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Post by moabiter on Jul 23, 2010 22:45:58 GMT -8
DAGONNIT! www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...section=justinMillions of salmon vanish from Canadian river Posted Fri Aug 14, 2009 2:01pm AEST Updated Fri Aug 14, 2009 2:00pm AEST Millions of sockeye salmon have disappeared mysteriously from a river on Canada's Pacific Coast that was once known as the world's most fertile spawning ground for sockeye. Up to 10.6 million bright-red sockeye salmon were expected to return to spawn this summer on the Fraser River, which empties into the Pacific ocean near Vancouver, British Columbia. The latest estimates say fewer than one million have returned.
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Post by moabiter on Jul 23, 2010 22:48:56 GMT -8
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has requested public input on a draft recovery plan designed to restore and stabilize steelhead trout in coastal streams south of the Santa Maria River to the United States and Mexican border. This area contains a distinct population of steelhead that may have once numbered over 45 thousand but declined to less than 500 and became listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1997.
The first workshop will be held in Carlsbad, CA on 25 August, 1500 to 1700 HRS at the Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office, 6010 Hidden Valley Road. A second will be held on 1 September 1, 1700 to 1900 HRS at the Fess Parker’s Double Tree Resort, 633 East Cabrillo Boulevard in Santa Barbara.
Public comment and information relevant to this recovery plan must be received by no later than 1700 HRS on September 21, 2009. Email SteelheadPlan.swr@noaa.gov. Include in the subject line of the email the following: "Comments on Southern California Steelhead Plan." Copies of this draft plan will be provided on a compact disc upon request. Contact Kimberly Speech at 562-980-4006 or email her at Kimberly.Speech@noaa.gov with CD-ROM request for the "Southern California Steelhead Recovery Plan" in the subject line. Electronic copies of this plan are also available on-line at swr.nmfsh.noaa.gov/recovery/So_Cal.htm.
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Post by moabiter on Jul 23, 2010 22:50:33 GMT -8
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Post by moabiter on Jul 23, 2010 22:51:11 GMT -8
An interesting factor in coastal areas is kelp. Kelp beds are overgrazed, and they're a spawning ground and haven for many little critters. It's not relevant for salmon, who spawn upstream in rivers, but it is for their fry and a lot of other species. Here's some info about efforts to replant. Kelp is a very interesting plant: "Kelp beds are known as the rainforest of the ocean." www.acfnewsource.org/environment/planting_kelp.html
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Post by moabiter on Jul 23, 2010 22:58:00 GMT -8
THERE IS *A LOT* OF OCEAN DUMPING - VARIOUS MATERIAL FROM RADIOACTIVE, CHEMICAL ARMAMENTS, OFFSHORE OILFIELD DRILLING WASTES, TONS OF PHARMACEUTICALS... CRUISE SHIP TRASH & SEWAGE...SArmy admits secretly dumping 64 million pounds of nerve and mustard agents, 400,000 chemical-filled bombs, land mines, rockets and more than 500 tons of radioactive waste into the sea www.informationliberation.com/?id=22469A Survey of Offshore Oilfield Drilling Wastes and Disposal Techniques to Reduce the Ecological Impact of Sea Dumping - These cuttings piles smother seabed life and remain toxic for many years, mainly because of the hydrocarbons they contain. www.offshore-environment.com/drillcuttings.htmlIndia's Waterways A Toxic Stew of Pharmaceutical Chemicals Dumped from Big Pharma Factories - There's something else Big Pharma doesn't want you to know about its drug operations in India: Big Pharma's manufacturing facilities dump millions of doses of toxic pharmaceutical chemicals directly into India's waterways. www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_16616.cfmMarine Scientists Studying Great Pacific Garbage Patch earthfirst.com/tag/oceans/The Legality of Dumping of Nuclear Waste - The Cold War also left a nuclear legacy on the seafloor in the form of reactors and warheads, many of them from lost or scuttled submarines... Throughout the Cold War, both the Soviet and American militaries lost or intentionally sank nuclear weapons and reactors at sea. www.law.berkeley.edu/centers/ilr/ona/pages/dumping2.htmOcean Dumping - *HUMAN SEWAGE* The motivation for banning ocean dumping gained momentum when contaminated wastes from sewage-derived microorganisms were discovered at public beaches, shellfish beds were contaminated with toxic metals, and fish were infected by lesion-causing parasites. oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/deepeast01/background/dumping/dumping.htmlSANITATION, COASTAL [Accra] The surf zone turned this colour after one of the regular discharges of untreated nightsoil! duncanmarasanitation.blogspot.com/2009/06/ocean-dumping.htmlCruise Ship Dumping I remember taking a boat up the Amazon years ago, and I watched in horror as one of the boat's workers literally swept a week's worth of trash into the Amazon River. Everything went: bottles, condoms, batteries, food trash. www.gadling.com/2006/12/13/cruise-ship-dumping/Each cruise ship carries an average of 3,000 people and produces as much sewage and waste as a mid-sized city. www.kahea.org/cruiseships/Cruise ship waste: All ashore? The cruise ships that come to Seattle each summer bring something you don't find advertised in glossy brochures -- millions of gallons of human waste. www.seattlepi.com/local/303063_cruise09.htmlCruise on down to our dumping ground Vancouver has wooed the Mercury away from Seattle this year, becoming the 1,900-passenger ship's home port for the 2007 Alaska cruise season. www.straight.com/article-86446/cruise-on-down-to-our-dumping-ground
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Post by moabiter on Jul 23, 2010 23:00:55 GMT -8
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE - Ballast etc from cargo ships, oil spills, ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_pollutionKelp Forests Over the last century, they have been the focus of extensive research, particularly in trophic ecology, and continue to provoke important ideas that are relevant beyond this unique ecosystem. For example, kelp forests can influence coastal oceanographic patterns and provide many ecosystem services to humankind. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelp_forest Reply With Quote
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Post by moabiter on Jul 23, 2010 23:09:26 GMT -8
The local sightings of squid here - NANAIMO Apr 28, 2008 — Jumbo cannibalistic squid and other unusual visitors are appearing more frequently in West Coast waters, while B.C.’s iconic salmon have suffered record-low numbers... www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=d6b2fc8f-a636-4576-810c-87cf75ca8909&k=48470Aug 21-09. The stranding of hundreds of giant squid on beaches near Tofino last week was the latest indication that warm-water species are pushing north on the Pacific Coast, perhaps as a result of global warming. The Humboldt squid, an estimated 300 to 500 of which swam ashore in the Long Beach area on the west coast of Vancouver Island, normally range from South America to California. www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x206206I see they invaded the California coast too - Jumbo Squid Invade California Coast Human-caused environmental changes are a boon for the "red devil." by Eric Bland published online July 26, 2007 discovermagazine.com/2007/jul/jumbo-squid-invade-california-coast-------------------------- Also, the pacific garbage vortex capture project - interesting! - Project Kaisei will examine the largest area of the Plastic Vortex, an ocean gyre, situated to the North East of Hawaii, and approximately five days by boat from the United States (San Francisco area). The expedition will consist of a large pass through the Plastic Vortex, with the aim to collect and study plastic and other debris forms from the ocean in order to showcase some of the new technologies that will be used for processing and recycling. www.projectkaisei.org/
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Post by moabiter on Jul 23, 2010 23:10:57 GMT -8
I'm throwing this in here. I saw it a few days ago. A squid's not an octopus, but I was thinking of the language of the west coast squid [Jumbo Squid Invade California Coast, Human-caused environmental changes are a boon for the "red devil."], i.e. 'dangers,' 'threats' in the deep sea, (un)consciousness etc Scandinavian folklore - Kraken en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_folklore
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Post by moabiter on Jul 23, 2010 23:12:48 GMT -8
There were cutbacks to Fisheries in the 1990's, so it's hard to define the problem. Lots of theories the article says, like water temperature affecting food supply, new predators, lice from fish farms, or combinations... No answers in B.C.'s sudden salmon collapse Experts say cuts to research grants will make it difficult to determine why more than nine million sockeye won't return to the Fraser River this year Last updated on Sunday, Sep. 06, 2009 07:02PM EDT www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/no-answers-in-bcs-salmon-collapse/article1277846/“From a government perspective, it comes down to cutting and gutting their science and assessment departments,” said Scott Hinch, whose research at the University of British Columbia focuses on salmon ecology. “You could pick just about any aspect of the management cycle and the scientific assessment, and you can say, ‘Well, we used to do this but we don't any more.”' This year was supposed to be a big one, with estimates predicting as many as 10.5 million fish would swim up the Fraser after spending two years in the open ocean. But those estimates have since been dramatically reduced, now putting this year's Fraser sockeye run at just 1.37 million — the lowest on record. Fisheries Minister Gail Shea was unavailable for comment.
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Post by moabiter on Jul 23, 2010 23:13:22 GMT -8
There is a salmon inquiry in Canada. I meant to post this a while back, but the announcement coincided with bears and eagles starving upstream on the Fraser - they rely on the salmon run for fall fattening up. The latter was kind of depressing to mention (BC: since 2008 nearly fifty-percent fewer bears than average, including 65% fewer cubs). I hope this inquiry goes straight to everything. Apparently oil tankers are on their way to BC too. __________________________________________________ _ B.C. judge to head salmon inquiry By THE CANADIAN PRESS Last Updated: 6th November 2009, 2:19pm VANCOUVER — The federal government has given a B.C. Supreme Court judge unlimited power to find out why the Fraser River sockeye fishery collapsed. Justice Bruce Cohen as been appointed to lead the judicial inquiry into the collapse of the fishery this year. He’ll be able to compel testimony and ultimately could make recommendations in the policies and procedures of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2009/11/06/11661236.html
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Post by moabiter on Jul 23, 2010 23:17:06 GMT -8
I'd have to add that now is not really a good time to continue with trophy hunting of bears in BC. _________________ Salmon, Grizzly Bears Lead Cascading West Coast Species Collapse Tues 08 September 2009 BELLA BELLA, B.C. - North coast conservationists and bear viewing operators are urging both the Federal and Provincial governments to take immediate action as alarming evidence emerges on B.C.'s salmon creeks and rivers that north coast grizzlies, including females and cubs, have died off in significant numbers. "DFO has once again ignored conservation concerns and permitted overfishing in area 6 on the BC North Coast. The Gill island fishery should have ensured that more salmon passed through to spawning grounds. Instead over six million Pink salmon were intercepted by nets, in addition to tens of thousands of Sockeye, Chum and Coho during the last openings," stated Ian McAllister of the BC-based wildlife conservation group, Pacific Wild. "The few bears surviving this past winter really needed those fish." According to DFO records, the BC North Coast has endured four years of extremely low Chum salmon returns. Chum are the mainstay salmon species for grizzlies. Bears target Chum salmon specifically because they have a high fat content, last a long time in the fresh water environment and are large in size. www.pacificfreepress.com/news/1/4641-salmon-grizzly-bears-lead-west-coast-cascading-species-collapse.html
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Post by moabiter on Jul 23, 2010 23:17:48 GMT -8
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Post by moabiter on Sept 6, 2010 8:49:23 GMT -8
Fraser River fleet braces for salmon bonanza August 25, 2010 | 7:23 PM PT Fishermen at the mouth of B.C.'s Fraser River are preparing for one of the biggest runs of sockeye salmon in nearly 100 years, but it's unclear what will happen to all the unexpected fish. On Tuesday, the Pacific Salmon Commission announced it expects as many as 25 million fish will return to the Fraser this season. That's the largest return since 1913 and more than double what was forecast just a few weeks ago. www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/08/25/bc-sockeye-salmon-fraser-river.html
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Post by moabiter on Oct 10, 2010 9:33:57 GMT -8
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Post by moabiter on Oct 10, 2010 9:37:26 GMT -8
North Pacific ‘overcrowded’ with salmon as population soars Last updated Sunday, Oct. 03, 2010 11:23PM EDT The research team, however, sees trouble on the horizon.
The robust adult salmon population has been boosted by the annual release of about **five billion** juvenile salmon from hatcheries, mostly in Japan and Alaska, Prof. Peterman of Simon Fraser University said Sunday in an interview.
Adult hatchery salmon now account for at least 20 per cent of the total adult salmon production and continue to rise. For some salmon, the percentage is significantly higher. In Asia, 76 per cent of all adult chum salmon from 1990 to 2005 came from salmon hatcheries. www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/north-pacific-overcrowded-with-salmon-as-population-soars/article1740524/
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