Tag Archives: climate change
Climate change and agricultural run-off top two threats identified in NSW marine threat report
Climate change and agricultural run-off are listed as two of the biggest threats to the state’s marine waters listed in a new report. The Marine Estate Management Authority’s threat and risk assessment report looked at beaches, estuaries, coastal lakes and lagoons to the limit of state waters three nautical miles from the coast. Wendy Craik, chair of the Authority, said they had used the best available scientific evidence and advice to work out what are the most significant threats and a management strategy would be developed based on the priorities that emerge from the report. Dr Craik said she was keen to have public comment on the findings. “We’ve put out this threat list so people can have a look at it and say ‘Have we got this right?’. Mary Howard, a partner in two prawn trawlers in the Hawkesbury region and a former director on the Hawkesbury Nepean Catchment Management Authority cited urban run-off as a problem. “Fishermen are being continually blamed for productivity issues and over-harvesting so to have a recognition that the wider community has an impact on the fish in our systems right across the state is important,” Ms Howard said. Read the rest here 12:34
Ready for this one? Sustainable tuna fishing is bad for climate
What’s good for the ocean might be bad for the planet. Fishing boats that target specific species, leaving others free to swim away, use more fuel than vessels intent on simply scooping up all the fish in their vicinity. Eco-label initiatives and programmes like Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, meant to help hungry diners quickly select sustainably caught seafood, have been gathering public support in recent years, says Brandi McKuin at the University of California Merced. While those guides are helpful, their standards focus mainly on fishing-based factors, like leaving enough fish in the ocean to avoid decimating the population, and reducing the number of accidently caught fish, or bycatch, McKuin says. Other impacts, including the greenhouse gas emissions generated by using different types of fishing gear, are often overlooked. “If we’re including climate change in the sustainability criteria, it changes things,” McKuin says. Read the story here 13:31
Trump team wants State Dept. to disclose how much of your money it sends to international environmental groups
Donald Trump’s presidential transition team has asked State Department officials to disclose how much money it provides each year to international environmental groups. It’s the latest example of how the incoming administration is reassessing the U.S. government’s approach to tackling climate change and other environmental priorities. As part of a list of questions posed last week to the department’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, according to multiple people familiar with the matter, the Trump landing team asked, “How much does the Department of State contribute annually to international environmental organizations in which the department participates?” Although some State Department officials found the question about funding for environmental groups troubling, one senior official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because transition communications are confidential, said the requests from the transition team have been appropriate. “They are legitimately looking at the organization of things here at Foggy Bottom,,, Read the rest here 16:16
Opinion: Lawsuit against wind farm is shortsighted
Commercial fishing interests are very shortsighted in filing a NIMBY lawsuit against the wind farm area off Long Island [“Suit over wind farm auction,” News, Dec. 9]. Deepwater Wind, the developer of the new Block Island wind farm and one likely bidder to develop the Long Island site, has demonstrated that the construction of an offshore wind farm can be managed in cooperation with a variety of interest groups and done in a way to avoid harming wildlife. By suing to stop or stall the leasing of an area for urgently needed renewable energy, the fishing groups ignore the very real crisis of climate change. Climate change imperils the world’s oceans, and without building offshore wind power, the damage from climate change to the ecosystems that support commercial fishing will more likely lead to the collapse of fisheries because of warming and acidifying oceans. Elizabeth Sabbatini, Old Brookville Link 08:25
Four New Papers Link Solar Activity, Natural Ocean Cycles To Climate – And Find Warmer Temps During 1700s, 1800s
As of mid-September, there have already been 77 peer-reviewed scientific papers authored by several hundred scientists linking solar activity to climate change. There were 43 as of the end of June, as seen here. In other words, there have been 34 more papers linking solar forcing to climate change made available online just since July. This publication rate for 2016 is slightly ahead of the pace of published papers linking solar forcing to climate change for 2015 (95 Solar-Climate papers ) and 2014 (93 Solar-Climate papers). At this rate, it is likely that a list of 300+ scientific papers linking solar forcing to climate change will have been made available between 2014 and 2016. In addition, there have already been 41 papers published in science journals this year linking natural oceanic oscillations (i.e., ENSO, NAO, AMO, PDO) to climate changes. There were 27 such papers as of the end of June. The solar-ocean oscillation climate connection has gained widespread acceptance in the scientific community. For example, see “35 New Scientific Publications Confirm Ocean Cycles, Sun Are the Main Climate Drivers” Read the rest here 15:36
NOAA research ecologist suggests, As climate change alters the oceans, what will happen to Dungeness crabs?
In my day job as a research ecologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center, I study how changes in seawater’s acidity from absorbing carbon dioxide in the air, referred to as ocean acidification may affect the success of recreational crabbers like me and the fortunes of the crabbing industry. Contrary to early assumptions that acidification was unlikely to have significant effects on Dungeness crabs, we found in a recent study that the larvae of this species have lower survival when they are reared in the acidified ocean conditions that we expect to see in the near future. Our findings have sobering implications for the long-term future of this US$170 million fishery. Ocean acidification is a global phenomenon,,, Read the rest here 11:03
Obama brings fresh attention to an expanded marine sanctuary (and the fishermen it hurts)
Yesterday, while visiting Hawaii’s Midway Atoll, President Obama officially made the size of a marine monument twice the size of Texas while highlighting his Climate Change commitment. The monument’s new size has angered local fishermen and Native Hawaiians. The monument, created by President George W. Bush in 2006, puts more land and waters off limits to local fishermen and recreation, and Obama’s critics are calling his actions heavy-handed. The monument is now the largest protected marine Environment in the world or roughly 3.5 times the size of California. A native of Hawaii, Obama used his executive power to expand the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, making large swaths of fertile fishing grounds off-limits to fishermen. That means they now have to travel at least four times further out to sea to catch fish like tuna, a costly adventure that actually emits more greenhouse gas emissions because of the increased travel time. Hawaiians not only consume three times more fish than landlocked Americans but fishing is a major source of local commerce. Read the rest here 15:03
Pacific Salmon Foundation – Health of salmon not determined by catch counts
B.C. fishermen may have to console themselves with limited harvest of salmon in the coming years, but the long-term prospects for wild Pacific salmon are not as dire as some critics claim, the head of the Pacific Salmon Foundation told members of the Qualicum Beach Streamkeepers during their annual general meeting Saturday at St. Stephen’s United Church. “If you’re interested in the future of salmon, it’s better than indicated by what people talk about in the media,” said Brian Riddell, CEO and president of the PSF and a former staffer with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. “In the past, people have been fixated on catch as the measure of abundance and health of salmon. But the health of salmon is not determined by the catch. It’s determined by the amount of fish that come back and spawn after the catch.” Read the rest here 13:31
Gulf warming study based on bad science, stakeholders say
The study, performed by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and appearing in the journal Science, concluded the Gulf of Maine’s surface water is warming more rapidly than 99.9 percent of the rest of the world’s oceans and that climate change is a contributing factor to the demise of the cod stock. “My first question was whether any part of the study started out to understand the true status of Gulf of Maine cod or if they just assumed that the data from the assessment — which we contend is consistently wrong — is fact,” said Vito Giacalone, policy director for the Gloucester-based Northeast Seafood Coalition. “I was told it was the latter.” Read the rest here 08:39
From the UBC “think tank” – B.C. salmon prices set to skyrocket with climate change
The report Out of Stock predicts that by 2050 there could be a 21 per cent decline in sockeye, a 10 per cent decline in chum, and a 15 per cent decline in sablefish. “This is a really tangible way for people to understand the impact of climate change,” says Rashid Sumaila, one of the study’s authors who has been working with the UBC’s fisheries research unit for over 20 years. Alrighty then! Read the rest here 10:40
Climate change impact on lobster already visible, Lobsters struggle for breath in warming ocean
Warmer water temperatures and more acidic conditions seem to make lobster larvae grow more slowly, preliminary studies have found. A researcher at the University of Maine is collaborating with a professor at the University of Prince Edward Island on what impact climate change could have on lobster. University of Maine Masters student Jessica Waller is trying to figure out why the larvae are growing more slowing, by testing them in the water conditions expected 85 years from now due to climate change. Read the rest here 10:26
Climate change, acid oceans: NOAA research priorities
The changing climate and chemistry of our oceans is definitely on radar screens of federal planet watchers. That’s the assurance of Kathryn Sullivan, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. I don’t need to tell Alaskans – you are living it, you see it all around you. And the consequences that have societally, economically, ecologically you all are living it every day. Sullivan calls NOAA the nation’s environmental intelligence agency. (Really?) Audio, and read the rest here 17:47
Fishermen’s Views of a Changing Ocean – Is it your view?
But for commercial fishermen,* 
is not a future economic problem: It is a problem right now, and it is costing fisherman both income and jobs. Is it? From the pdf version, The breakdown of those interviewed. 146 ground fishermen, 163 Mass lobstermen, = approx. 10% of Mass fishermen and lobstermen combined. 262 Me. lobstermen = approx. 5% Maine lobstermen. Read the rest here pdf version here with interesting citations, Pauly, Pappalardo, etc. 17:43
Climate change driving fish north, Rutgers research shows
In New Jersey, fishermen have already adapted to the realities of the shift, said Greg DiDomenico, the executive director of the Garden State Seafood Association. “The industry has been adapting to this for the last 20 years. They’re seeing these things in real-time,” said DiDomenico. “Fishermen are fishing where the fish are.” Read the rest here 09:43
Center for Biological Diversity to sue NMFS to Protect Disappearing Pinto Abalone From Ocean Acidification, Climate Change and Poaching
Sustainable. The tax drain of US taxpayers that pay for NMFS, CBD’s tax except status, and for frivolous lawsuits brought forth by the Bender and Bender of Environmental NGO’s. Apparently these nuts believe that NMFS should be sued over Ocean Acidification, Climate Change and Poaching? Read the press release here 21:42
Climate change forcing fish stocks north: study
A study has produced the strongest evidence yet that climate change is forcing hundreds of valuable fish species toward the poles. The paper, published in the ICES Journal of Marine Science on Friday, concludes that Canadian and Arctic waters may end up with more species and greater abundance. Read the rest here Wonder if the CLF/Pew Eco Quackeroos even look at this. 17:43
In Maine, climate change is taking a toll
On Sheepscot Bay off Georgetown, Jim McMahan prodded his old lobster boat through the smooth waters, methodically lowering a mechanical winch to check on his hundreds of traps. But he has noticed some disturbing trends in recent years. Nearly every day now, he pulls up scores of lobsters with diseased shells. Another concern is the arrival of new, aggressive predators from the south. Read the rest here 10:34
In 100 Years, Maryland’s Crab Cakes Might Be Shrimp Cakes
For centuries, the Chesapeake Bay has been a natural seafood factory along the East Coast, and that wealth of marine resources has shaped the area’s food culture and history—a 2011 Garden & Gun article referred to Maryland crab cakes as “practically a religion.” Seafood production also represents a critical portion of the Chesapeake Bay’s economic backbone. Read the rest here 10:17New Brunswick: Research links clam behaviour to climate change
New research is linking clam behaviour to climate change. That shift in behaviour could be contributing to increasingly low soft-shell clam populations on the Bay of Fundy. Researcher Jeff Clements at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John says clams tend to refuse to burrow into ocean sediment that has high acidity Read more here 07:18
Climate Change Threat To New England Fisheries
WGBH News’ Stephanie Leydon reports, in part two of our FOCUS report on climate change, there is evidence that warming waters are impacting one of the region’s most vital natural resources: seafood. GUESTS- John Bullard – National Marine Fisheries Service. Jackie Odell – Northeast Seafood Coalition. Watch the video here 07:25
Summer flounder stirs north-south climate change battle.
Editor’s Note: “Climate at Your Doorstep” is an effort by The Daily Climate to highlight stories about climate change impacts happening now. The summer flounder – one of the most sought-after catches on the U.S. East Coast – is stirring up a climate change battle as it glides through the sand and grasses at the bottom of a warming North Atlantic. Read more here 10:11
Time to rethink fishery management?
Fishery management traditionally has focused on fishing pressure, the removal of animals from a population with nets, lines and traps, as the only statistic worth using in the regulatory equation. The rationale is simple, at least in theory: If the landings in a fishery drop, it’s assumed that the population has declined. Read more here PBN.com 07:12
As Our Climate Changes, We Must Base Our Policies in Sound Science – Richard Merrick, Chief Scientist for NMFS
For some people, climate change is just a theoretical possibility. But ask fishermen, and many will tell you that climate change is well underway. Along the Atlantic Coast, commercially valuable species of fish, including silver hake and winter flounder, are moving north to stay within their preferred temperature range. Read more here noaa.gov 16:47 about nmfs
Over demanding market affects fisheries more than climate change
Summary: Fisheries that rely on short life species, such as shrimp or sardine, have been more affected by climate change, because this phenomenon affects chlorophyll production, which is vital for phytoplankton, the main food for both species. Read more here sciencedaily 16:37
Computer Model Predictions: Major Reductions in Seafloor Marine Life from Climate Change by 2100
An international team of scientists predict seafloor dwelling marine life will decline by up to 38 per cent in the North Atlantic and over five per cent globally over the next century. These changes will be driven by a reduction in the plants and animals that live at the surface of the oceans that feed deep-sea communities. As a result, ecosystem services such as fishing will be threatened. Read more@sciencedaily 11:13
The other CO2 problem: Oceans are becoming more acidic
We often hear about climate warming and melting arctic sea ice in the news, but have you ever wondered what effect climate change is having on our oceans? more@homernews 14:30
Climate change changing Gulf of Maine fisheries
The cod fishery appeared limitless and its value to Europe helped settle and enrich New England and Eastern Canada. Now the much smaller cod that survive are embattled by years of overfishing and other pressures. One of the major pressures is climate change. more@gomtimes 09:53 Plenty of ENGO anecdotes, and climate denialism! “Climate, while important, was not the primary reason for the collapse of cod,” “We did that. We mismanaged our ecosystem. We made that mess.” Tom Dempsey
There is not a cod collapse. There IS a cod exodus. Canada is being enriched once again, and they look at it as a cod crisis threatening the shrimp and crab they prefer to catch, based on landing value, as flat earthers like Dempsey, Bullard, and Crockett expose themselves as out of touch, preferring to continue the charade of failed fishery management that they are involved with! Tragic.
Sea life relocating fast in response to climate change – Extinctions possible as predators move into new areas
Many fish and plankton are relocating towards the North and South poles at an astonishing rate of hundreds of kilometres per decade in response to climate change, a new study has found. That is shaking up ecosystems and forcing the fishing industry to adjust. more@cbcnews
sonofabi,,,a Monterey Bay Aquarium article that never mention’s over fishing! Monterey Bay affected by climate change – State study points to fish declines, ocean acidification
From rising sea levels and ocean acidity to declining populations of chinook salmon and sea lion pups, global warming is here, it said in a 258-page report, “Indicators of Climate Change in California.” more@montereyherald
Tom Dempsey is in Climate Denial. “It wasn’t even the prime driver,”
Calling for “a national voice for fishermen about climate change,” Dempsey also advocated better regional fisheries management and more control by fishermen in setting goals and methods to accomplish broader-based management. continued@portlandpressherald
