WiLD Blog

A battle is brewing in Hawaii over the recent launching of the Hawaii Superferry. The service was launched two days early after the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that an environmental assessment report needed to be done. Initially the service was allowed to operate without an environmental impact assessment report.

On Monday, about 65 protestors entered the water with their surfboards, canoes and kayaks, along with swimmers, to block the ferry from entering the harbor. The Coast Guard was called in to remove the protestors.

The Superferry issued a policy saying speeds would be reduced to 25 knots in areas where humpback whales could be, however the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, which is in charge of protecting marine mammals in the U.S., recommends a speed of just 13 knots. Adult male humpback whales can swim at speed of 15 knots. Mother whales and their calves cannot reach this speed. Also increased travel between the islands means increased risks of spreading invasive species which are already a problem on the Hawaiian Islands, a problem that has led to the extinction of many species of unique plants and animals that are found nowhere else on the planet.

While air travel is bad for the environment, this Superferry isn’t exactly the world’s best viable alternative. The actions of the company make that very clear, as they’ve been desperately trying to garner public support by offering low fares of five dollars for the first week of service, yet it would cost $240 round trip for a person and a car. 

These sorts of tactics are an attempt to blindside the people into thinking how the Superferry could benefit the people yet in the long run, allowing the Superferry to operate would devastate the Hawaiian environment. Allowing the Superferry to run in breeding and calving grounds is like setting the speed limit to 75 in a school zone. Cars that use the Superferry from one island to another would allow invasive hitchhikers to easily spread across islands, causing ecological destruction.

It is heartening though to know that there are people out there that see past the glamour and excitement of the Superferry and recognize that ecological devastation it could bring.

Calvin Lee

Something taste funny in your drinking water? It could be the larvae of quagga mussels. The thumb-sized mussels have been discovered in lakes Mead, Havasu, and Mojave as well as two major aqueducts that supply water to Arizona and Southern California. The small mussels are almost impossible to completely eliminate and can cause damage to local marine life, marinas, boat motors and water facilities. In March about 800 mussels were found in the 242-mile Colorado aqueduct, which supplies water to 18 million people in Southern California. Officials are working on plans to prevent the spread of these mussels and the damage they can cause.

Kind of gross and scary isn’t it? Unfortunately invasive species have been causing problems ever since man began to travel. Rats carried from Asia into Europe most likely caused the bubonic plague. Insects from other countries have caused major headaches, economically and health wise (e.g. “killer” bees and fire ants). West Nile Virus was introduced into the United States through a traveler who was infected before he came back into the US.

Countries such as Australia and states such as Hawaii have extremely strict policies when it comes to travelers from other countries. These places have been heavily affected by invasive species. Unwanted pets quickly become unwanted pests, such as Burmese pythons that have invaded the Everglades (one snake was found burst open when it tried to swallow an alligator that was too big for it.)

Burmese pythons dumped by irresponsible pet owners in the Everglades have become a threat to native wildlife. Before acquiring a pet, think what could be the consequences of having exotic animals not suited to be pets.

Invasive species have become more and more common as the world becomes more connected. There are many was you can prevent a species from going nuts on the environment. Prevent buying and growing plants that are known to be invasive, and even packets of seeds that are labeled as “wildflowers”, since many of those seeds might not be native. Never dump plants and animals into public parks or aquatic animals and plants into waterways. Don’t smuggle fruits, seeds, live plants, berries, soil, insects and animals into and out of the United States. Join a local invasive plant eradication effort. Some of those plants you’re used to seeing on our freeways are actually invasive species! For a full list of things you can do or even just be aware of, check out the Union of Concerned Scientists’ invasive species website.

Calvin Lee

In Monterey and the central California coast, jumbo squid are invading. Known as the Humboldt squid, it can grow up to 7 feet long and weight up to 100 pounds. They are voracious predators that eat krill, sardines, birds, rockfish, and other Humboldt squid. They have been known to attack fishermen and divers as well too.

Yet, the giant squid isn’t the scariest part of this invasion.

These squid are normally found off the warm waters of Baja California and Chile. They first invaded during the 1997 El Nino event and disappeared soon afterwards. They returned during the 2002 El Nino and it seems as if the squid are here to stay, since young jumbo squid have been turning up, possibly because the squid have started reproducing in the area.

Humboldt squid found in Santa Cruz (Photo: New York Times)

Some scientists theorize that overfishing has eliminated the predators and competitors of the giant squid, thus allowing them to expand their range up the California coast.

By simply removing one species, ecological communities can be radically changed. Coral reefs have been devastated by outbreaks of crown of thorns sea stars. These outbreaks are thought to be due to overfishing. Since the predators of the larva were eliminated, the population of the starfish has been steadily increasing since the 1970’s.

Others believe that a combination of the squid’s unusual physiology along with global warming has given the squid some unique opportunities. Studies in Baja California have shown that the squid can tolerate high shifts in temperature, as well as hunt in low oxygen zones where small fish hide. This zone extends up and down the coast of the Pacific coastline; however, global warming might be increasing its spread.

Not only will global warming expand the ranges of some species but it will reduce the ranges of others. Animals, such as the polar bear are having more and more difficulty finding suitable habitat. There is an effort to declare the polar bear an endangered species.

Invasions such as these could become more common as time passes, simply because humans are doing a lot to changing both the environment and also the different players within an ecological community. Our impact on the environment has untold consequences whether we intended to cause them or not.

-Calvin Lee

U.S. Army, Nay and Coast Guard are beginning the process of removing an artificial tire reef from the coast of Fort Lauderdale. The tires were put in 40 years ago to help promote tourism and to help bolster the local fish population. Officials had hoped that the artificial reef would be a success in helping restore the natural environment and disposing of unwanted trash but instead have been causing more problems than initially anticipated.

The tires were originally bound together using nylon straps or steel cables, but in the ocean environment the tires have broken free. After hurricanes, tires would litter the beach, and in the Fort Lauderdale area, the tires have run into a living reef, destroying whatever was along their path.

Divers explore the underwater tire reef which comprises approximately 34 acres (photo South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

While using our old trash to create new environments seems like a great idea, it should have been researched more extensively and thought out more thoroughly. This latest case is another example of good intentions gone wrong. That isn’t to say that efforts like these should be stopped or anything. Innovation is crucial to helping save the environment, but at the same time innovation has to be properly thought out.

Tire waste in the coast of Florida (photo South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

The most unfortunate part of this story is the fact that while people meant well; they actually ended up doing more harm than good. This is a common theme throughout world’s history. One blatant example would be introduced species which are meant to provide a means of biological control but can quickly get out of hand. Cane toads in Australia were meant to control pests that were destroying the cane crop, but ended up as a nightmare killing domestic pets and destroying native wildlife.

I think the lesson here is that we simply don’t know enough about the natural world to be making such large changes to the ecosystem. Recently, I was discussing with an elderly gentlemen about how some scientists believed by dumping huge amounts of iron into the nutrient deprived waters off South America they could cause huge algal blooms that would absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and thus helping to solve global warming. The gentleman seemed very much sold on the idea, even as I explained that such large scale algal blooms could radically change the ocean ecosystem and that the consequences were unknown. I don’t think he fully understood the idea.

To me, stories like these serve as a caution sign to the part we play in trying to the save the environment. In my opinion, sometimes it’s just best to leave the environment alone, to have it unaltered and in its true natural state and not imposing what we believe is natural for it. That’s why it’s important to support efforts to protect and preserve land, especially in areas like Baja California, where development has been steadily accelerating. If one day those lands are gone, and we realize what we have lost, efforts to restore it could be as futile as these efforts in Florida.
Calvin Lee