Posted by jhocevar on 08/26/2005 5:23 pm

The coral reefs of the Florida Keys are really something special. As the largest reef system in the continental US, it's no wonder that the Keys support a multi-billion dollar tourism industry centered on fishing, diving, and snorkeling. The keys are home to several hundreds species of fish and thousands of species of invertebrates, as well as whales, dolphins, manatees and sea turtles.

You'd think we'd want to make sure we didn't lose all this.

Unfortunately, we ARE losing our coral reefs - less than 30% of the planet's tropical coral reefs are healthy. In the Keys, living coral reef cover has dropped from 30 - 40% in the 70s to around 5 - 8% today.

Global warming is one of the culprits, causing increased coral bleaching and providing an incubator for disease. Rampant development, high nutrient runoff, overfishing, and the death by a million cuts that is the lobster mini-season are also contributing to the die-off of the Keys coral reefs.

Incredibly, some people - even some environmentalists - seem willing to write off the Keys as a lost cause.

In fact, there is a lot that can be done to turn things around and save our coral reefs. In the long term, one of the most important steps will be to cut down on our fossil fuel consumption and start shifting to renewable sources of energy that don't feed global warming. Setting aside 30 to 40% of the Keys as a no-take marine reserve would help give corals a chance to survive short-lived bleaching incidents and protect complex reef ecosystems. Providing endangered species protection to elkhorn and staghorn corals would be another good step, as would addressing land-based problems like irresponsible development and pollution.

The problems are pretty big, but they seem tiny compared to the consequences of not facing up to them.

Posted by jhocevar on 08/23/2005 6:40 pm

I thought you might enjoy this piece from the Observer (UK):

GREAT MINDS

GREENPEACE HAVE ACCUSED Malcolm Glazer's 'fish product' company Omega Protein of damaging the marine environment along America's eastern seaboard by overfishing Chesapeake Bay. Omega Protein's total revenues last year: $120m.

$120m: the amount Simpson's plutocrat Montgomery Burns made by 'fishing the oceans dry' to produce 'Lil Lisa's Patented Animal Slurry'; 'A protein-based animal feed, insulation for low-income housing, a high explosive and engine coolant - made from 100 per cent recycled animals.'

Posted by jhocevar on 08/19/2005 7:24 pm

This week, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted for the first time to limit factory fishing for menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay.

Omega Protein, the Texas-based corporation which operates a near monopoly on the fishery, was fuming. Omega had hoped to gain approval for their voluntary "cap" at 131,000 metric tons, but that was voted down. When Omega said they would not accept even a voluntary cap at 115,000 metric tons, the ASMFC's Menhaden Board Chair Jack Travelstead ruled the proposal to be out of order. (Earlier, Travelstead had ruled any discussion of a moratorium out of order as well, despite the fact that the Commission had received more than 20,000 public comments in support of a moratorium.)

It was looking pretty grim.

Then, just when it was starting to look like nothing was going to happen at all, Maryland made a proposal for a mandatory cap in the Bay at 105,800 MT, which passed 10-2.

So, is it a victory? Well, yes, but... there's still more to be done.
For now, we can feel good about the fact that there is finally a limit to what factory fishing can vacuum out of the Chesapeake Bay. Without the help of Greenpeace actions and grassroots pressure, Omega Protein would still be able to take as much as they pleased. And menhaden, along with the birds, fish, marine mammals and humans who depend on them would be in trouble.

Posted by jhocevar on 08/14/2005 9:58 pm

It's been quite a week! Even after receiving around 20,000 comments from fishermen and environmentalists calling for a moratorium on factory fishing for menhaden and hundreds more who spoke out at public hearings, it still wasn't looking like the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission was ready to start protecting Atlantic ecosystems. Much of the problem lies with Houston-based Omega Protein, which has bullied the Commission into sitting on their hands while things go down the tubes.

As you can guess, Greenpeace wasn't quite ready to give up that easily. Rather than tell you myself, I'll let a few reporters give you the story:

Associated Press, 8/9


"Greenpeace activists dispatched inflatable boats Tuesday in the lower
Chesapeake Bay to thwart the fishing operations of a Texas company that
harvests hundreds of millions of pounds of menhaden every year.

...'The fish do not belong to Omega,' [Greenpeace spokesperson Nancy] Hwa
said."

Richmond Times Dispatch, 8/14

"Virginia's biggest commercial fishing business said it has voluntarily set its own limits on the amount of menhaden it will catch from the Chesapeake Bay for the next five years. Omega Protein Co. adopted the cap Thursday just days before a coastal menhaden management board will meet to consider imposing its own restriction on the number of the fish the company can take.

The question of a cap and the impact on the bay of Omega's multimetric-ton
harvests rest at the core of a debate over menhaden fishing that has escalated into offshore onfrontations between Omega fishermen and protesters. Greenpeace activists used high-speed outboard boats Tuesday to
chase menhaden schools away from Omega's fishing nets, the U.S. Coast Guard said."

Baltimore Sun, 8/15

"No offense to the gentle folks who have been fighting the good fight for years, but Greenpeace knows how to wage a robust, bare-knuckles public war against a bully."

Keep your fingers crossed for us on Wednesday - this is going to be a tough one. The Commission will probably do SOMETHING, but it's too early to guess how meaningful their action will be.

Thanks again to everyone who helped us get this far! Stay tuned for more ways you can help in the next couple days.

John H

Posted by jhocevar on 08/05/2005 6:56 pm

Comment from Danica Jamison:

I was intrigued and excited to hear Greenpeace would be coming to our "neck of the woods" here in little Reedville, VA.

Thanks for your comment Danica. We'll keep you posted.

- John

Posted by jhocevar on 08/03/2005 11:03 pm

As fishermen and environmentalists battle factory fishing giant Omega Protein in the western Atlantic, overfishing continues to take its toll on ecosystems worldwide.

In Western Australia, local officials recently sought to draw attention to the albatross, a spectacular and highly endangered bird known for it's large wingspan and impressive migrations. Eighteen albatrosses were affixed with radio transmitters, to enable enthusiasts to be spectators, and often bettors, in the birds' "race" from the island of Tasmania to South Africa.

It now appears that all 18 birds starved to death in route. Ironically, one objective of the "Big Bird Race" had been to highlight the vulnerability of albatrosses and other fish-eating birds to long-lining, a fishing practice that involves trailing hooked and baited lines up to 75 miles long. Longlining reportedly kills hundreds of thousands of birds each year, including large numbers of endangered albatrosses. At the same time, factory fishing trawlers from as far away as Ireland seek to ply Australia's waters, in direct competition with albatrosses and other sea birds.

Meanwhile, Houston-based Omega Protein, with it's large fleet of spotter planes and factory ships, is getting nervous. After years of bullying regulators into allowing Omega to take as many fish as they want, things may finally be about to change. On August 17th, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will consider putting limits on factory fishing for menhaden. Will they listen to the hundreds of fishermen and environmentalists who showed up at public hearings and thousands more who faxed or emailed comments, or will they listen to one company with a proven record of taking as many fish as they can regardless of the cost to coastal ecosystems or the people who depend on them?

Stay tuned.

John H