Oceans

Global ocean surface temperature fifth warmest

November 17, 2009 -- The combined global land and ocean surface temperature was the sixth warmest October on record, according to NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. Based on records going back to 1880, the monthly National Climatic Data Center analysis is part of the suite of climate services NOAA provides.

NCDC scientists reported that the average land surface temperature for October was also the sixth warmest on record. Additionally, the global ocean surface temperature was the fifth warmest on record for October.
Global Temperature Highlights    » read more »

Conservation Groups Welcome Australian Senate’s Support for Coral Sea Conservation Zone

Sydney, Australia - 11/17/2009 - Conservation groups today welcomed the Australian Senate’s support for the Federal Government’s Coral Sea conservation zone. This support now gives a green light for assessing whether the Coral Sea should be protected as a marine park.

The motion by National Party Senator Ron Boswell and Liberal Party Senator Ian Macdonald today to disallow the Coral Sea conservation zone was voted down by the Australian Labor Party, the Australian Greens, and Senator Nick Xenophon.    » read more »

Pew Environment Group Urges Stronger Action to Save Bluefin Tuna and Sharks, Regrets Failure of International Fisheries Commission

Porto de Galinhas, Brazil - 11/15/2009 - After meeting for ten days, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) refused to end fishing for Atlantic bluefin tuna. Instead, ICCAT set the catch limit for bluefin, considered the most valuable fish in the sea, at 13,500.

Member countries also agreed on only one measure that will help conserve sharks in the Atlantic, a ban on the retention and landing of big eye threshers, but Mexico was granted an exemption to catch 110 of these vulnerable sharks.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 11/12/2009 - During this year’s Global Week of Action, a week devoted to farmed salmon awareness, the Pew Environment Group today raised concern about the creation of fish farms in U.S. waters without adequate uniform national aquaculture standards in place.

In the past two months, tens of thousands of farmed salmon have escaped from open-net fish farms in British Columbia, Norway and Scotland. This poses serious threats to wild salmon populations and coastal marine ecosystems. While monetary losses amount to millions of dollars, the ecological damage caused by these fish is immeasurable. Escaped fish spread disease to wild fish and compete and interbreed with wild salmon populations.    » read more »

Senator Landrieu gets commitment from FDA Commissioner Dr. Hamburg in phone call today.

11/13/2009 -- WASHINGTON -- Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to halt a proposed plan to ban Gulf Coast oysters that are not subject to post-harvest processing. Sen. Landrieu received the news in a phone call with FDA Commissioner Dr. Peggy Hamburg earlier today.

Sen. Landrieu has been a staunch opponent of the FDA regulation, and has organized several calls and meetings urging top FDA officials to reconsider their proposed action.    » read more »

November 5, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel K. Inouye announced today that the full Senate has approved $74,753,000 for Hawaii commerce, justice and science initiatives including protection for marine wildlife, climate change research, and programs for at-risk, rural youth.

The federal funds for Hawaii-related projects were approved as part of the Fiscal Year 2010 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill.

The bill passed by a vote of 71 to 28, with Chairman Inouye and Senator Daniel K. Akaka supporting the bill. The bill must now face a joint House-Senate Conference and final approval by the Senate and House, before it is transmitted to the White House.    » read more »

Hobart, Tasmania - 10/28/2009 - The Pew Environment Group today called on the world’s governing body for conserving Antarctic marine life to geographically spread out krill catches in the Southern Ocean. This would prevent the concentration of the fishery from significantly reducing the amount of krill available for key predators including whales, penguins and seals.

Listen to an audio recording (MP3) of a press call on this topic.    » read more »

10/19/2009 -- WASHINGTON -- United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., today released the following statement regarding the Ocean Policy Task Force's public meeting this evening in New Orleans. Sen. Landrieu has been a staunch supporter of creating a clear federal policy that eliminates the chronic delays of implementing coastal protection projects, increases multi-agency coordination and partnership with the State, and establishes a long-term program to secure Louisiana's vibrant coast.

Sen. Landrieu said:    » read more »

Legislation Will Bolster NOAA’s Key Environmental Education Programs

October 15, 2009 -- The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife, today holds a hearing to consider expansion of key environmental education and training programs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Congresswoman Lois Capps (CA-23) introduced the bipartisan legislation last month to improve ocean, coastal, and watershed education and literacy. H.R. 3644, which currently has 11 co-sponsors, is called the Bay-Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Regional Program and National Environmental Literacy Grant Program Act.    » read more »

October 14, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC- Today, Tom Strickland, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, announced that the United States supports a proposal submitted by the principality of Monaco to list the Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) in Appendix I of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES).

CITES Appendix-I listing affords a species stringent protection and prohibits all international commercial trade. The fifteenth regular meeting of the CITES parties is scheduled for March 13-24, 2010 in Doha, Qatar (CoP15). Strickland will lead the United States’ delegation to CoP15, on behalf of the U.S. government.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 10/14/2009 - Joshua Reichert, managing director of the Pew Environment Group, today issued the following statement on the United States’ failure to co-sponsor a proposal for consideration by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) that would protect Atlantic bluefin tuna.

The proposal was made by Monaco to ban the international trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna through a listing of the species on Appendix I of the Convention because of the deteriorating status of this species.    » read more »

Larsen expresses concerns with rules, asks for more time for public comment

October 13, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. — U.S. Representative Rick Larsen recently sent a letter to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) asking that they extend the public comment period for their proposed rules to restrict vessel activity near orca whales.

The rules, which were proposed in July, would prohibit vessels from approaching within 200 yards of orcas at all times, outlaw parking in the path of a moving orca, and ban virtually all vessel traffic within 800 yards of west side of San Juan Island for 5 months each year.    » read more »

October 5, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- Congressman Barney Frank, along with five coastal Members of Congress, urged Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, to take the necessary action to fund the Scallop observer program currently managed through the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Congressman Frank was joined by Congressmen Walter Jones, William Delahunt, Robert Wittman, James Langevin and John Adler in urging Ms. Lubchenco to fund the observer program “until an appropriate set-aside management approach can ensure the proper compensation to scallop vessels and their crew.”    » read more »

Washington, DC - 09/17/2009 - More than 400 scientists from the U.S. and 20 other countries have signed a strongly worded letter urging the Obama administration to defer offshore oil and gas development in the U.S. Arctic Ocean until research can adequately assess potential risks to fragile marine ecosystems.

"The Arctic Ocean is our last opportunity to prevent damage to a pristine environment that will be a legacy to our children," said Henry Huntington, science director for the Pew Environment Group's Arctic program. "We must stop and do the thorough research that is needed to protect this special place that is already stressed by climate change."    » read more »

September 15, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - A new project on Kauai to generate clean, sustainable alternative energy from the ocean will receive $600,000, Senators Daniel K. Inouye and Daniel K. Akaka announced today. This technology is called ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC).

Ocean Engineering and Energy Systems International is one of 22 organizations to receive funding from the Department of Energy (DOE) for advanced water power projects today.

The company will use the federal funds to conduct baseline biological sampling studies of a proposed OTEC site in Port Allen, Kauai, in order to create a conceptual design of a site-specific warm water intake pipe.    » read more »