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Wetstuff News 9 April 2008
IN THIS EDITION:
MARINE AND COASTAL LEGISLATION, POLICY AND PLANNING
1. Network of marine reserves planned for UK coastline (UK)
NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
2. Wong outlines long-term water goals (Australia)
3. Teeming river to dust bowl (Australia)
4. We put it there, so let's go first in cleaning up (Australia)
MARINE PROTECTED AREAS
5. Marine Parks not working: fishermen's assoc (Australia)
6. Development of a Second Management Plan for the Macquarie Island Commonwealth Marine Reserve (Australia)
FISHERIES
7. Open Arctic waters means new fisheries (Alaska)
8. US mulls Pacific salmon fishing ban (USA)
AQUACULTURE
9. Cleaning up Golden Bay (New Zealand)
10. Tas aquaculture industry blows its own trumpeter over breeding success (Australia)
11. Canada and Chile to co-operate on aquaculture development (Chile)
CLIMATE CHANGE
12. Nobel Scientist Issues Warning On Global Warming (USA)
13. Global Warming Heats Up Urgency Of Salmon Recovery Efforts (USA)
14. Aust Pacific refugees policy 'inhumane' (Australia)
15. Canadian Researchers Warn Of New Arctic Worries (Canada)
16. Climate Changing Gas Is Coming From Some Surprising Microbial Liaisons (UK)
17. Inuits losing lives to climate change, conference hears (Australia)
18. Coral reefs and climate change: Microbes could be the key to coral death (UK)
19. Oceans heat up unevenly (International)
COASTAL DEVELOPMENT
20. Darwin Harbour our only NT option: Inpex (Australia)
MARINE & COASTAL INVASIVE SPECIES
21. Scientists fear new pest threat (Australia)
22. NZ: Fresh water a cure for mussel industry pest (New Zealand)
MARINE SPECIES
23. Lungless frog back on map (Borneo)
24. Navy sonar blamed for death of beaked whales found washed up in the Hebrides (UK)
25. Sea horses warm to cleaned-up Thames (UK)
26. Hammerhead Shark Superhighway (USA)
27. Minke headcount cut back by half (Japan)
28. Protection For Polar Bears Urged By National Wildlife Federation (USA)
29. King Penguins Threatened By Global Warming (France)
30. Researchers To Develop Ocean Sanctuary 'Noise Budget' To Evaluate Potential Impact On Marine Life (USA)
PETROLEUM AND MINERALS
31. Endangered whale’s home proposed for oil development (Alaska)
32. Oil Reserve Site Raises Ire, Bush Policy Tested (USA)
33. Shell Bullish On Chukchi Oil And Gas Potential (Alaska)
34. Nautilus unveils first seabed haul (Papua New Guinea)
SHIPPING & PORTS
35. UN Body To Slash Ship Fuel Pollution By 2015 (UK)
HERITAGE
36. Found: HMAS Sydney lifeboats (Australia)
BLUE ENERGY
37. World’s Largest Tidal Turbine Successfully Installed (Northern Ireland)
POLLUTION
38. Sydney's seaweed: dirtiest on Earth (Australia)
39. Sea breezes carry unhealthy whiff of ozone (USA)
40. Dead Zone Off Texas Coast Existed Since 1985 (USA)
RECREATION & TOURISM
41. Whale watching earns big dollars (Pacific)
RESEARCH
42. Some Of Our Oxygen Is Produced By Viruses Infecting Micro-organisms In The Oceans (International)
43. Marine lab uses CSI practices for conservation (USA)
44. Protecting marine bio-diversity (Canada)
45. New Species Of Fish Discovered That Would Rather Crawl Into Crevices Than Swim (USA)
46. Continents Loss Of Dense Matter To Oceans Helps Keep Continents Above The Mantle (International)
47. Fish "Eavesdropping" for Food Odours Connected to Global Climate Regulation (USA)
48. Awards recognise Aussie research (Australia)
49. Phytoplankton species deviates from norm: No CO2 absorbed in photosynthesis (USA)
50. Algae Could One Day Be Major Hydrogen Fuel Source (USA)
51. Viruses, oxygen and our green oceans (UK)
PUBLICATIONS & WEBSITES
52. Marine Science Review 254: Coral and coral reefs (International)
53. Increasing Capacity for Stewardship of Oceans and Coasts: A Priority for the 21st Century (USA)
54. NOAA Debuts "Nautical Charts" Multimedia Educational Tool (USA)
55. MCCN’s Blue Pages – A Marine & Coastal Contacts Directory for Australia’s Southern States (Australia)
56. MCCN’s WAVES Magazine Volume 14, Number 1 2008: Blue Green Energies & Ocean Technologies (International)
OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
57. Quarantine And Biosecurity Review – Submissions Close 28 April 2008 (Australia)
58. Inquiry into climate change and environmental impacts on coastal communities (Australia)
59. MCCN’s Coastal Survey 2008 (Australia)
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
60. Link up and learn (Australia)
AWARDS
61. 2008 Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Environmental Research (Australia)
62. World Environment Day Awards 2008 (Australia)
WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
63. Solutions to Coastal Disasters Conference (Hawai’i)
64. Join Project AWARE’s Dive for Earth Day 2008 (Australia)
CALL FOR PAPERS & ABSTRACTS
65. Littoral 2008 - A Changing Coast: Challenge the Environmental Policies (Europe)
66. Coastal Zone Asia-Pacific Conference (China)
67. International Marine Conservation Congress: call for papers (International)
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MARINE AND COASTAL LEGISLATION, POLICY AND PLANNING
1. Network of marine reserves planned for UK coastline (UK)
Abridged from: Guardian.co.uk
3 April 2008
Full text: http://www.guardian.co.uk
A network of new marine nature reserves that will protect endangered species and habitats along Britain's coastline are among plans included in the government's long-awaited draft marine bill. The network of marine conservation zones will have clear goals to ensure that some types of fishing, dredging or other forms of development do not damage protect habitats and species of national importance. The government has said it wants to see the zones in place by 2012, with varying levels of protection for individual sites.
Related articles:
http://www.independent.co.uk
http://www.fishupdate.com
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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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NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
2. Wong outlines long-term water goals (Australia)
Abridged from: The Australian
7 April 2008
Full text: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au
Water Minister Penny Wong has signalled the government's goal of moving beyond water restrictions in Australia with a long-term plan to tackle infrastructure....She has also announced changes to the rules for infrastructure programs seeking funding from the federal government’s $10 billion Murray-Darling water fund to ensure they will return water to the river for environmental purposes, not just increase irrigation efficiency. Instead, she predicted working with the states to introduce desalination alternatives and stormwater recycling could provide the solution.
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3. Teeming river to dust bowl (Australia)
Abridged from: The Australian
5 April 2008
Full text: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au
Time has not been kind to the people and landscapes of the Murray-Darling river system. Stories of crops not sown, fruit withering on vines and trees, creeks and wetlands drying, and fauna dying of starvation at the banks of stagnant water sources are as consistent along its reaches as they are eerily biblical. Water levels in the main channel and many of its beautiful, distinctly Australian anabranches are tragically low.
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4. We put it there, so let's go first in cleaning up (Australia)
Abridged from: The Age, Opinion piece by Peter Singer
3 April 2008
Full text: http://www.theage.com.au
It's time to apply ethics and fairness in the climate change crisis. In Australia, we know that water for irrigation is limited, and we are beginning to discuss how best to divide it up. Here's one way of doing it: let those with the biggest pumps take as much as they want, never mind what that leaves for others. Not fair, you say? You're right. But then, why are we doing exactly this method of dividing up a scarce resource right now — not with water, but with the atmosphere? Perhaps because we're not used to thinking of the atmosphere as a scarce resource, we don't see how unfairly we are behaving...If the rule of law had the same clout internationally as it has within national borders, we would already be feeling the cost of breaking that promise.
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MARINE PROTECTED AREAS
5. Marine Parks not working: fishermen's assoc (Australia)
Abridged from: ABC News Online
7 April 2008
Full text: http://www.abc.net.au
The Queensland Seafood Industry Association says protected marine parks are not improving fish stocks for fishermen. Association vice-president Robin Hansen says fishermen are struggling with rising fuel costs and limited fishing areas. He says recent figures show the number of days fished in Queensland dropped by 38 per cent last year.
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6. Development of a Second Management Plan for the Macquarie Island Commonwealth Marine Reserve (Australia)
Abridged from: Australian Government, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts Website
March 2008
The Management Plan for the Macquarie Island Commonwealth Marine Reserve will expire on 25 September 2008. The Director of National Parks is about to begin development of a new Management Plan for the Reserve, which will be incorporated into the Management Plan for the South-east Commonwealth Marine Reserve Network. A review of the current Management Plan is underway and any recommendations will be used in the development of the new management arrangements for the Reserve.
Further information: http://www.environment.gov.au
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Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Marine Protected Areas
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FISHERIES
7. Open Arctic waters means new fisheries (Alaska)
Abridged from: Anchorage Daily News
5 April 2008
Full text: http://www.adn.com
For Arctic nations, one of the so-called "benefits" of global warming has been the promise of opening up new fisheries in a remote part of the world choked by ice much of the year. But many worry that the new territory is also an unregulated one, and that if the United States doesn't act in the next few years, rogue fishermen from other nations could begin plying areas north of the Bering Strait in the summer, looking for new, unexploited fisheries.
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8. US mulls Pacific salmon fishing ban (USA)
Abridged from: BBC News
3 April 2008
Full text: http://news.bbc.co.uk
The US government will decide next week whether to issue a complete season-long ban on salmon fishing off the Pacific coast of the US. The proposal comes in response to a drastic collapse in fish stocks. But fishermen's groups say it will devastate their industry and cost the local economy billions of dollars.
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Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Commercial and Recreational Fishing Impacts
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AQUACULTURE
9. Cleaning up Golden Bay (New Zealand)
Abridged from: press.co.nz
4 April 2008
Full text: http://www.stuff.co.nz
Co-operation between Collingwood's dairy and aquaculture industries is cleaning up catchment-borne contamination in north-west Golden Bay. Over the past five years, aquaculture farms and wild- catch areas offshore from the Aorere River have been closed for harvest numerous times because of high faecal contamination. Monitoring by the Marlborough Shellfish Quality Programme discovered that the contamination was coming from the increasing development of dairy farms and some ineffective septic tanks...
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10. Tas aquaculture industry blows its own trumpeter over breeding success (Australia)
Abridged from: ABC News Online
3 April 2008
Full text: http://www.abc.net.au
After decades of research and millions of dollars, Tasmania is closer to launching a new aquaculture industry, with the successful breeding of striped trumpeter. Scientists announced today that they had overcome several hurdles to artificially grow the fish to maturity in captivity. Several batches of fish are now the subject of aquaculture pen trials off southern Tasmania.
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11. Canada and Chile to co-operate on aquaculture development (Chile)
Abridged from: Fishupdate.com
1 April 2008
Full text: http://www.fishupdate.com
Canada and Chile have pledged to work together on sustainable aquaculture development... The Canada-Chile MOU will strengthen the two countries' commitment to sustainable aquaculture development. Through a joint committee on bilateral cooperation, this agreement commits Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Chile's Undersecretary for Fisheries to work collaboratively in areas of mutual interest on technical, scientific and economic issues.
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CLIMATE CHANGE
12. Nobel Scientist Issues Warning On Global Warming (USA)
Abridged from: Planet Ark
7 April 2008
Full text: http://www.planetark.com
The Nobel Prize-winning scientist who rang the first alarm bells over the ozone hole issued a warning about climate change, saying there could be "almost irreversible consequences" if the Earth warmed 2.5 degrees Celsius above what it ought to be. Molina told a panel discussion on climate change at an annual Inter-American Development Bank meeting that the increasing intensity of hurricanes was among the worrisome changes that scientists had linked to a rapid global warming trend over the past 30 years.
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13. Global Warming Heats Up Urgency Of Salmon Recovery Efforts (USA)
Abridged from: Science Daily
6 April 2008
Full text: http://www.sciencedaily.com
Federal efforts to recover endangered salmon on the Columbia and Snake rivers can no longer ignore global warming, which already has fundamentally changed the river and ocean habitats of salmon and steelhead, warns a new scientific review. The report, A Great Wave Rising, by former chief of fisheries for the state of Oregon Jim Martin and National Wildlife Federation global warming expert Patty Glick, is the latest to reaffirm that global warming’s effects are underway with worse changes to come.
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14. Aust Pacific refugees policy 'inhumane' (Australia)
Abridged from: ABC News Online
5 April 2008
Full text: http://www.abc.net.au
A climate change meeting has heard concerns the Australian Government is not doing enough to help small Pacific nations from rising sea levels. UN forum on Indigenous issues chairwoman Victoria Tauli-Corpuz says there is not enough international support for Pacific Islanders who may become refugees.
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15. Canadian Researchers Warn Of New Arctic Worries (Canada)
Abridged from: Planet Ark
4 April 2008
Full text: http://www.planetark.com
Canada's massive Mackenzie Delta is feeling the impact of climate change faster than expected and could foretell of problems elsewhere in the Arctic, a Canadian researcher said. Melting ocean ice is apparently allowing larger storm surges to flood into the delta in Canada's far north, a change that could have an impact on energy development plans for the region, said Lance Lesack, who has been tracking environmental changes in the region for more than a decade.
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16. Climate Changing Gas Is Coming From Some Surprising Microbial Liaisons (UK)
Abridged from: Science Daily
3 April 2008
Full text: http://www.sciencedaily.com
The climate changing gas dimethyl sulphide is being made by microbes at the rate of more than 200 million tonnes a year in the world's seas, scientists explained ...Some marine bacteria can break down this compound to release chemical energy, and dimethyl sulphide is given off as a by-product, with about 10% finding its way up into the atmosphere.
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17. Inuits losing lives to climate change, conference hears (Australia)
Abridged from: ABC News Online
3 April 2008
Full text: http://www.abc.net.au
An Indigenous member of the Inuit people has told a United Nations meeting how hunters have lost their lives because of the melting polar cap. Sixty-five delegates are in Darwin discussing how climate change is affecting Indigenous people world wide. Joe Morrison from the North Australian Indigenous Sea Management Alliance says the stories have been harrowing.
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18. Coral reefs and climate change: Microbes could be the key to coral death (UK)
Abridged from: Environmental News Network
2 April 2008
Full text: http://www.enn.com
Coral reefs could be dying out because of changes to the microbes that live in them just as much as from the direct rise in temperature caused by global warming, according to scientists. Tropical ecosystems are currently balanced on a climate change knife edge.
Related articles:
http://www.sciencedaily.com
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19. Oceans heat up unevenly (International)
Abridged from: environmentalresearchweb newswire
1 April 2008
Full text: http://environmentalresearchweb.org
Although the world's oceans are expected to warm up as a result of climate change, the way this happens will be more complex than first thought. So say researchers in the US and UK who have found that, while the North Atlantic Ocean has become warmer over the last 50 years, this change has not been uniform. Instead, the subpolar regions have cooled and tropical regions warmed, so masking the overall effects of anthropogenic warming.
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Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Climate Change
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COASTAL DEVELOPMENT
20. Darwin Harbour our only NT option: Inpex (Australia)
Abridged from: ABC News Online
7 April 2008
Full text: http://www.abc.net.au
The (NT) Chief Minister says the Japanese gas company Inpex has told him Middle Arm in Darwin Harbour is the only Territory site it will consider for the construction of a $12 billion liquefied natural gas plant. The Territory Government is tussling with the Western Australian Government to attract the Inpex investment, but concedes the Marret Islands in the Kimberley region are still the preferred site.
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Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Coastal Development
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MARINE & COASTAL INVASIVE SPECIES
21. Scientists fear new pest threat (Australia)
Abridged from: ABC News Online
6 April 2008
Full text: http://www.abc.net.au
DNA tests are expected to confirm another Japanese seaweed pest is spreading along Tasmania's east coast, from Bicheno to the Tasman Peninsula. It is suspected the foreign red algae, like the seaweed Undaria and the Northern Pacific Sea Stars arrived in Tasmania via ballast water from international ships. A team of divers has been collecting samples of what they suspect is the pest seaweed grateloupia turu turu.
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22. NZ: Fresh water a cure for mussel industry pest (New Zealand)
Abridged from: Fish farmer
2 April 2008
Full text: http://www.fishfarmer-magazine.com
A sea squirt that threatens New Zealand’s mussel industry may be stopped by a simple and environmentally safe treatment – fresh water – developed by biosecurity scientists at Cawthron in Nelson. Didemnum vexillum is a spongey textured, light mustard coloured marine organism originally brought to New Zealand on the hull of a steel logging barge from the Philippines. It thrives on underwater surfaces like wharf piles, boat bottoms, mussel lines and salmon cages. When a mussel line is smothered by the pest, the shellfish are eventually dragged off the ropes and onto the seafloor.
Related articles:
http://www.thefishsite.com
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MARINE SPECIES
23. Lungless frog back on map (Borneo)
Abridged from: The Australian
8 April 2008
Full text: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au
Scientists in Borneo have discovered a lungless frog that breathes through its skin - a species thought to have been extinct for 30 years. A research team, led by National University of Singapore biologist David Bickford, discovered the frog, Barboroula kalimantanensis, in western Kalimantan in August. The tiny amphibian, which has an average length of less than 40mm and weighs about 6.5g, lives in cold, fast-flowing water and breathes through its skin.
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24. Navy sonar blamed for death of beaked whales found washed up in the Hebrides (UK)
Abridged from: Independent.co.uk
7 April 2008
Full text: http://www.independent.co.uk
Anti-submarine sonar may have killed a group of whales found dead in the Hebrides in one of Britain's most unusual strandings, scientists believe. Five Cuvier's beaked whales, a species rarely seen in British waters, were discovered on beaches in the Western Isles on succeeding days in February. Another animal from a related species was discovered at the same time. Experts consider such a multiple stranding to be highly abnormal.
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25. Sea horses warm to cleaned-up Thames (UK)
Abridged from: The Australian
7 April 2008
Full text: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au
For 18 months it has been a closely guarded secret. Sea horses, the exotic creatures from tropical waters, are alive and well in the Thames estuary. The creature once fabled to pull Neptune's chariot can do the same in Old Father Thames, now the river's water is clean. The Zoological Society of London discovered the sea horse colony in 2006 but kept quiet until legislation could be enacted to protect them.
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26. Hammerhead Shark Superhighway (USA)
Abridged from: abc News
4 April 2008
Full text: http://www.abcnews.go.com
A scientist hoping to save hammerhead sharks from extinction is leading a team of researchers who are tracking the fish underwater, hoping to prove the existence of a shark superhighway. These unusual creatures, known for their oddly shaped heads that aid in navigating and finding food, were once plentiful in the world's oceans. Today their numbers have been decimated by fishermen. For the past three decades Dr. Peter Klimley, a marine biologist at the University of California-Davis, has been studying hammerheads in the Pacific Ocean.
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27. Minke headcount cut back by half (Japan)
Abridged from: The Australian
3 April 2008
Full text: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au
The world population of the Antarctic minke whale, the main species hunted by the Japanese, is half what it was thought to be, after a more accurate analysis of the survey numbers. The new estimate from the International Whaling Commission emerged yesterday after Japan accused Australia of hypocrisy for opposing its whaling while condoning the hunting of dugongs by Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research claimed on Tuesday that the Japanese whaling program was more sustainable than Australia's harvest of dugongs.
Related articles:
http://www.smh.com.au
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au
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28. Protection For Polar Bears Urged By National Wildlife Federation (USA)
Abridged from: Science Daily
3 April 2008
Full text: http://www.sciencedaily.com
At a hearing on Capitol Hill April 2, the National Wildlife Federation urged immediate action to protect America’s polar bears from the impacts of climate change by listing polar bears under the Endangered Species Act.
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29. King Penguins Threatened By Global Warming (France)
Abridged from: Science Daily
2 April 2008
Full text: http://www.sciencedaily.com
Warming of the sea surface by as little as several tenths of a degree can pose a serious threat to King penguins. This was shown in a new report by the team of Yvon Le Maho, CNRS senior researcher at the Institut pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC, CNRS / University of Strasbourg 1) and a member of the French Academy of Sciences. The researchers tracked more than 450 individual King penguins over nine years in their natural environment, within the Crozet Archipelago.
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30. Researchers To Develop Ocean Sanctuary 'Noise Budget' To Evaluate Potential Impact On Marine Life (USA)
Abridged from: Science Daily
1 April 2008
Full text: http://www.sciencedaily.com
Like sentinels at their posts, an array of buoys equipped with underwater microphones and other sensors will be on duty in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Massachusetts for the next 30 months, recording sounds from whales, fish, ships and other sources around the clock. NOAA marine mammal scientists will analyze the biological sounds to help develop a global monitoring network for ocean noise, an important step in effectively managing marine sanctuary resources and protecting endangered species like the North Atlantic right whale.
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Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Marine Species
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PETROLEUM AND MINERALS
31. Endangered whale’s home proposed for oil development (Alaska)
Abridged from: The Tundra Drum
8 April 2008
Full text: http://thetundradrums.com
The Bush Administration today took the first step toward opening up 5.6 million acres in the Bering Sea off Alaska to oil and gas leasing. The proposal, published in today’s Federal Register by the Department of Interior’s Minerals Management Service, would allow oil development in an area north of the Aleutian Islands near Bristol Bay that has been designated critical habitat for the North Pacific right whale, according to a written statement from the Center for Biological Diversity.
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32. Oil Reserve Site Raises Ire, Bush Policy Tested (USA)
Abridged from: Planet Ark
7 April 2008
Full text: http://www.planetark.com
The Bush administration says it favours "environmentally friendly" energy development, but that policy is under attack in a Mississippi town where residents worry a planned emergency oil reserve may drain a river, destroy wetlands and harm Gulf of Mexico fishing areas.
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33. Shell Bullish On Chukchi Oil And Gas Potential (Alaska)
Abridged from: Planet Ark
7 April 2008
Full text: http://www.planetark.com
Alaska's Chukchi Sea, the remote region separating North America's northwestern tip from northeastern Siberia, is one of the "potentially most prolific oil fields" left in the world and could ultimately compare to the Gulf of Mexico as a source of domestic energy, a Shell official said Friday.
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34. Nautilus unveils first seabed haul (Papua New Guinea)
Abridged from: Islands Business
3 April 2008
Full text: http://www.islandsbusiness.com
The sample of mineral ore extracted from the seabed of Bismarck Sea symbolizes the start of what may become a new global industry – offshore mining of copper, gold and zinc, reports The National. This was declared yesterday by Nautilus chief executive David Heydon. Historically, the country will be the first country to have the first sub-sea gold and copper mine in the world, and this could set the pace for further undersea exploration for mineral deposits all over the world, he said.
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SHIPPING AND PORTS
35. UN Body To Slash Ship Fuel Pollution By 2015 (UK)
Abridged from: Planet Ark
7 April 2008
Full text: http://www.planetark.com
The world's top maritime body agreed tough new limits on ship fuel pollutants at a week-long meeting that ended on Friday, an industry source said. The United Nations' International Maritime Organisation (IMO) measures will sharply curb harmful sulphur emissions by 2015.
The ambitious targets, will likely cost the oil and ship industry billions of dollars to implement. They are also set to raise the price of some fuels as the industry switches to cleaner-burning distillates, industry experts say. A key part of the legislation, approved by the IMO, relates to the tightening of harmful sulphur dioxide emissions.
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HERITAGE
36. Found: HMAS Sydney lifeboats (Australia)
Abridged from: ABC News Online
7 April 2008
Full text: http://www.abc.net.au
HMAS Sydney was destroyed in a gun battle with the German raider Kormoran on November 19, 1941 with the loss of all 645 crew. Last week, the Finding Sydney Foundation released the first photographs of the wreck lying on the bottom of the Indian Ocean almost 2.5 kilometres below the surface. Photographs released today show some of HMAS Sydney's lifeboats lying on the bottom of the ocean not far from the wreck. The curator of Maritime Archaeology at the West Australian Museum Michael McCarthy says the photographs are striking. "To me, seeing the frames and the remaining ghostly strakes of planking on the carvel vessels was one of the most striking images of my archaeological career", he said.
Related articles:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au
http://www.abc.net.au
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BLUE ENERGY
37. World’s Largest Tidal Turbine Successfully Installed (Northern Ireland)
Abridged from: Environmental News Network
8 April 2008
Full text: http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/34319
The world’s largest tidal turbine, weighing 1000 tonnes, has been installed in Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough. The tidal turbine is rated at 1.2 megawatts, which is enough to power a thousand local homes. It was built by Marine Current Turbines, and it will be the first commercial tidal turbine to produce energy, when it begins operation later this year. The turbine will be positioned 400 meters off of shoreline in Strangford Lough, which is known for its fast tidal current, and protection from severe weather.
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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
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POLLUTION
38. Sydney's seaweed: dirtiest on Earth (Australia)
Abridged from: Science Alerts, University of NSW
9 April 2008
Full text: http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20080904-17164-2.html
Contaminated seaweeds in Sydney Harbour could be threatening the small animals that feed on them, according to UNSW research revealing that the harbour's seaweeds have the world's highest levels of copper and lead contamination. Up to 75 per cent of the offspring of small crustaceans that feed on a common brown seaweed, for example, are killed when they are exposed to copper at levels found in some parts of the harbour, UNSW laboratory and field experiments have shown.
Further information: http://www.unsw.edu.au
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39. Sea breezes carry unhealthy whiff of ozone (USA)
Abridged from: New Scientist
7 April 2008
Full text: http://environment.newscientist.com
Bracing seaside air may not be so healthy after all. The mix of sea salt, ship fumes and city smoke leads to a chemical reaction that encourages the formation of ozone smog. A team led by James Roberts, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Earth System Research Laboratory, has developed a new mass spectrometer capable of measuring nitryl chloride a chemical that encourages the formation of ozone. This compound is created when nitrogen oxides – from ship exhausts and city smoke – mix with aerosol particles containing chloride, such as sea salt spray.
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40. Dead Zone Off Texas Coast Existed Since 1985 (USA)
Abridged from: Science Daily
4 April 2008
Full text: http://www.sciencedaily.com
Researchers at Texas A&M University have confirmed for the first time that a "dead zone" has existed off the Texas coast for at least the past 23 years and will likely remain there, causing potential harmful effects to marine life in the area.
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RECREATION AND TOURISM
41. Whale watching earns big dollars (Pacific)
Abridged from: The Daily Telegraph
2 April 2008
Full text: http://www.news.com.au
Whale and dolphin watching is one of the fastest growing industries in the Pacific, injecting millions of dollars into local economies, a new report shows. The International Fund for Animal Welfare report shows whale watching is worth $23 million a year to small Pacific nations. The number of people in the region watching the marine mammals has jumped an average 45 per cent each year. The figures exclude Australian and New Zealand data, although earlier research showed about 1.6 million people watch whales and dolphins in Australia annually, in an industry worth about $273 million each year.
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RESEARCH
42. Some Of Our Oxygen Is Produced By Viruses Infecting Micro-organisms In The Oceans (International)
Abridged from: Science Daily
6 April 2008
Full text: http://www.sciencedaily.com
Some of the oxygen we breathe today is being produced because of viruses infecting micro-organisms in the world's oceans, scientists heard at the Society for General Microbiology's 162nd meeting. About half the world's oxygen is being produced by tiny photosynthesising creatures called phytoplankton in the major oceans. These organisms are also responsible for removing carbon dioxide from our atmosphere and locking it away in their bodies, which sink to the bottom of the ocean when they die, removing it forever and limiting global warming.
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43. Marine lab uses CSI practices for conservation (USA)
Abridged from: The Duke Chronicle
4 April 2008
Full text: http://media.www.dukechronicle.com
They go into restaurants under cover of darkness and take napkins covered in pieces of tuna steak. They examine the samples by microscope to check species. And if they find it is not tuna steak, a crime scene investigation ensues. Marine biologists are employing methods of forensic science for marine conservation, and some students studying at the Duke University Marine Laboratory will explore the field in a course titled "Marine CSI: Conservation Forensics in the Marine Environment."
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44. Protecting marine bio-diversity (Canada)
Abridged from: The Asian Pacific Post
3 April 2008
Full text: http://www.asianpacificpost.com
Turtles and dolphins ensnared in tuna nets are a grim reminder of the impact of fisheries on ocean biodiversity. Known in fisheries science as “bycatch,” this killing of non-target species is a complex problem that has resisted easy answers. One possible solution, pioneered by SFU associate professor of geography, Suzana Dragicevic, uses Geographic Information Systems and multi-criteria evaluation to both identify priority locations for protecting endangered species and accommodate satisfactory outcomes for diverse stakeholders.
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45. New Species Of Fish Discovered That Would Rather Crawl Into Crevices Than Swim (USA)
Abridged from: Science Daily
3 April 2008
Full text: http://www.sciencedaily.com
A fish that would rather crawl into crevices than swim, and that may be able to see in the same way that humans do, could represent an entirely unknown family of fishes, says a University of Washington fish expert. The fish, sighted in Indonesian waters off Ambon Island, has tan- and peach-colored zebra-striping, and rippling folds of skin that obscure its fins. The bodies of these fist-sized fish are soft and pliable enough to slip and slide into narrow crevices of coral reefs. It's probably part of the reason that they've typically gone unnoticed - until now.
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46. Continents Loss Of Dense Matter To Oceans Helps Keep Continents Above The Mantle (International)
Abridged from: Science Daily
3 April 2008
Full text: http://www.sciencedaily.com
New research suggests that the geological staying power of continents comes partly from their losing battle with the Earth's oceans over magnesium. The research finds continents lose more than 20 percent of their initial mass via chemical reactions involving the Earth's crust, water and atmosphere. Because much of the lost mass is dominated by magnesium and calcium, continents ultimately gain because the lighter, silicon-rich rock that's left behind is buoyed up by denser rock beneath the Earth's crust.
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47. Fish "Eavesdropping" for Food Odours Connected to Global Climate Regulation (USA)
Abridged from: Newswise.com
2 April 2008
Full text: http://www.newswise.com
Climate change may be predicted by fish who "eavesdrop" their way to healthy food sources using chemical cues given off by ocean organisms. This research, conducted by the University of North Carolina Wilmington assistant professor Sean Lema and collaborators, was published in the March edition of the journal Science.
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48. Awards recognise Aussie research (Australia)
Abridged from: SBS World News Australia
2 April 2008
Full text: http://news.sbs.com.au
Australia has been ranked among the top 10 nations in the world in terms of the contribution made by its researchers towards international scientific research. The nation's influence on international scientific research was recognised today, when 10 of the most respected researchers in the country were presented with citation awards...The recipients of the 2008 Thomson Scientific Citation Awards included Professor Terence Hughes, Marine and Freshwater Biology - James Cook University.
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49. Phytoplankton species deviates from norm: No CO2 absorbed in photosynthesis (USA)
Abridged from: Stanford University News Service
2 April 2008
Full text: http://news-service.stanford.edu
A widespread species of ocean-dwelling microorganisms has been found to employ a never-before-seen alternative method of photosynthesis. The discovery has implications not only for scientists' basic understanding of photosynthesis but also for the amount of carbon dioxide that phytoplankton pull from the atmosphere.
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50. Algae Could One Day Be Major Hydrogen Fuel Source (USA)
Abridged from: Environmental News Network
2 April 2008
Full text: http://www.enn.com
Scientists at U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory are answering that call by working to chemically manipulate algae for production of the next generation of renewable fuels — hydrogen gas. Some varieties of algae, a kind of unicellular plant, contain an enzyme called hydrogenase that can create small amounts of hydrogen gas...
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51. Viruses, oxygen and our green oceans (UK)
Abridged from: Environmental News Network
2 April 2008
full text: http://www.enn.com
Some of the oxygen we breathe today is being produced because of viruses infecting micro-organisms in the world’s oceans, scientists heard today at the Society for General Microbiology’s 162nd meeting being held this week at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. About half the world’s oxygen is being produced by tiny photosynthesising creatures called phytoplankton in the major oceans. These organisms are also responsible for removing carbon dioxide from our atmosphere and locking it away in their bodies, which sink to the bottom of the ocean when they die, removing it forever and limiting global warming.
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Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Marine and Coastal Research
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PUBLICATIONS & WEBSITES
52. Marine Science Review 254: Coral and coral reefs (International)
Full text: http://64.130.1.197
April 2008
This 11 page publication by Seaweb reviews the latest marine science literature on coral and coral reefs.
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53. Increasing Capacity for Stewardship of Oceans and Coasts: A Priority for the 21st Century (USA)
Abridged from: The National Academies Press, Website
April 2008
Full text: http://www.nap.edu
Marine environments support the livelihoods, economies, and quality of life for communities around the world. But growth of coastal populations and increasing demands on marine resources are putting the future of ocean and coastal resources at risk through impacts such as overfishing, wetland drainage, climate change, and pollution of coastal waters. Given these demands, it is vital to build capacity-the people, the institutions, and technology and tools-needed to manage ocean resources. This book finds that the most successful capacity-building efforts meet the needs of a specific locale or region based on periodic assessments and include plans to maintain and expand capacity after the project ends.
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54. NOAA Debuts "Nautical Charts" Multimedia Educational Tool (USA)
Abridged from: GISuser.com
7 April 2008
Full text: http://www.gisuser.com
NOAA's National Ocean Service has launched a new multimedia primary school educational program - Nautical Charts. Designed in cooperation with NOAA's Office of Coast Survey for primary school students in the third through fifth grade level.
Further information:
View NOAA Ocean Service Education online: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov
View Nautical Charts education online: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov.
View Seafloor Mapping education online: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov
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55. 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
56. MCCN’s 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
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OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
57. Quarantine And Biosecurity Review – Submissions Close 28 April 2008 (Australia)
Abridged from: Australian Government, The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
March 2008
The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke has announced a two-month extension for the wide-ranging independent review of Australia’s quarantine and biosecurity systems, following a request by the review head Roger Beale AO. Submissions to the review are now due by 28 April 2008 and the report will be submitted by 30 September 2008. Following public submissions, the review will hold targeted stakeholder meetings in state and territory capital cities.
Further information: http://www.quarantinebiosecurityreview.gov.au/ or T: 1800 196 192.
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58. 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.
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59. 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
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Interested in this topic? View MCCN’s website for more: Act Now
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EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
60. 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.
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AWARDS
61. 2008 Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Environmental Research (Australia)
Abridged from: Australian Museum Website
April 2008
Full text: http://www.amonline.net.au
Entries and nominations are invited for the Eureka Prize for Environmental Research, one of seven prizes dedicated to environmental issues in this year’s Australian Museum Eureka Prizes, Australia’s largest award scheme for research into critical environmental sustainability issues facing the country. This Eureka Prize is designed to highlight outstanding research being undertaken in Australia that addresses critical environmental issues, and the leading role often played by Australian research in identifying solutions to environmental problems and to the improvement of the environment. Entries close 2 May 2008
Further information: http://www.amonline.net.au or email eureka@austmus.gov.au
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62. 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.
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WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
COMING UP (April – May 2008)
63. 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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64. 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
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CALL FOR PAPERS & ABSTRACTS
65. Littoral 2008 - A Changing Coast: Challenge the Environmental Policies (Europe)
Held in Venice, Italy, 25-28 November 2008. Abstract submission due: 28 April 2008
Further information: http://www.littoral2008.corila.it or contact: littoral2008@corila.it
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66. Coastal Zone Asia-Pacific Conference (China)
http://www.czapa.org and now open for on-line abstract submission. The deadline for submission is 15 June 2008.
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67. 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
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View full calendar of events on MCCN website: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 Workshops, Conferences and Events
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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 