p>In January 2015, under the government of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, that chronic criminal behavior led to the introduction of a <a href="https://infoamazonia.org/pt/2015/03/amazon-fishermen-want-to-reduce-time-of-moratorium-on-piracatinga-fish/#!/story=post-12510&loc=-4.389559200000014,-64.55674760000001,7" target="_blank">five-year moratorium</a> on catching <em>piracatinga</em> in order to better protect the dolphins.</p><p>But that moratorium ended earlier this year and has yet to be renewed by the Jair Bolsonaro administration, which is undermining many other of Brazil's environmental laws. Experts warn that the failure to extend it could lead to the extinction of the largest freshwater dolphin in the world — a fate that befell <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/aug/08/endangeredspecies.conservation" target="_blank">China's Yangtze river dolphin (</a><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/aug/08/endangeredspecies.conservation" target="_blank"><em>Lipotes vexillifer</em></a><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/aug/08/endangeredspecies.conservation" target="_blank"><em>)</em></a> in 2007, following years of overfishing, pollution and habitat degradation.</p><p>"I believe [the lack of a moratorium] could make them extinct," warns Dr. Vera da Silva, a researcher for INPA, the Amazon research institute, who has been studying Amazonia's dolphins for more than 30 years. "Not all the objectives of the moratorium were fulfilled, therefore the moratorium must be extended," she explained.</p><p>Research by da Silva, <a href="https://academic.oup.com/biolinnean/article-abstract/123/3/666/4888610" target="_blank">published in 2017</a>, found that a female dolphin's pregnancy typically lasts 13 months. After that, the mother feeds a calf underwater for two years. Due to that long gestation and nursing period, females only reproduce every three to five years.</p><p>"They are a very slow reproductive species," da Silva notes. "If the removal is higher [than the reproduction and rearing rate] the species does not have the capacity to replace itself."</p><p>Separate <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0191304" target="_blank">findings</a> by da Silva published in 2018 revealed that the Amazon river dolphin population in Brazil is halving every decade.</p>
<p>Prosecutors in Amazonas state, where the Mamirauá Institute is based, originally asked for the moratorium which started in 2015, warning that as many as 2,500 dolphins were being killed illegally each year for bait.</p><p>Da Silva reports that in November 2019 she met with officials from the Secretariat of Production of the State of Amazonas (SEPROR), to discuss the extension of the moratorium in Amazonas. But nothing has happened since, and the peak fishing season is due to begin in July.</p><p>"There is a huge amount of ignorance," she warns. "We need better information on fishing practices. There aren't strong enough laws to make fishermen report what they catch."</p><p>Marcelo Oliveira, a conservation specialist at World Wildlife Fund Brazil (WWF), agrees with that analysis. "Fishing is a threat but we don't have enough data," he says. "If we don't know where the river dolphins are, we can't say how bad [the threat] is. But it's expensive to do expeditions to monitor population trends."</p><p>WWF has been innovating — utilizing drones to accomplish the difficult job of making improved population estimates, flying 2.5 kilometer strips of river to record footage. "It's much cheaper and more efficient," than doing boat observations, he says. The NGO is currently partnering with British universities to analyze the drone findings using artificial intelligence.</p><p><span></span>But even with better data recording practices and an improved data set, Oliveira says that the river dolphins are still at great risk from a broad range of threats. "Bycatch sees so many dolphins caught in fishing nets, gold mining in the region has led to mercury poisoning in the water, and the construction of hydroelectric dams has reduced their habitat and genetic pool," he explains.</p>
<p>Oliveira believes that for now the focus of dolphin conservation should be on improved community engagement across the Amazon basin, with strong outreach to fishermen, in a region whose burgeoning population has now topped 34 million.</p><p>"Extending the moratorium could be a way to protect the dolphins, alternative baits could be a way, but we need to have a balance between development and biodiversity conservation," he says. "It's not a fight between the two. If communities are involved in conservation, the dolphins will be safer."</p><p>Fernando Trujillo, scientific director of the <a href="https://omacha.org/" target="_blank">Fundacion Omacha</a>, a Colombia-based environmental NGO specializing in protecting river dolphins set up in 1993, says that conservation must also be addressed on an international level.</p><p>"The end of [Brazil's] moratorium will send out the message that fishing is okay — even in other countries across Latin America," he says. "We need to work together with all the countries in terms of policy, agreeing on the same criteria and same legislation, especially when it comes to monitoring the borders."</p><p>Trujillo, who is also co-chair of the International Whaling Commission's small cetaceans committee, is calling for the Brazil moratorium to be extended another five years. "For so many reasons, it's a species we need to conserve and save," he says. "Alive dolphins can produce more money than dead ones for local communities through ecotourism."</p>
<p>Indigenous beliefs hold that the river dolphin — which transforms from grey to pink as it ages — is a magical creature. Males and females are both said to have the ability to morph at will into either a handsome man, or beautiful woman respectively, in order to seduce villagers in the dark of night. But scientists see the mammals as top predators of the Amazon aquatic ecosystem — considering them the jaguars of the rivers.</p><p>A spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply said it had not yet extended the moratorium because "it is necessary to evaluate its effects on the recovery of populations of porpoises and caimans in order to verify the effectiveness of this fisheries management measure." When asked by Mongabay to comment, the ministry did not provide a timeframe for this evaluation period.</p><p>There is another myth about the Amazon river dolphin. It is said that to kill one is bad luck. Not knowing what negative aquatic impacts might radiate from the extinction of this top predator, authorities may want to heed this legend as they try to decide whether or not to renew Brazil's moratorium.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/06/amazon-river-dolphin-risks-extinction-if-brazil-moratorium-not-renewed/" target="_blank">Mongabay</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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In 2002, Rukam villagers sold their land to a palm oil company. Since then, they've seen their peatlands, forests and fish stocks vanish. Jefta Images / Barcroft Media via Getty Images
By Rizki Nugraha, Michaela Cavanagh and Holly Young
Just like his father and grandfather, Alfian has spent his whole life working as a fisherman on the banks of the Batang Hari river in Rukam, Indonesia.
<p>In the village of 1,200 residents, rows of houses sit low to the ground beside the water, buttressed on the other side by <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/scotland-restores-its-peatlands-to-keep-carbon-in-the-ground/a-50915166" target="_blank">swampy peatlands</a>.</p><p>The natural environment has long sustained the life of this village on the island of Sumatra. But now 48-year-old Alfian is struggling. "The fish are gone from the river," he says. "It's barely enough for daily survival."</p><p>Alfian remembers when many fish species lived in the peatlands. He could feed his family for a week with the money from one day's catch.</p><p>The fate of both Alfian's daily catch and Rukam itself is intertwined with that of an estimated <a href="https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/97/2/18-220434/en/" target="_blank">US $60 billion-dollar industry</a>. </p><p>Indonesia sits at the heart of the global palm oil trade. In 2002, it arrived on the banks of Rukam when the Indonesian company PT Erasakti Wira Forestama (EWF) offered the villagers a one-time payment for their land.</p>
<p>Some villagers resisted. Syafei, a 68-year-old who was chief of Rukam at the time, advocated for joint ownership and management of the lands between villagers and the company. But he says some residents pressured him to accept the terms.</p><p>They were offered roughly €55,000 (700 million Rupiah, $62,333 according to conversation rates at the time) for approximately 2,300 hectares (5684 acres) in total.</p><p>"At that time, that amount of money was really huge," says Syafei. The villagers were "yearning for the compensation."</p><p>In the end the community sold the land. Valuable peatlands were converted to plantations — and the repercussions of the decision are still felt today.</p>
The Environmental Cost of Palm Oil
<p>Touted as a wonder commodity, palm oil is found in a vast array of products and has been an undeniable driver of economic growth in the country.</p><p>But the environment has paid the price — namely through deforestation, loss of biodiversity, soil degradation, and polluted water and air.</p><p>Slash-and-burn techniques, used to clear large swathes of land for plantations, are particularly devastating in peatlands like those found in Rukam. Peatlands are made up of thick layers of decomposed organic material and burning them releases huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.</p><p>Rukam's residents have witnessed their landscape transform since they sold their land.</p><p>The peatlands were drained to make them usable for palm oil. A water pump brought in for irrigation disrupted the natural flow of water, redirecting it from the river to the plantation — which made it difficult for Rukam's residents' to access water for their own fields.</p><p>The situation worsened when a flood dam, used to protect the oil palm plantation from flooding, was built in 2009.</p><p>"As a consequence, villagers experience more damaging floods in the rainy season and don't have enough water in the dry season," says Rudiansyah, from WALHI, Indonesia's largest environmental organization. Farming has become difficult.</p><p>The profits from the sale of land, which were split evenly among residents, were not long-lasting. In fact, Rudiansyah claims Rukam's economy shrank significantly after the land conversion. While there is no data from before EWF came to the village, a study from WALHI and the University of Jambi found 366 of 494 families in Rukam were considered "poor" or "very poor" in 2018.</p><p>WALHI and many villagers put this down primarily to the loss of fishing ground due to the palm oil expansion.</p><p>Residents say the lakes they used to fish in disappeared after the land conversion and that they've seen fish stocks dramatically decline. When peatlands were drained many valuable species lost their breeding grounds. Now, there are only 53 fishermen, making around €8 ($8.70) per day.</p><p>With few alternatives left, many residents have turned to working on the palm oil plantations to earn a living.</p><p>Roughly 150 people, or about 16% of the village, work on the EWF plantation, which covers more than 4,000 hectares of land between the Batang Hari and the Kumpeh rivers.</p><p>"The only way to survive is to work on the plantation," says Hikmawati, a 35-year-old Rukam resident. Hikmawati worked distributing fertilizer on the plantation but eventually quit because of the high workload and low wages.</p><p>Now Hikmawati is trying to earn a living as a seamstress, while her husband works as a driver for the few remaining fishermen.</p>
Loss and Regret
<p>Hikmawati can't imagine any future for Rukam and would turn back the clock if she could: "I'd go back to the olden days where we could grow rice, or when there were still plenty of fish around."</p><p>She's not alone. "When I see the vanishing forest, I feel sad... The future looks bleak," fisherman Alfian says. "If nothing changes, then the next generation will leave, and this village will go extinct. Because there is nothing to live for anymore."</p><p>Alfian expects he will be the last in the family line of fishermen. "Maybe my children will only learn the names and types of fish that used to live here," he says.</p><p>For former village chief Syafei, regret is tinged with frustration: "Everything I had planned for the future has gone to the bottom of the ocean because they didn't want to listen to me."</p><p>Many in the community feel a sense of loss, and not just concerning their livelihood. "Countless species of medicinal plants are also lost because of the land conversion from peat forest to plantation," says Rudiansyah.</p><p>It's a response common to many villages impacted by the industry. "There is without question an enormous amount of regret for those communities," says Terry Sunderland, a senior scientist with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).</p><p>"Rukam's story is actually representative for a lot of the villages in Indonesia that are engaging palm oil," says Erik Meijaard, a conservation scientist and chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature palm oil task force.</p><p>"Certain communities benefit from palm oil, but for communities in which residents go fishing or hunting or collecting plants as part of their livelihoods, they tend to lose out quite badly when palm oil goes in and cuts down the forest, because you've got major environmental impacts."</p><p>A <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332655945_Does_oil_palm_agriculture_help_alleviate_poverty_A_multidimensional_counterfactual_assessment_of_oil_palm_development_in_Indonesia%20p.%2014" target="_blank">study out of Kalimantan, Indonesia</a>, found a marked decline in social and environmental well-being in communities with oil palm plantations between 2000 and 2014 — particularly those, like Rukam, that relied on subsistence-based livelihoods.</p><p>According to Rudiansyah, Rukam is an unusual case because it chose to sell its land as opposed to many <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/09/22/indonesia-indigenous-peoples-losing-their-forests" target="_blank">communities plagued by conflicts</a> with palm oil companies.</p><p>But Sunderland argues fully informed consent is often lacking: "People should be able to make a decision based on the full knowledge of what the implications are. And that's not the case — palm oil is sold as the financial answer to communities' problems.... Palm oil companies negotiate very disingenuously and essentially don't provide all the information." </p><p>As part of the concession agreement with the local government, EWF made regular corporate responsibility payments to Rukam, used to build infrastructure in the village.</p><p>Still, some villagers now say they were misled about the impact on water and degradation of their peatland forest.</p><p>"At that time [of the sale] we didn't know the impact will be like this. It wasn't known to us that there was a plan to build the dam," says Alfian.<span></span></p><p>"Flooding wasn't even a problem [before], not like now where the water has become dark and murky, probably caused by the pollution from the plantation," says Hikmawati. Although no official study has been carried out, residents have accused the company of dumping chemicals in the river.</p><p>EWF has not responded to requests for comment on these allegations.</p><p>"The company should have been fair towards the villagers, not trying to destroy their livelihood, but to embrace them as strategic partners," says Rudiansyah, arguing lack of proper education in the community also played a role.</p>
Wildfires and Mixed Progress
<p>Despite established criteria from the <a href="https://www.rspo.org/key-documents/impact-reports" target="_blank">Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)</a> in data from 2018, only 19% of palm oil produced globally was certified sustainable. Furthermore, Greenpeace <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/5-problems-with-sustainable-palm-oil/" target="_blank">have argued deforestation</a> continues to happen even among certified palm oil companies.</p><p>The Indonesian government has frequently touted the economic benefits of the industry. However, in the wake of the 2015 wildfires, which destroyed 2.6 million hectares of land including large swathes of peatland, the government took steps that earned international praise.</p><p>The Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) was set up in 2016 and by the end of 2018, it had restored more than 679,000 hectares. In 2019, the same year as more intense wildfires hit the country, the Indonesian government also issued a permanent moratorium on new forest clearance for activities like palm oil development and logging.</p><p>But not all are convinced of the progress.</p><p>"[Palm oil] companies benefit from poorly enforced laws, which in some cases are also poorly drafted," says Sol Gosetti from Greenpeace, referring to the creation of the BRG and <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/twenty-three-companies-fined-for-causing-forest-fires-leading-to-indonesia-haze/a-18934750" target="_blank">renewed government action</a> against companies destroying forests and peatland, such as mandating punitive fines and revoking licenses.</p><p>"The intentions [of government plans] seemed good, but there has been very mixed follow up and research in the field shows that the plantation sector is still not changing its practices," says Gosetti. "In the meantime, a number of plantation companies continue expansion; clearing forests and draining wet, carbon-rich peatlands."</p><p>Despite the moratorium, a <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/southeastasia/press/2834/one-million-hectares-of-forest-burned-inside-forests-moratorium-area-greenpeace-analysis-show/" target="_blank">Greenpeace investigation</a> in 2019 found that more than 1 million hectares had been burned in protected areas. The government has also been criticized for a failure to enforce industry transparency or regulations and tackle human rights abuses.</p>Peatland Regeneration
<p>Yet at the local level, some see reasons to believe the peatlands have a future.</p><p>Panace, 39, is a farmer living in Pematang Rahim, a village not far from Rukam. He used to cultivate palm oil on peatlands, but found it was very expensive as a smallholder farmer and was degrading the soil.</p><p>Now he is one of many farmers working to rehabilitate their land through the peat restoration program. The first step is rewetting the peatlands by installing infrastructure like deep wells and canal blockings to redistribute water. Then trees and other crops are replanted to repair <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327881251_Implementing_Peatland_Restoration_in_Indonesia_Technical_Policies_Interventions_and_Recent_Progress" target="_blank">damaged land.</a> </p><p>"We are going to continue diversifying our own crops and try to establish polyculture," says Panace. "We have started with Pinang palm — which grows well in peatlands and has a higher price on the market than palm oil fruits — and so far, it looks really promising."</p><p><span></span>The program depends on the willingness of both farmers and palm oil companies to participate but Panace believes education is key in the future. The program also works with community groups, NGOs and universities to promote the advantages of peatland restoration.</p><p><span></span>Change will not happen overnight. "Peatland recovery takes decades, while restoration activities have only been running for four years," says Myrna Safitri, from BRG. But once established on a broad scale it could <a href="https://theconversation.com/4-steps-the-indonesian-government-can-take-to-ensure-locals-help-put-out-forest-fires-126330" target="_blank">help mitigate the spread</a> of wildfires. </p><p>While restoration has not yet reached Rukam, not all residents are resigned to their village's fate.</p><p>Following pressure from the region's provincial government and WALHI, EWF has agreed to meet three demands of the villagers in Rukam, set to be put into effect this year: To repair the health of the soil, to help residents set up rice fields and irrigation systems, and to restore the water source for agriculture and clean drinking water.</p><p>This comes almost two decades after the decision that changed everything for Rukam. "Years ago, we only needed to take what nature provided for us," laments Syafei. "Our entire way of life was dependent on the natural rhythm of the seasons."</p><p>But he hasn't completely given up hope there is still time to recognize what is at stake. "If we don't learn from the past, then this village might disappear."</p>From Your Site Articles
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Satellite Data Indicate Illegal Fishing Surged in Philippines During COVID-19 Lockdown
08 June
Oceans
Recent records show that the size of wild-caught fish like sardines (pictured) is shrinking, implying they are being caught before they can grow big enough to properly reproduce. Davide_Lorpesti / Getty Images
Illegal fishing appeared to spike during the Philippines' lockdown period as commercial fishers took advantage of reduced patrols to ply coastal waters that they're prohibited from fishing in, satellite tracking data indicate.
<p>The months of March to May are prime fishing season in the Philippines, ahead of the start of the monsoon in July, when sailing conditions become difficult. This year's fishing period coincided with the lockdown imposed by the government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, running from March 17 until May 15, and during which all land, sea and air travel was shut down.</p><p>But that didn't stop illegal fishing, according to aggregated data from Karagatan Patrol, an online reporting platform that's a collaboration between the nonprofit group Oceana Philippines and the country's League of Municipalities to counter illegal fishing. Karagatan Patrol tracks ships through VIIRS (visible infrared imaging radiometer suite), a satellite-based tool that detects the high-radiance lure lights used by commercial fishing vessels.</p><p>Most small-scale fishers use underequipped boats with lights that aren't powerful enough to be detected by VIIRS, observers say. And while VIIRS detection doesn't automatically mean the presence of illegal fishing activity, the key factor is where the light sources occur: In the Philippines, commercial fishing is not permitted within 15 kilometers (9 miles) of the coast. These areas, defined as municipal waters, are restricted to small-scale fishing, in order to protect the coral reefs and marine habitats that thrive there.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzM3NzY3NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzODkzNDcxOX0.Qdfj8Ss51Iz_Mifat41hmUnXpQegXa3Xj92uq36RYCM/img.jpg?width=980" id="a9763" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="281824bfd731c59d995814d90e9b0c59" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Satellite data record illegal fishing vessels, appearing as red dots, encroaching within municipal waters, shown as blue lines, from May 16 to 22, 2020. Karagatan Patrol
<p>In February, before the lockdown began, VIIRS data showed 3,602 instances of apparent commercial fishing vessels, about 900 per week on average, within municipal waters. In March, when the lockdown was implemented, that number jumped to 5,950, or an average of 1,487 cases a week. In April, the figure was 4,487 for the month or 1,121 average weekly cases. The first week of May saw a decline in detections with 309 but figures jumped to 656 in the second week, May 9-15. When lockdown eased, a total of 1,666 detections were made within municipal waters in the week of May 16-22.</p><p>"The excuse of commercial fishing operators found plying on the municipal water is that they are hiding from high waves," Gloria Estenzo Ramos, Oceana vice president and head of its Philippines office, told Mongabay. "In reality, they go fishing in bays and gulfs that are critical marine habitats that will destroy spawning grounds of young fishes."</p><p>Oceana notes that "only small, artisanal fisherfolks on less than 3 gross tons of fishing vessels with passive fishing gears are allowed" to fish in municipal waters. These coastal territories are known as reproduction and spawning grounds for most fish species, Oceana said. Recent records show that the size of wild-caught fish like sardines is shrinking, implying they are being caught before they can grow big enough to properly reproduce.</p><p>The VIIRS data from May detected these vessels within three major protected areas: El Nido-Taytay Managed Natural Resource and Protected Area and Malampaya Sound Protected Landscape/Seascape, both in Palawan province; and Ticao Burias Pass Protected Seascape, a marine corridor that covers the provinces of Masbate, Camarines Sur, Albay and Sorsogon.</p>
<p>Masbate, which has 20 coastal municipalities, had the highest number of detections in its municipal waters in May, at 320. Palawan registered 249, while Quezon, which faces the Pacific, had 208.</p><p>These provinces are prolific sardine producers, together accounting for nearly 11,500 metric tons in 2018, or 13% of the Philippines' total, according to the Fisheries Statistics of the Philippines, a government publication.</p><p>Oceana's Ramos attributed the increase in apparent illegal fishing during the lockdown period to the fact that "some enforcement agencies were diverted to other COVID-19-related tasks." As a result, illegal fishers took advantage of the lack of monitoring, she said. But some municipalities in the central Philippines joined forces to "enhance enforcement of fisheries and environmental laws in their municipal waters," she added.</p><p>It's unclear which of the numbers of detected vessels are local and those that are foreign since VIIRS only tracks strong lure lights, Oceana said. But the figures underscore the need for the government to implement its vessel monitoring rules, which will require commercial fishers to install tracking devices "that will indicate the identity and specs of the fishing vessel, aside from their real-time location."</p>
<p>Commercial vessels fishing within municipal waters are a persistent problem in the Philippines' fisheries sector, on which 1.9 million people depend for their livelihood; around 1 million are community fishers from underprivileged communities.</p><p>Three-quarters of the country's waters are considered overfished, and wild-caught fish yields have decreased in recent years, prompting the government to impose closed fishing seasons, strengthen the aquaculture sector, and speed up the declaration of marine protected areas.</p><p>"We cannot allow illegal entry of commercial fishers in municipal waters," said Gerard Montojo, the mayor of the island municipality of Romblon. "We need support in monitoring our municipal waters, and the tracking device installed on commercial fishing boats plying our territorial waters is a big help so we can run after them, seize their boats, and arrest them so they are held accountable by the law."</p><p>But while legislation mandating the use of these tracking devices has been on the books since 2015, the implementation continues to be delayed, Ramos said. The commercial fishing sector is strongly opposed to the requirement, she said, "but this will not matter" if there's political will to act.</p>
<p class=""><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/06/lockdown-allowed-illegal-fishing-to-spike-in-philippines-satellite-data-suggest/" target="_blank">Mongabay</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Humpback whale splashing in the North West Atlantic Ocean, Massachusetts. Tim Graham / Getty Images
By Jake Johnson
In a move that environmentalists warned could further imperil hundreds of endangered species and a protected habitat for the sake of profit, President Donald Trump on Friday signed a proclamation rolling back an Obama-era order and opening nearly 5,000 square miles off the coast of New England to commercial fishing.
<p>"We're opening it today," Trump said during a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-roundtable-supporting-americas-commercial-fishermen/" target="_blank">roundtable talk</a> in Maine with commercial fishermen and the state's former governor Paul LePage. "What reason did he have for closing 5,000 miles? That's a lot of miles. Five thousand square miles is a lot. He didn't have a reason, in my opinion."</p>
<p>The reason behind the establishment of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument in 2016, conservation groups hastened to point out, was to shield endangered species and their ecosystem from harmful intrusion and permanent damage by commercial interests.</p><p>Fishing industry interests challenged former President Barack Obama's designation of the marine monument but were <a href="https://www.wbur.org/earthwhile/2019/12/27/northeast-canyons-seamounts-monument-fishery" target="_blank">rebuffed</a> in federal court last year.</p>
<p>"Opening up the nation's only marine national monument in the Atlantic will help no one but a handful of fishers while risking irreparable damage to the marine wildlife that have no other fully protected areas off our eastern seaboard," <a href="https://defenders.org/newsroom/president-trump-opens-only-marine-national-monument-atlantic-commercial-fishing" target="_blank">said</a> Bob Dreher, senior vice president of Conservation Programs at Defenders of Wildlife. "Ancient and slow-growing deep sea corals, endangered large whales and sea turtles, and an incredible array of fish, seabirds, sharks, dolphins, and other wildlife—these are the species and habitats that will pay the price."</p><p>During the roundtable discussion Friday, Trump said "I love that" when Interior Secretary David Bernhardt—a former <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/02/oil-mining-lobbyist-david-bernhardt-nomed-to-be-secretary-of-interior/" target="_blank">oil and mining lobbyist</a>—informed the president that his proclamation is effectively "taking down a 'no fishing' sign" in the Atlantic Ocean.</p><p>"The minute you sign it, we will begin planning," Bernhardt said.</p>
<p>Trump's order Friday is just the latest move the president has taken to gut environmental protections under the cover of the Covid-19 pandemic and a nationwide uprising over police brutality. On Thursday, as <em>Common Dreams</em> <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/06/04/groups-denounce-gutting-environmental-rules-when-trump-thinks-no-one-paying" target="_blank">reported</a>, Trump signed an executive order allowing federal agencies to waive environmental rules to speed approval of energy projects like oil pipelines.</p>
<div id="47f4e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1431750a6a1c5950b96b7a78a46362f1"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1269079062447828992" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Trump just opened up a marine sanctuary to commercial fishing, undermining protections for endangered whales, sea t… https://t.co/H3gTJU3oEQ</div> — Friends of the Earth (@Friends of the Earth)<a href="https://twitter.com/foe_us/statuses/1269079062447828992">1591407001.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Brad Sewell, senior director of oceans for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), said in a statement that commercial fishing "poses a range of threats, such as harm to deep-sea corals from heavy fishing gear, and entanglement of bycatch and marine mammals."</p><p>Sewell said NRDC is prepared to take legal action against the Trump administration to "protect these marine treasures from harm and exploitation by commercial fishing and other extractive industries." </p><p>"These fragile, extraordinary ocean areas are full of thousand-year-old corals, endangered whales, and other precious marine life," said Sewell. "They belong to all Americans, and they are held in trust for future generations."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/06/06/quietly-putting-hundreds-species-risk-trump-opens-5000-square-miles-atlantic-ocean" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em><em></em></p>
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A large school of fish swim in a fish farm. wildestanimal / Getty Images
By Jake Johnson
President Donald Trump issued an executive order late Thursday that environmentalists warned will accelerate the corporate exploitation of oceans by relaxing regulations on and streamlining the construction of industrial offshore aquaculture facilities, which critics deride as "floating factory farms" that pump pollution and diseases into public waters.
<p><br/></p>
<p>The Don't Cage Our Ocean Coalition, which was formed to oppose ocean industrial fish farming, said in a <a href="https://foe.org/news/trump-exploits-covid-19-crisis-to-advance-corporate-aquaculture-agenda/" target="_blank">statement</a> that Trump's <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-promoting-american-seafood-competitiveness-economic-growth/" target="_blank">Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth</a> "mandates federal agencies to craft a program for rapid authorization of industrial offshore aquaculture facilities, which use giant floating cages to cultivate finfish, allowing toxic pollution to flow into open waters."</p><p>Rosanna Marie Neil, policy counsel for Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, a member of the coalition, said the Trump White House is "supporting the corporate takeover of our oceans while they hope we aren't paying attention."</p><p>Environmental attorney Marianne Cufone similarly accused Trump of exploiting the Covid-19 pandemic to "push through dangerous short-cuts to regulatory processes, while communities struggle to stay healthy, pay rent, and put food on the table."</p><p>"The federal government should strengthen local food security during this health crisis by supporting sustainable seafood," said Cufone, "rather than allowing corporations to pollute the ecosystems we depend on."</p>
<div id="fe319" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="adca5f7739b67f6e84573e61c8c75192"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1258511621237817344" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">BREAKING: In the middle of a public health pandemic, Trump just issued an executive order to bolster aquaculture --… https://t.co/u18OynL4wg</div> — Friends of the Earth (@Friends of the Earth)<a href="https://twitter.com/foe_us/statuses/1258511621237817344">1588887527.0</a></blockquote></div>
<div id="426fc" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="91fba35f38678fb1d98153ba259fcd85"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1258512402380808194" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Trump is exploiting a public health crisis to help an industry known for pumping diseases & antibiotics into oceans… https://t.co/itIuFwjMtw</div> — Friends of the Earth (@Friends of the Earth)<a href="https://twitter.com/foe_us/statuses/1258512402380808194">1588887713.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Trump's executive order Thursday was just the latest step the president has taken amid the coronavirus pandemic to loosen regulations on polluting industries. In late March, as <em>Common Dreams</em> <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/03/27/holy-crap-insane-citing-coronavirus-pandemic-epa-indefinitely-suspends-environmental" target="_blank">reported</a>, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a sweeping suspension of pollution regulations and empowered the fossil fuel industry to police itself indefinitely.</p><p>Environmental groups <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/media/2020/200416" target="_blank">sued</a> the EPA over the move, which they condemned as a "free pass for polluters."</p><p>In an <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-lifts-the-net-off-american-fishing-11588875561" target="_blank">op-ed</a> for the <em>Wall Street Journal</em> Thursday, White House advisers Joe Grogan and Peter Navarro touted Trump's aquaculture executive order as a step toward making the U.S. "the world's seafood superpower."</p><p>"President Trump's executive order creates a task force to enact policies that encourage fair and reciprocal trade for America's seafood industry, and strengthens enforcement of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing," Grogan and Navarro wrote.</p><p>But environmentalists cautioned that the order simply hands U.S. mega-corporations more power to plunder oceans without oversight, imperiling local fishing communities and the health of public waters.<br></p><p><span></span>"It is outrageous and unethical for the federal government to use the current public health crisis to bolster this polluting industry," Hallie Templeton, senior oceans campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said in a statement. "Now is the time to prioritize our health, security, sustainable food systems, and American farmers and fishermen, not corporations."</p>
<p class=""><em>Reposted with permission from </em><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/05/08/trump-signs-executive-order-greenlighting-corporate-takeover-our-oceans-while-they?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank"><em>Common Dreams.</em></a></p>From Your Site Articles
- The Trump Administration Wants to Set Water Safety Back 50 Years ... ›
- Trump Admin Repeals Obama-Era Clean Water Protections ... ›
- Trump Administration Seeks to Gut Water Pollution Safeguards ... ›
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Bekah Nelson / Florida Fish and Wildlife (CC BY 2.0)
By David Shiffman
Let's go fishin'! After all, a lone angler fishing from a dock or a few friends going out to sea can't have all that much of an effect on fish populations … right?
Think again.
<p>"When you're floating in the open ocean, it can be hard to imagine that your hobby will have an impact on the overall health of a fishery," said Sepp Haukebo, who works on recreational fisheries <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation">conservation</a> issues for the Environmental Defense Fund. "But multiply the number of fish a single angler catches and discards in a day by <em>millions</em> of anglers and you have a significant harvest on your hands."</p><p>Haukebo echoes points made in two new studies, published in the journals <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/faf.12417?af=R" target="_blank"><em>Fish and Fisheries</em></a> and <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.00012/full" target="_blank"><em>Frontiers in Marine Science</em></a>, that show recreational fishing has a much bigger collective effect on oceanic species than previously realized, with nearly one million tons of fish caught every year.</p><p>Far from being an insignificant drop in the proverbial ocean, this is a massive amount of fish — about 1% of total global marine fisheries catch, a much higher number than many scientists and managers used to believe.</p>
<h3>Collective Impact</h3><p>So how is it that the actions of individuals can have such a far-reaching effect? Recreational anglers usually catch just a few ocean fish in a whole day, while industrial-scale commercial fishing often uses miles-long gear and catches tons of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/marine-life">marine life</a> at a time.</p><p>Part of the answer is scale: Previous research has shown that there are a <em>lot</em> more recreational anglers than there are commercial fishing vessels — at least <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/116/12/5209" target="_blank">220 million people</a> go fishing for fun every year all around the world.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjg4MzQxNi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNjgyNDgxOH0.vLAgKxCIzQxKO98Il9inI-6-MJy1bklVzy0gkZJMJls/img.jpg?width=980" id="2719f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0c0d1ff53acd4099dcd49a687418e4cd" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
The marina in Valencia, Spain. Mark Chinnick (CC BY 2.0)
<p>That number is expected to grow as people and countries become more affluent, said Jessica Meeuwig, a professor at the University of Western Australia and a coauthor on the <em>Frontiers in Marine Science</em> paper.</p><p>Another part of the answer involves economics: For people and companies trying to make a profit from fishing — like with commercial fisheries — there's an incentive to stop fishing when populations get low.</p><p>But if you're fishing for fun, you're paying for the experience, and the experience of catching a relatively rare fish is often considered worth paying extra.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B9mfbrlHQSi/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B9mfbrlHQSi/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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We are so lucky to have such an epic array of species like this Bohar snapper! Only found on pristine reefs... #jigging #verticaljigging #fishing #primezulufishing #primezulufishingcharter #mozambique #travelforfishing #travel #moz</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/primezulu/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Prime Zulu</a> (@primezulu) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-03-11T17:17:05+00:00">Mar 11, 2020 at 10:17am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<p>Indeed there are many threatened populations of fish where commercial fisheries are banned <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/faf.12076" target="_blank">but recreational angling continues</a>.</p><p>Additionally, a subset of recreational anglers called trophy anglers <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X14001754" target="_blank">intentionally target the biggest individuals in a population</a>, often with the goal of getting a perceived-as-prestigious certificate that says they hold a record for catching the biggest fish of that species.</p><p>This can affect entire species populations, explained Meeuwig.</p><p>"Recreational fisheries targeting larger fish means they are taking the most fit individuals, the big breeders, out of the population," she said. Bigger fish tend to reproduce more often and have a greater number of young at a time. This culling preference is different from commercial or subsistence fishing, which aim to catch as many fish as possible, but not necessarily the largest individual member of a species.</p><p>There are other factors are play, although those aren't always as clear.</p><p>"Recreational catch of threatened species is an issue that's poorly understood," said Peter Kyne, a senior research fellow at Australia's Charles Darwin University who was not affiliated with either of the new papers. "In Australia, this is a significant issue for the grey nurse shark on the east coast," he said. "Their habitat is close to major cities where recreational fishing levels are high. Even in remote areas of northern Australia, catches of river sharks are an issue — although they are protected, they're similar in appearance to a number of common non-threatened species and anglers may not recognize them."</p>
<h3>A Regulatory Failure?</h3><p>The research also found that most nations don't do a very good job managing their recreational fisheries — especially when compared to their commercial fisheries.</p><p>"Governments fail to recognize that recreational fisheries can decimate populations" or that they can be as important to monitor as commercial fisheries, said Warren Potts, a professor of fisheries science at Rhodes University and lead author of the <em>Fish and Fisheries </em>paper. "This ignores or underappreciates recreational fishing's economic and ecological effects and causes governments to fail to prioritize regulating the practice."</p><p>The paper looked at the global state of management regulations for recreational fishing and found that only 86 nations define recreational fisheries in their national fisheries-management legislation.</p><p>More than half of experts surveyed for the paper raised significant concerns about their nation's recreational-fisheries management. No experts from developing nations, where the popularity of recreational fisheries has exploded as international tourists seek out "exotic" places to fish, believed that their countries effectively manage those fisheries.</p><p>But Robert Arlinghaus, a professor of fisheries management at Humboldt University in Germany who was not involved with either paper, pointed out that many countries do employ a basic fisheries-management regulation called a minimum size limit — in other words, you can't land a fish if it's below a certain size and hasn't had the chance to reproduce yet. This isn't exactly the cutting edge of adaptive science-based management, but it's a lot better than nothing.</p><p>Arlinghaus feels that characterizing the majority of the world's recreational fisheries as ineffectively managed may be taking things a little too far.</p><p>"Recreational fisheries might not be managed <em>optimally,</em>" he said, "and I do think the governance and management systems could be improved in many areas of the world, but I'm not sure that recreational fisheries are generally managed <em>poorly</em>."</p>
<h3>By the Numbers</h3><p>Another major issue with recreational fisheries management boils down to numbers — or lack of them. In most places nobody knows exactly how many fish are caught.</p><p>That's another difference from commercial fisheries — it's just easier to gather data when you're dealing with a limited number of fishing vessels than with hundreds of millions of individual people.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjg4MzQyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwOTQ4MzIxMn0.CXOVsL9rME2aFITfNu0XIdJRDDlezXmCRhYSFWSwXgo/img.jpg?width=980" id="117ca" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e3206f8ae396ef6d4b0abeb82551f6ef" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Cod in a commercial net. Derek Keats (CC BY 2.0)
<p>"Some countries keep detailed data on their recreational fisheries catch, but others don't," said Daniel Pauly, principal investigator of the Sea Around Us project at the University of British Columbia and a coauthor on the <em>Frontiers in Marine Science</em> paper. He added that some countries use different agencies to collect data from recreational and commercial fisheries, and those groups don't always speak with each other or consolidate their findings.</p><p>"If you know there are recreational fisheries in a country, but there's no data, you have to be creative," said Pauly. "You can't say 'there's no data, so we'll assume nothing has been caught.'"</p><p>To resolve this data gap and estimate the global catch of marine recreational fisheries, the paper used a method called "catch reconstruction" — a mix of computer analysis and good, old-fashioned detective work.</p><p>Catch reconstruction, he explained, assumes that fishing doesn't happen in a vacuum. Even if you don't have data on how many fish are caught or brought to shore, there's often other information showing things like how many boats used a marina, how much fuel they used, and how much seafood was for sale in local markets.</p><p>That's where Pauly and his team came in. They consolidated information from a variety of sources and built a bigger picture.</p><p>Pauly provided an example of how they accomplished this.</p><p>"In West Africa, many people thought there weren't any substantial recreational fisheries, because there's no catch data available," he told me. "But there are fishing lodges there for tourism, and those lodges post images of what people catch on social media and websites. We know how many people go to those lodges, because tourists entering the country are reported and they fill in where they're staying. If we know how many people visit, how long they stay and what's usually caught, we can estimate catch even with an absence of official statistics."</p><p>This isn't foolproof. Potts pointed out that this kind of formulation can cause complications. He noted that the paper estimated the catch from one fishing lodge and extrapolated it to two others, including one lodge that exists on paper but hasn't actually been built yet. Pauly responded to this concern by pointing out that "we were able to generate first estimates of the catch of West African recreational fisheries … but the fact these these estimates can be improved goes without saying."</p><p>Even though the results are estimates, they suggest two potentially troubling trends. First, all recreational fisheries catch is significantly increasing in developing-world nations, especially in Africa and South America. For example, the number of recreational fishing licenses in Brazil jumped from 276,500 in 2011 to more than 400,000 just two years later.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjg4MzQzMC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MDQxNTk2MX0.Dz7Khbf_NuvobL3adRM1lNNgN-pCT-RGqtYiE8y6jtc/img.jpg?width=980" id="05b83" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d7c6dabd9561b74c1ae03ef14a2255ae" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Fishing off the coast of Brazil, with dolphins swimming nearby. Felipe Vaduga (CC BY 2.0)
<p>Second, recreational fisheries targeting sharks and rays are on the upswing worldwide. Sharks and rays represented less than 1% of total recreational catch in the 1950s, but about 6% today, and are especially increasing in South America, the Indo-Pacific and West Africa.</p><p>"This is a cause for concern given the threatened status of many species of sharks and rays," Meeuwig said. Previous research has shown that about 24% of sharks and related species are threatened or <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/endangered-species">endangered</a>. "The capture of large sharks is particularly worrisome," she adds, because of their importance as breeders.</p>
<h3>Swimming Forward</h3><p>Arlinghaus said he feels the <em>Frontiers in Marine Science</em> paper represents a "Herculean effort" to gather global recreational catch.</p><p>It's also an opportunity to shift our attention to a previously invisible or ignored problem. Increasingly, as scientists and environmentalists have been raising the alarm about commercial and industrial overfishing, they've implicitly or explicitly sent the message that fishing for fun has so little environmental impact that it wasn't worth considering.</p><p>And Arlinghaus cautioned that the papers' recommendations about recreational fishing have already been misinterpreted in some circles. A widely shared <em>Nature News</em> article about this paper <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00211-4" target="_blank">claimed</a> "hobbyists' harvest of sharks and rays have soared, and catch and release is no solution,"— despite the fact that the paper did not address catch and release. Additionally, some on social media claimed that this paper was proof that all recreational angling needed to be shut down, which was not a recommendation issued by the paper.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B9kWSuggdiH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B9kWSuggdiH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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<p>Arlinghaus warned against making those leaps in logic based solely on the data from these papers. "We can't learn much about the conservation concerns associated with a fishery just by looking at landings," he pointed out.</p><p>But the <em>Fish and Fisheries</em> paper did contain some recommendations for improvement.</p><p>"There are some basic guidelines for improving governance that can be followed and should improve the quality of a governance of a country's recreational fisheries," Potts said. These include clearly defining recreational angling in national legislation and stressing how its management differs from commercial fisheries. The paper also calls for increased cooperation with stakeholders to gather more effective data and ensure compliance with rules, and scientific monitoring of populations of fishes targeted by recreational fisheries — all things that are currently done relatively well in the U.S. and Australia, but done relatively poorly in large parts of the developing world.</p><p>"I want to commend these authors for their recommendations," Haukebo said. "This framework is a great reference for any nation that is aspiring to improve, or even just establish, responsible management of their recreational fishery."</p><p>While Haukebo and other experts say you don't have to feel bad about "goin' fishin'" with family and friends just yet, the science presented in these papers makes it clear that in some places individual actions can collectively pose a significant threat to marine species — and that's something governments and conservationists around the world, not to mention anglers, need to start to address.</p>
<p><em>David Shiffman is a marine biologist specializing in the ecology and conservation of sharks.</em></p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://therevelator.org/recreational-fishing-environmental-impact/" target="_blank">The Revelator</a>.</em></p>
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Brazil's Bolsonaro Unveils Bill to Open Indigenous Lands to Mining, Oil and Gas Exploration
10 February
Politics
Uncontacted indigenous group in the Brazilian Amazon. © G. Miranda / FUNAI / Survival / Mongabay
By Jan Rocha
President Jair Bolsonaro pressed forward with a "dream" initiative sending a bill to the Brazilian Congress on Wednesday that would open indigenous reserves in the Amazon and elsewhere to development, including commercial mining, oil and gas exploration, cattle ranching and agribusiness, new hydroelectric dam projects, and tourism — projects that have been legally blocked under the country's 1988 Constitution.
<p>Justifying the legislation, Bolsonaro explained that "The Indian is a human being exactly like us. They have hearts, feelings, a soul, desires, needs and they are just as Brazilian as we are," so they will welcome economic exploitation inside their territories. Bolsonaro and the <em>bancada ruralista</em> agribusiness and mining lobby, which is very strong in Congress, have eyed the off-limits indigenous lands for decades. Indigenous territories have the best record for forest conservation and <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2017/04/indigenous-groups-amazons-best-land-stewards-under-federal-attack/" target="_blank">land stewardship</a> in Brazil.</p>
<p>Marcio Santilli, a former head of FUNAI, Brazil's indigenous affairs agency, sees Bolsonaro's "dream" legislation very differently. It will "not promote the economic development of the Indians, but guarantee the exploitation by third parties of their natural resources. It would encourage Indians to live from royalties while watching the dispossession of their lands."</p><p>While the legislation would allow impacted indigenous populations to be consulted, they would lack the power of veto, except in cases of <em>garimpo</em> or wildcat mining. The right of consultation on development projects is assured under the International Labour Organization <a href="https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/indigenous-tribal/lang--en/index.htm" target="_blank">Convention 169</a>, of which Brazil is a signatory.</p><p>Though the <em>bancada ruralista</em> is strong in Congress, it remains to be seen whether the bill will gain passage. House of Deputies leader Rodrigo Maia has <a href="https://www.americasquarterly.org/content/how-weigh-bolsonaros-play-environmental-redemption#.XjwYpIptvq1.facebook" target="_blank">said</a> he will not bring the legislation to a vote.</p><p>Conservationists are convinced that the opening up of indigenous lands to economic exploitation would inevitably lead to extensive deforestation of what are the most densely forested areas of the Amazon, and to the contamination of Amazonian rivers. That sort of wholesale deforestation could lead to far greater Amazon drought and to a rainforest-to-savanna <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/01/impending-amazon-tipping-point-puts-biome-and-world-at-risk-scientists-warn/" target="_blank">tipping point</a> that would greatly endanger Brazilian agribusiness as a driver of Brazil's economy.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjY2OTU4Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NjE5NjE2N30.hWHW9b3FvAvI0ekHLvEePtmK1nAWkYplIkPiDOYS9xY/img.jpg?width=980" id="6a7f2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="056a9ddd168e2d811e3a77524f066e8b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
A map showing indigenous reserves and conservation units in the Amazon, as well as deforestation. Mauricio Torres / Mongabay
<p>Onyx Lorenzoni, Bolsonaro's chief of staff, praised the bill, claiming it was a "Lei Aurea" for indigenous people — a reference to the 1888 royal decree which freed the slaves in Brazil. From the government's point of view, the legislation is freeing indigenous people, allowing their lands to be invaded by <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/mining" rel="noopener noreferrer">mining</a>, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oil-and-gas" rel="noopener noreferrer">oil and gas</a> companies; <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/cattle" rel="noopener noreferrer">cattle</a> ranchers; soy farmers and dam builders, while compensating indigenous communities monetarily.</p><p>Under the Brazilian constitution, demarcated indigenous territories belong to the state, and are for the permanent possession and exclusive use of the indigenous people who have always lived there. Only they can decide what activities are allowed on their lands.</p><p>Bolsonaro's new law is therefore an attempt to override the Constitution, say legal experts. It is almost certain to be greatly modified in Congress, if it passes at all. But, say analysts, the message contained in the bill — that indigenous lands are up for grabs — is what matters.</p><p>Since Bolsonaro's election, conflicts between ruralists and indigenous people have soared. The latest report from CIMI, the Indigenous Missionary Council, shows a steady growth in the number of invasions of indigenous areas, up from 111 in 2018 to 160 in 2019; indigenous leaders say Bolsonaro's speeches and comments have contributed to the increase. <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/01/five-murdered-in-2020-brazilian-amazon-land-conflicts-adding-to-2019-surge/" target="_blank">Five murders</a> due to indigenous and traditional land conflicts occurred in the first weeks of 2020.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjY2OTY2My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNDMwMTExNn0.1IrXSyZtb-IA5RCAnWa_t43s6qY5YLpacqmSYBIx1hE/img.jpg?width=980" id="4dd59" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="94f65ab1124e110995ec099a565d3919" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Uncontacted indigenous group in the Brazilian state of Acre. Gleilson Miranda / Governo do Acre / Mongabay
Uncontacted Indigenous Groups at Risk
<p>The new bill as written would allow economic projects even in areas where there are known to be uncontacted Indians. The existence of 28 such groups in the Amazon region has been confirmed, out of 115 believed to exist.</p><p>But the bill isn't the only potential threat to uncontacted tribes. The day before Bolsonaro announced his legislation, FUNAI appointed an evangelical preacher and agency outsider to head the Department for Isolated and Recently Contacted Indigenous Peoples (CGIIRC). To accomplish this, FUNAI had to revoke its own long-established rule that only a qualified staff member could be chosen to head such a sensitive bureau.</p><p>The new head, Ricardo Lopes Dias, has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/05/brazil-indigenous-tribes-missionary-agency-ricardo-lopes-dias-christianity-disease" target="_blank">strong views</a> regarding the conversion of indigenous people to Christianity. He is a former missionary for the controversial New Tribes Mission, a Florida-based evangelical organization, and worked from 1997 to 2007 in the Vale do Javari indigenous reserve, in Amazonas state. There, according to Matsés indigenous leaders — who protested his presence — he "manipulated part of the Matsés population to found a new village" where an evangelical church would be built. The New Tribes Mission has been accused of causing death and disease among the tribes it worked with in the 1970s, subjecting them to enforced conversion to evangelical Christianity. Lopes Dias has a degree in anthropology.</p><p>Isolated or uncontacted indigenous peoples are usually survivors of larger groups which were decimated by disease or violence when the military dictatorship (ruling from 1964-1985) forced roads through ancestral lands in the Amazon during the 1960s and 70s. In some cases up to 90 percent of local populations died. This led FUNAIi, in the 1980s, after the dictatorship ended, to introduce a policy of non-contact, designating a "no go" zone protecting the survivors, who became known as "isolated Indians."</p><p>The choice by the Bolsonaro administration of an evangelical missionary to head the department, according to experts, indicates a shift in this policy, and has been greeted with dismay by indigenous organizations, who regard it as a means of opening up uncontacted tribes under the protection of FUNAI, and putting their cosmological and ethical belief systems at risk from religious fundamentalism.</p><p>Well known anthropologist Manuela Cunha said, "the mission of the CGIIRC is to protect these peoples from invasions of loggers, miners, drug traffickers and any others, like missionaries, who do not respect their way of life. To choose a missionary — above all one who has tried to convert indigenous people — to head the CGIIRC is totally contradictory to what the law says."</p><p>However, the choice of Lopes Dias is only the latest example in what seems to be FUNAI's deliberate policy over the last year of replacing experienced, qualified staff with military officers and evangelical preachers. Twenty of FUNAI's 39 regional coordinators have been removed under the new administration — almost all were replaced with serving or retired military officers.</p><p>Bolsonaro, this week decided to enlarge his "dream" world even further, extending it to fishing. Apparently still smarting from the fine he received in 2012 (and which he never paid) for being caught illegally sport fishing in a protected reserve in Rio. Police Colonel Homero Cerqueira, head of ICMBio, the agency in charge of Brazil's 334 conservation units, has just authorized "recreational fishing" in all of them, including the most environmentally sensitive preserves.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjY2OTY2MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzODI1ODg1MX0.ihnZ3S0Kb_5xGOl4b1k8XT92kBLs1JxS2A-OlGUrLlk/img.jpg?width=980" id="cf2d6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4bb9ea8afed9c5b1342e5f674222f72d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/02/bolsonaro-sends-congress-bill-to-open-indigenous-lands-to-mining-fossil-fuels/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mongabay</a>.</em></p>Evidence photo of Jair Bolsonaro upon his 2012 arrest for illegal fishing in a conservation area; he never paid the fine and after becoming president had the IBAMA employee who arrested him sacked. IBAMA / Mongabay
From Your Site Articles
- Brazil Moves to Open Indigenous Lands to Mining - EcoWatch ›
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- Brazil's Bolsonaro Green-Lights 150+ Pesticides This Year - EcoWatch ›
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The coast of Grand Isle, Louisiana, is seen. Matthew D White / Photolibrary / Getty Images
The land in the Mississippi River Delta is sinking and eroding. Louisiana has lost about 2,000 square miles since the 1930s. And as seas rise, the loss of land will only accelerate.
<p>If nothing is done to slow this loss, Louisiana could lose an area more than twice the size of the state of Rhode Island in the next 50 years.<em></em></p>
<p>Pat Forbes, director of the Louisiana Office of Community Development, says his state's coastal land is going underwater faster than anywhere else in the U.S.</p><p>He says the state's coastline is a precious cultural and economic resource.</p><p>Louisiana is home to a huge <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fishing">fishing</a> industry. It's among the top <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oil-and-gas/" rel="noopener noreferrer">oil and gas</a> producing states. And 500 million tons of cargo pass through its ports and channels each year.</p>
<p>"We have a lot a people working in our coast and living in our coast," Forbes says. "We have to figure out ways to adapt to this changing reality."</p><p>The state has approved a $50 billion plan to rebuild land, build flood barriers, and implement other projects, such as elevating homes.</p><p>But Forbes says even if the plan is implemented in full, some places cannot be saved.</p><p>"Some communities are going to disappear," he says.</p>
<p class=""><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/02/louisiana-has-a-50-billion-dollar-plan-to-protect-its-coast/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Yale Climate Connections</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Nearly $1 million worth of shark fins were seized by wildlife inspectors in Miami, Florida. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. government officials found 1,400 pounds of shark fins worth $1 million hidden in boxes in Miami, Florida, according to CNN.
<p>In a news release, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the shark fins were hidden in 18 boxes. The dried fins arrived from South America and were likely headed to Asia, the <a href="https://apnews.com/81579cb1f7a48f234284bdaecaa582c9" target="_blank">AP reported</a>. </p>
<p>Shark fin soup is a delicacy in Asia, especially in China. To meet the demand for the coveted dish, smugglers kill tens of millions of sharks every year, cutting the fin from a live shark, according to conservation groups, as the <a href="https://apnews.com/81579cb1f7a48f234284bdaecaa582c9" target="_blank">AP reported</a>.</p>
<p>The practice of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/shark-finning" rel="noopener noreferrer">shark finning</a> is extremely wasteful and cruel. After the fin is cut off from the live shark, the rest of the shark is discarded. The practice has been a federal crime in the U.S. since 2000, <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article239921043.html" target="_blank">according to the Miami Herald</a>. </p>
<p>"The goal of this seizure is to protect these species while deterring trackers from using US ports as viable routes in the illegal shark fin trade," Christina Meister, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said as the <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article239921043.html" target="_blank">Miami Herald reported</a>.</p>
<p>An international agreement between governments around the world is aimed to protect vulnerable <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/animals" rel="noopener noreferrer">animals</a> and plants. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) protects <a href="https://cites.org/eng/prog/shark/more.php" target="_blank">12 species of sharks</a>, which are included in Appendix II of CITES, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/04/us/shark-fins-seized-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">according to CNN</a>.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjY1OTI2Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNTUyMDU3MH0.fzvRix326Vh9DhHsDvWKyOvD7LJecWXTlFNavihz_S0/img.jpg?width=980" id="4a55b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cc9fbc0d1b72ae88bbf70e12b699c403" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
<p>"The shipment violated the Lacey Act and included CITES listed species," Gavin Shire, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Chief of Public Affairs, told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/04/us/shark-fins-seized-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>. "We are limited to what we can say about this as it is an ongoing case."</p> <p>While it is illegal in the U.S. to cut off a fin from a live shark and discard the rest of the animal, it is not illegal to traffic or trade shark fins in the U.S. </p> <p>"The recent seizure of more than 1,000 pounds of shark fins in Miami from potentially protected species demonstrates why we need a federal shark fin ban," said Ariana Spawn, an ocean advocate at the nonprofit advocacy group Oceana, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/04/us/shark-fins-seized-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>. She urged the Senate to pass the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/877" target="_blank">Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act</a> (S.877), which would ban the trade of fins nationwide.</p><p>The House of Representatives passed the bill in November of 2019. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) sponsored it in the Senate in December. The <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/877" target="_blank">bill</a> is now on the Senate's legislative calendar, but at the mercy of Mitch McConnell's decisions to set the legislative agenda. The bill, as it is written, makes it illegal to possess, buy, sell, or transport shark fins or any product containing shark fins, except for certain dogfish fins carries. Illegal trading in shark fins would carry a maximum civil penalty for each violation of $100,000, or the fair market value of the shark fins involved, whichever is greater, <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/877" target="_blank">according to the bill</a>.</p><p>The shark fin soup trade has decimated shark populations. According to a 2018 <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X18303038?dgcid=rss_sd_all" target="_blank">study</a>, shark populations such as hammerhead and oceanic whitetip have declined by more than 90 percent. Furthermore, nearly 60 percent of shark species are now threatened, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/04/us/shark-fins-seized-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>. </p><p>No arrests were made for yesterday's seizure in Miami. "Further investigation is pending," said Meister, as the <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article239921043.html" target="_blank">Miami Herald reported</a>.</p>
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Two ice fishers with a truck cut a hole in the ice near an ice fishing hut on frozen Lake Winnebago.
Richard Hamilton Smith / Corbis NX / Getty Images
Richard Hamilton Smith / Corbis NX / Getty Images
By Susan Cosier
Come February in Wisconsin, almost everything will be covered in ice and snow. In little shanties on frozen Lake Winnebago, a 30-by-13-mile lake in the eastern part of the state, fishers will keep watch over rectangular holes cut into the ice with a chainsaw. When they spot a fin passing below, they'll jab their spears down deep. The lucky ones will earn themselves a lake sturgeon, a species that has prowled the earth's waters for more than 150 million years.
<p>Lake Winnebago is one of only two locations in the world where people can spearfish lake sturgeon. These armored fish, also distinguished by whiskerlike barbels growing from their chins, can live as long as a century, weigh as much as 200 pounds, and grow more than seven feet long. Every year, people gather on the lake for a 16-day fishing event. Just 500 licenses exist, a number that keeps overfishing in check while allowing nearly 1,000 sturgeon to be taken for their caviar (for those lucky enough to catch a female) and meat (delicious when smoked).</p>
<p>The sturgeon spearing event will mark its 80th season this year. And with the fish listed as threatened in <a href="https://www.fws.gov/midwest/sturgeon/biology.htm" target="_blank">19 of the 20 states where it's found</a>, Wisconsin wildlife officials consider the event one of a number of tactics that help educate people about the fish. (Another is an adoption program allowing members of the public to sponsor and hand-release young fish, reared at a state hatchery, into Lake Michigan and the Milwaukee River, part of the annual <a href="http://sturgeonfest.org/" target="_blank">SturgeonFest</a>.) Efforts to revive their populations have been somewhat successful, but it's been slow going: Female lake sturgeon don't start reproducing until they're at least 20 years old.</p>
<div id="66fd8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="JT6JQV1579881990"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1220707948743352320" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">In Wisconsin, you can adopt and release a baby sturgeon or spear a giant one in Lake Winnebago, all part of an effo… https://t.co/fmSmz5PFU2</div> — NRDC 🌎 (@NRDC 🌎)<a href="https://twitter.com/NRDC/statuses/1220707948743352320">1579874429.0</a></blockquote></div><p>This biological fact, combined with overfishing, pollution, and habitat degradation, has resulted in their plight today. An estimated <a href="https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/fish/pdfs/Lake-Sturgeon-petition-5-14-18.pdf" target="_blank">15 million sturgeon</a> used to exist in the Great Lakes, with fishers bringing in upwards of four million pounds per year between 1879 and 1900. The trade took a serious toll on the species. By 1929, commercial sturgeon fishing had closed in Lake Michigan due to too few fish. And by the end of the century, fishers had taken 80 percent of the sturgeon out of Lake Erie. Meanwhile, dams and development ruined habitat and kept the fish from reaching key spawning grounds. In response to the population crash, most states instituted protections and mandated hunting limits in the 1990s and early 2000s.<br></p><p>Today, only 1 percent of the lake sturgeon's population remains. In addition to the states that list them as threatened, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service <a href="https://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ref=service-completes-initial-reviews-on-petitions-to-list-three-species-&_ID=36445" target="_blank">announced</a> in August that it would study whether to list the fish as federally threatened or endangered. </p>
“The Right Thing for the Great Lakes”
<p>Ryan Koenigs, a fisheries biologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), is among those dedicated to bringing the lake sturgeon back. He's part of a team that keeps track of every individual caught, and he helps run the registration stations where fishers who spear a sturgeon in Lake Winnebago must go before taking their catch home. Koenigs and his colleagues look for a passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag, which offers information about the fish. These tags are implanted in each fish reared or caught and released by the agency. Some individuals caught in the past few years were tagged decades ago. "I'm reaping the benefits right now of what the biologists two generations before me did in the 1970s," Koenigs says.</p><p>Restoration efforts also exist in many other states bordering the Great Lakes. In New York, the Department of Environmental Conservation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe harvest sturgeon eggs from the St. Lawrence River and send them to hatcheries in the central part of the state and in Wisconsin. In Michigan, fisheries biologists, researchers, and state agencies successfully protected the sturgeon population in Black Lake and now use the data collected from their efforts to guide their restocking of nearby lakes and streams.</p><p>These types of projects replenish waterways with the fish, but the species' recovery has a long way to go. Should conservationists succeed, the fish could end up benefiting the entire ecosystem, notes Ed Baker, a fisheries biologist in Michigan. "If we have a native species fish community that's been degraded, that's a sign that its environment is no longer healthy," he says. "If we can restore lake sturgeon to their prominence, or at least somewhat close to what their prominence was before we started harvesting them, that's a sign that we're doing the right thing for the Great Lakes."</p><p>As the lake sturgeon populations rebound, they could help biologists beat back some new threats, too. Notably, they eat <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/flexing-their-mussel" target="_blank">invasive zebra and quagga mussels</a> that now blanket the lake beds. They also eat invasive round gobies. All three of these marine species hail from faraway waters and snuck their way in through the ballast water used to balance ships' hulls.</p>
Mysteries Unsolved
<p>In 1995, Baker was tasked with finishing and implementing Michigan's new sturgeon rehabilitation plan. He observed reach after reach, finding only a few places were the fish still existed. One of those was the Upper Peninsula's Black Lake. Locals still spearfished sturgeon, and the population appeared to be falling. In 2001 Baker and Kim Scribner of Michigan State University set out to study the fish and get a rough population estimate. They concluded that over a 25-year period, sturgeon numbers had <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1577/1548-8675(1999)019%3C1080%3ALSAAHI%3E2.0.CO%3B2" target="_blank">declined by more than 60 percent</a>.</p><p>The state's Department of Natural Resources decided sturgeon spearfishing could continue, but fishers could harvest no more than five fish a year. Baker and his team stocked the lake, too, and the sturgeon population grew. The limit is now up to 14. Still, the population isn't recovering as quickly as expected.</p><p>To figure out why, Baker and Scribner continue their research. They also use the information they collect on basic sturgeon biology, genetics, and behavior to inform conservation efforts in other Michigan water bodies.</p><p>One major question they hope to answer concerns the timing of the sturgeon's reproduction. As with steelhead and salmon, it appears that the river where sturgeon spend the first summer of life, between May and October, is imprinted on the fish, and they come back to that place to spawn. Confirming this would help in their stocking efforts—especially in reaches where the fish haven't swum for decades.</p><p>In addition to the hatchling adopt-and-release program that takes place in September in Milwaukee, Wisconsonites get another opportunity to help biologists in April, when Koenigs does his stock assessments. On the Wolf River near Lake Winnebago, hundreds of thousands of sturgeon ranging in size from four to seven feet long swim along the waterline. Koenigs and his team stand at the ready with nets to pull the fish out of the water, then weigh, measure, and tag them.</p><p>When the team finds fish with those tags implanted during the February spearfishing season, they track the data to get a tagged to non-tagged fish ratio, which is then used to set harvest limits. The data collected at each event helps inform how best to manage the species.</p><p>"We're on the right path," says Koenigs, who is now prepping for the spearfishing season that begins on Feb. 8. "The work that's being done through these various efforts seems to be showing some pretty promising signs."</p>
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A new report spotlights a U.N. estimate that at least 275 million people rely on healthy coral reefs. A sea turtle near the Heron Island in the Great Barrier Reef is seen above. THE OCEAN AGENCY / XL CATLIN SEAVIEW SURVEY
In a new report about how the world's coral reefs face "the combined threats of climate change, pollution, and overfishing" — endangering the future of marine biodiversity — a London-based nonprofit calls for greater global efforts to end the climate crisis and ensure the survival of these vital underwater ecosystems.
<p>The report, entitled <a href="https://ejfoundation.org/resources/downloads/EJF-Report-Coral-Reefs.pdf" target="_blank"><em>Marine Havens Under Threat: The impacts of the climate crisis on tropical coral reefs and the communities that rely on them</em></a>, was published Wednesday by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF).</p>
<p>EJF warns that because of <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/08/13/humanitys-destruction-oceans-nearly-doubled-over-decade-scientists-warn-and-could" target="_blank">human activities</a> that heat and pollute the planet, coral reefs "are under imminent risk of destruction," pointing to a recent estimate from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that global warming of 2°C could kill 99 percent of all corals.</p>
<div id="c5894" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="X2PHE71579807416"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1220032163036434432" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">#coralreefs are incredibly biodiverse, but they also provide a huge range of benefits, from medicines to protection… https://t.co/E2Z19ZKeEh</div> — Environmental Justice Foundation (@Environmental Justice Foundation)<a href="https://twitter.com/ejfoundation/statuses/1220032163036434432">1579713309.0</a></blockquote></div><p>The ocean, which <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/oceanwater.html" target="_blank">covers</a> more than 70 percent of the planet, "has taken up between 20–30% of total anthropogenic CO2 emissions since the 1980s causing further ocean acidification," <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/09/25/un-climate-report-oceans-frozen-regions-warns-unprecedented-transitions-all-aspects" target="_blank">according to</a> an IPCC special report from last year. The lead author of a study published last week <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/14/adding-five-six-hiroshima-bombs-heat-each-second-study-shows-oceans-warming-record" target="_blank">said</a> that "the amount of heat we have put in the world's oceans in the past 25 years equals to 3.6 billion Hiroshima atom-bomb explosions."</p><p>Some scientists refer to three key climate-related pressures on the marine environment — warming, acidification, and oxygen loss — as the "<a href="https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/ocean-acidification" target="_blank">deadly trio</a>." Experts also warn that human-caused global heating leads to sea level rise and certain <a href="https://www.climatecommunication.org/climate/global-warming/" target="_blank">extreme weather events</a> becoming more frequent and intense.</p><p>"As the global temperature rises, reefs will be put at risk from warming oceans, higher frequency cyclones, increased precipitation, sea level rise, rising acidification, and changing ocean circulation," the EJF report says. "These factors alter the delicate balance of conditions necessary for tropical coral reefs to function, causing bleaching and destruction of reefs. In many cases, this damage is irreversible."</p>
<div id="ed3f4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="IT1H081579807416"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1220003197558906881" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Some of the most diverse ecosystems on earth rely on coral reefs. Find out about their vital role in a new… https://t.co/OcF99JBEJU</div> — Environmental Justice Foundation (@Environmental Justice Foundation)<a href="https://twitter.com/ejfoundation/statuses/1220003197558906881">1579706403.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Marine heatwaves, which experts <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/16/scale-failure-has-no-precedent-scientists-say-hot-ocean-blob-killed-one-million" target="_blank">warn</a> will become more common as humans continue to heat the planet, have led to major coral bleaching events around the world in recent years. A study from 2018 <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/04/19/beyond-comprehension-just-two-years-half-all-corals-forever-damaged-great-barrier" target="_blank">concluded</a> that the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia, the world's largest coral system, was "forever damaged" following back-to-back bleaching events that collectively killed half of the corals.</p><p>Bleaching refers to when stressors such as warm water and pollution lead coral to expel algae, its main food source, and turn white. Bleached coral faces a greater risk of disease and death but can recover if surrounding conditions improve. Last year, a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/08/09/example-unknown-unknowns-study-detailing-almost-instant-mortality-corals-suggests" target="_blank">study</a> about severe marine heatwaves heightened alarm about the future; researchers found cases where "the water temperatures are so warm that the coral animal doesn't bleach—in terms of a loss of its symbiosis—the animal dies and its underlying skeleton is all that remains."</p><p>EJF, in its new report and an accompanying video, highlighted the consequences of coral bleaching and death events for both marine wildlife and humans.</p>
Coral Reefs in Crisis
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/386250260" width="100%" height="480" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fcffbfeac80dddb74a304966b7f5995a"></iframe><p>"Tropical coral reefs support an estimated quarter of all marine species: hundreds of thousands of animal and plant species, who rely on the reef for food, shelter, and a safe place to live and reproduce," the report says. "These complex ecosystems include hard and soft corals, sponges, crustaceans, molluscs, fish, sea turtles, sharks, dolphins, and much more—including 'foundation' and 'keystone' species such as corals and sea turtles."</p><p>The report also spotlights a U.N. estimate that at least 275 million people rely on healthy coral reefs as an "essential source of food, employment, income, and storm protection for coastal communities."</p><p>In terms of the economic value of coral reefs, EJF puts tourism and recreation at $9.6 billion, coastal protection at $9 billion, fisheries at $5.7 billion, and wildlife at $5.5 billion. Directly below the economic figures, the report features "a note of caution: Valuing biodiversity in this way is of course subjective, how do we put a value on a species' intrinsic right to exist?"</p><div id="96a58" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="OUGNN41579807416"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1219881136559722497" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">#Coralreefs are more than just beautiful. They are a source of income, protein, recreation and safety from storms f… https://t.co/TmKaBvTQy3</div> — Environmental Justice Foundation (@Environmental Justice Foundation)<a href="https://twitter.com/ejfoundation/statuses/1219881136559722497">1579677301.0</a></blockquote></div><p>To combat the triple threat that coral reefs are facing, EJF puts forth recommendations to end the climate crisis: implement the Paris agreement and fully transition all industrial economies to zero carbon by 2030, create a European Union inter-agency taskforce "to drive a more effective, integrated" global response, and establish a U.N. special rapporteur on human rights, economic well-being, and climate change.</p><p>EJF presents another set of specific recommendations to ensure that remaining corals "survive the climate change that is irreversible," calling for an end to illegal and unsustainable fishing as well as pollution that harms coral, including agricultural runoff, sewage, and plastic. The group also calls for expanding marine protected areas to cover at least 30% of the ocean, and assuring that such zones have "clear restrictions and effective conservation aims."</p><p>"In all deliberations and future negotiations," the report adds, "all stakeholders must be included, with special reference to local communities."</p><p>Acknowledging that coral reefs "are not only a vital source of food and income for millions of people" but also "home to a vast diversity of irreplaceable wildlife," EJF executive director Steve Trent <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2020/01/22/corals-and-communities-ejf-report-highlights-devastating-impacts-climate-crisis" target="_blank">warned</a> Wednesday that "failure to act now to protect them will cause environmental ruin and with it a human tragedy."</p>
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