A Few Pics from Coastal Cleanup Day: Leo Carrillo State Beach - Malibu, CA

California Coastal Cleanup Day 2012

10 Scuba Diving Sites in Thailand Recommended for Closure

The recommendation comes from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) concerning 10 dive sites inside marine national parks in order to aid in the recovery of damaged coral reefs.

However, the final decision would still rest with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP).

The sites are Hin Klang off Phi Phi, Mae Yai Tai Peninsula off North Surin Island, the area to the east of South Surin Island, Chong Khad Bay off North Surin Island, Kangkao and Pai Islands in Chon Buri, Yak Island in Trat, Chaloke Ban Kao Bay, Tanod Bay and Surat Thani's Nuansai Beach.

"The coral reefs in these areas have been severely damaged," DMCR director-general Kasemsan Jinnawaso told the press yesterday, adding that he would ask the chiefs of all 26 marine national parks to keep an eye on tourists' activities that could hurt the local environment.

The final decision still lies in the hands of the DNP, he said.

"Closing diving attractions in the Andaman Sea could affect tourism in the area," Kasemsan said.

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Of course, not allowing damaged reefs to recover -- or failing to protect them in the first place -- could also affect tourism in the long run.

Hopefully the DNP makes the right decision and also takes a good look at ways to prevent damage from occurring in the future.

Malta Scuba Divers Petitioning for Ċirkewwa Marine Sanctuary

The Ċirkewwa harbor is situated on a point at the northernmost part of Malta.

The Maltese diving community has begun circulating a petition and is organising an awareness-raising campaign urging the authorities to declare Cirkewwa a marine sanctuary.

Experienced diver Antonio Anastasi, who is leading the initiative, told The Malta Independent on Sunday that the area inevitably attracts both divers and fishermen because of two important wrecks − the P29 patrol boat and the Rozi tugboat, which attract large numbers of fish to lay their eggs there.

Although Cirkewwa automatically became a protected area when Malta joined the EU, divers still have to resort to calling the Police Force’s Administrative Law Enforcement (ALE) unit to deal with infringements on an almost daily basis.

“Unfortunately, illegal fishing activities take place even during the night. Illicit fishing includes activities like spear fishing, as well as the laying of trammel nets (pariti) among others,” said Mr Anastasi.

“And the law does not protect this area as a no take zone. The law states that only spear fishing and the laying of trammel nets in the demarcated area of wrecks is prohibited, leaving huge gaps for other infringements such as the taking of sea urchins, octopus or lobster with one’s bare hands, or divers lifting souvenirs from the seabed,” he continued.

Other illegalities include dynamite fishing and the use of fishing gear including bottom lines, gill nets, entangling and encircling nets, demersal pots and traps.

Apart from destroying the habitats on which fish stocks depend, these activities can cause serious or even fatal accidents to divers in the area.

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Mediterranean WWII Wreck to be "Preserved at all Costs"

The sunken supply barge near Manoel Island, which now holds a Class B certification, was originally designed for service in Gallipoli in 1915 and is the only ship like it in the world preserved fully intact.

A one-of-a-kind sunken wreck from World War II lying near Manoel Island has been scheduled as a site of archaeological importance to be preserved “at all costs”.

The wreck is an X127 Waterlighter used as a submarine supply barge during World War II and sunk by enemy fire while still lashed to its moorings beneath the arched colonnades of the Lazzaretto.

It was among 200 originally designed for the Gallipoli campaign in 1915 by Walter Pollock and Son of Faversham in Kent and is the only one in the world that has been preserved intact.

The site in Lazzaretto Creek is touted as ideal for diving and a number of divers have campaigned for it to be protected. They were worried it would be spoiled by the yacht marina planned as part of Midi’s Mediterranean marina village project on Manoel Island.

Last year, Midi CEO Ben Muscat had been reluctant to give a guarantee to protect it, saying: “We will try to work around it as much as we can. The breakwater won’t touch the wreck but at the end of the day it is still going to be smack in the middle of a marina.” He did not anticipate any works taking place close to the site but could only pledge to save the site “to the extent that we can”.

However, the wreck has now been protected through a legal notice that has just been published. This gives it a Class B certification which means it is “very important to be preserved at all costs”. Adequate measures must be taken to preclude any damage from immediate development, a spokesman for the planning authority said.

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Britain Establishes World's Largest Marine Reserve

A terrific development from our friends across the pond.

At midnight tonight, the world's largest fully protected marine reserve will come into force in the British territorial waters of the Chagos Archipelago, in the Indian Ocean.

But this new sanctuary, designated as a "no-take" zone where commercial fishing will be banned, serves to underline how catastrophically the international community has fallen short of a goal set almost a decade ago to protect marine life.

In 2002, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the World Summit on Sustainable Development made a commitment to protect 10 per cent of the world's oceans by 2012. Today, with only 15 months to go, it is estimated that just 1.17 per cent of the world's oceans are under some form of protection, and a mere 0.08 per cent classified as "no-take" zones.

Yesterday, government representatives at a UN conference on biodiversity held in Nagoya, Japan, put the 2012 deadline back to 2020. Marine experts warned that it is scandalous that the original deadline will not be met, and said the 10 per cent target falls far short of what is needed. A third of ocean waters need protection to give species a fighting chance of survival, they said.

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How Coral Reefs Adapt to Global Warming Could Aid Reef Restoration

A terrific article from Science Daily about the study of the adaptive nature of coral reefs amid the effects of global warming.

Discoveries about tropical coral reefs are expected to be invaluable in efforts to restore the corals, which are succumbing to bleaching and other diseases at an unprecedented rate as ocean temperatures rise worldwide. The research gives new insights into how the scientists can help to preserve or restore the coral reefs that protect coastlines, foster tourism, and nurture many species of fish. The research, which will be published in the journal PLoS One, was accomplished by an international team whose leaders include Iliana Baums, an assistant professor of biology at Penn State University.

The team focused on one of the most abundant reef-building species in the Caribbean, Montastraea faveolata, known as the mountainous star coral. Though widespread, this species is listed as endangered on the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature because its numbers have declined significantly -- in recent years, up to 90 percent of the population has been lost in some areas.

Discovering how corals respond to ocean warming is complicated because corals serve as hosts to algae. The algae live in the coral and feed on its nitrogen wastes. Through photosynthesis, the algae then produce the carbohydrates that feed the coral. When this complex and delicate symbiosis is upset by a rise in ocean temperature, the coral may expel the algae in a phenomenon known as coral bleaching, which may cause the death of both algae and coral. The challenge is to figure out why some corals cope with the heat stress better than others.

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Hat tip: Diving Discoveries (via the comment section of our last post)

Malaysia Closes 12 World-Famous Dive Sites

Authorities claim the coral is being killed off by global warming.

Twelve reefs that attract half a million tourists from around the world annually are now closed to divers and snorkellers until the end of October to allow the corals to recover from bleaching caused by warmer seas.

Abdul Jamal Mydin, director general of the Department of Marine Parks, said that the temperature of the seas has risen to 88F (31C) in recent months, up 4F (2C) from the normal level.

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Environmentalist Serenades Great White Underwater

Hey, whatever gets the word out, right?

Environmentalist Andy Brandy Casagrande wrote the ditty to raise awareness of great white shark conservation.

He decided the best way to promote it would be to sing it directly to one of the fearsome underwater beasts — without using a cage.

Now a video of Andy serenading the shark has been screened at film festivals around the world and gained a cult following.

Brave Andy donned his scuba gear and grabbed his acoustic guitar before diving into shark-infested waters to play his tune, aptly named The Great White Shark Song.

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The footage was recorded off Guadeloupe Island, Mexico, an area infested by great white sharks.

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Devon Divers Tackle Seabed Litter in Plymouth

When divers take action, things get done.

Divers are preparing to go litter picking, in the sea off the Devon coast.

Members of the British Sub Aqua Club will be taking part in the event in Plymouth Sound on Friday.

It is part of a series of events organised by charity Blue Mile which campaigns against pollution of the sea.

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Be sure to visit the British Sub Aqua Club online at: www.bsac.com

Happy World Oceans Day 2010!

Today is the day (but shouldn't be the only day) we set aside every year as an opportunity to honor and raise awareness about issues surrounding the world's oceans!

From the United Nations, which in 2008 declared June 8 as World Oceans Day:

... World Oceans Day allows us to highlight the many ways in which oceans contribute to society. It is also an opportunity to recognize the considerable challenges we face in maintaining their capacity to regulate the global climate, supply essential ecosystem services and provide sustainable livelihoods and safe recreation.

To help celebrate the effort behind and the celebration of World Oceans Day, 10% of all Neutral Dive Gear proceeds today will be donated to The Ocean Project.

Tasked with instilling in people a lasting and measurable awareness of the importance, value, and sensitivity of the ocean, The Ocean Project in partnership with the World Ocean Network has been promoting World Oceans Day since 2003. And we're so thankful for all their hard work.

So grab some stylish scuba threads and help us donate to a terrific organization working diligently to advance ocean conservation!

The Magic and Horrors of Encounters at Sea

An awe-inspiring, tragic, must-see presentation by Brian Skerry.


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Visit Brian on the Web at www.brianskerry.com

Tassie Divers Blame Commercial Operators for Rock Lobster Decline

And, of course, commercial fisherman point the finger at recreational scuba divers in return.

Tasmania's recreational fishermen have hit back at calls for rock lobster diving to be banned.

Last week the Rock Lobster Fishermens Association called for diving with compressed air to be banned for the state's 21,000 recreational fishermen.

The association says divers target larger females, which lowers reproduction levels for rock lobsters.

But Don Paton from Recreational Fishing Tasmania says commercial fishermen are responsible for falling fish stock levels.

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Your thoughts?

Divers' Shellfish Code Introduced for Dorset Coast

Ladies and gentlemen, it has come to this.

The underwater life of the Dorset coast is being threatened by divers taking too many shellfish, according to conservationists.

Dorset Wildlife Trust is concerned that some divers are collecting large numbers of the marine animals.

The trust maintains this is putting the wildlife balance in the reefs at risk.

Divers who take too many lobsters, crabs and scallops could be depriving fellow divers of the chance to see these creatures alive in the wild.

Animals such as wrasse [brightly coloured marine fish], conger eels, cuttlefish, rays and sharks depend on shellfish for food, so there is also a 'knock-on' effect when numbers are reduced.

Julie Hatcher, marine awareness officer at Dorset Wildlife Trust, said: "We are worried about the sizes and numbers of shellfish, especially scallops and lobsters, which are being taken by recreational divers.

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A Divers' Shellfish Code is being launched at the Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve, as part of the Selfish Shellfish Divers Project, and will be distributed free from the slipway at Kimmeridge Bay throughout summer 2010.

It is hoped that following the code will help ensure there will always be plenty of shellfish around for divers to see.

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Scuba Divers Save Shark from Frisbee Ring Off Palm Beach

There are consequences for our garbage; or in this case, our beach toys. Luckily for this shark, two divers took the risk to save it.

Two South Florida divers had a close encounter few would believe. They came face to face with a shark that had a plastic ring around its neck.

John Dickinson and Chip Garber not only saw it, they have proof. They videotaped it.

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They were with a group that was diving on a wreck off Palm Beach called "The Princess Ann" when they noticed a nurse shark lying lifeless on the bottom of the ocean.

"We thought the shark was dead, however after pulling her tail she began to swim away," Dickinson says.

They noticed the shark had a large Frisbee-like ring around its neck which prevented it from eating.

They decided to make a brave move. Chip was able to approach the shark from behind and grab the ring and remove it.

"You can tell in the video that the shark had lost a lot of weight. Hopefully the shark will begin eating again and live a long healthy life," says Dickinson.

Good for you, gentlemen. Our hats off to you.

Protecting Florida Lemon Sharks

That's the purpose of a recently-approve rule by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved a rule Thursday to prohibit all recreational and commercial harvest of lemon sharks from Florida waters. The FWC took this action to protect lemon sharks, because they have a high potential to be overharvested.

Lemon sharks are often found near shore in shallow water, especially in Southeast Florida, where they aggregate in large numbers each year. This makes them easy to locate and raises the potential for large numbers of lemon sharks to be removed from the population with minimal effort by fishermen.

Lemon sharks also are susceptible to overharvest because of their life history characteristics. They are slow-growing, reaching sexual maturity at 12-15 years of age, and have a low reproductive potential, producing 6 to 18 pups per litter every second or third year. Juvenile lemon sharks experience a mortality of 40-60 percent.

Recently, some preliminary data from an ongoing tagging study found that at least 7.5 percent of tagged adult lemon sharks from a Southeast Florida aggregation succumbed to fishing mortality in one season. At that rate, the entire lemon shark aggregation could be harvested in a few years.

In addition, recent regulatory actions for other shark species might put more fishing pressure on lemon sharks in Florida waters, where 90 percent of known lemon shark aggregations occur. The harvest of lemon sharks will still be allowed in offshore federal waters adjacent to state waters.

Healthy lemon shark populations are especially important to Florida's dive charter industry which provides ecotourism trips to see lemon shark aggregations in the winter months.

The FWC's lemon shark rule takes effect on March 23. More information about recent shark-management actions is available online at MyFWC.com/Rules, click on "Fishing - Saltwater."

Hat tip: OceanicDreams

Military Divers Pulled from Artificial Tire Reef Cleanup Project

You may remember back in July of last year we brought you the military tire reef cleanup story.

Well, with all that's going on in Haiti and elsewhere in the world, troops have haulted the cleanup due to thinning resources.

Military divers are being pulled off a project to clean up an artificial reef off the coast of Florida that turned into an environmental disaster.

The divers have spent the last three summers pulling up thousands of tires a mile off the beach at Fort Lauderdale.

Hundreds of thousands were sunk there in 1972 in hopes they would turn into a coral reef. But nothing grew and they became scattered across the ocean floor, damaging real coral reefs.

The military began cleaning up the tires as a training exercise at no cost to the state.

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The earliest the cleanup could continue is 2012.

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It's a shame the cleanup apparently won't resume for another two years, but it's entirely understandable given the support our military is doling around the globe.

Beluga Whales Meet Divers at Arctic Rehab Farm

Oh my. It doesn't get much colder or more beautiful than this.

They don’t get visitors in these parts that often.

That’s because these beluga whales live under three feet of ice in the freezing waters of northern Russia’s White Sea.

But when some underwater photographers arrived, they certainly weren’t shy - as these stunning images show. The whales are not endangered but under threat from pollution and loss of habitat.

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We don't know about you, but these photos give us the chills.



And there's more where that came from. Be sure to read the entire article.

Palau to Create First Shark Sanctuary

And what a beautiful island nation in which to do so.

The Republic of Palau is an Island nation in the Pacific some 500 miles east of the Philippines , with a rich and diverse marine ecosystem surrounding it. The economy of Palau subsists primarily on tourism, agriculture and fisheries, and it came as a great surprise to all when they announced in the recent UN Assembly the brave step to create the world’s first “shark sanctuary”, banning all commercial shark fishing in its waters.

The move announced by the Island nation’s President Johnson Toribiong, stated that Palau will protect about 600,000 sq km (230,000 sq miles) of ocean, roughly the area of France, and aim to curb the cruel practice if shark fining, which is the process of catching sharks, cutting off their fins and throwing the rest of the fish, still alive, back into the ocean to die.

The fins are prized throughout Asia for use in sharks fin soup and local medicines. As many as 100 million sharks are killed each year around the world and the once prolific shark, is now slated to be placed on the endangered list in the next few years.

“Palau will declare its territorial waters and extended economic zone to be the first officially recognized sanctuary for sharks,” Palauan President Johnson Toribiong told the Associated Press in an interview Thursday.

Hawaii: Wrecking Coral will Cost You

And why wouldn't it? As the article mentions, it's Hawaii's environment that draws such massive tourism.

A Maui tour company is paying the state nearly $400,000 for damaging more than 1,200 coral colonies when one of its boats sank at Molokini, a pristine reef and popular diving spot. Another tour operator faces penalties for wrecking coral when it illegally dropped an anchor on a Maui reef.

The state plans to sue the U.S. Navy to seek compensation for coral ruined when a guided missile cruiser the length of two football fields ran aground near Pearl Harbor in February.

The fines began issuing fines two years ago as part of its efforts to punish those who damage a resource critical to Hawaii's fragile environment and tourism, the state's No. 1 industry.

"People are going to have to be more careful out here, because it if keeps getting damaged, we're going to lose it," said Laura Thielen, chairwoman of the state Board of Land and Natural Resources, which decides how much to fine. "We have to take some very strong action or else it's going to be too late."

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