WiLD Blog

"Happy Feet," the new computer-animated family film is accused of promoting a "radical environmental agenda ”. Yes extremely radical… it is explaining the logic behind MARINA PROTECTED AREAS to stop overfishing.

According to the movie , all emperor penguins have their own song. Except one. His name is Mumbles (voice of Elijah Wood) and he's got, well, happy feet. His father, Memphis, suggests he not do that dancing stuff in public. "It just ain't penguin, son." At any rate, being different makes him an outcast.

Mumbles ends up on a quest, he hooks up with some Hispanic penguins “the hip others” whose macho leader, Ramon (Robin Williams, toned down and funny), thinks dancing is cool

Enter the environmental agenda: Penguins are all starving thanks to pollution and overfishing by thoughtless humans. Muebles decides “aliens" must be connected to the famine and sets out to find them. They find him, and he lands briefly in a zoo.

George Miller, the Australian creator of the "Mad Max" movies, the writer and producer of "Babe," and the director of the edgy, discomfiting "Babe: Pig in the City," in "Happy Feet" is compelling in his message but funny too, and so it delivers conflicting feelings, ideas and emotions

What I liked, is that at its best and at its worst "Happy Feet" seems determined on diverting us into action. At the end of the movie Marine Protected Areas are debated and voted for in the UN.

My 6 year old Shulamit thinks that overfishing is terrible and we need to stop it—she says she will not eat fish sticks any more. When she grows up, she wants to be a marine biologist and conservationist…we'll see FAY

The endangered Pacific loggerhead sea turtle (caretta caretta) has been swimming, courting and mating along a 12,000-kilometer (7,500-mile) migration route between Mexico , Hawaii and Japan for centuries.

Making history, a Mexican delegation followed the loggerhead’s route across the Pacific Ocean, where participants attended the 17th Annual Japan Sea Turtle Symposium in Kumano, as well as visiting nesting beaches and the Hiwasa Sea Turtle Museum with its founder, none other than Yasuo Kondoh, the world’s most venerable sea turtle conservation expert.

Fishermen, scientists and school children banded together to form a trinational strategy to try to reduce the alarming mortality of this awe-inspiring critter.

Lack of biological data on loggerheads makes management and population recovery efforts difficult. This much is known about them: The survivors of the ancient species live 30 to 50 years; grow up to three feet in length, or about one meter long; and easily weigh 250 pounds (113 kilograms) if they make it to adulthood. But only one or two out of a hatch of a 100 make it.

Loggerhead populations are declining in Mexico , Japan , Honduras , Panama , Colombia , Bahamas , Cuba , Israel , Turkey , and Greece . The waning numbers are mainly due to incidental capture in fishing gear, intentional hunting, coastal development and other increased human use of nesting beaches, including pollution emissions. Specific threats include loss or degradation of nesting habitat; artificial beach-front lighting that disorients hatchlings; nest robberies by human and other predators; degradation of foraging habitat; marine debris; watercraft strikes, and disease.

Protecting nesting beaches or migration areas in just one country is not sufficient to keep the turtles out of jeopardy in another. Neither are the international agreements and national laws that protect the species.

WiLDCOAST believes that it is critical to raise public awareness and inspire not only fishermen and fishing communities in coastal regions, but the general public -that consumes sea turtle products in the big cities and when they go on vacations to the coast—if we are to save the loggerhead and all sea turtles at that. If we inspire the fishermen to help the turtles, while halting the demand for sea turtle products, we destroy the black market for sea turtle meat and eggs, we win a lot of ground in the battle for survival of the ancient species .

We invite everyone to join the fight. FAY

Information taken from article by Talli Nauman, The Herald Mexico/El Universal 

Diciembre 18, 2006

A recent study conducted by the Graduate School of Public Health at San Diego State University found that hepatitis A virus and enteroviruses are prevalent in the waters around the Tijuana River mouth and the Imperial Beach pier. These viruses are especially prevalent after rainstorms and are attributed to raw sewage outflow from the Tijuana River. Is it really worth risking your health to go in the water after a rainstorm? You decide. 

The incidence of endemic diarrheal diseases and infectious hepatitis is significantly higher in the region of the United States-Mexico border than in non-border regions elsewhere in the United States. Also, certain viruses can persist in the marine environment longer then bacteria so risks that are based on bacteria standards can underestimate the risks that are associated with virus waterborne illness.

Richard M. Gersberg, Michael A. Rose, Refugio Robles-Sikisaka and Arun K. Dhar to publish a study, entitled “Quantitative Detection of Hepatitis A Virus and Enteroviruses Near the United States-Mexico Border and Correlation with Levels of Fecal Indicator Bacteria”, in Applied and Environmental Microbiology in December 2006. This study measured levels of hepatitis A virus and enteroviruses north of the Tijuana River mouth and on the south side of the Imperial Beach pier.

A total twenty ocean water samples were collected from both locations, the Tijuana River Mouth and the Imperial Beach pier. Of these twenty, seven samples at each site were taken after a rain event for a total of fourteen wet weather samples. Six dry weather samples were also taken but from only the Imperial Beach pier location because the flow from the Tijuana River is negligible when there is no rain.

Hepatitis A virus was detected in six out of the seven rain event samples collected from the Tijuana River mouth. Enterovirus (which is the cause of many non-specific viral infections and has historically been associated with polio) was found in all seven Tijuana River mouth rain event samples. Hepatitis A virus was detected in five out of the seven rain event samples collected from the Imperial Beach pier. Enterovirus was found in six out of the seven rain event samples collected from the Imperial Beach pier. Neither virus was detected in samples collected from the Imperial Beach pier during the dry season.

The most prevalent enterovirus found was echovirus 30, which was found in three different wet weather samples. Echovirus 30 is most commonly associated with aseptic meningitis and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).  Poliovirus 2 was less prevalent but it was found in two of the wet weather samples.

E. Coli was found in thirteen out of fourteen wet weather samples and in four out of six dry weather samples. Enterococci (which is associated with urinary tract infections, the presence of bacteria in the blood, an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart and meningitis) were found in twelve out of fourteen wet weather samples and in one out of six dry weather samples.

The high levels of hepatitis A virus found in the water samples can be attributed to the inadequate sewage collection infrastructure in Tijuana. On the bright side, no samples taken during the dry season at Imperial Beach were found to be above the limit for detection.

BEN

(Originally published in the Voice of San Diego) 

There is a lot more  substantial evidence that global warming will have results in profound changes to our earth's environment, especially on our coastal and ocean resources, The New York Times and The Washington Post continue to cover the most important environmental story of our times (that should be of grave concern to every environmentalist in San Diego).

In today's Times, Robert Young and Orrin Pilkey in "Castles in the Sand," argue that the U.S., by promoting wasteful Army Corps of Engineers sand replenishment projects, "will once again miss an opportunity to respond sensibly to the threat of global warming." This is particularly important point given the fact that in Imperial Beach, the Corps is planning to spend up to $14 million dollars on a massive sand replenishment project designed to protect private property.

Young and Pilkey:

"The vulnerability of nation's shores will only increase over the next decades as global climate change leads to rising seal levels, increased coastal erosion and stronger hurricanes of greater duration."

The bottom line -- we should not be wasting taxpayer dollars on pork barrel sand replenishment or dredging projects in San Diego to protect multi-million dollar beachfront residences or to destroy marine mammal habitat when sea level rise will negate any effect these projects will have.


In yesterday's Times, Andrew Revkin reported about research just published by Marika Hollland of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. Holland that argues that by 2040, increased greenhouse gases could result in an open Arctic Sea during the summers. This would most likely result in significant impacts to the polar bear population and to Arctic people who depend on solid ice for their hunting grounds.


This research by Holland was recently confirmed by The Washington Post's Doug Struck who reported from a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker in the Arctic.

Struck:

A relentless climb of temperature-5 degrees in 30 years-is shrinking the Arctic ice and reawakening dreams of a 4,000 mile shortcut just shy of the North Pole, passing besides the Arctic's beckoning oil and mineral riches ... Satellite imagery has shown that the Arctic ice cap is thinning and already is nearly 30 percent smaller than it was 25 years ago ... This past August, a crack opened in the ice pack from the Russian Arctic to the North Pole, an event never seen before.

In another Post story, "On the move to outrun climate change," Blaine Hardin and Juliet Eilperin, report on research by University of Texas professor Camile Parmesan who examined 866 peer-reviewed studies of the effect of climate change on wild plans and animals.

Hardin and Eilperin:

Flora and fauna are migrating north or climbing to higher ground if they can, says Parmesan, whose paper appears in the December issue of the Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics. If they cannot move, she says, their numbers are often declining, their health is getting worse, and some are disappearing altogether.

The impacts of global climate change on San Diego's wild species could be especially acute. Wetland species, especially migratory birds, are sensitive to changes in ocean temperatures that wipe out food resources in their winter locations such as the Sea of Cortez.

San Diego's incredibly diverse population of insects, many of which are endemic, are especially vulnerable to climate change. And of course, prolonged drought has had a significant impact on coastal sage scrub habitat in San Diego, and increased our risk of wildfires (which isn't helped by runaway development in wildfire-prone areas).

Of course all of this would be great news to the City of Chula Vista, with plans to build waterfront stadiums and a convention center adjacent to the only remaining coastal wetlands and National Wildlife Refuge in San Diego Bay.

But for many of us, who enjoy watching the wildlife that makes our region such a fascinating place to live, the loss of wildlife and ecosystems that make San Diego and our world unique, will be a pitter pill to swallow.


 -- SERGE

The Gulf of California sardine fishery in Mexico has applied for assessment to the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) environmental standard for well-managed and sustainable wild capture fisheries. The fishery is the first sardine fishery in the world to engage with the MSC’s leading environmental certification and ecolabelling  programme.

WiLDCOAST is supporting this move of the National Chamber of Fishing Industry in Mexico (CANAIPESCA) , that is looking to preserve the fish stocks, protect the livelehod of many fisherman in Mexico and apply 'best practices. "This is what we would like to see happened to all fisheries in the Golf of California (Sea of Cortes)

.An independent evaluation of the Mexican sardine fishery will be led by Scientific Certification Systems , an accredited certification body, and conducted by a team of experts who will examine the status of the fish stock, the impact of the fishery on the marine eco-system and the effectiveness of management systems. If the fishery is certified and traceability is established, the fishery may use the distinctive blue MSC eco-label on product packaging. The MSC’s eco-label offers consumers a quick and easy way to identify the best environmental choice in seafood.

According to the Marine Stewardship Council the Gulf of California sardine fishery in Mexico is part of a bigger fishery that also targets anchovies and herrings and catches a total of 350,000 tonnes of fish per year. Annual sardine catches throughout the Golf of California (Sea of Cortes) amount to about 100,000 tonnes and a proportion of this catch will be considered in the assessment. Around 70 percent of the sardines are processed into fishmeal; the remaining 30 percent is canned and sold to domestic and foreign markets. In 2006 the fishery produced 2,700,000 cases of canned sardines. Fay

This is good news after countries such as Japan and Norway began commercial whaling again this year. Whaling is a practice that goes far back into the history of First Nations, this is a step the right direction towards ensuring the safety of future whale populations. Hopefully Japan and Norway will follow in the footsteps of First Nations and cease their commercial whaling practices.

 

 

B.C. First Nations yield on whale hunt
Last Updated: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 | 10:20 AM PT
CBC News

First Nations on Vancouver Island have agreed to forgo their traditional right to hunt grey whales for at least 25 years, in return for other benefits.

The Maa-nulth First Nations made a side agreement not to hunt the whales as part of the treaty they signed on the weekend in Victoria.

But Huu-ay-aht hereditary Chief Tom Mexsis Happynook, a long-time advocate of aboriginal whaling, said the treaty preserves the right to hunt whales in the future.

When the Makah band of Washington state shot and killed a whale in 1999, Happynook declared that First Nations on the west coast of Vancouver Island would also demand the right to resume a whale hunt as part of any treaty.

But when the Maa-nulth initialled the final agreement on the weekend, the word "whaling" did not appear in the text.

Happynook said the treaty recognizes an implicit right of the Maa-nulth to resume the whale hunt in the future, as part of the harvesting of wildlife, birds and fish for food, social or ceremonial purposes.

He said that under the side agreement the federal government will fund research on whales instead.

"Certainly there is some disappointment, but again we have to give some consideration to the whole treaty package," said the chief.

The treaty also gives the Maa-nulth 24,000 hectares of land, up to $300 million and a share of mineral and timber resources.

Acapulco is one of the most beautiful bays in the world. It's weather, natural beauty, gastronomy and its people have made it one of the most successful and long-lasting tourism attractions in Mexico. Unfortunately this is not always good news for sea turtles, which used to nest along Acapulco's beaches long before the hundreds of buildings, houses and boats destroyed their nesting sites.
Luckily for us and for sea turtles, the state of Guerrero now has 46 registered sea turtle camps that try to protect sea turtle nests from natural and human predation.

Hotel Princess, one of the most beautiful and famous hotels in Acapulco, recently started their own sea turtle camp to protect sea turtle hatchlings, and also to promote sea turtle conservation among tourists and locals. The results have been such, that last weekend they released sea turtle number 100,000.

This is very exciting news, among other things, because the hotel invited hundreds of local children and their families to this fantastic event. These kids, I can assure you, will never forget what it is like to hold a baby sea turtle in their hands, and from now on they will become protectors and promoters of this natural treasure.

Congratulations Hotel Fairmont Princess! Thank you for honoring us with your invitation.
We also want to thank our always efficient partners in Acapulco, Sergio Flores and Natalia Parra for being WiLDCOAST's voice and eyes.

Kuddos to you all!

Posted by Aída photo: Mexican actress Gabriela Goldsmith

 

Associated Press, December 8. Protesters from Wildcoast, an environmental organization, Paloma Aguirre, left, and Saul Alarcon hold up signs calling for clean water outside the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel as sales for the first phase of the Trump Ocean Resort Baja Mexico were going on inside the hotel Friday, Dec. 8, 2006, in San Diego. Over 200 of the condos at the Northern Baja California resort went up for sale. The protesters say the hotel will be built on a beach just north of a gully that discharges 30 million gallons of sewage into the ocean daily.

Not content to destroy the Pacific coast of Baja California, oil companies like El Paso Gas and DKRW Energy are planning on building a liquefied natural gas terminal at Puerto Libertad Sonora along Mexico's Sea of Cortez Coastline. The area fronts a UNESCO World Hertigage Site and is considered one of the world's most biologically rich marine areas.

El Paso Gas was stopped from building a LNG terminal in Northern Baja, so now it is quickly moving on destroying the Sea of Cortez coastline of Sonora. This is consistent with LNG companies seeking out the most pristine coastline areas in Northwest Mexico to transform into industrial areas. The Mexican government ironically is now involved in promoting tourist to UNESCO World Heritage Sites, so it seems odd that the the Tourism Agency would encourage people to visit areas populated with LNG facilities. But maybe it is not so strange. Tourists could get a glimpse of an invasive species responsible for killing off the Sea of Cortez. Serge

 

Back in 2005 when WiLDCOAST started the Clean Water  Campaign it became quickly obvious that one of the biggest problems we had was that the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) was not making sure three sewage collector systems were functioning. These three sites in the Tijuana River, Smuggler's Gulch and the Goat Canyon filled with trash and sediment. Consequently, when it rained, sewage bypassed the collector grates and entered the ocean, polluting border beaches. 

This happened on April 31, 2004, when a tiny sewage spill in Tijuana passed through Smuggler's Gulch and polluted the beach, killing the first Dempsey Holder Memorial Contest. 

After a formal complaint to teh U.S. State Department, protests and more than 30 media stories reporting on the our campaigns and the incompetence of the IBWC's inability to maintain the existing sewage collection system on the border, I am happy to say that the agency appears to be doing a better job of cleaning out the collectors

During the rain on Monday December 1st, I checked the collectors. They were working. Big berms had been built to prevent runoff from passsing on down to the Tijuana Estuary. While a large volume of water ran into the  ocean from flows in the Tijuana River, by Wednesday the river had dried up (there is still plenty of sewage polluted water coming out of the Tijuana River). In the past, under similar rainfall conditions, beaches would have been much more polluted. 

This just means we need to keep vigilant to make sure our tax dollars are used by federal agencies to solve problems instead of ignore them. Serge