Comments suzannah has made

Not explicitly environmental, but...

As Oceana CEO Andrew Sharpless wrote on Gristmill a few weeks ago (before Penny Pritzker withdrew herself from consideration of the Commerce post), Secretary of Commerce is indeed an important position for the environment - specifically the oceans.

Sixty percent of Commerce's budget and one-third of its staff goes toward running NOAA, which oversees all fisheries. Overfishing and the establishment of the United States' first offshore fish farming facilities will continue to be major issues in the coming years.

Whoever ends up in this job will find themselves learning a lot about fish.

Oceana: Protecting the world's oceans.

ranching = even worse overfishing

Not to mention pollution from fish waste destroying ocean floor habitats, cramped conditions leading to disease, escaped fish that compete and interbreed with wild fish, rampant antibiotic use leading to increased bacteria resistance ... the list goes on.

I haven't yet read Ellis' book, but I'll be very disappointed if he really believes that ranching is a viable answer in any way. That is a crucial misunderstanding of the issue on his part.

Oceana: Protecting the world's oceans.

Misleading photo

Very good, thorough article, but the photo on top of a happy "free range chicken" is misleading. As anyone who has read Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma" can tell you, "free range" chickens rarely see natural daylight. They're typically kept in a dirt indoor space with one small door to a tiny outdoor yard that they're too stupid (sorry chickens) to go through. This is expressed in the article, which notes that the Prop 2 chickens would get to "turn around." It'll be a long time before industrial farm chickens get to roam on healthy grass fields as a matter of course.

Promoting the idea that a free range chicken is happy and natural will, I fear, lead to complacent consumers.On California's Prop. 2 spurs big-bucks battle over farm-animal treatment posted 1 year, 1 month ago 9 Responses

thanks biodiversivist

That's exactly what it looks like! How did you know?

Well, not quite. Here's the link to the MarViva page. Don't know what happened with the link in the post!

Oceana: Protecting the world's oceans.

not exactly illegal ...

NMFS requires fishermen to land sharks with fins accounting for a certain percentage of the weight of the shark bodies on board. Meaning, the shark bodies and the fins were allowed to be separated as long as there was ratio deemed acceptable by NMFS. You can imagine all the playful math that could go into something like this. Not to mention that few observers can probably tell if the fins even came from the same species of shark carcass on board.

Meanwhile, ships like the King Diamond II could gallivant through U.S. waters carrying all the fins they wanted as long as they hadn't actually sliced and diced the sharks themselves.

What really needs to happen is NMFS must require ships to land sharks with fins attached. Not in some cooked-up ratio. In the interim, we have to chip away at legislation that allows ships like the King Diamond to operate. It's not a very glamorous way to advocate for the oceans, but unfortunately, this is the way it gets done. And yes, Sam, you're right that the U.S. is not a leader in shark finning. But at the very least we can be a leader in shark protection.

Oceana: Protecting the world's oceans.

as for rivalry ..

I can't say, not being too close to the inner circle of our celebs. ;) But you do make a good point about Ted that I hadn't considered. He and his wife live in California, so I'm guessing it was just more convenient. Wish I could provide a more dishy answer!

Oceana: Protecting the world's oceans.

Oceana's featured, too!

Vanity Fair also features a two-page photo spread including Oceana's celeb champions (Ted Danson, Sam Waterston, Amber Valletta) and policy wonks (Dr. Daniel Pauly, CEO Andrew Sharpless). It's a really nice tip of the hat for us, perhaps among the biggest media attention we've ever gotten. "Green Issues" may just be a trend, but it's still a big day for us here at the office.

Oceana: Protecting the world's oceans.

a tragedy

A tragedy, to be sure, but I'm not buying the terrorism angle. "It was just a matter of time"? Really?

This is one of those incidents we'd like to read meaning into where there isn't any. A woman died in a senseless, random tragedy. She was not a player in a larger drama. Have you read Bonfire of the Vanities? You're voluntarily play-acting in an updated version of Tom Wolfe's drama; the woman who died here was not.

Oceana: Protecting the world's oceans.

Maybe not all bluefin are contaminated, but...

...there are very few "old, large" bluefin left. It's most likely at least some, if not all, the bluefin sushi was from smaller fish. The population is in severe decline and most fish are caught before they get the chance to be old and large. The WWF has a good summary of the growing bluefin crisis.

Oceana: Protecting the world's oceans.

Wow caniscandida-

You know your opera form. Perhaps you should recreate the Greenpeace/Sea Shephard/Japanese drama in bel canto, ha!

Oceana: Protecting the world's oceans.

thanks caniscandida

For the info on Pakistani cetaceans. Sadly I believe the general consensus is that the Baiji is most likely extinct. Only a handful were sighted some ten years ago. If there's one left, it's like Lonesome George the Galapagos tortoise.On Manatee deaths down, lonely penguin count up by one posted 1 year, 10 months ago 15 Responses

a quick response

Hi, Suzannah from Oceana here. There are some jellies that thrive in colder waters, like the lion's mane, but the species that destroyed the fish farm was way north of its usual warm-water habitat. That is certainly unnatural.

Sea turtles are a major predator of jellies, but the freaky-looking common mola, or ocean sunfish, is one fish that consumes jellies.On An influx of jellies in strange places is not so hard to explain posted 1 year, 12 months ago 6 Responses

various

Yes, it's interesting that the Asbury Park Press has really good marine issues coverage. It's a coastal city, but it's no more coastal than Boston or New York or any number of smallish cities, and yet the APP covers marine news more frequently, it seems. I don't know why.

On the ages of beings, I don't doubt that large dinosaurs were long-lived. It's a strange thing, though, since large size in animals like dogs and horses generally corresponds with shorter lifespans. It's like their bodies can't keep tending to such large frames - they age more poorly when they become elderly.

You astutely noted a problem with sea turtle conservation. No, we don't know where they go when we can't see them! We have an idea, and we can make educated guesses. But the scientific evidence on their exact range is very limited. Hopefully more information will come with time. It's something Oceana has hoped for.On Iraqi catches shark, blames America posted 2 years ago 7 Responses

circular hooks vs j-hooks

You can read about the difference here. Basically the circular hook is bigger and more awkward to swallow. Note that the turtle still gets snagged on it. Not exactly a perfect solution, but a step in the right direction!On Overlap in supervision allows sea turtles to slip through the cracks posted 2 years, 1 month ago 3 Responses

Best Pro-Fisherman Story Ever

Here.On This week in ocean news posted 2 years, 1 month ago 13 Responses

It depends....

..on what your definition of "is" is.

But your point is well taken, JMG.On This week in ocean news posted 2 years, 1 month ago 13 Responses

for Colin-

Hi, Suzannah from Oceana here. You can find more info on Lovelock's giant tubes plan in this Nature story. It's wacky stuff.On European fisheries 'poor,' island nation Palau rich in corals posted 2 years, 1 month ago 8 Responses