Turks And Caicos Bound

Things may be quiet around MBSL&S over the next few days. I leave early tomorrow morning for a week on Turks and Caicos as guest speaker at the 10th Annual Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development. I'll be participating on a panel that will focus on the need for coral reef protection and preservation. The goal is to provide recommendations on how the Caribbean can implement sustainable tourism policies for the economic and social benefit of the Caribbean people. I'm excited to participate as it's my first opportunity to see the reefs of Turks and Caicos first hand.

I'm not excited, however, by the news that the government of Turks and Caicos has plans for building a Dubai-style artificial island smack in the middle of the nation's largest marine protected area. As I wrote about last year, artificial island construction and sand dredging of this magnitude has profound and negative impacts on coral reefs and associated ecosystems. Fortunately, an injunction was put in place last week to temporarily halt the development. Hopefully my voice of caution will join those of other delegates and provide an opportunity for Turks and Caicos decision makers to reconsider their approach.

As an added bonus, I'll also get to kick-it for several days with David Suzuki, who will be delivering the keynote address for the conference. I had a chance to meet Dr. Suzuki a couple years ago at a Bay Area Conservation Biology Conference. He's a bit of a wise-ass in person and I hope to get a chance to chat him up over the course of a few days.

Oh, and don't forget you can still get your coral fix this week by tuning in to the boys over at Deep Sea News for Coral Week. They plan to dedicate posts all week on all sorts of cool coral science and conservation. I suspect we'll hear about everything from stony coastal coral reefs to amazing deep sea coral communities. And I can pretty much guarantee that the words "sperm cloud" will be on everyone's lips following coral week! Expect Craig, Peter, and Kevin as well as a few guest bloggers to make for a great week. Hopefully I'll find that internet access isn't too scarce (or ridiculously expensive) and be able to join in on the fun.

Just In Time For The Weekend: The Science Blogging Drinking Game

What do you get when you combine science blog reading and drinking? You get the Science Blogging Drinking Game! Two great activities that taste great together.

Okay, so there are a lot of rules. And 30 minutes into the game it will quickly become more challenging to read. But once you get going you're sure to catch on. Malaria, Bedbugs, Sea Lice and Sunsets assumes no responsibility for absurd, lewd, crude, or otherwise gibberish blog posts or comments that result from playing the game. Oh, and liver damage is no laughing matter. Apologies to all the science bloggers not mentioned, but I decided to just take a random sample from my RSS reader.

Bottoms Up!

Take a drink if:
• Greg Laden writes fewer than four posts a day on Greg Laden's Blog (Chug if at least two posts have something to do with science)
• Pondering Pikaia features any down-home, deep-south, or Alabama reference
• Kevin drops the "F-bomb" on The Other 95% or Deep Sea News
• Mark Powell uses "IMO" anywhere on Blogfish (Chug if he uses "IMHO")
• PZ Myers uses the word "feculent" to disemvowel a critic or other annoying individual on Pharyngula
• Jason posts a Pucker and Bloat cartoon on Cephalopodcast
• Jim Lemire of from Archaea to Zeaxanthol links to The Other 95% (on second thought, Chug)
• Doug over on Gossamer Tapestry takes yet another vacation and blogs about it
• Bora describes or photographs a recent meal on A Blog Around the Clock
• Craig, Peter, or Kevin of DSN are seen in pictures with (or refer to) children or wives (Chug if seen in pictures with both)
• Chris Mooney posts a photo of himself on The Intersection
• Miriam Goldstein lapses into Yiddish anywhere on The Oyster Garter
• Bug Girl actually posts about bugs
• Karen uses the word "Blighty" in a post on The Beagle Project Blog
• The Brothers Bleiman post anything having to do with deli meats, bodily parasites, or animal automata on Zooillogix
• Cody grinds out more than two posts a month on 90% True
• Sheryl Kirshenbaum writes on any of the following at The Intersection: sea cucumbers, how lucky she is to blog with Chris Mooney, or Science Debate 2008 (Chug if she includes all three in a single post)
• Christopher lists less than two citations per post on Catalog of Organisms (Chug if he lists more that five citations per post)
• Jennifer mentions "Daniel Pauly" or a "smuck" of jellies anywhere on Shifting Baselines

Bonus Round
Chug if:
• Any blogger can top Kevin Zelnio for most ridiculous excuse
• Matt Nisbett posts a comment on Pharyngula
• PZ Myers posts a comment on Framing Science
• Any mention (in posts or comments) of PZ's "trophy wife"

Florida: Selling Crazy Since 1513

Florida has always seemed to attract an abundance of crazy. It all started in the 16th Century with Ponce de León roaming about in full armor in stifling Florida heat looking for the Fountain of Youth, a legendary spring that reputedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks of its waters. And 500 years later, crazy is still going strong.

Case in point. A bill that passed the Florida Senate this week would allow public school teachers to challenge evolution with "scientific information." Called the "Evolution Academic Freedom Act,'' the measure would prohibit school officials from punishing teachers who offer opposing views (such as intelligent design), but the bill loosely defines the permitted information to include "germane current facts'' and "data.'' All this despite the 2005 Dover Trial where a federal judge in Pennsylvania ruled intelligent design is a religious theory.

So here's just a short list of woo that's now fair game in Florida science classes under this call for academic freedom:

Apollo moon landing hoax accusations
Astrology
Biblical scientific foreknowledge
Creation biology
Creationist cosmologies
Flood geology
Modern geocentrism
Intelligent design
Crop circles
Crystal healing
Dianetics
Dogon people and Sirius B
Erich Von Däniken
Face on Mars
Homeopathy
Immanuel Velikovsky
Lunar effect
Paranormal (Channeling, Dowsing, Electronic voice phenomenon, ESP, Levitation, Materialization, Psychic surgery, Séances, Psychokinesis, Spiritualism, Therapeutic touch)
Perpetual motion
UFOs
The Bermuda Triangle
Tutankhamun's curse
Graphology
Phrenology
Primal therapy
Subliminal perception
Quantum mysticism
Biorhythms
Faith healing
Hypnosis
Iridology
Magnetic therapy
Scientific racism
Feng shui
Reincarnation
Shroud of Turin
Zero-point energy
Kirlian photography

Bravo, Florida. Way to punish your children.

I Smell A Rat: CNMI Rejects Marine Monument

According to Angelo Villagomez over at The Saipan Blog, the CNMI Legislature today adopted a resolution opposing the proposed Northern Islands Marine National Monument.

Why? The seeds of fear have been sown.

Fear #1: Loss of Local Control
The resolution states that the CNMI “fervently opposes the transfer of any form of marine resource management authority over CNMI waters” to any federal agency. This is a misplaced fear. "Control" of a monument is not an either/or proposition. Similar marine monuments (such as the newly created Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii) incorporate collaborative management structures that combine local, federal, and indigenous interests.

This sort of hybrid structure promotes active and creative management possibilities. Federal heavy-handedness might be the expected outcome, however, if local jurisdictions can't get their act together sufficiently to manage their own resources. From everything I can see from my vantage point here on the mainland, it doesn't seem like that should be a worry. It seems as though there's an outpouring of interest from local stakeholders to play a role in the proposed monument oversight, design, and management.

Fear #2: Loss of Mining Rights
Lawmakers expressed concern that the designation would prevent fishing and mining activities within the 115,000 square-mile area that is being eyed for the proposed monument. Such restriction, they said, may conflict with the commonwealth's bid in establishing its own fishery and mining industries.

The Marianas Trough, as a back-arc basin, is indeed a likely candidate site for seafloor massive sulphide (SMS) deposit extraction--a deep sea mining process to isolate copper, gold, zinc and silver ore from from dormant vent systems. Despite copious assurances of minimal environmental disturbance from mining front-runner Nautilus Minerals (nicely summarized by Craig at Deep Sea News), not all scientists are convinced. A number of prominent scientists, including Rod Fujita of Environmental Defense thinks a full tally of risks has not been conducted, "[Nautilus] is rushing into this without studying the impacts. That was forgivable 100 years ago. It’s not now."

Why would CNMI legislators pass on protection and the ongoing benefits derived from potential tourism as a result of a world-class marine protected area in favor of limited local revenue potential from resource extraction? Once extracted, minerals are gone. Where's the vision for a future revenue stream? If Nautilus is preparing to compensate CNMI in advance for mining rights and securitize their environmental clean-up costs (again in advance) then that's a different story. But I don't see that deal on the table.

Fear #3: Loss of Fishing Rights
Angelo has already pointed out on his blog that at present, fishing activity within the proposed monument is a non-issue. Within the proposed marine park, the closest island to Saipan is over 300 miles away. As Ignacio Cabrera (with the Marianas Resource Conservation and Development Council) indicated in his letter of support for the monument, "Most Chamorros and Carolinians are not going there regularly to fish. It is too far, too dangerous, and gas is just too expensive. The only boats fishing there are illegal fishing boats from other Asian countries. The increased enforcement that would follow the creation of the park would help deter the illegal taking of our fish."

Curiously, Angelo mentions an interesting detail from one of his recent marine monument public awareness presentations,

A gentleman from Hawaii named Phil Westbrook was there. He got pretty heated when I talked about the sunset clause for the existing 8 vessels and how those boats were going to be bought out at the end of five years. He argued that he had lobster fisherman friends who didn't get paid when the monument was created, but I pointed out that the lobster fishery was closed years before by court order. The fishery was mismanaged by WESPAC and there are no more lobster.

He told me I was wrong. I told him I'd look it up. I was right.

I don't know Mr Westbrook. Maybe he was on Saipan visiting family or on holiday. But I do find it curious that a Hawaii resident found himself at a Saipan public discussion of marine protected areas and managed to turn the conversation into a "loss of fishing rights" argument. Sounds suspiciously like the standard operating procedure of WESPAC to drop a provocateur into a public forum to foment fear and shift the issue to loss of indigenous rights.

WESPAC is a powerful and influential fishing rights lobbying group. But their track record tells a long story of conflict of interest that looks (to these eyes) like emphasizing profit over sustainable resource management. A big problem with most US fisheries management bodies (like WESPAC) is that council members often have a direct financial interest in the fisheries that they manage and regulate. In 2003, WESPAC decided to reopen lucrative swordfishing in Hawaiian waters through which endangered leatherback turtles migrate. Biologists warned the council the longline fishing would kill approximately 144 sea turtles per year, but the council voted 8-5 to reopen the fishery. The vote lead to allegations of violations of the Endangered Species Act.

Last February, WESPAC came under Congressional investigation by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform as a result of allegations made by several Hawaiian nonprofit organizations in June 2007 regarding the inappropriate use of government funds and unethical conduct by WESPAC personnel.

Fear #4: Lack of Community Support
This one I just don't get and I have to wonder if CNMI legislators have their heads in the sand or just have a bad case of "island tunnel-vision." The Saipan Tribune reports that lawmakers said "CNMI citizens have not and would not formally endorse the proposal until more information is gathered and considered." Fair enough, but where did the lawmakers get this impression?

Again, I'm 3000 miles away but what I've read in the press and in online discussions is overwhelming support and excitement for the marine monument. An informal blog poll among the very active Saipan blogging community demonstrated a landslide support for the monument. Of course there are a lot of fine print details and financing that needs to be examined, but where is the groundswell of public rejection? Am I missing something here?

CNMI is currently experiencing a lot of financial uncertainty. I can understand caution on the part of elected officials against rushing head-first into a potentially challenging proposition such as establishing a marine monument. Visions of Music Man's "Professor" Harold Hill selling River City on a 76-trombone band come to mind (or for Simpsons' fans, buying-into the hype of a monorail.)

But we're not talking about a pie-in-the-sky, unproven approach here. It's an ambitious vision based on already working exemplars. Consultants and expertise are just neighbor island groups away. And it creates a tangible, realistic, and inspirational goal for stakeholders--young and old, elected and electorate--to rally around.

It appears to me that the CNMI legislature has a priori decided against a monument. A Mariana Trench "National Park of the Sea" could have been a forward-reaching gift to CNMI's future generations--as a source of cultural pride, cultural identity, and environmental leadership within Micronesia and the United States. Unfortunately, it seems fear managed to edge-out reason.

Craig Broke The Boat?

On my way to work today aboard the ferry, I noticed the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute's (MBARI) research vessel, the R/V Western Flyer, in drydock at the Alameda ship yard. Again. I think this ship hits drydock about half a dozen times a year. Those MBARI folks play with their toys hard.

According to the MBARI website, the Western Flyer serves the oceanographic community as a stable platform for deploying, operating, and recovering a tethered remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to a depth of 4,000 meters, and other oceanographic activities with state-of-the-art equipment.

From friends of mine who have conducted research in the Monterey Bay Submarine Canyon aboard her, I also understand that the Western Flyer is a notorious vomit inducer. Any first hand, memorable experience worth sharing, Craig? Is the vessel in drydock for a hose down?

Dear Wal-Mart...

Remember these things in the picture to the left? They're packages of fish food sold throughout the Hawaiian Islands (and elsewhere) so snorkelers along coastal reefs can attract clouds of colorful fish. Problem is they not only attract fish, but also distract fish, especially grazing fish that play an important role in controlling algal growth on reefs. Fed fish are also aggressive fish and bathers and snorkelers are increasingly subjected to painful bites. A few months ago I wrote about how CORAL and our Hawaii-based partners have been working on a variety of fronts to educate tourists and local tourism businesses against fish feeding.

But now we're working another part of the supply chain. Wal-Mart's and Longs Drugs are two of the largest retail chains throughout Hawaii that sell fish food. We're targeting store managers and buyers with environmental messaging in an effort to convince them to remove fish food from store shelves. We plan to approach corporate level decision makers with the evidence of environmental disturbances from fish feeding as well as messages from local Hawaiian communities who want to preserve a natural reef experience where visitors treat the marine environment with respect. We've got an opportunity with 2008 as International Year of the Reef to help these retailers to do the right thing and position themselves as leaders.

CORAL Hawaii Field Manager Liz Foote was in Lahaina town all day conducting a series of meetings to begin the process of collecting community feedback. Here's a sample of some of the effort. Great work, folks!

Who Ya Gonna Call? FishPhone!

Need instant seafood sustainability info but can't be bothered to carry around a card or other such reference? Well now there's FishPhone: a high tech way to get the information you need right away. Dial 30644 on your mobile phone and to this text the word "FISH" (all caps), followed by the name of the species in question.

Thanks to the Blue Ocean Institute, FishPhone instantly replies with details on the fish's origin, scarcity, and sustainability.

365 Earth Days Each Year

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtfully committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead

Get Ready For EarthCast 2008

I'm enjoying a much needed couple days of R&R, but thought I'd raise my head long enough to remind readers of the Earth Day webcast I'll be participating in tomorrow, Earth Day, April 22, 2008. The full 24 hour schedule can be found here. The segment in which I'll be participating starts at 3:00 PM Pacific Time.

I'll be joining Jason Robertshaw of Cephalopodcast, Karen James of the The Beagle Project Blog, and Kevin Zelnio of Deep Sea News/The Other 95% for an hour of ocean-focused chatter. join in and listen or better yet, log in and be a part of the discussion.

102 Years Since The Great Quake

Today, April 18, marks the 102nd anniversary of the 1906 earthquake that nearly wiped San Francisco off the map. At approximately 5:12 AM on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, an estimated magnitude 7.8 quake shook The City for 45 to 60 seconds. The total related death toll as a result of the quake was approximately 3000 lives with more that 20,000 people left homeless or displaced.

In what has now become a tradition in The City, 1906 earthquake survivors and SF natives have gathered at Lotta's Fountain on Market Street to commemorate the quake and remember the incredible loss as well as the San Francisco spirit of renewal. The fountain, which amazingly still flowed after the quake, was one of the few sources of drinkable water and became a meeting place for quake survivors in the days following the devastation. I've been wanting to be a part of this tradition since moving to San Francisco almost 11 years ago. But 5AM is early, ya know?

Well, I read that the attending survivor list has now dwindled to but a single amazing individual. Herb Hamrol of Daly City is 105 years old, yet still works part time stocking shelves at a San Francisco supermarket. If a 105 year old survivor can get himself out of bed, then surly I could. And I'm so glad I did.

105 year-old Herb Hamrol in his police escorted Rolls Royce
I joined Mayor Gavin Newsom (how can anyone look this good so early?), Herb, The City's fire, police, and disaster relief chiefs, the San Francisco Historical Society, and a crowd of about 100 other nuts enthusiasts to remember the past with a moment of silence. And like the crazy San Franciscans that we are, we all burst into a rousing (well, sort of) rendition of the tune San Francisco.

It only takes a tiny corner of
This great big world to make a place you love
My home up on the hill
I find I love you still
I've been away, but now I'm back to tell you:

San Francisco, open your golden gate
You let no stranger wait outside your door
San Francisco, here is your wandering one
Saying "I'll wander no more"

Other places only make me love you best
Tell me you're the heart of all the golden west
San Francisco, welcome me home again
I'm coming home to go roaming no more

Honu Hideout

I know I post a lot of images from our Hawaii project sites, but what can I say... I love the islands! Here's a great pic CORAL Hawaii Field Manager Liz Foote just sent me from a dive last week at Molokini with one of our major donors. It's three Honu or Green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) resting on a sunken fishing boat.

The divemaster on this trip was Pauline Fiene of Mike Severns Diving. You can't do much better than Pauline as a guide and naturalist, so if you are looking for a great experience in the waters of Maui be sure to look her up.

A Little Perspective On The Bikini Atoll/Flourishing Coral News

I've written here before about past atomic testing in the Marshall Islands and US plans to continue military testing well into the future there. But some recent news from the Marshall's is getting a lot of attention. Practically every major news outlet is carrying the story that 54 years after the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated by the United States on Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, scientists have discovered lush coral colonies flourishing in the blast crater.

Researchers from Australia's ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, half-expecting to find a desolate, radioactive wasteland, instead found "plenty of fish, corals and action going on, some really striking individual colonies." The scientists conducting the first comprehensive coral reef survey since the blast discovered some coral colonies up to 9 yards high and some with 12 inch-thick bases.

This is indeed remarkable news and testament to the ability of some natural systems to recover even under the most devastating of circumstances. But I've noticed that in many (if not most) of the online reports of this news, the full story has either been truncated--leaving the reader with the headline message that coral will recover from anything... even an atomic bomb--or important conditional details to the recovery have been buried at the very end. And these two, not insignificant, details are what has likely driven the ability for coral reefs to recolonize after the atomic assault.

Ecological Connectivity
As the researchers themselves have pointed out, Bikini Atoll did not repopulate itself. Following the series of atomic tests, most if not all of the life present within blast areas was effectively extirpated. So where did the new coral recruits come from? The team thinks that Rongelap Atoll is potentially seeding Bikini’s recovery, because it is the second largest atoll in the world with a huge amount of coral reef diversity and biomass and lies upstream from Bikini. So Bikini Atoll became the "sink" to a lot of Rongelap Atoll's "source."

Understanding this sort of connectivity in marine systems is critically important to resource managers, particularly in its application to establishing marine protected areas. As we now know, setting aside a threatened ecosystem as protected may be necessary, but not sufficient for its long term ecological livelihood. We need to also look to neighboring ecosystems for critical connections that are either exporting or importing resources.

Had Bikini Atoll not benefited from this sort of ecological connectivity from undamaged neighboring atolls, I suspect the researchers would indeed have found nothing but an empty rubble hole.

54 Years Without Human Activity
The second relevant detail that many of the news carriers seem to have ignored in documenting the Bikini Atoll recovery is that for the past 54 years, Bikini Atoll has remained undisturbed. Apart from occasional forays of illegal shark, tuna and Napoleon Wrasse fishing, the reef is almost completely unvisited. Divers who visit the Marshall islands dive on shipwrecks, like the USS Saratoga, and not on the reef near the blast sites. Certainly, the concern over residual radiation goes a long way in keeping people out. Interestingly, when researchers checked the ambient gamma radiation of Bikini Atoll, they found it to be comparable to the background radiation in an Australian city. Where they did discover high radiation levels, however, was in plant material such as coconuts which accumulates radioactive material from the soil.

So when humans can step back and not contribute reef stressors associated with their presence (destructive fishing, coastal development, recreation damage from anchors and coral breakage, etc.) reefs can recover from damage even in some of the most extreme circumstances. This isn't necessarily "news" to resource managers, as much of their time is spent devising effective methods of reducing or eliminating these direct human threats.

Not Just A Matter of Semantics
Finally, I take some issue with the use of the word "rebound" to describe the recovery in Bikini Atoll. Does a little over half-a-century constitute a rebound? As an evolutionary biologist, I appreciate the long view of earth time (or "deep time" to use a favorite John McPhee-ism). I realize that 50 years in the "big picture" is hardly a speck of dust in the geologic time scale. But as a conservationist, I fear that taking a sanguine approach to environmental damage as being acceptable when recovery can come in as little as 50 years is setting up a dangerous precedent.

While this study in no way suggests that 50 years is the average recovery time for coral reef systems, for the sake of argument let's just take the number as a baseline figure. I don't know about you, but 50 years is a good chunk of my life. How do you explain to a local coral reef community that has depended upon healthy reefs for their survival that their resource is now gone (due to atomic testing, dredging, development, climate change, whatever.) What does one do while waiting 50 years for recovery? Where does the food come from? Where is the coastal protection from storms? What about the close cultural connections many coral reef communities have established with their reefs?

For me, these and other questions remain unanswered, particularly if we convince ourselves to be comfortable with environmental recoveries that are measured in human life spans.

That's A Moray Monday: The Less Salty Edition

So there you are, relaxing in a refreshing freshwater stream after trekking through the verdant bush in some tropical coastal rainforest in Borneo. You're relaxed because you realize that you're "safe as houses" from the typical coastal marine nibblers, stingers, and biters--soaking, as you are, in freshwater a good kilometer from the ocean. You rest your tired back against a big rock in the clear, flowing stream and close your eyes for a quick nap--which is about when you feel the almost meter-long eel begin to snake its way up your pant leg.

Welcome to the territory of the Freshwater moray.

Freshwater moray
Gymnothorax polyuranodon

It may come as a surprise that some species of moray spend a majority of their time in freshwater. None of the alleged "freshwater" morays, however, are exclusively so. While G. polyuranodon can live in lotic or lentic (flowing or standing) freshwater, it can also be found in brackish and estuarine conditions as well.

The Freshwater moray is a facultatively catadromous species, meaning it reproduces in the sea but spends most of its life in fresh water. In this regard, the Freshwater moray is similar to its cousin the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) which is generally believed to spawn in the Sargasso Sea and then eventually migrate back to European streams and lakes. I won't get into the remarkable cellular and physiological dynamics involved in osmoregulation across such different aquatic habitats. Suffice to say your swollen ankles after eating a big plate of salty kahlua pork 'aint nothing compared to gill energetics moving from a freshwater stream to a hypersaline tropical lagoon.

Freshwater morays are found throughout the Indo-Pacific in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Borneo, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Fiji. They have also been reported in Micronesia in Palau, and as far south as Australia and New Caledonia. The species has been reported to attain a length of approximately 92.5 cm. The body is yellow in color with rust-brown to black spots, a bit like a leopard, along the length of the eel. The spectacular markings combined with its ability to live in freshwater makes the Freshwater moray particularly attractive to the home aquarium trade. As a result, the species is considered highly vulnerable to exploitation and local depletion throughout its range.

Perfect Climate Change Reading As California Sizzles

I noticed my SoCal ocean blogging colleague, Miriam of The Oyster's Garter, posted some "cool" reading as diversions to the fact that her surroundings are spontaneously igniting. From San Diego to San Francisco, California is in the grip of it's first heat wave. We don't usually start heating up in the Bay Area until about June, and then we have the midday fog to keep temperatures reasonable. But the past few days have seen the mercury soar.

I decided to jump ship and leave Manuel in the sweatbox of our loft in Oakland to escape to the slightly cooler sweatbox of my office in San Francisco. Temperatures here in The City reached mid 80's today. Which probably sounds mild to you, but keep in mind this is a rather amazing (and sudden) jump in temperature considering we were in turtlenecks and burning the furniture to keep warm just last Tuesday.

It all makes a news report from last week's Miami Herald all the more poignant. The article focuses on how Micronesian island nations--that have depended on tourism for their economic base--are now considering the ramifications of climate change-induced sea level rise. Many of the tropical islands across the Pacific depend heavily on island-hopping tourism. Scuba diving and snorkeling are the main draws, along with sportfishing. But now, islanders across Micronesia are considering the very real possibility that their island homes will either disappear or nor longer be suitable for habitation.

Tuvalu, for example, has an average elevation only about six feet above sea level. Numerous other island tourism destinations such as Palau, Yap, and Pohnpei are in the same predicament. As I reported here last year, Papua New Guinea's Carteret Islands have already begun the planning process of evacuating the first climate change refugees. But not so fast, commented the always perspicacious Anonymous in last year's post. It's not climate change... it's that the islands are tectonically sinking, stupid.

Denial is not just a river in Egypt. Oh, and incidentally, millions of Egyptians could be forced permanently from their homes and the country's ability to feed itself devastated with sea level rise as well.

MBSL&S Goes All Commercial

What's with big-ticket home appliances and oceans? I sure wish I had ads like this when I was a kid. All I had was creepy Mr. Whipple chasing housewives from the Charmin aisle.

Strangely Mesmerizing

Whirlpool, makers of washing machines, dishwashers and other kitchen and laundry appliances, has been working a surreal marine theme into it's recent run of commercials. The latest (promoting the Power Scour Dish Washer), depicts a virtual coral reef made out of dishes, cutlery, and miscellaneous kitchen implements. It's way cool and fascinating to a coral head like me. Did someone actually build this reef somewhere or is it all the wonder of CG?

Below is the 2007 washing machine commercial with "fish," "jellies," and washable "whales."

I Saw The Sign

CORAL Hawaii Field Manager Liz Foote just sent me these most awesome pictures of the first of several brand spankin' new educational signs we are installing along the Maui coast. A little over a year in concept planning, writing, design, and production, the signage is a much needed tool offering basic Hawaiian coral reef ecology, instruction in reef-safe snorkeling etiquette, and the importance of healthy reefs for Hawaii's economy and culture.

The first sign was installed at Wailea Beach, a popular Maui destination south of Kihei. More will be installed along South Maui, Maalaea, along the Ka'anapali Coast, and at Honolua Bay. By no means are these signs alone a silver bullet. But together with other layered messaging opportunities (TV spots, radio, newspaper, reminders from tourism providers, school curriculum, etc.) we hope to reach a saturation point where coral conservation IQ is raised in visitors and locals alike.

On Being Konohiki

Konohiki, the Hawaiian word for the protector of a given piece of land or ocean, is the appointed role and responsibility of the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). And according to new DLNR chairwoman Laura Thielen, it's a responsibility she plans on taking seriously.

Thielen is pushing for stiffer penalties for violating the environment. And while her responsibilities also include operating state parks (including marine protected areas) and supervising leases of state land, she's making it clear that protection of Hawaii's precious natural resources is front and center.

According to a report yesterday, Thielen wants to update the penalties for violating public property.

As it is, $500 fines are little or no deterrent for landowners who have the ability to buy million-dollar properties. It’s easy to imagine one of these landowners — more than likely a newcomer — thinking $500 was cheap for improving his view or enlarging his beachfront property even for a short time.

The bills in the Legislature increase maximum fines from $500 to $10,000 for illegally cutting trees on state land or putting in landscaping that intrudes on public beaches or grading state land. The penalty for taking commercially desirable trees such as koa from state conservation districts would also include the market value of the lumber.

Another bill would impose a $10,000 fine for every square meter of coral destroyed — little enough for destroying something that will take decades (or more) to recover.

With property in Hawaii selling well into seven figures, is a $10,000 fine still a wrist slap to fat cat developers or tourism operators with deep pockets? Hard to know for sure. I'm a big proponent of empowering groups, either local communities or businesses, to avoid top-down regulations through the implementation of voluntary best environmental practices. But having now spent a lot of time in Hawaii and gotten a taste of the somewhat "fast and loose" nature of resource use (and abuse), I think more meaningful fines can serve some deterrent value. And perhaps fines coupled with jail time can spur cavalier environmental attitudes towards greater responsibility to the broader community.

One of the loudest complaints I hear from Hawaiian stakeholders against regulations is that they're unnecessary since residents are already demonstrating leadership and environmentally responsible behavior. Fine. But if you're already doing the right thing, then the threat of fines shouldn't keep you up at night. Besides, while the state may have its responsibility as konohiki, local residents also have their own kuleana (privilege and responsibility) to do all they can to protect and preserve their Hawaiian environment and culture as well.

Olympic Torch Hospitalized

The Olympic Torch was hospitalized early today, after collapsing in a downtown San Francisco hotel.

Officials said the torch was suffering from nervous exhaustion and is expected to make a full recovery after undergoing what were described as "routine medical tests" to rule out any serious illness. A spokesman for the torch expressed thanks to all of the torch's fans for their support and love.

Many fans who had waited for several days for a glimpse of the torch had tears in their eyes. A 17-year-old from Walnut Creek, said: "I am so proud of the torch for seeking help. I would gladly give my life for the Olympic Torch. People can be so unkind and do not understand the enormous pressures the torch faces every day."

Torch spokepeople flatly rejected rumors that a Bic lighter would be substituted for the torch at its next public appearance. However, an Olympics public relations officer admitted that a solar-powered light-emitting diode (or "LED") had been contacted about a possible collaboration.

Hat tip to Tom for the humor.

Scenes From A Torch Protest

After being hidden in a waterfront warehouse, bused through downtown and carried on a surprise route through the Marina to evade protesters, the Olympic torch's wild journey through San Francisco is over. Closing ceremony was moved to the San Francisco International Airport. Thanks, taxpayers! Here's a few snaps, courtesy of Anja.

Torch Song

Today, the Olympic torch makes its only scheduled US stop right here in San Francisco and the city is bracing for high drama. Based on the demonstrations witnessed in the UK and France, city officials are taking no chances on any disruptions from human rights protesters. But when protest comes to San Francisco, it comes not in single spies but in battalions. There are the Free Tibet protesters, Falun Gong protesters, free trade in China protesters, free speech protesters, the protesters angry that the torch won't pass through Chinatown, protesters protesting that there's a protest, and more than likely protesters who aren't happy with the Olympic torch color scheme. This is San Francisco, we love our protests!

I've never seen so much security measures for a public City event before. Street barricades went up along the torch bearer's route this weekend and the final stopping point on the plaza near the Ferry Building has had gates, extra lighting, and 24 hour renta-guards patrolling. The City has announced it reserves the right to change the torch route at the last minute to dodge major protests. The police presence has also been bumped-up noticeably. Yesterday, a series of human rights protests in front of City Hall brought together city leaders, as well as human rights advocate Bishop Tutu. And you know no human rights protest is complete without Richard Gere in attendance. I'm sure that Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins would have been there if they could.

City life is thoroughly disrupted today with street closures and traffic detours. Public transit has been suspended on or near the torch route, cable cars have been cancelled today, and migrating water fowl are being asked to stay put until after the torch leaves the City.

I may try to check-out the scene later today. More later.

Every Day Is Earth Day, But April 22 Is EarthCast

I've been invited to reunite with my Real Time Blogging in the Ocean Sciences colleagues on Earth Day for what sounds like a really cool and different way to celebrate ocean science and conservation.

I'll be joining Jason Robertshaw of Cephalopodcast, Karen James of the The Beagle Project Blog, and Spineless McInvert Kevin Zelnio of Deep Sea News/The Other 95% for an hour of discussion, laughs, and miscellaneous ocean-loving chatter.

Check the schedule over at Jason's blog and join us for the online webcast. It's a great chance to connect a voice with our words. Join us and find out how I only speak in rhyming verse, how Karen typically affects a French accent, and Kevin is practically indistinguishable from Yoda. Oh, and Jason has been known to break into spontaneous song. It's certainly not to be missed.

How Is A Coral Reef Like A Coffee Table?

The above image is a picture of the coffee table in my office. It's also a picture of the couch that I sleep on all too often, but that's a story for another time. Notice the "snowflake" base to the table? It's the topic of a lot of discussion by visitors. It's an EcoReefs artificial reef module that was given to me a couple years ago by EcoReef founder (and fellow former UC Berkeley colleague) Michael Moore.

As you might surmise given the terrible state of coral reefs these days, artificial reefs are big news and could potentially become big business. While not technically illustrating an artificial reef, The Other 95% newbie Mike Haubrich recently wrote a post about the BioRock process of electro-accretion as a means of stimulating new coral growth. I'll withhold my comments on the BioRock process for this post, but suffice to say I wouldn't advise anyone cashing-out their 401K plans to invest in the process in the near future. Again, a story for another day.

The artificial reef landscape is studded with assorted ventures and approaches. There's everything from low tech rock or coral rubble mounds as reef growing surface to medium tech methods such as sinking old ships and wrecks or employing permanent artificial reef structures called Reef Balls to high tech approaches such as electro-mineral accretion. All have their strengths and limitations. Personally, I like working to keep natural reefs alive and healthy. But sometimes circumstances may call for more aggressive recovery methods. Such is the case with certain unsustainable fishing practices on coral reefs.

Dynamite fishing, or blast fishing, is a profound and widespread threat to coral reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific. Though generally illegal, it is practiced in more than thirty countries. The basic idea is that a small bottle (often a beer or Coka-Cola bottle) is filled with gunpowder, fitted with a fuse, lit, then dropped onto a shallow reef area. The resultant explosion stuns or kills fish and makes them easy to collect. I've been underwater in areas of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia and have heard the thud of bottle bombs igniting from miles away. I've also visited the blast sites from former fishing areas. Where once lush coral growth existed, only rubble and empty holes remain.

Blast fishing kills fish indiscriminately and pulverizes living coral to particle or grain-sized fragments. Repeated blasting creates vast deserts of loose coral rubble that shifts easily in current flow creating unsuitable settling surface for coral larvae. Lacking suitable habitat, reef fish quickly abandon a demolished reef and local fisheries collapse.

Large blasted areas are slow to recover because coral planula larvae have difficulty establishing on loose or sandy substrate. Young corals that successfully settle easily topple-over on the unstable substrate or quickly become smothered by sand or algae. Recent studies by Helen Fox and Roy Caldwell at UC Berkeley Dept. of Integrative Bio have referred to frequently blasted areas as “killing fields” for new coral recruits and indicate that if recovery is even possible it can take more than a century for a reef to rebound by natural means once the live coral cover has been destroyed.

Enter the EcoReefs approach. Founded in 2001, by Dr. Michael Moore, Ecoreefs are designed to be a large-scale, ecologically significant intervention for use in coral reef areas where the natural coral growth has suffered significant damage or loss, such as from dynamite fishing. EcoReefs are constructed out of a white ceramic, a lot like an unglazed toilet. About a meter across and weighing close to 50 pounds, their form was inspired by the shape of staghorn coral. The idea behind their development was to provide a non-reactive, stable, porous surface for larval coral to settle upon. Anchor enough of them in the loose rubble of a previously blasted areas, the theory goes, and a new reef will eventually take root on the welcoming arms of the EcoReef module.

So how are things working out? You have to see to believe. In one study site in the Indonesian marine protected area of Bunaken National Park, Moore and Seacology installed 620 EcoReef modules in an enormous array. Even at its earliest stage before coral or fish return, a large EcoReefs array is an impressive sight. The 3-dimensional modules immediately create complex reef-like habitat over large areas. And what I particularly love about Michael's approach is that it isn't just a swarm of scientists descending on a site to salvage the reef. Instead, he and Seacology engage local communities to take ownership in the reef rehabilitation. Sure, some of these folks may have also been responsible for the blast fishing in the first place. But for communities to reduce or eliminate unsustainable practices, conservationists have to be willing to engage them in a learning process.

Only a few weeks after being submerged, the white surfaces of the EcoReef modules darken with a film of diatoms and algae. Eventually, corraline red algae begins to grow across the surface. Within months, reef fish return to live among the branching arms of the modules. And in as little as two years, coral recruits and sponges can be seen growing on the module surfaces. One of the techniques used to jump-start growth on the EcoReefs is "coral transplants." Chunks of loose, living coral were physically attached to the EcoReefs with small plastic ties. Oddly, those transplant modules have done no better than the ones left to their own devices.




It's estimated that EcoReefs can shorten recovery times of heavily-blasted reefs to perhaps as little as 7 to 15 years. Natural recovery time for badly damaged coral reefs are long -- on the order of 50 to 100 years or more. While not that long in the scale of earth time, certainly a longer recovery process than most people will witness in their own lives.

Moore currently has EcoReefs arrays deployed throughout Indonesia and the Philippines (areas with some of the most intensive blast fishing activity). If the arrays continue to demonstrate encouraging results, their utility may spread to other areas where reefs have suffered large scale damage from human activity or even severe storm damage. Simply planting EcoReefs arrays alone, however, won't be enough. Artificial reefs, either sunken ships or EcoReefs modules, attract fish. And fish attract fishers. Effective marine resource management, including regulations and enforcement, is needed to ensure that long-term reef rehabilitation efforts aren't undermined by short-term profit.

I get a lot of compliments on my "artsy" coffee table. I'm happy, in this case, that art imitates life.

Malaria, Bedbugs, Sea Lice, And Sunsets... Less Dark, Same Great Taste

If you're one of my faithful readers who actually visits my site to read the posts, then you're in for a real treat. No more brooding, moody, black-is-the-new-black MBSL&S template! Nope, welcome to the shinier, happier, allegedly easier to read MBSL&S experience. Since I launched the blog a year and a half ago, I've never bothered to spiff-up the place. In part due to a fondness for dark colors. But mostly because I launched the blog with a Blogger classic template and was kind of worried of losing any customizations I made. All ill-placed concerns.

Best of all, just check out my bitchin' new banner. Compliments of the incredible Jason Robertshaw, mastermind behind Cephalopodcast blog (that's Jason in the self-portrait at the top of the post.) Jason worked a lot of great imagery into the banner. There's an Anopheles mosquito (my bane while in the field), a stinging jelly, my beloved moray, and a sunset through the Golden Gate in my SF home. And a bonus, Jason even fit a little queer pride into the banner with a rainbow gradient. Thanks, Jason. I owe you big time!

If you like the changes, let me know. If things are hard to read, let me know as well as I'm not married to any of the colors and fonts.