Posts Tagged ‘oceans’
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Saving the Whales: In the Philippines, a Quick Response
Several years ago, CI conducted a seminar on marine mammal and sea turtle rescue training in the Philippines' Verde Island Passage. When a beached whale was found in the region this past December, Jessie de los Reyes, a graduate of the seminar, helped mobilize the community's response. Corina Bernabe, the communications coordinator for CI-Philippines, recounts the experience. Village patrolman Hernan Reyes was conducting a routine patrol along the shores of Nasugbu, in the Philippines’ Batangas province, when he met with an unusual sight: a 29-foot whale stranded in the shallow waters. It was 3 AM. A series of phone calls ... -
Dr. Greg Stone Reports from the World Economic Forum
Last week, Dr. Greg Stone—leader of CI's Marine Program—attended the 40th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. On arriving in Davos, I was greeted by the snow-capped peaks in the lovely, icy villages of Davos and Klosters, the two towns where the meeting takes place. I was involved in a number of panel discussions and workshops on sustainability and finding solutions to the global commons, as well as ocean-themed evening events, but for me the most important session was to present an overview of some of the solutions that can help to mitigate the threats to ... -
Support for Species
The most recent version of the IUCN Red List (published in November 2009) revealed that species extinction continues at a dangerous rate. More than 17,000 species—36 percent of the total of number of species assessed—are currently threatened with extinction, a startling number which underscores the need for immediate action. This week in Paris, the United Nations is holding one of several celebrations and conferences to launch the International Year of Biodiversity, drawing attention to the escalating plight of the world’s species as countries prepare for the Convention on Biological Diversity’s October meeting in Nagoya, Japan—a meeting which will set new ... -
The Bluefin-ish Line
Bluefin tuna are currently one of the world's hottest commodities. A few years ago, one sold for a staggering $173,600 in Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market, and daily prices range between $2,000 to $20,000 per fish depending on size, season and fat content. This is an insane amount of money for one fish to fetch in the market place. It’s no wonder high economic rewards like this have inspired fishers and businessmen to race to catch as many bluefin tuna as possible. The truth is, long-term this race has no real winner. The Problems: Overfishing: High demand for bluefin tuna is causing people ... -
Notes from WILD9 – Edward Lohnes Blogs
As I left my hotel in the town of Mérida, Mexico, I was reminded once again just how pleasant the climate is down here this time of year, and how I can get away without the use of a pullover, coat, three pairs of socks and two pairs of gloves (it is probably freezing in Washington DC by now!) I boarded one of the buses that transports attendees to the convention center; the ride was short and full of numerous accents from around the globe. A short time later we arrived at WILD 9 – The World Wilderness Congress. The ... -
After the tsunami: restoring Samoa’s coast, reef and communities
The 8.3 earthquake that shook Samoa on September 29 triggered a tsunami that devastated the south-coast of Upolu island, the south-coast of Tutuila in American Samoa and the Niueas group in Tonga. People on the coast had around 5- 10 minutes warning to evacuate – many did not make it. The districts of Aleipata and Falealili on the south-east coast of Upolu have been the most extensively damaged with entire villages and all hotels and small resorts annihilated along the coast. The mounting death toll stands now at 178 with many people not yet accounted for. A total of 40 villages have ... -
Exploring Phoenix Island Part 2
Yesterday we were moored just south of Rawaki, aka the namesake Phoenix Island, having arrived early morning. The morning dive was a truly sweet and interesting affair. Before breakfast, a landing party made way for the island to check out the birds, me on it. "Landing" is a euphemism for packing everything in watertight containers, jumping off the skiff with mask, fins and snorkel, then dragging all your stuff backwards up into the surf and (hopefully) out of the water onto the island. I felt fully prepared with my special wetpack backpack purchased by John Tschirky for MMAS in ... -
Exploring Phoenix Island Part 1
Today we are at Phoenix Island (aka Rawaki in Kiribati), the name sake for the entire archipelago. This is a place of birds. As we approached from a distance, the island looked like it had a small dark cloud hanging low over it, but when we got closer I could see the cloud was tens of thousands of squawking, screeching, hovering, darting, flapping, pecking birds. I could hear this cacophony of bird sound from inside the ship a ¼ mile away. Then as we got even closer, the birds surrounded the boat and we had brown noddies hovering outside portholes, frigate ... -
Searching for rats and coral regeneration: Expedition Phoenix Islands
Two posts today: One from Greg Stone and another from Les Kaufman From Greg Stone: "The expedition has been going fast and furious, and moments to write blogs are sometimes fleeting. Our ship’s deck salon and cabins are constantly in motion with NAI'A crew in their blue uniforms running the ship, scientists lugging dive and science gear around, and so on. A moment ago, Stuart Sandin walked by, wetsuit half pulled up, looking for his clipboard. Craig Cook came over and said he was about to set up the hyperbaric chamber again for testing. Brian Skerry is walking by with ... -
Blog from the Boat: Blue Water Diving
Yesterday, Larry Madin, Kate Madin, Alan Dynner, myself and a Fijian crew member named Koroi drove one of NAI’A’s diving skiffs four miles off Nikumaroro and came to a stop. Except for a giant frigate bird hovering over above our heads there was nothing else visible part from waves slapping on the side of the skiff. "This looks good," Larry said, as we lowered a 150 line into the sea and prepared to dive. On this dive we were not going into look at fish or coral, but rather to survey the most abundant multi-cellular organisms on earth: Jellyfish, siphonophores, ...
