Friday, 03 Nov 2006

Teach a Man to Fish, and ... Oh, Never Mind

Populations of edible marine species may collapse entirely by mid-century, says study

Thank god it's Friday, but thank god even more it's not 2048, when all edible ocean life may be sunk. According to a study in Science, 29 percent of commercially edible fish and shellfish populations have collapsed already, thanks to overfishing, development, pollution, and global warming. "Our children will see a world without seafood if we don't change things," says lead author Boris Worm. (Worm!) But losing Long John Silver's is the least of our worries: loss of biodiversity "sabotages the stability" of marine environments, says the study, leading to increased coastal flooding, reduced water quality, and beach closures. In response to the study, the U.S. National Fisheries Institute, an industry trade association, said more than 80 percent of fish stocks remain sustainable and aquaculture can fill the gaps. And really, who are you gonna believe: them, or a group of researchers who spent four years studying all available data on fish populations and ocean ecosystems?


A tour bus hauling five musicians and heaven knows what else could be a sketchy place to hang out, but Grist's Sarah van Schagen recently discovered that's not the case with Brit rockers Gomez. When the group stopped for a show in Seattle, she climbed aboard the Gomez-mobile and found recycling bins, a case of organic fruit, and a tank full of biodiesel. She also found Tom Gray, the group's guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist, who dished about partnering with CLIF Bar to green this year's tour, teaching kids where veggies come from, and making sure there's nothing "weird" in his beer.

Standing on Protocol

U.S. requests exemption from ban on ozone-depleting pesticide, again

At a meeting in New Delhi this week, thumb firmly attached to nose, the U.S. is seeking to convince fellow signers of an international ozone-layer treaty that it should be allowed to continue to use and produce a pesticide it had agreed to ban by 2005. With a stockpile of nearly 11,000 tons of methyl bromide -- which not only depletes the ozone layer but can cause respiratory and neurological problems in humans -- the feds are requesting a 7,100-ton exemption to the ban for 2008, more than all other Montreal Protocol parties' exemption requests combined. "The U.S. position is that we are appropriately managing the strategic reserve," said Drusilla Hufford, director of the U.S. EPA's stratospheric protection division and winner of our Totally Best Name and Title Ever award. But critics, including former EPA administrator William Reilly, say the U.S. move is undercutting the agreement, and a Swedish delegate says it's "setting a bad example for other countries." Ugh, could we be more reprehensible?


How do you go about getting schools to stop using pesticides? Well, you start with a conversation or two, says this week's InterActivist, Billie Karel of N.C.-based PESTed. Ask teachers if they've seen bugs. Ask administrators about their policies. Ask for help getting a petition signed. Be persistent until you get answers. And in the meantime, Karel has some answers of her own about detoxing your life, supporting farmworkers' rights, dealing with garden-variety pests, and more.

Open and Shut Up Case

Agencies investigate claims of muzzling by Bush administration

Has the Bush administration tried to suppress climate-change research? We'd tell you, but there's a guy in a trench coat watching us type. Maybe inspectors general at NASA and the Commerce Department will have better luck as they investigate claims that climate scientists were muzzled by political appointees at NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The inquiry, prompted by a request from 14 Democratic senators, is "going to shake up the administration, because it will uncover internal documents and agency correspondence that may expose widespread misconduct," said Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.). "Taxpayers do not fund scientific research so that the Bush White House can alter it." A spokesflack for the White House Council on Environmental Quality called the claims of interference "false," saying with a straight face, "We have in place the most transparent system of science reporting." The results of the probe should be available early next year.


Letter us tell you: Grist readers are an opinionated bunch. Fired up about God's role in environmental protection, the appropriate number of vehicles per family, or the merits of a border fence, you don't hesitate to reach for those poison darts ... er, keyboards. So check out this batch of letters, and keep 'em coming. We thrive on constructive criticism, we flourish on constructive compliments, and we take insults with the best of 'em.