Octopus(sy) Galore

James Bond calls for more marine protected areas 5

There was unfortunate news from PEER recently that the Obamans/NOAA Chief Jane Lubchenco have no plans to consider new marine protected areas. She cited lack of funds as the reason. Hum.

In an era where oceans are under so much pressure, we need to prioritize efforts proven to bring life back to the seas, like MPAs. They work. As Jennifer Jacquet points out at the Guilty Planet blog:

Research by Callum Roberts et al. (2001) published in Science found:

a network of five small reserves in St. Lucia increased adjacent catches of artisanal fishers by between 46 and 90%, depending on the type of gear the fishers used. In Florida, reserve zones in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge have supplied increasing numbers of world record-sized fish to adjacent recreational fisheries since the 1970s.

But try to tell that to lobby groups like the Recreational Fishing Alliance. The RFA and their allies (marina owners, charter captains, and, ironically enough for them, commercial fishermen) fight MPAs tooth and nail, even though the reserves work to increase the size and probably the numbers of their favored species. They’ve got a case that MPAs should be based on sound science, of course, but the rhetoric often gets so overblown that it just starts to sound like their being told that they can’t fish a certain area is far worse than catching more and bigger fish, elsewhere. Go figure.

Not waiting for the feds or fishermen to come to their senses, an alliance of ocean groups has just released an ad spot (an MPA PSA!) calling for establishment of marine reserves along the Southern California coast. MPAs here would benefit all sorts of marine life from octopus to seals, abalone to otters.

Heal the Bay, Surfrider Foundation, Save Our Coast and Shifting Baselines all had a hand in producing it, and it’s got some star power: Bond sexy-man Pierce Brosnan, a guy from Scrubs I like, and some other people. It’s for a campaign simply titled MPAs Work. ‘Nuff said.

If the spot makes Joe Television stop and watch, it’s a great message to get into the collective earhole:

 

 

 

Erik Hoffner is the coordinator of the Orion Grassroots Network which supports the work of hundreds of grassroots groups and which connects the green leaders of tomorrow with good work today via the Grassroots Jobsource. Based in Massachusetts, he is also a freelance photographer.

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  1. Scott G Posted 5:16 pm
    20 Oct 2009

    Bad news. A little sad, but it seems that appealing to self interest is the compelling argument here -- and the maintenance of an available and large fish stock is probably it. MPA's are odd, though, in that the boundaries are more artificial than national parks and wildlife corridors. Fish swim through them, so it's not as easy to tie individual fish size/age to a particular MPA -- but, like Jennifer Jacquet points out, they can't hurt. Good ad spot though. For the majority of folks, not concerned directly with the fishing industry, cool underwater footage of flagship species might take public support a long way. By the way, where can I get one of those shirts?

    Obama is less than impressive on this one -- and in other areas of conservation, as listed on the PEER site. Didn't he positively reverse some endangered species act decisions, though?

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  2. Erik Hoffner's avatar

    Erik Hoffner Posted 5:48 pm
    20 Oct 2009

    Scott G: you'd be surprised how many fish actually stay resident on pieces of 'structure' like those often encompassed by MPAs. Reefs, but also rocks, kelp forests, bad guys' ships that James Bond sank, what have you, attract fish like snapper and grouper that like to stay put. But when they do, they breed, and their larvae float away, out of the MPA, and take up on other structure, benefiting the whole area. Then there's octopus, oysters, mussels, urchins, and the zillion things that like to eat them that hang around too. One MPA can become quite a garden of eden.

    Erik

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  3. Scott G Posted 8:18 pm
    20 Oct 2009

    Reefs, Bond villain cruise ships -- forgot about those. But do the fish that are the usual targets of commercial fishing tend to stay put? Or range around the ocean? Or both? And, either way, I wonder if MPA's could get strung together like wildlife corridors? Guess we'll never know if the Obama admin. stays business as usual.

    Nice title by the way. Very...creative (although not the best of those movies).

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  4. toystore Posted 1:34 am
    22 Oct 2009

    It is quite common to attach the names of famous people to such links, why not just leave the fish alone.
    http://www.didis.com/

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  5. Tuna Posted 11:16 am
    28 Oct 2009

    Toystore, the problem is, we haven't left the fish alone. We have caused fish stocks to plummet and collapse in many areas around the U.S. and the world. If you eat fish, I would suggest knowing what you are eating, for your own health and to have a little social and environmental responsibility: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx. There is really no need to be eating species on the verge of extinction.

    And if you really feel like nerding out (for those of you wondering how MPAs actually work, check out the science! http://www.piscoweb.org/publications/outreach-materials/science-of-marine-reserves-0

    No, the general public doesn't hear much about these, but they have been working for decades in many other countries, and even for years off the east coast of the U.S. and in Florida. Probably the best kept secret is that the best place to catch huge trophy sized fish is right on the edge of a marine protected area! It's funny what nature can do to heal herself when we just leave her alone for little while :)

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