Inform 
Navigation 
Wetstuff News 2 April 2008
IN THIS EDITION:
MARINE AND COASTAL LEGISLATION, POLICY AND PLANNING
1. House votes to protect coast from oil drilling (USA)
2. Revisions to Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Regulations (USA)
3. Changes in marine reserves process (USA)
4. ERA will propel Australian science (Australia)
NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
5. Murray-Darling Basin plan 'a long term solution' (Australia)
MARINE PROTECTED AREAS
6. Aussies say community input important in marine park planning (Canada)
FISHERIES
7. Can fish be taught to self-catch? (USA)
8. Tuna conservation body talks about restoring tuna in Atlantic (Japan)
AQUACULTURE
9. Clean Seas to take Tuna to market by 2009 (Australia)
10. Has salmon farming outgrown itself? (UK)
11. Something fishy about Chile's salmon (Chile)
12. B.C. suspends issuing licences for salmon farms tidal waters (Canada)
13. South Australian abalone company to be world's biggest (Australia)
CLIMATE CHANGE
14. Warming's impact on fauna inevitable (Australia)
15. UN delegates gather for climate change talks (Indonesia)
16. Ice shelf collapse: What does it mean? (Antarctica)
17. Scientists seek climate clues on Antarctic voyage (Southern Ocean)
COASTAL DEVELOPMENT
18. Prince's Monaco expansion plan all at sea (Monaco)
19. Airport Project Threatens Rare Hong Kong Dolphins – Group Warns (China)
20. How to make city's shoreline friendlier to sea life? (USA)
MARINE & COASTAL INVASIVE SPECIES
21. 'Ballast-free Ship' Could Cut Costs While Blocking Aquatic Invaders (USA)
MARINE SPECIES
22. Tokyo strikes back with criticism of dugong hunt (Australia)
23. Thick Ice Hinders Canada's Controversial Seal Hunt (Canada)
24. Dolphins swim so fast it hurts (Israel)
25. Plastic threat to sea life 'exaggerated' (Australia)
26. Census predicts shark jump (Australia)
27. New protections eyed for ice-dependent Alaska seals (Alaska)
28. Saving nature (UK)
PETROLEUM AND MINERALS
29. Ice shrink in Arctic sea may attract oil firms (Norway)
SHIPPING & PORTS
30. UN Body Meets To Act On Ship Gases, Cleaner Seas (UK)
BLUE ENERGY
31. Titanic's Shipyard Builds Record Tidal Generator (Northern Ireland)
32. British company to build world's largest tidal power scheme (UK)
RECREATION & TOURISM
33. Green groups call for Antarctic shipping restrictions (Antartica)
RESEARCH
34. Love in the octopus' garden (USA)
35. Humans causing new extinction event: academic (International)
36. Common Aquatic Animals Show Extreme Resistance To Radiation (USA)
37. Mantis Shrimp Vision Reveals New Way That Animals Can See (USA)
38. Squid Beak Is Both Hard And Soft, A Material That Engineers Want To Copy (USA)
PUBLICATIONS & WEBSITES
39. ACE News: Edition 3, March 2008 (Australia)
40. Caring for our Country fact sheet set (Australia)
41. MCCN’s Blue Pages – A Marine & Coastal Contacts Directory for Australia’s Southern States (Australia)
42. WAVES Magazine Volume 14, Number 1 2008: Blue Green Energies & Ocean Technologies (International)
OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
43. Inquiry into climate change and environmental impacts on coastal communities (Australia)
44. MCCN’s Coastal Survey 2008 (Australia)
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
45. Link up and learn (Australia)
AWARDS
46. World Environment Day Awards 2008 (Australia)
WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
47. Solutions to Coastal Disasters Conference (Hawai’i)
48. Join Project AWARE’s Dive for Earth Day 2008 (Australia)
CALL FOR PAPERS & ABSTRACTS
49. Coastal Zone Asia-Pacific Conference (China)
50. International Marine Conservation Congress: call for papers (International)
************************************************************
MARINE AND COASTAL LEGISLATION, POLICY AND PLANNING
1. House votes to protect coast from oil drilling (USA)
Abridged from: SF Gate
1 April 2008
Full text: http://www.sfgate.com
California moved a step closer to permanently protecting its shores from offshore oil drilling Monday when the House approved legislation to ban development in federal waters along all 76 miles of Sonoma County's coastline and off the southern tip of Mendocino County's coast.
The measure would more than double the size of two existing National Marine Sanctuaries near San Francisco and Marin - Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank.
Back to Contents
2. Revisions to Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Regulations (USA)
Abridged from: Trading Markets.com
28 March 2008
Full text: http://www.tradingmarkets.com
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) previously published a proposed rule to adopt a revised set of regulations for the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. This currently pending proposed rule includes both new regulations and changes to existing regulations, including the discharge prohibition. After reviewing public comments, considering the California Coastal Commission's federal consistency review and further analysing vessel discharge issues, NOAA has decided to revise the Sanctuary's proposed discharge regulation...
Back to Contents
3. Changes in marine reserves process (USA)
Abridged from: theworldlink.com
29 March 2008
Full text: http://www.theworldlink.com
Current events relating to wave energy and marine reserves read like alphabet soup: FERC and Oregon signed an MOU and Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski issued an EO transferring leadership of the designation of MRs to ODFW. And OPAC, MRWG and the WEWG are reviewing it all Thursday and today. Oh — and OPT sent a letter to FERC asking for a time extension so folks can comment on the TLP. It’s clear that there is a lot — a LOT — happening. The Ocean Policy Advisory Council is meeting today in Newport. Its subcommittees, the Marine Reserves Working Group, met Thursday. The Wave Energy Working Group also met Thursday. Their agendas were packed....
Back to Contents
4. ERA will propel Australian science (Australia)
Abridged from: Science Alerts, Opinion, by Senator Kim Carr
27 March 2008
Full text: http://www.sciencealert.com.au
Within its first 100 days, the Rudd Government made good its election commitment to the university sector to replace the flawed Research Quality Framework. The Howard Government's RQF has been scrapped in favour of Excellence in Research for Australia – the ERA initiative – launched in February 2008. The Government has launched ERA to measure the achievements of researchers in our publicly-funded universities. The aim is to establish a world-class research quality assurance system that will assess Australian university researchers by comparing them not just with each other, but with the best in the world.
Back to Contents
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Marine and Coastal Legislation, Policy and Planning
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
5. Murray-Darling Basin plan 'a long term solution' (Australia)
Abridged from: ABC News Online
27 March 2008
Full text: http://www.abc.net.au
Federal Water Minister Penny Wong expects a new statutory body set up to look after the Murray-Darling Basin will have formed a comprehensive plan for the river system by 2011. At yesterday's COAG meeting, the states agreed to hand over control of the river system in return for Commonwealth funding for major water savings projects. The new Murray-Darling Basin Authority will decide how much water goes to the environment, to irrigation and to towns for drinking.
Back to Contents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Natural Resource Management
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MARINE PROTECTED AREAS
6. Aussies say community input important in marine park planning (Canada)
Abridged from: The Queen Charlotte Islands Observer
28 March 2008
Full text: http://www.qciobserver.com
As plans move forward on the Gwaii Haanas Marine Conservation Area, two blokes from Down Under brought positive messages about the challenges and rewards of marine planning. Graham Scott and Russell Butler, Australians who live in different regions near the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, talked about how important community input was to a successful marine plan.
Back to Contents
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Marine Protected Areas
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FISHERIES
7. Can fish be taught to self-catch? (USA)
Abridged from: Los Angeles Times
29 March 2008
Full text: http://www.latimes.com
Scientists have announced that they are testing a plan to train fish to catch themselves by swimming into a net when they hear a tone that signals feeding time. If it works, the system could eventually allow black sea bass to be released into the open ocean, where they would grow to market size, then swim into an underwater cage when they hear the signal. The key question for fish farmers: How many fish will actually return, and how many will be lost to predators or simply swim away?
Back to Contents
8. Tuna conservation body talks about restoring tuna in Atlantic (Japan)
Abridged from: chinaview.cn
26 March 2008
Full text: http://news.xinhuanet.com
Representatives from about 150 governments and fisheries industry groups of 10 countries and regions gathered to discuss ways to protect the declining tuna stock in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. During the two-day informal meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic tunas, participants are scheduled to exchange ideas on cutting quotas of catch to restrain over-catching and restore the amount of the precious creature in sea. According to a previously-agreed decision of the international tuna conservation body, its members will reduce the annual catch of tuna in the eastern Atlantic Ocean by 4,000 tons by 2010 on the basis of 29,500 tons in 2007.
Back to Contents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Commercial and Recreational Fishing Impacts
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AQUACULTURE
9. Clean Seas to take Tuna to market by 2009 (Australia)
Abridged from: egoli.com.au
31 March 2008
Full text: http://www.egoli.com.au
Clean Seas Tuna Limited said that extensive trials in 2007 and 2008 led to the world’s first onshore Aquaculture production of fertilised Southern Bluefin Tuna eggs and viable larvae. The company said it expected to reach its ultimate goal of commercialisation of fingerlings in 2009. Managing director Marcus Stehr trials are ongoing and male Southern Bluefin tuna are continuing to spermiate and are being closely monitored and recorded.
Back to Contents
10. Has salmon farming outgrown itself? (UK)
Abridged from: Telegraph.co.uk
31 March 2008
Full text: http://www.telegraph.co.uk
The first global study on the environmental effects of salmon aquaculture shows that the 1m tonne industry has serious side-effects on captive salmon's cousins in the wild. Parasitic sea-lice, multiplying in millions around cage salmon, are shown to decimate wild runs across the study's range stretching from British Columbia on the Pacific to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland on the Atlantic and across to Ireland and Scotland.
Back to Contents
11. Something fishy about Chile's salmon (Chile)
Abridged from: The Seattle Times
28 March 2008
Full text: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com
A spreading plague is killing millions of salmon beneath the rows of neatly laid netting around the fish farms off Chile's southern shores. A virus called infectious salmon anaemia, or ISA, is dooming fish destined for export to Japan, Europe and the United States and sending shivers through Chile's third-largest industry. It also has opened the companies to fresh charges from biologists and environmentalists who say the breeding of salmon in crowded underwater pens is contaminating once-pristine waters and producing potentially unhealthy fish.
Back to Contents
12. B.C. suspends issuing licences for salmon farms tidal waters (Canada)
Abridged from: The Canadian Press
28 March 2008
Full text: http://canadianpress.google.com
B.C. will not issue new licences and tenures for finfish aquaculture, including salmon farms, on the central coast while it examines a new approach to managing the controversial industry. Salmon farms have been blamed for destruction of wild salmon stocks and have drawn ire from environmentalists and First Nations in the province. Agriculture Minister Pat Bell says the new approach will be developed in collaboration with First Nations to protect the health of wild salmon. Elmer Derrick of the First Nations Leadership Council Aquaculture Group says the announcement is good news for the survival of coastal ecosystems.
Back to Contents
13. South Australian abalone company to be world's biggest (Australia)
Abridged from: ABC Rural News
26 March 2008
Full text: http://www.abc.net.au
A South Australian aquaculture company says it will be the world's biggest abalone producer within the next five years. Australian Bight Abalone says it's filling a void in the market with a world-first system on the Eyre Peninsula, allowing farmed shellfish to grow in wild fishery conditions.
Back to Contents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Aquaculture
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CLIMATE CHANGE
14. Warming's impact on fauna inevitable (Australia)
Abridged from: Science Alerts, source CSIRO
1 April 2008
Climate change is likely to transform many of Australia’s natural landscapes, according to a new study by CSIRO scientists...Author Dr Michael Dunlop says climate change is forcing environmental scientists to rethink their approach...“For example: it will be harder to provide enough water at the right times to maintain wetlands; mangrove systems will be squeezed between urban areas and rising sea levels; and more frequent, intense fires may turn some forests to woodland, and some woodland to grasslands”....
Further information: http://www.csiro.au
Back to Contents
15. UN delegates gather for climate change talks (Indonesia)
Abridged from: ABC News Online
31 March 2008
Full text: http://www.abc.net.au
The next round of United Nations climate talks begin in Bangkok with representatives from nearly 200 countries expected to discuss ways to set up a new agreement to cut emissions by 2020. The week-long meeting will attempt to set up negotiations for a new post-Kyoto pact to fight climate change. The talks will carry forward a set of decisions called the 'Bali Roadmap', which were adopted at the UN Climate Change Conference held in December in Bali.
Back to Contents
16. Ice shelf collapse: What does it mean? (Antarctica)
Abridged from: CNN.com
29 March 2008
Full text: http://edition.cnn.com
From krill to king crabs, the collapse of a 160-square-mile portion of the Wilkins Ice Shelf in Antarctica could mean many changes for wildlife at the bottom of the world. Most inhabitants of our planet will never get a firsthand look at a polar bear at the North Pole or a penguin at the South. But polar scientists already see changes in plants and animals from rapidly warming temperatures. "Because of their extreme environments, they tend to be highly sensitive to temperature changes," said marine biologist James McClintock of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
View news video: The Extreme Ice Survey founder says the crumbling ice shelf in Antarctica is proof that global warming is 'very real.' http://edition.cnn.com
Related articles:
http://www.smh.com.au
http://www.enn.com
Back to Contents
17. Scientists seek climate clues on Antarctic voyage (Southern Ocean)
Abridged from: Reuters
22 March 2008
Full text: http://in.reuters.com
Scientists set off on a voyage to Antarctica on Saturday to see if the icesheets at the edge of the vast continent are melting faster and whether the Southern Ocean is soaking up less climate-warming carbon dioxide. The Southern Ocean absorbs a large amount of the CO2 emitted by industry, power stations and transport, acting as a brake on climate change.
Related articles:
ABC News video: http://www.abc.net.au
Back to Contents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Climate Change
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COASTAL DEVELOPMENT
18. Prince's Monaco expansion plan all at sea (Monaco)
Abridged from: The Australian
31 March 2008
Full text: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au
Plans to enlarge the tiny tax haven of Monaco by building a new district at sea have hit opposition from environmentalists, who warn that the ambitious expansion would produce an "undersea desert". They argue that the construction, a bit like a giant oil rig and a project close to the heart of Prince Albert, ruler of the principality, will put at risk protected "meadows" of sea grass.
Back to Contents
19. Airport Project Threatens Rare Hong Kong Dolphins – Group Warns (China)
Abridged from: Planet Ark
28 March 2008
Full text: http://www.planetark.com
A population of rare Chinese white dolphins in Hong Kong's coastal waters may be threatened by several upcoming construction projects including a proposed new airport runway, a dolphin conservation group has warned. Around 200 Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins - commonly called Chinese white dolphins - survive in Hong Kong's western waters near the Chek Lap Kok international airport on Lantau island.
Back to Contents
20. How to make city's shoreline friendlier to sea life? (USA)
Abridged from: seattlepi.com
26 March 2008
Full text: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com
The Seattle urban waterfront is unkind to baby salmon. As millions of small fish make their way north from the Duwamish River, they hug a vertical concrete wall that provides limited food and shelter. So the city and University of Washington scientists will study how to make the inhospitable shoreline homier for salmon and other marine life, officials announced Tuesday.
Back to Contents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Coastal Development
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MARINE & COASTAL INVASIVE SPECIES
21. 'Ballast-free Ship' Could Cut Costs While Blocking Aquatic Invaders (USA)
Abridged from: Science Daily
27 March 2008
full text: http://www.sciencedaily.com
University of Michigan researchers are investigating a radical new design for cargo ships that would eliminate ballast tanks, the water-filled compartments that enable non-native creatures to sneak into the Great Lakes from overseas. At least 185 non-native aquatic species have been identified in the Great Lakes, and ballast water is blamed for the introduction of most—including the notorious zebra and quagga mussels and two species of gobies.
Back to Contents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MARINE SPECIES
22. Tokyo strikes back with criticism of dugong hunt (Australia)
Abridged from: The Australian
2 April 2008
Full text: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au
The spat between Japan and Australia over whaling has intensified, with the Japanese attacking Canberra's support for the harvesting of dugongs by indigenous hunters. The Japanese will highlight the killing of dugongs by Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders in a submission to the International Whaling Commission for its meeting in June in the Chilean capital of Santiago. Islander leaders agreed yesterday that too many dugongs were being taken for traditional food. Australia has 80 per cent of the estimated world dugong population of 100,000.
Back to Contents
23. Thick Ice Hinders Canada's Controversial Seal Hunt (Canada)
Abridged from: Planet Ark
31 March 2008
Full text: http://www.planetark.com
Canada's annual seal hunt, which the government promised would be more humane this year, cranked up slowly on Friday because of thick ice. The government is allowing hunters to kill up to 275,000 young harp seals on the ice floes off Eastern Canada, but only three had been reported killed on the first morning of the hunt in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. "It's a very slow start," said Phil Jenkins, spokesman for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, noting that sealing boats were finding it difficult to get to the herds because of thick ice.
Related articles:
http://www.smh.com.au
Back to Contents
24. Dolphins swim so fast it hurts (Israel)
Abridged from: New Scientist
28 March 2008
Full text: http://environment.newscientist.com
What is the fastest a dolphin can swim? Near the surface, no more than 54 kilometres per hour. Why? Because it hurts it to swim faster. Those are the findings of a pair of researchers from the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa. But tuna, they say, do not suffer the same problem.
Back to Contents
25. Plastic threat to sea life 'exaggerated' (Australia)
Abridged from: The Australian
27 March 2008
full text: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au
Conservationists campaigning for the elimination of plastic shopping bags have been accused by Australia's leading authority on sea turtles of exaggerating their impact on marine life. Queensland Environmental Protection Agency scientist Colin Limpus said that although plastic waste was a hazard to turtles and other marine animals, the singling out of shopping bags was not justified. About 100 large turtles are killed each year by boats in southeast Queensland compared with an average of 20 boat-related deaths in the late-1980s.
Back to Contents
26. Census predicts shark jump (Australia)
Abridged from: The Australian
27 March 2008
full text: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au
About 60 divers will count and photograph every shark they can find in the first big event of the Great Australian Shark Count. The census has set the world record for most shark sightings, with more than 2100 identified since November. Nicola Johnstone, manager of the Solitary Islands Marine Park, where the count will take place, said leopard sharks, hammerheads and "the odd great white" had been spotted. Dedicated shark counts are planned for Melbourne, Perth and Townsville this year. Adam Smith, national chairman of the Australian Underwater Federation, which is co-ordinating the count, said the data would prove invaluable.
Back to Contents
27. New protections eyed for ice-dependent Alaska seals (Alaska)
Abridged from: Environmental News Network
27 March 2008
Full text: http://www.enn.com
Ribbon seals, which depend on floating sea ice that is growing scarce in a warming Arctic, will be considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act, a U.S. government agency said on Wednesday. The National Marine Fisheries Service launched a 12-month review in response to a petition filed by an environmental group, the Center for Biological Diversity, which has also sought protection for the polar bear and other far-north animals faced with a thaw of their icy habitats.
Back to Contents
28. Saving nature (UK)
Abridged from: Times Online
23 March 2008
Full text: http://www.timesonline.co.uk
Wildlife is, for many reasons in our modern world, constantly under threat. Yet there is an organisation that makes it its business to speak out for birds and wildlife, take action and help keep our natural world safe. When a new airport development was proposed in 2002 at Cliffe in the marshes of Kent — threatening a vital habitat for wetland birds, water voles and endangered insects — the environmental charity launched a campaign that saw 150,000 of its members petitioning the government to oppose the development.
Back to Contents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Marine Species
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PETROLEUM AND MINERALS
29. Ice shrink in Arctic sea may attract oil firms (Norway)
Abridged from: Environmental News Network
26 March 2008
Full text: http://www.enn.com
Winter sea ice around a Norwegian Arctic island has thinned to less than one metre since the 1960s, according to a study of a region that may be more attractive to oil firms because of climate change. The Norwegian Polar Institute said ice around Hopen island southeast of the Svalbard archipelago had become more than 40 cms thinner in the past 40 years, in what it called the first long-term study of ice thickness in the Barents Sea.
Related articles: http://www.enn.com
Back to Contents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SHIPPING AND PORTS
30. UN Body Meets To Act On Ship Gases, Cleaner Seas (UK)
Abridged from: Planet Ark
1 April 2008
Full text: http://www.planetark.com
Curbing greenhouse gas emissions from ships, slashing other air pollutants they generate and cleaning up the world's oceans, top the agenda at a meeting of the world's chief maritime body in London. The U.N. International Maritime Organisation meeting, seen as one of the most crucial in years, focuses on how best to reduce harmful ship fuel pollutants like sulphur dioxide emissions and nitrous oxides. The week-long meeting also hopes to speed up policies to tackle growing carbon dioxide emissions emitted by ships, by strict international regulation or through industry-led initiatives.
Back to Contents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BLUE ENERGY
31. Titanic's Shipyard Builds Record Tidal Generator (Northern Ireland)
Abridged from: Planet Ark
28 March 2008
full text: http://www.planetark.com
Harland & Wolff, the Belfast shipyard that built the Titanic has diversified into renewable energy generation, assembling what Northern Irish authorities say is the world's biggest tidal electricity generation system. The 1.2 megawatt SeaGen will also be the first to be connected to a local electricity grid and will generate electricity for 1,000 homes by using tides in Strangford Lough, east of Belfast, Energy Minister Nigel Dodds said.
Back to Contents
32. British company to build world's largest tidal power scheme (UK)
Abridged from: Telegraph.co.uk
16 March 2008
Full text: http://www.telegraph.co.uk
A British firm has agreed to build a giant tidal power scheme - the world's largest - in South Korea, using underwater turbines that experts say could make the proposed £15 billion Severn Barrage obsolete. The £500 million scheme proposed off the South Korean coast will use power from fast-moving tidal streams, caused by rising and falling tides, to turn a field of 300 60ft-high tidal turbines on the sea floor.
Back to Contents
Interested in this topic?
View MCCN’s latest edition of WAVES magazine which focuses on ‘blue-green’ energy, and ocean technologies and includes articles such as: An Ocean of Energy – There for the Taking, Wave Energy – The Way To Go, Potential of Offshore Wind Energy in Australia, Impact of Desalination Plants on Coastal Environments and Communities, Post-harvesting Innovations, Human Impact on the Great Barrier Reef, and more....
Further information: http://www.mccn.org.au
Back to Contents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RECREATION AND TOURISM
33. Green groups call for Antarctic shipping restrictions (Antartica)
Abridged from: ABC News Online
31 March 2008
Full text: http://www.abc.net.au
Environmental campaigners are calling for tighter restrictions on shipping around Antarctica in order to prevent damage to its unique ecosystems. More tourists than ever before are visiting Antarctica and some are in ships not designed for the harsh conditions. The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition is asking the International Maritime Organisation to strengthen its rules.
Back to Contents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RESEARCH
34. Love in the octopus' garden (USA)
Abridged from: Environmental News Network
1 April 2008
Full text: http://www.enn.com
They flirt, hold hands and guard their lovers jealously - yet they don't even have bones. The love lives of octopuses are far more complex than anyone thought, a team at the University of California, Berkeley, reported. Graduate student Christine Huffard snorkeled in the waters off Indonesia to watch Abdopus aculeatus, an octopus with a spiky tan body the size of a small orange and arms 8 to 10 inches long. Octopuses are well studied in captivity but because they are shy and often nocturnal, their natural wild behavior is less understood.
Back to Contents
35. Humans causing new extinction event: academic (International)
Abridged from: ABC News Online
1 April 2008
Full text: http://www.abc.net.au
An Australian National University scientist says the planet is losing species at a similar rate to the period when the dinosaurs were wiped out. Will Steffen from the Fenner School of Environment says the planet is in the midst of a new geological age, the Anthropocene, in which humans are causing mass species extinction. He says the era began with the industrial revolution and accelerated in the 1950s as humans began burning more fossil fuels and consuming more resources. Professor Steffen says the current levels of species extinction are at least a hundred times greater than natural loss rates.
Back to Contents
36. Common Aquatic Animals Show Extreme Resistance To Radiation (USA)
Abridged from: Science Daily
27 March 2008
Full text: http://www.sciencedaily.com
Scientists at Harvard University have found that a common class of freshwater invertebrate animals called bdelloid rotifers are extraordinarily resistant to ionizing radiation, surviving and continuing to reproduce after doses of gamma radiation much greater than that tolerated by any other animal species studied to date.
Back to Contents
37. Mantis Shrimp Vision Reveals New Way That Animals Can See (USA)
Abridged from: Science Daily
27 March 2008
Full text: http://www.sciencedaily.com
Mantis shrimp can see the world in a way that had never been observed in any animal before, researchers report in the March 20th Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. The discovery--which marks the fourth type of visual system-suggests that the ability to perceive circular polarized light may lend mantis shrimp a secret mode of communication.
Back to Contents
38. Squid Beak Is Both Hard And Soft, A Material That Engineers Want To Copy (USA)
Abridged from: Science Daily
27 March 2008
full text: http://www.sciencedaily.com
The sharp beak of the Humboldt squid is one of the hardest and stiffest organic materials known. Engineers, biologists, and marine scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara, have joined forces to discover how the soft, gelatinous squid can operate its knife-like beak without tearing itself to pieces.
Back to Contents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Marine and Coastal Research
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PUBLICATIONS & WEBSITES
39. ACE News: Edition 3, March 2008 (Australia)
Abridged from: Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre (ACE) Website
31 March 2008
View online: http://www.acecrc.org.au
Back to Contents
40. Caring for our Country fact sheet set (Australia)
Abridged from: Australian Government, Natural Resource Management Publications
Source & full text: http://www.nrm.gov.au/publications
March 2008
The Australian Government has committed $2.25 billion in funding over the first five years for a new ongoing program, Caring for our Country. It will commence from 1 July 2008. Caring for our Country goal: 'An environment that is healthy, better protected, well managed, resilient and provides essential ecosystem services in a changing climate'.
Further information and link to fact sheets: http://www.nrm.gov.au; http://www.nrm.gov.au; http://www.nrm.gov.au
Back to Contents
New Publications from MCCN:
41. MCCN’s Blue Pages – A Marine & Coastal Contacts Directory for Australia’s Southern States (Australia)
March 2008
MCCN’s Blue Pages Directory contains marine and coastal contacts for South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria. Listings include government, industry, conservation and community groups located throughout southern Australia and also key national groups. The groups listed will be those working on or with an interest in the conservation, management and sustainable use of coastal and marine environments. The aim of the Blue Pages is to promote networking and information exchange between organisations and groups in southern Australia, who work upon or have an interest in marine and coastal environments. Why not become a member of the directory – it’s FREE! To get your group or organisation listed and to search the directory visit www.mccn.org.au/bluepages
42. WAVES Magazine Volume 14, Number 1 2008: Blue Green Energies & Ocean Technologies (International)
March 2008
MCCN’s latest edition of WAVES magazine focuses on ‘blue-green’ energy, and ocean technologies in the marine and coastal environment and includes: An Ocean of Energy – There for the Taking, Wave Energy – The Way To Go, Potential of Offshore Wind Energy in Australia, Impact of Desalination Plants on Coastal Environments and Communities, Post-harvesting Innovations, Human Impact on the Great Barrier Reef and more.
Download pdf version (approx 3.9MB): http://www.mccn.org.au
For a free hard copy of WAVES magazine contact: E: nat-org@mccn.org.au or T: 1800 815 332. Subscribe to future WAVES editions: http://www.mccn.org.au/subscribe
Back to Contents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
43. Inquiry into climate change and environmental impacts on coastal communities (Australia)
Abridged from: Media Release, House Of Representatives Standing Committee On Climate Change, Water, Environment And The Arts, Inquiry into the Australian Coastal Zone
20 March 2008
The House of Representatives Climate Change, Water, Environment and the Arts Committee is to conduct an inquiry into climate change and environmental impacts on Australian coastal communities. Committee Chair Jennie George welcomed the co-referral of this inquiry by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts Peter Garrett MP and the Minister for Climate Change and Water Senator Penny Wong. “Much of Australia’s population and infrastructure is in the coastal zone, increasing our vulnerability to climate change impacts,” Ms George said. “The growth in population and intensification of land use along the coast is further increasing pressure on the environment in many areas.” “That both ministers jointly referred this inquiry to the committee reflects the critical importance of this area.” The committee will accept submissions until Friday, 30 May 2008.
Further details about the inquiry, including how to make a submission, can be obtained from the committee’s website at http://www.aph.gov.au/ccwea.
Back to Contents
44. MCCN’s Coastal Survey 2008 (Australia)
Have your say on how to improve the future conservation and sustainability of our coasts and marine environments. Coast to Coast 2008, Australia’s national coastal conference, will be held in Darwin in August 2008. Use this Survey to input into the conference agenda and potentially a submission to the recently announced House of Representatives Standing Committee inquiry into “Climate change and environmental impacts on coastal communities”. Tell us what you think are important for future coastal programs for community engagement , capacity building and training! All responses will be treated confidentially. Please complete the questionnaire by 15 April 2008.
Further information: for a hard copy of the coastal survey call MCCN on 1800 815 332 or E: nat-off@mccn.org.au. Complete the survey online: Click here for MCCN Coastal Survey 2008 or view from MCCN’s website: http://www.mccn.org.au
Back to Contents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Act Now
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
45. Link up and learn (Australia)
CSIRO is calling for interested Scientists to register for Scientists in Schools - a new learning experience that allows scientists and schools to work together across Australia. Scientists in Schools is being run by CSIRO and the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Teachers and scientists who register will form partnerships and work together in a way that suits both partners, with the aim of providing inspiration, fun and learning for students, teachers and scientists alike.
Further information: http://www.scientistsinschools.edu.au; Email: scientistsinschools@csiro.au; or Tel: 02 6276 6397.
Back to Contents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AWARDS
46. World Environment Day Awards 2008 (Australia)
Nominations for the United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day Awards 2008 opened 1 February 2008. The World Environment Day Awards is a national awards program which recognises businesses, local governments, organisations, community groups, individuals, schools and the media whose work serves to protect, manage or restore the environment. More information: http://www.unaavictoria.org.au. Nominations Close Friday 2 May 2008.
Back to Contents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
COMING UP (April – May 2008)
47. 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
Back to Contents
48. Join Project AWARE’s Dive for Earth Day 2008 (Australia)
22 April 2008
The Project AWARE Foundation is asking all divers, snorkelers and water enthusiasts to Dive for Earth Day during the week of 22 April to put aquatic issues on the Earth Day map. Visit Project AWARE for more information about events like the Asia Pacific Fish Survey, Coral Monitoring, AWARE Kids and Underwater Cleanups.
Further information: http://www.projectaware.org/asiapac/english/activities/dited.asp
Back to Contents
CALL FOR PAPERS & ABSTRACTS
49. 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 http://www.czapa.org and now open for on-line abstract submission. The deadline for submission is 15 June 2008.
Back to Contents
50. International Marine Conservation Congress: call for papers (International)
The Marine Section of the Society for Conservation Biology will be hosting its first stand-alone meeting, the International Marine Conservation Congress from 20-24 May 2009 at George Mason University near Washington D.C. This will be an interdisciplinary meeting that will engage natural and social scientists, managers, policy-makers, and the public.
1st Call for symposia and workshops: 1 April - 1 June 2008, decisions by 15 July 2008. Further information on submitting papers: http://www.conbio.org/IMCC ; E: IMCCprogram@conbio.org
Back to Contents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
View full calendar of events on MCCN website:Workshops, Conferences and Events
**********************************************************************************************************
DISCLAIMER
The views and opinions expressed in Wetstuff-News are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Australian Government, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, or the Minister for Climate Change and Water.
While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that the contents are factually correct, the Commonwealth does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the contents, and shall not be liable for any loss or damage that may be occasioned directly or indirectly through the use of, or reliance on, the contents of this publication.
All material in Wetstuff-News may be reprinted unless it has been sourced from an unidentified publication whereby no reprint is authorised except by permission from the source publishers.
News articles are posted as a free community service for the purposes of non-commercial education, research, study review and news reporting, and are archived for reference of students and researchers as a 'fair dealing' activity under Australian Copyright Law.
Marine Coastal Community Network (MCCN) is a national, not-for-profit Network that facilitates government, industry & community involvement in marine and coastal conservation and sustainability initiatives. Marine Coastal Community Network is supported by the Australian Government.
Wetstuff-News is compiled by Anne Briggs for Marine Coastal Community Network.
Anne Briggs
Marine Coastal Community Network
PO Box 709
Spit Junction NSW 2088
Australia
E: anne@mccn.org.au
W: http://www.mccn.org.au
Supported by the Australian Government 