The Beacon
The Scanner: On the Bright Side Edition
Happy Friday, ocean fans. It's almost spring, and a surfing alpaca exists in the world. Things are looking up.
Before we get to the week's best marine tidbits, an important announcement: Oceana board member Ted Danson will be answering questions live on CNN.com on April 1, so send your ocean queries in, stat!
Also, don't forget that today is the last day to take the Ocean IQ quiz for a chance to win prizes, including a trip with SEE Turtles.
This week in ocean news,
…Yes, CITES failed to deliver on bluefin tuna yesterday, but as Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Julie Packard pointed out, at least the conversation is changing. Bluefin is now in the same rhetorical realm as endangered land creatures such as tigers and elephants.
…Deep Sea News wrote a requiem for a robot -- the Autonomous Benthic Explorer (ABE) that was lost at sea last week during a research expedition to the Chilean Subduction Zone. On a recent dive, ABE had detected evidence of hydrothermal vents. At the time of its loss, ABE had just begun a second dive to home into a vent site and photograph it.
Adrian Grenier Wants to Save Bluefin
While delegates from around the world voted against bluefin's future today, "Entourage" star Adrian Grenier was working to get the message out to protect them.
Grenier is traveling with Oceana to swim with the massive fish and record a PSA, and today GQ got a few images prior to the dive. Via GQ's twitter feed, here's a sneak peek photo.
Stay tuned for more in the days and weeks to come.
Sights on CITES: Bad News for Bluefin
Breaking news out of Doha: a trade ban on bluefin tuna (Appendix I listing) has been defeated, 20 votes to 68.
Although there were repeated calls from delegates from the E.U., U.S. and Monaco to allow time for parties to meet and arrive at a compromise position, a Libya delegate forced a preemptory vote on the E.U. proposal, which resulted in a 43 to 72 vote, with 14 abstaining.
Campaign director Dave Allison called the defeat "a clear win by short-term economic interest over the long-term health of the ocean and the rebuilding of Atlantic bluefin tuna populations."
The decision could spell the beginning of the end for the tigers of the sea.
(Read the other dispatches from CITES here.)
Whale Wednesday: Pop Quiz
You only have until this Friday to take the Ocean IQ Quiz for a chance to win prizes, including a trip with SEE Turtles to watch sea turtles in the wild.
Here’s a whale-only quiz just for fun -- but no prizes here -- you have to go take the real quiz.
1. Scientists use the distinctive areas of hard pale skin on Northern right whales to tell individuals apart. What are they called?
a. fingernails
b. warts
c. callosities
d. eczemas
Sights on CITES: Rough Day for Sharks
It was an eventful day at CITES for sharks. Oceana released a report today about the international trade of shark fins, and a non-controversial, non-binding measure on sharks failed to pass. Marine scientist Elizabeth Griffin talks about today's roller coaster ride. (Read the rest of the CITES dispatches here.)
Walk with 'O' for the Oceans
Some might say Oprah walks on water. Soon, she and thousands of others (like you!) will walk for the water.
We’re proud to announce that Oceana is one of 10 non-profit organizations chosen to be a beneficiary of O, The Oprah Magazine’s “Live Your Best Life” Walk on Sunday May 9, 2010 in New York City.
The walk will be the culmination of a 3-day event celebrating O’s tenth anniversary. Leading up to the walk, 6,000 attendees will enjoy celebratory events including a welcome reception and an evening with Oprah Winfrey at Radio City Music Hall. Thousands more will join the Walk with Oprah on Sunday May 9th.
Top overall fundraisers will have the chance to walk with Oprah or have their name featured in an upcoming issue of O, The Oprah Magazine.
Sound pretty cool to you? If you want to walk for the oceans, too, go to http://www.oprah.com/walk to get involved.
Sights on CITES: An Insider's Tour
In today's dispatch from Doha, Oceana shark scientist Rebecca Greenberg gives us an insider's tour of CITES, from the main conference hall to one of the most important strategic lobbying areas: the coffee station.
Check out the rest of our dispatches here, and read updates from author Charles Clover on MarViva's Doha Diary blog.
Sights on CITES: Getting Started
Here's a second CITES video dispatch from today, this time from Max Bello, a campaigner from our Chile office.
Sights on CITES: En Route
CITES is now in session in Doha, Qatar. Our team will be there for the next 10 days pushing for further trade restrictions on corals, sharks and the Atlantic bluefin tuna. They sent us this video dispatch of campaign director Dave Allison from the airport en route. Stay tuned for more!
Victory! Chile Passes Reform on Salmon Escapes, Antibiotics
Groundbreaking news out of Chile, and it's not about the earthquake.
As a direct result of Oceana’s campaign work to reform the Chilean salmon aquaculture industry, this week the Chilean Congress passed legislation to prevent the escape of farmed salmon and further regulate the use of antibiotics in salmon aquaculture.
The reform criminalizes farmed salmon escapes and imposes hefty fines as well as prison sentences for violators. It also bans the preventive use of antibiotics, and requires companies to make public the amounts and types of antibiotics they use, in addition to their specific prescribed use. Oceana has been working since 2008 to convince Chile to restrict the use of antibiotics in salmon farming.
