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Currents E-News March 2008

IN THIS EDITION:

MARINE AND COASTAL LEGISLATION, POLICY AND PLANNING
1. Pacific island States, facing unique development challenges, win UN boost (Pacific)
2. Memorandum of Understanding to help the Pacific environment (Pacific)
3. Fiji makes Pacific plea to US Congress (Fiji)

COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT
4. Landowners to learn about land management (Fiji)
5. Thai delegation gets Townsville’s tips on coastal management (Australia)

MARINE PROTECTED AREAS
6. 4 NMI marine reserves monitored (Northern Mariana Islands)
7. PEW to press advocacy for NI monument (Northern Mariana Islands)
8. An ocean's ripple effects (Kiribati)
9. Villagers appoint fish wardens (Fiji)
10. Unregulated fishing rife in Fiji and the Pacific because of lack of monitoring (Fiji)

FISHERIES
11. Fishing exclusion in CNMI waters OK'd (Northern Mariana Islands)
12. All about: Global fishing (Hong Kong)
13. Fishery council vote to close net fishing around Guam (Guam)
14. NZ Air Force on a fisheries mission to Samoa (New Zealand)
15. Fisheries: Sea Cucumbers -Early Retirement or Renewal? (Pacific Islands)

AQUACULTURE
16. Vietnam and Ukraine make aquaculture co-operation agreement (Vietnam)
17. Aquaculture area expected to increase in 2008 (Vietnam)

CLIMATE CHANGE
18. Palau joins the GEF Regional Pacific Islands Adaptation to Climate Change Project (Palau)
19. Isle temperatures are rising (Hawai’i)
20. Tuvaluan climate refugees in political 'pass the parcel' (Tuvalu)
21. Tonga is sinking from Climate Change (Tonga)
22. Global warming threatens island life (Australia)
23. Pacific media urged to play key role in climate change awareness (Solomon Islands)

NATURAL HAZARDS
24. Federal agency to assess coastal damage in FSM (USA)
25. Fiji Needs To Prepare For Tsunami: Meteorology Director (Fiji)

MARINE SPECIES
26. Searching for Answers About What Harms Coral Reefs, and What May Protect Them (Asia-Pacific)
27. Research Project Aims at Protecting Humpback Whales (Hawai’i)
28. Sea Shepherd saves 500 whales (Pacific)
29. South Seas dolphins face slaughter for their teeth - or life in captivity (Solomon Islands)
30. Protect our reefs: Minister (Fiji)
31. Tagging turtles for a wedding (Fiji)

PETROLEUM AND MINERALS
32. Seabed mining likely to begin soon in Tonga (Tonga)

SHIPPING AND PORTS
33. A showcase for Asia-Pac maritime industry (Singapore)
34. Asian ports on expansion mode (Asia)
35. US EPA Files Complaint About Cruiseliner On Last Pacific 'Voyage' (USA)

BLUE ENERGY
36. Environment: The Energy Crunch and The Pacific Islands (Pacific)

POLLUTION
37. Ship owners must help cut pollution (Singapore)

RECREATION AND TOURISM
38. Pacific officials see marine tourism hot spots (New Zealand)
39. Palau tops tourism earnings list (Palau)
40. World’s First Wave Powered Boat (Japan)

RESEARCH
41. US Scientists Surveying Huge Coral Feature In Manu'a Islands (American Samoa)
42. Coral monitoring system suggested at research meeting (Taiwan)

PUBLICATIONS & WEBSITES
43. Pacific Islands Regional Marine Species Programme 2008–2012, SPREP (South Pacific)
44. In Dead Water: Report UNEP (International)
45. Climate change book released (Fiji)
46. SPC Fisheries Address Book 2008 (Pacific)

GRANTS
47. USDA launches $275K in conservation grants (Hawaii)

WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
48. Earth Hour 08 (International)
49. 4th Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands (Vietnam)
50. Solutions to Coastal Disasters Conference (Hawaii)
51. The 2nd Conference of the Australian Association for the Advancement of Pacific Studies - Oceanic Connections (Australia)

CALL FOR PAPERS & ABSTRACTS
52. Coastal Zone Asia-Pacific Conference (China)

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MARINE AND COASTAL LEGISLATION, POLICY AND PLANNING

1. Pacific island States, facing unique development challenges, win UN boost (Pacific)
Abridged from: UN News Service
14 March 2008
Full text: http://www.un.org
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific will strengthen its Pacific Operations Centre as part of its campaign to provide greater support for the region’s island nations, which are facing critical development challenges given their size, relative isolation and vulnerability to climate change.  The enhancement of the operations centre, based in Suva, Fiji, will include new arrangements for South-South cooperation and opportunities to increase the voice of Pacific island States at ESCAP and within the wider UN system, as well as more capacity for data collection and statistical analysis.
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2. Memorandum of Understanding to help the Pacific environment (Pacific)
Abridged from: SPREP Website
13 March 2008
Full text: http://www.sprep.org
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between the Conservation International Foundation and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme...Areas identified for possible collaboration include biological diversity and natural resources conservation; control, eradication and prevention of invasive alien species; community-based conservation; indigenous and traditional knowledge issues; marine and coastal conservation;, climate change and its impacts; and communication, awareness and training in conservation.
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3. Fiji makes Pacific plea to US Congress (Fiji)
Abridged from: Fiji Times Online
29 February 2008
Full text: http://www.fijitimes.com
Fiji’s representative to the United Nations has invited leaders of the United States to come to the Pacific and listen to climate change stories from our traditional leaders and elders.  Addressing the United States Congress Foreign Relations Committee on Asia, pacific and the global environment on Wednesday Acting Permanent Representative to the United Nations Mason Smith, said they were thousands of miles from the Pacific and many might not be receptive to what he said about climate change.
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Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Marine and Coastal Legislation, Policy and Planning
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COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT

4. Landowners to learn about land management (Fiji)
Abridged from: Fiji Times
17 March 2008
Full text: http://www.fijitimes.com
The rapid decline in areas of natural forests, unsustainable farming and logging are the main causes of land degradation, says the United Nations Development Program. "This is associated with increases in soil erosion which threatens coastal lagoons and marine life," said the UNDP's resident representative, Toily Kurbanov. To address this environmental problem, the UNDP and the interim Government are working on a project where they will teach farmers and landowners land management techniques. 
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5. Thai delegation gets Townsville’s tips on coastal management (Australia)
Abridged from: Australian Government, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Website
11 February 2008
Full text: http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au
Townsville City Council and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority will showcase their approach to protecting and managing our coastal and marine environments to 80 local government delegates from Thailand this Monday. The delegation is visiting Townsville on a tour across Australia to study Sustainable Integrated Coastal Management as part of a United Nation backed project aimed at improving water quality in the Gulf of Thailand.
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MARINE PROTECTED AREAS

6. 4 NMI marine reserves monitored (Northern Mariana Islands)
Abridged from: Marianas Variety
25 March 2008
Full text: http://www.mvariety.com
The Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Fisheries Research Section has monitored four marine reserves in the CNMI and deployed buoys while surveying various reef food fish groups.
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7. PEW to press advocacy for NI monument (Northern Mariana Islands)
Abridged from: Saipan Tribune
23 March 2008
Full text: http://www.saipantribune.com
Despite the local government's lack of interest in the Marine Monument proposal presented by the Pew Environmental group, the group will continue advocating for a marine monument in the northern islands...The project is seen as a means to preserve the area as a protected marine habitat.  All three islands are uninhabited and volcanic, but the waters surrounding them teem with life and as yet to be discovered new species of marine creatures.
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8. An ocean's ripple effects (Kiribati)
Abridged from: International Herald Tribune
23 March 2008
Full text: http://www.iht.com
Home to thriving coral reefs, some 500 species of fish and bird breeding grounds, the Phoenix Islands Protected Area sits in the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawai’i and Australia.  It is a living example of how marine resources can be preserved without harming the economies that depend on them.
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9. Villagers appoint fish wardens (Fiji)
Abridged from: Fiji Times
15 March 2008
Full text: http://www.fijitimes.com
Twenty fishing wardens from Votua in Ba have been given the authority to confiscate and stop illegal fishing in their traditional fishing grounds, which is a marine protected area. Senior fisheries officer Jope Kavoa said that was after they attended a two-day workshop organised by the Fisheries Department. Mr Kavoa said during the workshop, the wardens were informed of procedures to follow when they found anyone fishing illegally in their area.
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10. Unregulated fishing rife in Fiji and the Pacific because of lack of monitoring (Fiji)
Abridged from: Fiji Times
10 March 2008
Full text: http://www.fijitimes.com
Three large patches of the Pacific Ocean, should be turned into marine reserves to help ensure sustainability of its fish stocks, says Greenpeace. The environmental advocacy agency says it makes good sense to ban fishing from pockets of international waters surrounded by the exclusive economic zone boundaries of Pacific Island countries such as Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands.
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Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Marine Protected Areas
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FISHERIES

11. Fishing exclusion in CNMI waters OK'd (Northern Mariana Islands)
Abridged from: Saipan Tribune
24 March 2008
Full text: http://www.saipantribune.com
The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council has unanimously voted to establish a 30 nautical mile longline fishing exclusion zone in the exclusive economic zone surrounding the CNMI.

Related articles:
http://www.pacificmagazine.net
http://www.saipantribune.com
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12. All about: Global fishing (Hong Kong)
Abridged from: CNN.com/Asia
24 March 2008
Full text: http://edition.cnn.com
It is commonly said that we know more about the Moon than the deep blue sea.  Despite the fact that the sea takes up 95 percent of the world's living space, just 7 percent of it has been properly studied and sampled, according to the United Nations Environment Program... In the past 20 years, the UN says we have managed to double both the percentage of fish stocks facing collapse - from 15 percent in 1987 to 30 percent last year - as well as the amount that are overexploited, from 20 per cent to around 40 percent.
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13. Fishery council vote to close net fishing around Guam (Guam)
Abridged from: Honolulu Advertiser
18 March 2008
Full text: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com
The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council has voted to close all federal waters around Guam to fishing with big nets. The council, meeting on Guam, is also addressing overfishing of bottomfish stocks off the main Hawaiian Islands. The National Marine Fisheries Service reports the allowable Hawai'i catch of 178,000 pounds is about to be reached for the 2007-2008 season but the fishery likely will not be closed before mid-April. 

Related articles:
http://www.chinapost.com.tw
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14. NZ Air Force on a fisheries mission to Samoa (New Zealand)
Abridged from: nzherald.co.nz
12 March 2008
Full text: http://www.nzherald.co.nz
The Royal New Zealand Air Force flight P3K Orion arrived in Samoa afternoon after a day of patrolling the Pacific Ocean. The Air Force is on a mission to catch illegal fishing in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Samoa and other islands in the Pacific.
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15. Fisheries: Sea Cucumbers -Early Retirement or Renewal? (Pacific Islands)
Abridged from: Islands Business
10 March 2008
Full text: http://www.islandsbusiness.com
The Pacific Islands are bordered to the west and east by the Barrier Reef of Australia and the rocky reef shorelines of the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador.  Despite these two iconic systems having well financed fisheries management, both have recorded marked declines in their stocks of sea cucumbers.  Declines that were serious enough to warrant fishery closures.  Today, with 23% of the world’s population living in China, the biggest market for dried sea cucumbers (bêche-de-mer), and a continual upsurge in demand for sea cucumber products, these fisheries are under greater pressure than ever.
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AQUACULTURE

16. Vietnam and Ukraine make aquaculture co-operation agreement (Vietnam)
Abridged from: Mercapesca
19 March 2008
Full text: http://www.mercapesca.net
Vietnam and Ukraine have signed an agreement to foment co-operation on fisheries and aquaculture.  The agreement’s key initiatives include information exchange and technology transfer in fisheries, especially in bio-chemistry technologies.  It also involves sharing aquaculture training. The two sides said they hoped co-operation between Vietnamese and Ukrainian enterprises would strengthen and develop in the future.
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17. Aquaculture area expected to increase in 2008 (Vietnam)
Abridged from: Vietnam Economic Times
3 March 2008
Full text: http://www.vneconomy.com.vn
The aquaculture acreage nationwide will increase according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.  Experts said that over the recent past, aquaculture has strongly developed in terms of both output and acreage, especially the farming of tra and basa catfish because of huge demand for the catfish of export processing businesses and the domestic market. The culture of salt- and brackish-water products has developed widely, bringing high profit to farmers.
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Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Aquaculture
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CLIMATE CHANGE

18. Palau joins the GEF Regional Pacific Islands Adaptation to Climate Change Project (Palau)
Abridged from: Marianas Variety
25 March 2008
Full text: http://www.mvariety.com
Palau, with the assistance of Mr. Nakalevu, Climate Change Specialist, SPREP, held a three-day workshop to develop a National Assessment Report that paved the way for Palau to join the Global Environment Facility Regional Pacific Islands Adaptation to Climate Change project. The five-year program provides about $800K in funding opportunities for adaptation to the impacts on climate change. For Palau, the PACC project will focus on food security. 
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19. Isle temperatures are rising (Hawai’i)
Abridged from: Honolulu Advertiser
25 March 2008
Full text: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com
Temperatures in Hawai'i, particularly at night and at high elevations, have been rising quickly since the 1970s, a strong indication that the Islands are experiencing the effects of global warming.   These are some of the observations University of Hawai'i Department of Geography professor Tom Giambelluca will discuss at the Forum on Climate Change in Hawai'i.  
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20. Tuvaluan climate refugees in political 'pass the parcel' (Tuvalu)
Abridged from: ABC News Online
14 March 2008
Full text: http://www.abc.net.au
The islanders of Tuvalu could lose their homes and much of their land in the coming decades.  But the world has yet to figure out how it will deal with them, and millions of others, who may be displaced by climate change. "It's a game of political pass the parcel," said Andrew Simms, policy director at British think-tank New Economics Foundation. "No one wants to be left holding the problem of climate refugees." It is a problem with immediate resonance in the nine tiny Pacific islands that make up Tuvalu.
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21. Tonga is sinking from Climate Change (Tonga)
Abridged from: Tonga Review
4 March 2008
Full text: http://www.tongareview.com
Tonga is sinking by an estimated 8 mm annually according to environmental studies on the impact of climate change.  This does not sound like much but if we fast track ahead by 100 years, this equates to just under a metre.
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22. Global warming threatens island life (Australia)
Abridged from: Science Alerts
4 March 2008
Full text: http://www.sciencealert.com.au
Rising sea levels from global warming will threaten the livelihoods and homes of more than 200,000 people who live on coral atolls in coming generations.  The warning comes from UQ archaeologist and expert on the prehistoric use of coral atolls, Dr Marshall Weisler, who says the Central Pacific islands of Kiribati, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands as well as the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, are most at risk.  Dr Weisler said the situation was more serious than people realised with agricultural land already being lost to rising seas in the Marshall Islands.

Related articles:
http://www.stuff.co.nz
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23. Pacific media urged to play key role in climate change awareness (Solomon Islands)
Abridged from: Radio New Zealand International
28 February 2008
Full text: http://www.rnzi.com
The regional media is being urged to ensure that South Pacific people are informed about climate change. The message is being reinforced at a regional workshop for journalists underway in Honiara organised by the Commonwealth Press Union. 
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Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Climate Change
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NATURAL HAZARDS

24. Federal agency to assess coastal damage in FSM (USA)
Abridged from: Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center Website
18 March 2008
Full text: http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org
Federal Officials announced that The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Region IX is sending a Preliminary Damage Assessment Team to the Federated States of Micronesia to evaluate the severe coastal erosion and storm surge flooding on the islands of Kosrae, Pohnpei and Chuuk from November, 2007 through February, 2008.
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25. Fiji Needs To Prepare For Tsunami: Meteorology Director (Fiji)
Abridged from: Pacific Magazine
12 March 2008
Full text: http://www.pacificmagazine.net
While Fiji has not been hit by a tsunami in the recent past, it needs to be better prepared says the Director of Fiji Meteorological Services Rajendra Prasad. “As we all know, we cannot completely avoid being hit by a Tsunami, but we can at least attempt to forewarn our people of the potential threat to take precautions to minimise it devastating effect,” said Prasad. Speaking at the opening of the Tsunami National capacity Workshop yesterday, Prasad said following the tsunami in Solomon Islands last year, pacific island countries are becoming more aware of the devastating effects of tsunami on the people and resources.
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MARINE SPECIES

26. Searching for Answers About What Harms Coral Reefs, and What May Protect Them (Asia-Pacific)
Abridged from: Voice of America
25 March 2008
Full text: http://www.voanews.com
...Scientists are searching for answers about what harms coral reefs and what may protect them. American scientist Joan Kleypas and her team recently studied an area called the Western Pacific Warm Pool.  It is northeast of Australia. Their study suggests that natural processes in seawater may protect some coral reefs from harm. But other scientists have reported less hopeful news about coral reefs. A team from Australia and Indonesia recently observed many destroyed reefs in Indonesian waters.  A member of the team is warning that coral reefs might die off within fifty years if changes are not made.
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27. Research Project Aims at Protecting Humpback Whales (Hawai’i)
Abridged from: KHNL
21 March 2008
Full text: http://www.khnl.com
It is being called the largest whale research project ever attempted.  Titled "Splash", the program is an international effort to better understand the population structure of humpback whales, across the north pacific.  And with that understanding, should come better protection for these endangered marine mammals.
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28. Sea Shepherd saves 500 whales (Pacific)
Abridged from: the Asian Pacific Post
20 March 2008
Full text: http://www.asianpacificpost.com
Japanese authorities believe their whaling mission in the Antarctic will kill little more than half the intended goal due to harassment by environmentalists. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has engaged the Japanese fleet in a series of high-seas clashes. The group this week said its campaign, despite international condemnation, had saved 500 whales. 

Related articles:
http://www.asianpacificpost.com
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29. South Seas dolphins face slaughter for their teeth - or life in captivity (Solomon Islands)
Abridged from: guardian.co.uk
16 March 2008
Full text: http://www.guardian.co.uk
In a ramshackle fishing village on the outskirts of Honiara, Robert Satu holds up a necklace made of dolphin teeth.  Up to 20 dolphins were killed to make it, he estimates, draping the heavy ceremonial jewellery around his neck...While the rest of the world sees dolphins as spirited creatures to be admired and cherished, the people of the Solomon Islands, are not so sentimental.  Every year, from December to March, men living in remote villages in Malaita province use dug-out canoes and boats to hunt dolphins.
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30. Protect our reefs: Minister (Fiji)
Abridged from: Fiji Times
4 March 2008
Full text: http://www.fijitimes.com
A more coordinated approach is needed from government and the community to ensure that our coral reefs are protected. Speaking at the launch of the International Year of the Coral Reefs at the Suva Civic Auditorium, interim Agriculture Minister Joketani Cokanasiga said our actions affected the environment. He said teachers and students should realise the value of coral reefs because they provided protection to our coasts and were home to many marine organisms. 
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31. Tagging turtles for a wedding (Fiji)
Abridged from: Fiji Times Online
3 March 2008
Full text: http://www.fijitimes.com
On the dusky evening of Thursday December 27, to the whooshing sounds of many pairs of legs wading through knee high waters, two tagged 75kg green turtles were released into the incoming tide of the mangrove lined bay of Ligaulevu Village on Mali.  With cries of 'go turtle go','la'o vonu la'o' and 'moce' we watched the pair flap their flippers free as the hands pulling them along let go. ...The tag and release of turtles was a wedding day wish for Leone Vokai of Ligaulevu Village on Mali and Sally Bailey of Saint Brides Major of Wales.
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Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Marine Species
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PETROLEUM AND MINERALS

32. Seabed mining likely to begin soon in Tonga (Tonga)
Abridged from: Islands Business
24 March 2008
Full text: http://www.islandsbusiness.com
A local mining company in Tonga has confirmed the presence of valuable minerals deep beneath the island kingdom’s seabed. Radio Tonga News reports that the Canadian company, which operates a similar seabed mining licence in Papua New Guinea, has found huge amounts of gold, silver and copper in and around Tonga’s seabed. 
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SHIPPING AND PORTS

33. A showcase for Asia-Pac maritime industry (Singapore)
Abridged from: The Business Times Singapore
26 March 2008
Full text: http://business-times.asia1.com.sg
Asia-Pacific Maritime 2008 combines an exhibition showcasing the latest technology and equipment which runs from today to Friday and a two-day conference.  
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34. Asian ports on expansion mode (Asia)
Abridged from: The Business Times Singapore
26 March 2008
Full text: http://business-times.asia1.com.sg
The business of running ports is an increasingly complicated one.  In the modern era of transportation and logistics management, it is much more than about just getting a ship into a berth, loading and unloading its cargo and then getting it on to the next port of call in as short a timeframe as possible.
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35. US EPA Files Complaint About Cruiseliner On Last Pacific 'Voyage' (USA)
Abridged from: Pacific Magazine
19 March 2008
Full text: http://www.pacificmagazine.net
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a federal complaint against Global Shipping and Global Marketing Systems, Inc. for distribution in commerce and export of PCB-containing materials on the MV Oceanic, formerly the SS Independence, a cruise ship being sent by Global to be scrapped overseas.
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BLUE ENERGY

36. Environment: The Energy Crunch and The Pacific Islands (Pacific)
Abridged from: Islands Business
10 March 2008
Full text: http://www.islandsbusiness.com
Few places have been hard hit by the recent rise in energy costs as the Pacific islands countries (PICS).  While the impacts are felt around the world, islands societies are already on a financial razor’s edge—rising fuel costs being more than many can bear....All this points to the continuing need for the development of renewable energy resources throughout the Pacific region (and the world).  PICs have the highest renewable energy potential per capita in the world.  We are in the midst of the largest ocean on earth with its unlimited wave, tidal and ocean thermal energy.  The tropical wind is always blowing and we are along the Pacific “Rim of Fire” with its potential for geothermal power generation.  
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POLLUTION

37. Ship owners must help cut pollution (Singapore)
Abridged from: The Business Times Singapore
26 March 2008
Full text: http://business-times.asia1.com.sg
The sea evokes many different feelings and emotions in people.  Adjectives that come to mind include majestic, tranquil, vengeful, beautiful, open, vast and endless. Add polluted to that list. From the United States to Singapore, along any major shipping lines and routes up the Atlantic or down the Pacific, tens of thousands of ships ply their trade every day. And that in turn amounts to a great deal of garbage, ship waste and used oil that is dumped daily into the seas, as well as tonnes of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.
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RECREATION & TOURISM

38. Pacific officials see marine tourism hot spots (New Zealand)
Abridged from: nzherald.co.nz
26 March 2008
Full text: http://www.nzherald.co.nz
Representatives from five Pacific Island nations will tour New Zealand this week as part of a marine mammal watching study. The eight-day tour of the country includes dolphin and whale watching tours, discussions and a range of workshops with scientists and tourism consultants. Department of Conservation spokesman said New Zealand was "doing its biggest bit yet" to support sustainable marine watching operations in the Pacific. Representatives from Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Niue, Tonga and Samoa would receive expert advice with a focus on potential opportunities for their own nation, he said.
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39. Palau tops tourism earnings list (Palau)
Abridged from: Fiji Times
26 March 2008
Full text: http://www.fijitimes.com
Tourism revenue earned by 34 Asia Pacific countries were included in the United Nations' Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific 2007. This is in terms of tourisms contribution to GDP. A statement from South Pacific Travel says Palau topped the list with tourism earning of 67 per cent of GDP in 2005. 
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40. World’s First Wave Powered Boat (Japan)
Abridged from: Environmental News Network
13 March 2008
Full text: http://www.enn.com
Ken-ichi Horie, a 69 year old Japanese sailor, is planning a solo 4,350 mile trip from Hawaii to Japan using an innovative wave powered boat.  If successful, the trip would earn him a Guinness record while simultaneously proving the viability of wave powered propulsion. His boat, the Suntory Mermaid II, turns wave energy into thrust using two fins mounted beneath the bow.  These fins move up and down with the waves and use them to generate “kicks” that propel the boat forward.  Another green element of the journey: all of the radios and electrical equipment are solar powered.
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RESEARCH

41. US Scientists Surveying Huge Coral Feature In Manu'a Islands (American Samoa)
Abridged from: Pacific Magazine
15 March 2008
Full text: http://www.pacificmagazine.net
U.S. scientists are in American Samoa’s Manu’a Island group to conduct further research
on coral reefs and other marine life and to gather more statistics about a large coral rock may be the largest of its kind in the world. Some 40 scientists, accompanied by Gov. Togiola Tulafono, left the main island of Tutuila on Monday aboard the Honolulu-based NOAA research vessel Hi’ialakai.
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42. Coral monitoring system suggested at research meeting (Taiwan)
Abridged from: Taipei Times
16 March 2008
Full text: http://www.taipeitimes.com
An international meeting on coral reef observatories held in southern Taiwan concluded that a global sensor network for monitoring coral reef ecosystems should be set up to better conserve ocean habitats threatened by global warming. The Global Coral Reef Environmental Observatory Network Integration Meeting was attended by some 60 scientists and engineers from Taiwan, the US, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and Costa Rica.
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Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Marine and Coastal Research
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PUBLICATIONS & WEBSITES

43. Pacific Islands Regional Marine Species Programme 2008–2012, SPREP (South Pacific)
Abridged from: SPREP Website
The Marine Species Programme of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment
Programme (SPREP) outlines a regional strategy for the cooperative conservation and
management of dugongs, marine turtles, whales and dolphins. The strategy, which will
be implemented through Action Plans during 2008–2012, will enable Pacific Islanders
to take a primary role in achieving the vision. 50 pages.
Download copy of the Programme: http://www.sprep.org
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44. In Dead Water: Report UNEP (International)
The world’s oceans are under stress as a result of overfishing, pollution and other environmentally-damaging activities in the coastal zones and now on the high seas. Climate change is presenting a further and wide-ranging challenge with new and emerging threats to the sustainability and productivity of a key economic and environmental resource. This new, rapid response report attempts to focus the numerous impacts on the marine environment in order to assess how multiple stresses including climate change might shape the marine world over the coming years and decades...
Download report (note approx 6.3 MB) http://www.grida.no
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45. Climate change book released (Fiji)
Abridged from: Fiji Times
22 March 2008
Full text: http://www.fijitimes.com
An academic at the University of the South Pacific launched a book on the climate and the environment in the Pacific over the past millennium.  Author Patrick Nunn, professor of oceanic geoscience, said the book revealed how different climates experienced in different parts of the Pacific affected the way islanders lived. "Through the application of science, it is now possible to see far back into the past and reconstruct what life was like at various times in the Pacific Islands," Professor Nunn said.
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46. SPC Fisheries Address Book 2008 (Pacific)
Abridged from: SPC Website
Full text: http://www.spc.int
The SPC Fisheries Address Book 2008 is currently available.  In addition to more than 1,300 addresses covering 50 countries, the address book includes Exclusive Economic Zone areas, and population estimates provided by the SPC Demography Programme.
Download as PDF (76 pages; 1.57MB download):http://www.spc.int
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GRANTS

47. USDA launches $275K in conservation grants (Hawai’i)
Abridged from: Saipan Tribune
15 February 2008
Full text: http://www.saipantribune.com
Honolulu-USDA-NRCS Pacific Islands Area director Lawrence Yamamoto announced the request for proposals for State Conservation Innovation Grants competition. The CIG program is designed to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies. The deadline to apply is March 31 2008.
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WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
(March – April 2008)

48. Earth Hour 08 (International)
29 March 2008
Originating in Sydney in 2007, the Earth Hour campaign has now gained global attention.  As a result, on 8pm March 29, 2008 millions of people in some of the world’s major capital cities will unite and switch off for Earth Hour in the name of fighting global warming. Further information: http://www.earthhour.org/
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49. 4th Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands (Vietnam)
Advancing Ecosystem Management and Integrated Coastal and Ocean Management by 2010 in the Context of Climate Change
7-11 April 2008
Organized by the Global Forum on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands and Hosted by the Government of Vietnam, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. 
Further information: http://www.globaloceans.org
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50. Solutions to Coastal Disasters Conference (Hawai’i)
13-16 April 2008
Hosted by the Coasts, Oceans, Ports and Rivers Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers, this conference will be held in Oahu, Hawai’i. The conference will encourage greater examination of the ecosystem dynamics, vulnerability and ways to incorporate social and ecological solutions into the discussion of coastal disasters.
Further information: http://content.asce.org/conferences
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51. The 2nd Conference of the Australian Association for the Advancement of Pacific Studies - Oceanic Connections (Australia)
18 – 20 April 2008
The Australian National University, Canberra Australia.
The theme of the conference is "Oceanic Connections" focusing on networking and
integrating Pacific Studies research, education and outreach in Australia and
internationally. Topics include governance, representations, boundaries, economies, performances, environments, and education.
Further information contact Katerina Teaiwa katerina.teaiwa@anu.edu.au or Stewart Firth stewart.firth@anu.edu.au
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CALL FOR PAPERS & ABSTRACTS

52. Coastal Zone Asia-Pacific Conference (China)
Held in Qingdao, China, 19-22 October, 2008. The conference theme is 'Sustainable Coasts and Better Life,' with a focus on how to manage coasts to cope with climate change and expanding populations. The conference will be hosted by Professor Guifang (Julia) Xue at Ocean University of China, Qingdao. Further information can be found on conference website: http://www.czapa.org and now open for on-line abstract submission. The deadline for submission is 15 June 2008.
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View full calendar of events on MCCN website: Workshops, conferences and events

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Anne Briggs
Marine Coastal Community Network
PO Box 709
Spit Junction NSW 2088
Sydney, Australia
E: anne@mccn.org.au
W: http://www.mccn.org.au