The Cove documents a the hunting of dolphins in one Japanese fishing village.Early on in The Cove, director Louie Psihoyos describes how he assembled an "Ocean's Eleven"-like team of specialists to infiltrate and expose a secret, brutal, for-profit dolphin-killing operation in Japan.

The description fits the film, which is structured more like an action thriller than a documentary. And the team, which includes a pair of world-class free divers, a "clandestine operations" specialist who's discovered Caribbean shipwrecks, a rock concert organizer, and a spiritual surfer dude who co-founded Surfers for Cetaceans. (Cetacea, for marine-illiterate folk, is the order of marine mammals that includes dolphins, whales, and porpoises.)

The Cove documents the work of Ric O'Barry, who in a previous life spent 10 years as a dolphin trainer, most famously for the 1960s TV series Flipper, only to renounce that work and dedicate himself to fighting the dolphin captivity industry. O'Barry's heartbreaking devotion to these highly intelligent mammals, and his deep guilt over Flipper's popularization of trained dolphin shows, form the emotional backbone of film.

O'Barry has been a fly in the ointment to the Japanese coastal town of Taiji for some time now, attracting hostility from the locals for his determination to stop its industry of dolphin capture and slaughter. A classic example of an inspiring breed of activist -- i.e. someone who started on the other side before a crisis of conscience turned him -- O'Barry is unafraid to cross the line in pursuit of his goals. When asked "How many times have you been arrested?" he responded, "This year?"

The movie's unique storytelling style -- a far cry from the academic talking heads and dire government statistics that suffocate most enviro docs -- has earned The Cove much well-deserved critical acclaim already. Night-vision footage of Psihoyos' badass team of eco-guerrillas sneaking into an isolated cove to plant high-def cameras, not to mention the literal bloodbath those cameras recorded, is compelling enough to keep mainstream audiences engaged. For that reason, The Cove serves as a model of how documentaries can stay relevant in today's fast-paced media culture.

Louie Psihoyos directed The Cove.Despite its nail-biting action, effortless pacing, and gruesomely engaging subject matter, The Cove ultimately commits one of the greatest enviro-activist sins: it is, in essence, just another save-the-cute-animals plea. Killing dolphins and then serving the mercury-tainted meat to Japanese schoolchildren is disgusting and immoral. Capturing dolphins and teaching them silly tricks does a great disservice to both them and the human race, which probably has a lot to learn from these skilled communicators. And Japan's continued shirking of international whaling regulations should not be tolerated.

But The Cove gets so caught up in the thrilling suspense of its own story that it neglects to hammer these points home hard enough, allowing O'Barry to toss most of them off without backup from other sources. And when the film ended, in my most cynical heart of hearts, I still had not been convinced of why this atrocity should matter to me personally. The Cove relies on its own shock value and misses an opportunity for a deeper exploration of why this baffling practice occurs, and of what other communities have to learn from it.

What I found more resonant than Taiji's dolphin cruelties was the film's footage from an International Whaling Commission meeting, which revealed the twisted political alliances and back-door dealings that often define international summits. Japan buys off tiny, impoverished nations like Dominica, St. Kitts, and the Marshall Islands, plying them with expensive building projects in exchange for backing for Japan's continued violation of IWC regulations. The sense that this official bribery is a practice not unique to Japan calls into question whether international policymaking bodies can be forces for positive change in the world.

This depressing realization casts a cloud over the The Cove, and, for that matter, the upcoming climate talks in Copenhagen. After all, what does the work of people like O'Barry matter if, in the end, everyone's fate is decided by cold-hearted, suit-wearing bureaucrats, who, behind the closed doors of conference rooms, trade our futures for a few bucks?

Go See It: Where you can see The Cove

Other Reviews: N.Y. Times | L.A. Times | The Washington Post

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Fisherfolk angle to keep marlin off of menus

Hoping to smack down commercial fishing operations that are decimating Pacific marlin populations, sports anglers have launched a "No Marlin on the Menu!" campaign to discourage diners from ordering the popular game fish. To preserve marlin populations, many sportsfolk keep just one fish per day, per boat, but commercial fisherfolk have not been so scrupulous. "We have decided to take it to the next level, an aggressive, proactive stance where we will have a lot of media brought to the attention of the status of the species, and then start with mailings and advertisements," says the president of angling group Billfish Foundation, who expects the campaign to be in full force by summer. It's already getting off the, um, ocean bottom in marlin-rich Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where commercial boats often scoop up game fish as bycatch in their shark hunt. Activists are pushing for a ban on the sale of Pacific marlin in Mexico; it's a long shot, but hey, at least there's the thrill of the chase.

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U.N. lifts year-old ban on Caspian Sea beluga caviar exports

The world's got a fever, and the only prescription is more caviar. In a two-part move, the U.N. has lifted a year-old ban on the delicacy, allowing Caspian Sea countries to profit despite concern about declining sturgeon populations. Yesterday, the U.N. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species announced an agreement on the waaay overfished beluga that will see Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan cut exports 29 percent from 2005 levels. The countries will also "release millions of young fish into the sea," according to Willem Wijnstekers, who heads up CITES. Wijnstekers hopes consumers will control their urges in order to keep beluga battering in check, but fish fans say his agency's action belies his concern. Julia Roberson of Caviar Emptor says beluga stocks in the Caspian plummeted 45 percent from 2004 to 2005: "The whole purpose of CITES is to allow trade only if there is a nondetrimental finding, and this screams to me it's detrimental to the fish."

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North Sea fish population declines as water warms, says new study

For the first time, those meddling scientists have found a direct link between warming seas and dying fish. A heated habitat leads to rapid population decline for the eelpout, a shallow bottom-dweller in the North Sea, according to a decade-long German study recently published in Science. Warm water contains less oxygen, a gas that is helpful for such fish-friendly tasks as "being ready to prey, grow, move, and reproduce," says researcher Hans Pörtner. Eelpouts have relatively few young and generally do not migrate, even to seek cooler waters; soon, though, they may need to relocate or die, scientists say. Temperatures in the area of the North Sea that was studied have risen by about 2 degrees Fahrenheit in the last 40 years, and some estimates predict a further rise of 7.2 degrees in the coming century. Zoarces viviparus (really, could that name get any better?) is an indicator species for the general health of cold-water seas -- and it's indicating that global warming still sucks.

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Chinese white dolphin is likely extinct

The baiji, a white dolphin found only in China's Yangtze River, appears to have gone extinct. Lipotes vexillifer has been swimming China's longest river for some 20 million years, but in the end it was no match for China's surging economy. In the last few decades, the Yangtze's shallows have been dredged for shipping, many of its fish have been caught or driven away, and noise pollution has increased, perhaps disrupting the sonar of the nearly blind cetacean. In 1986, 400 baiji still swam the river; in 1997, a survey found 13; a 38-day search concluding last week came up empty-handed. An animal must go unseen for 50 years to be formally declared extinct by international scientific bodies, and Chinese scientists will continue searching, but most foreign experts agree with expedition co-leader August Pfluger that the dolphin is "functionally extinct."*

*[Correction, 19 Dec 2006: This summary originally stated that the baiji was the first large aquatic mammal to be killed off by human activity. The Steller's Sea Cow was actually the first.]

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Congress passes drilling, fisheries bills in final days of session

Gasping and flopping like a landed fish, the Republican-led Congress passed an offshore-drilling measure during its final days. The legislation, passed by the House and Senate as part of a larger tax bill, will open 8.3 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico to oil and natural-gas exploration, with nearly 40 percent of royalties going to Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas. The victory jig was slightly muted by misty watercolored memories of a bigger, badder bill that failed earlier this year: "When it comes to passing important legislation around here," said Rep. John Peterson (R-Pa.), "you learn to shoot for the stars in the hope that you might land on the moon." In other ocean-related news, Congress shot for the, uh, StarKist, overhauling U.S. fisheries rules. The updated Magnuson-Stevens Act requires regional councils to combat overfishing and endorses a cap-and-trade plan that would, as with pollution, allow oversteppers to buy credits from those with a modicum of self-restraint.

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Fishing industry, USDA square off over definition of organic fish

What makes a fish organic? That query has the U.S. Agriculture Department swimming in circles as it fleshes out a new organic rule. Is wild-caught fish the purest, or is closely monitored farm-raised fish the better option? If the latter, does it matter if the fish eats organic plant-based feed or -- cue creepy music -- other fish? Two USDA task forces have made conflicting recommendations, and observers are scratching their heads. "If you can't call a wild Alaska salmon true and organic, what can you call organic?" asks Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). But many say wild-caught fish shouldn't qualify: "What it comes down to is organic is about agriculture, and catching wild animals isn't agriculture," says Rebecca Goldburg of Environmental Defense. Whatever the outcome, consumers won't see the organic-fish label for several years. For now, the debate rages, with George Leonard of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program calling the whole thing "strange." He read our addled minds.

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After days of negotiations, U.N. fails to pass high-seas bottom-trawling ban

In a roughy outcome for conservationists, the U.N. failed to adopt a high-seas bottom-trawling ban supported by countries including the U.S. and Australia. The controversial fishing method, currently used by 11 countries including ban-busters Iceland and Russia, involves dragging vast nets and coral-crunching rollers across the sea floor. It has been deemed "highly destructive" and "likely to pose significant risks to [deep-sea] biodiversity, including the risk of species extinction" by the World Conservation Union, and more than 60 conservation groups had spent over two years lobbying for the ban. But the final agreement, reached after days of negotiations, relies on regional fisheries management groups to monitor the practice instead. Such groups oversee a mere 25 percent of the high seas. The new deal "has more loopholes in it than a fisherman's sweater," says Karen Sack, oceans policy adviser for Greenpeace. "It's exactly what states are supposed to be doing anyway. It's nothing new."

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Deep-sea trawling puts ecosystems in deep trouble, says U.N. report

Deep-sea trawling is bad. How bad? Uh, pretty bad. Turns out raking gigantic fishing nets across the ocean floor shatters millennia-old coral, raises smothering clouds of sediment, and destroys underwater mountains. "It's the equivalent of clearing old-growth forest to collect squirrels," says researcher Alex Rogers, who helped prepare a draft U.N. report on the issue. More than half of the high seas suited to trawling lie outside national boundaries, so there are no regulations stopping boats from decimating populations of alfonsino, roundnose grenadier, and orange roughy (which -- fish fact! -- can live more than 150 years). U.N. delegates will discuss a trawling ban at an upcoming meeting; marine scientists call the case for a ban overwhelming, but fishing interests are likely to strongly oppose it. The director of Spain's Fisheries Resources Department says ships trawl over "a platform of sand," not "ecosystems that are in danger." Yeah, and an alfonsino just flew by our window.

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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?

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Marine "dead zones" on the rise around the world

There are now at least 200 oxygen-starved "dead zones" in the world's seas and oceans, a rise of more than a third over the past two years, the United Nations Environment Program announced yesterday. The algae blooms that suck up oxygen and cause dead zones -- killing off or driving out fish, oysters, sea grass, and other marine flora and fauna -- are triggered by phosphorus and nitrogen from fertilizer, sewage, animal waste, and fossil-fuel burning. Dead zones currently lurk off the coasts of the U.S., Scandinavia, South America, Ghana, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, and Britain. "There are numerous compelling reasons for combating pollution to the marine environment," says UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner. "These range from public health concerns to the economic damage such pollution can cause to tourism and fisheries." Unfortunately, the dead-zone problem is only getting worse; nitrogen pollution of waterways that drain into seas and oceans is expected to rise 14 percent from mid-1990s levels by 2030.

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New studies give conflicting advice about the benefits and risks of eating fish

Two studies released yesterday are likely to confuse you even further about the benefits and risks of eating fish. A report from the Harvard School of Public Health claims that fish consumption can reduce the risk of coronary death by 36 percent, and total mortality by 17 percent -- benefits that far outweigh the risk of exposure to toxins like PCBs and dioxin, it says. "Seafood is likely the single most important food one can consume for good health," says coauthor Dariush Mozaffarian. But a study by the Institute of Medicine concludes that while chowing down on salmon, mackerel, and other fatty fish "may" reduce the risk of heart disease, different populations should follow different fish-eating guidelines, and women of childbearing age and children should be particularly cautious. Consumers Union criticized both studies for not giving enough attention to the dangers of mercury in tuna and PCBs in most fish. Nutrition expert Marion Nestle of New York University recommends that consumers make sense of the morass by following advice from the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Environmental Defense about fish choices that are safe for people and ecosystems.

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Scientists discover 52 new marine species near Indonesia

Eight new species of shrimp, 20 new species of coral, and 24 new species of fish, including two types of sharks, have been discovered off the coast of Indonesia. And these aren't your grandmother's marine species: Male wrasse fish get sexy for their harems by flashing bright yellow, blue, and purple; bottom-dwelling epaulette sharks mostly get around by "walking" on their fins; and the shrimp resemble praying mantises. Mark Erdmann of Conservation International calls the 6,950-square-mile Bird's Head Seascape "the epicenter of marine biodiversity on the planet"; researchers have counted 1,200 species of fish and 600 species of coral there, a greater concentration of species than is found at the Great Barrier Reef. Of course, the ecosystem is in danger, threatened by commercial fishing vessels, local fisherfolk who use dynamite and cyanide, and erosion from mining and logging. Only 11 percent of the area is currently protected, but Indonesia's Fisheries Ministry is hoping to increase the number of regional marine parks.

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Male fish with female characteristics found in Potomac tributaries

Male smallmouth and largemouth bass in the Potomac River have been found to be developing eggs, leading federal scientists to suspect that, well, it may be something in the water. Female characteristics have been found in more than 80 percent of the male smallmouth bass studied in Potomac tributaries in Maryland and Virginia. Feminized fish were also found in Washington, D.C., and as far as the Potomac's South Branch -- a range of over 200 miles. The cause of the intersex fish is unknown, but utilities are assuring the public that tap water drawn from the river is safe. Ed Merrifield of green group Potomac Riverkeeper is understandably skeptical: "If they can't tell us what the problem is, then how can they tell us that they've taken it out of the water?" Says Thomas Jacobus, general manager of the Washington Aqueduct: "I don't know, and I don't think anybody knows, the answer to that question right now: Is the effect in the fish transferable to humans?" Let's hope not -- there are enough freaky people in D.C. already.

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Farmed-fish supply rises, but still may not match demand

Farmed fish have nearly caught up to wild-caught fish as a source of the world's seafood, reported the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization yesterday. In 1980, just 9 percent of human-consumed fish came from aquaculture; now the number is 43 percent. "Catches in the wild are still high, but they have leveled off, probably for good," says lead report author Rohana Subasinghe. Thanks to rising populations and incomes, there may not be enough fish in the sea (or the farm) to feed rising global demand: about 116 million tons of fish, both farmed and wild-caught, were eaten in 2004, and about 38 million tons more were used for other purposes. The report estimates that an additional 40 million tons will be required by 2030 just to maintain current consumption levels. The growth of aquaculture, however, is hindered by lack of investment capital in developing countries, a shortage of land and fresh water, rising energy costs, and concern over environmental impact. You think peak oil is bad, wait 'til people can't get their Fish Stix.

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David Benton.

With what environmental organization are you affiliated?

I'm executive director of the Marine Conservation Alliance, based in Juneau, Alaska.

What does your organization do?

MCA is a nonprofit organization established by the Alaska seafood industry that promotes sustainable fishing. America has an increasing appetite for healthy seafood, but we must be sure that fishing preserves species and their habitat for future generations. Alaska produces over half the nation's catch, and the Alaska/North Pacific region has the best record in the country on conservation: There are no overfished stocks of fish, marine habitat is protected, and ecosystem concerns are taken into account.

We're proud to represent, promote, and live by what is now referred to as the "Alaska Model" of fishery management -- good science, careful monitoring, and strict enforcement. Alaska has made it a practice to set catch limits well below what scientists tell them is sustainable. We are constantly looking for ways to improve conservation, while maintaining strong fishing economies in our remote part of the world.

What are you working on at the moment?

In the next few weeks, Congress will vote on a rewrite of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the 30-year-old law that governs our nation's fisheries. The stakes are high, especially for working fishing communities. Do we, as a nation, have the will to take what is good about our seafaring heritage and make it work in the 21st century? Can we balance both conservation and fishing? Or are we going to regulate working fishing towns out of existence to become just more tourist traps around the coast? We believe we have shown that you can have environmentally sustainable marine fisheries and maintain the culture and economy of fishing if you tackle issues from a local perspective with creative solutions. We are promoting our success story in the North Pacific -- science-driven decision making -- to be Congress' guide.

Photo: iStockphoto

The MCA also works closely with a variety of fishing organizations and communities to ensure the health and well-being of other wildlife that are closely tied to the sea. We're working to protect, for example, the short-tailed albatross and the North Pacific right whale.

We're also working on marine debris cleanup around Alaska's coasts. With roughly 33,000 miles of coastline, this is no small task -- it's become one of the largest beach cleanup efforts in the nation.

How do you get to work?

That depends. Sometimes, I drive my rusted-out 1989 Toyota pickup over the bridge to the office. Sometimes, I take a skiff, if I am coming in to town from the lighthouse we are restoring -- that can be a wet ride in Southeast Alaska.

What long and winding road led you to your current position?

I came to Alaska in the mid-1970s and started working for Friends of the Earth on marine issues. I moved on to work with a number of fishing groups, local governments, and Alaska Native organizations including one called Nunam Kitlutsisti (roughly translated, it means "Protectors of the Land" in Yupik, an Eskimo dialect). There I met a fellow named Harold Sparck, who lived in Bethel, Alaska, and who inspired me to reach higher and not take no for an answer. Harold got me good and hooked on marine conservation. I got to know a lot of folks in the villages, and they taught me a way of looking at stewardship that has stuck with me to this day -- blending conservation with respect for the way of life in Alaska's remote communities.

Eventually, I went to work for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game where, by some strange twist, I became the state's international fisheries negotiator. I held that job for roughly 14 years, working on behalf of the state on virtually every fisheries treaty now in force in the North Pacific. That job took me all over the world, from Moscow to Tokyo to New Zealand and the U.N. I also served on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council for nine years.

What this experience taught me is that the world would be a poorer place if we lost the way of life that fishing and the ocean have provided us and our coastal communities. Whether it is in a remote Eskimo or Aleut village in Alaska, the working waterfront of towns like Kodiak or Sitka, or the fishing ports in New England, there is a richness to our history and culture that cannot be replaced.

Where were you born? Where do you live now?

I was born in California and spent most of my childhood in the desert. I live in Juneau now; it's wet.

What has been the worst moment in your professional life to date?

Getting a fax from the governor saying the Canadians had "borrowed" one of the Alaska state ferry boats in protest of our position on salmon treaty talks. It turned out that some Canadian fishers had blockaded the harbor and were holding the ferry hostage. I was the lead negotiator for Alaska on the salmon treaty talks, so I spent several hours trying to sort things out. Needless to say, the governor wasn't too pleased with the situation.

What's been the best?

When the United Nations adopted the worldwide ban on high-seas driftnets. They were one of the most destructive fishing practices ever employed, and I had been working along with a lot of other folks to get them banned.

What environmental offense has infuriated you the most?

I will probably get shot for this, but it's the tendency of some environmental activists to stretch the truth or distort the facts to try to make a worthwhile case. They lose all credibility, and it sets back meaningful environmental progress every time.

Who is your environmental hero?

David Brower.

What's your environmental vice?

Beer.

How do you spend your free time (if you have any)? Read any good books lately?

I am working with a nonprofit to restore a lighthouse. It's a great way to relieve stress.

Kite Runner was the last good book I read, along with a lot of mindless sci-fi.

What's your favorite meal?

Huevos and strong Mexican coffee on the zocalo in Oaxaca.

Which stereotype about environmentalists most fits you?

Burned-out do-gooder.

What's your favorite place or ecosystem?

I love the ocean in all its many personalities.

If you could institute by fiat one environmental reform, what would it be?

Biodegradable plastics that turn to nontoxic substances in six months or less. Our marine-debris beach cleanup program has already removed hundreds of thousands of pounds of plastics that end up in Alaska from all over the world.

If you could have every InterActivist reader do one thing, what would it be?

Take a moment every day to look around you and appreciate the world, and do one small act of kindness.

David Benton, Marine Conservation Alliance.

Alaska Man Standing

What have you found to be the best incentives to alleviate large numbers of bycatch in ocean fishing? Do large fishing boats wind up with a higher percentage of bycatch than smaller-scale fishing operations?    -- Angela Mallard, Telluride, Colo.

Bycatch control and reduction is an important conservation goal. In Alaska we have employed several different strategies to control and reduce bycatch. Some of these include bycatch caps where a fishery shuts down when a specified amount of bycatch occurs in a fishery. In other instances, we have required retention of all catch of certain species, forcing harvesters to look for ways to catch only the fish they want. Individual bycatch quotas can provide an individual harvester with incentives to minimize unwanted catch in order to maximize the catch of desirable species.

Interestingly, bycatch is not vessel-size specific. In some fisheries, larger vessels actually have lower bycatch rates than smaller vessels. In other fisheries, it is the other way around. It is important to develop bycatch controls tailored to the specific conditions of the fisheries. The bottom line, though, is to measure the amount of bycatch, put in place limits on the rate or amount, and then enforce the rules.

What sort of debris do you find most while doing your coastal cleanups? What's the most unusual thing you've found?    -- Name not provided

We find everything under the sun. The biggest volume seems to be old fishing gear. We are taking a lot of samples to determine where it's coming from. Our preliminary look indicates that a substantial amount comes from Russian waters and is very old. Watch for more information on this when we get our marine-debris website up and running.

The oddest thing to me was a shopping cart from Brazil. Go figure.

Alaska has done a fabulous job designating protected areas on land. Partly as a result, most of Alaska's land-based animals exist in fairly healthy populations. In contrast, Alaska has few designated protected areas in the marine environment, and the majority of Alaska's endangered species are marine animals. Marine protected areas have proved effective in many areas of the world, and they often benefit commercial fishing. If Alaska is to be perceived as a model for marine conservation, isn't it time that we get busy establishing a network of marine protected areas that equals our land-based conservation system?    -- Brad Meiklejohn, Eagle River, Alaska

Alaska has done a reasonably good job on land, but you miss the mark about what constitutes sound conservation practices in the marine environment. What works on land doesn't always translate into success if applied in the ocean. The marine environment is much more dynamic, especially in the Arctic and subarctic, where our marine environment is subject to forces often on a global scale. Drawing lines on a map often won't address the problem.

For example, many of the marine species you refer to are highly migratory, and the conservation problem arises from areas outside Alaska. A case in point is the short-tailed albatross, a highly endangered seabird. Driven to near extinction by hunting on their ancestral nesting islands off Japan, these birds now have only one nesting site, on the side of an active volcano. Marine protected areas will not do them any good. New nesting sites on more hospitable islands will. Our group is actively working to help in the efforts led by Japanese scientists to establish additional nesting populations. This is just one example. Endangered whales (decimated by whaling during the past century), some seabirds (pesticides, loss of nesting habitat), and sea otters (predation, changing ecosystem characteristics) all require conservation action but MPAs would not address the root issue.

Having said that, place-based conservation areas are appropriate in some instances. In the North Pacific, several of the terrestrial conservation units have marine waters within their boundary, thus affording some general protections to marine species. More to the point, though, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council has set aside nearly 400,000 square nautical miles to protect marine habitat and important species. This is a huge area.

Can more be done? Of course it can, if additional actions are needed. Management agencies like the council are continuously looking at the need for additional conservation measures including new or adjusted MPAs. But in our view, action to establish such measures needs to be driven by science, address specific conservation issues, have clear goals with measurable benefits, and have a sound monitoring and enforcement plan.

Most importantly, we have very healthy populations of fish in Alaska, and that is due to conservative management guided by science. Remember, there are no overfished stocks of fish in Alaska, where over half the nation's seafood is harvested.

What's your favorite seafood meal? Are there any types of seafood you avoid because you're concerned about overfishing?    -- Name not provided

Salmon, halibut, crab -- you name it and we eat it! The best thing about Alaska seafood is that it is wild, it comes from the clear waters of the North Pacific, and it's sustainable. No overfished stocks up here.

I do avoid species like orange roughy and blue fin tuna because I am concerned about overfishing. Same with farmed fish, especially salmon. There are just too many potential problems.

I'm mindful that it's best to eat local wild or organically farmed fish if possible. I'm aware that our local Californian fisheries are really stretched. So I'm wondering, do you think I should buy Alaskan fish down here in Los Angeles, or not? And if not, what do you suggest?    -- Ysanne Spevack, Los Angeles, Calif.

By all means you should buy Alaska fish if you can get it. And, believe it or not, flash-frozen or frozen-at-sea products are really good. Sometimes "fresh" really isn't. Check with your grocer or the restaurant before you buy. Good bets are halibut, salmon (my favorite is troll-caught king salmon from Southeast Alaska), king or snow crab (which should now become more available to the consumer because the fishery went from a derby fishery to a quota fishery), and smoked fish products. If you feel adventuresome and it's available, try smoked blackcod.

A friend of mine, a naturalist in Alaska, recently told me that he thinks that overfishing of the Bering Sea fishery is the greatest environmental disaster happening that nobody seems to be paying any attention to. How do you respond to that?    -- Name not provided

I wish I could show you a graphic I have about the levels of fish harvesting in the U.S. waters of the Bering Sea, but the file is too big to send here. But to put in perspective, overfishing limit for the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands in 2005 was around 3.5 million metric tons, and the catch was around 1.9 million metric tons. The overall biomass was roughly twice the overfishing limit.

What that means is that there are several buffers built into the harvest levels to ensure that overfishing does not occur. The NPFMC has a long track record of setting harvest levels at or below the levels recommended by the scientists. And it works. No overfished stocks, large areas of habitat protected, ecosystem considerations taken into account. We use hard caps, careful monitoring, and strict enforcement to make sure that what the scientists recommend, and the target levels set by the managers, are not exceeded.

I would recommend you go to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council website and look up the overall harvest levels there, as well as other information about how good management works.

We've heard a lot about the effects of climate change on Alaska's glaciers and tundra, but what (if any) effects have you noticed thus far to the marine environment?    -- Name not provided

I personally think this is the big question. There is no doubt that ocean conditions are changing. Whether or not those are short-term phenomena or a long-term change remains to be seen. But harvesters are reporting that species are moving north, ranges of species are changing, and weather patterns seem different, as well as changes in ice cover in places like the Bering Sea.

One thing our organization is doing is developing a cooperative research program to bring state and federal scientists together with harvesters and other industry experts to look at a number of pressing fishery conservation issues. One thing we are looking at is the possibility of using fishing vessels as platforms of opportunity to carry oceanographic monitoring equipment. It could be an efficient and effective way to gather temperature, salinity, and other data from a wide area of the ocean for relatively little cost. I'm excited about this new program, and hope we can make a solid contribution to better understanding the marine environment.

Since the technology exists to dramatically extend the life of hydraulic fluid or lubricating oil, why don't we require implementation of the "best available technology" to prevent the generation of this waste at sea? I know some of the cruise ships were dribbling oil out the back and got caught and fined. The waste oil is a problem and does not have to be if we could start adopting cost-effective new technologies to prevent pollution.    -- Chuck Mitchell, Center Harbor, N.H.

I agree with you. And a lot of fishing operations now recycle their oils. It's illegal to dispose of this stuff in the ocean and violators must be punished.

Do you see Alaska moving from being a red state to a blue one?    -- Angela Mallard, Telluride, Colo.

Haven't a clue. I have always pondered what would have happened to Alaska if the Czar had not sold it. Look what happened with some of the other Russian provinces when the Soviet Union fell apart -- they get to print their own money. Of course, some folks think we do that with the oil dollars anyway.

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California will create nation's most ambitious marine-protection program

California wildlife officials voted this week to create 15 distinct marine reserves from Half Moon Bay to Santa Barbara, making about 110 square miles of ocean off-limits to most human activity and giving another 94 square miles or so protection of varying degrees. Backers hope the plan will provide important habitat protection for marine life and give a kick in the, um, fins to a lagging rockfish population. The proposal, an attempt to placate both environmentalists and fisherfolk, took seven years to hash out. And, of course, few are completely pleased -- anglers feel shut out of some prime fishing grounds, while some greens argue that the protected area should be extended and include a ban on squid and salmon fishing. Wildlife commissioner Bob Hattoy called the proposal "a compromise of a compromise," saying, "We had a chance to be historic tonight, and all we were was adequate." Depressingly, the "adequate" proposal is the most ambitious marine-conservation program in the nation.

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A new documentary delves into the lives of California sea lions

Because of their long history as circus animals, California sea lions are one of the most widely recognized marine mammals in the world. But they've also gained a rep as a pest, hanging around harbors, stealing fish out of salmon ladders and fishing nets. With a new documentary, filmmaker Alan De Herrera hopes to de-villainize the playful, intelligent critters. Grist's Sarah van Schagen caught up with De Herrera at the Seattle Aquarium earlier this summer to chat about his film, protecting sea lions' West Coast habitat, and spreading his message.

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Enviros buy out trawlers in California bay

Attempting to conserve rapidly vanishing bottom-dwelling fish stocks off the central California coast, Environmental Defense and The Nature Conservancy have teamed with bottom-trawling fishers to create three "no-trawl zones" covering a total of nearly 6,000 square miles. In exchange for their endorsement, the fishers in California's Morro Bay will get not only a healthier fishery, but for now, what many of them wanted anyway: a way out of the business. The conservation groups are buying the trawlers' permits and boats -- deals worth hundreds of thousands of dollars each. The agreement between the fishers and NGOs is now part of the official federal plan to aid Pacific Coast fishery recovery. If similar buyout deals go down in Monterey Bay and Half Moon Bay, TNC could soon be the largest holder of trawling permits on the West Coast. The group plans to lease about half the permits to fishers under tighter rules intended to make the catch more sustainable; the other half will go unused.

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Oceans are really messed up, L.A. Times reports in special series

The Los Angeles Times is running a snazzy multimedia series on the distressing decline of the world's oceans, with photos, video, and depressing statistics galore (for example, 97 percent of elkhorn and staghorn coral off Florida's coast have disappeared since 1975). In part one of the five-part series, we learn how industrial and agricultural pollutants have changed ocean chemistry in areas across the planet, supporting the rapid propagation of primitive organisms like algae, bacteria, and jellyfish while helping to kill off fish, corals, and mammals. It's like evolution in reverse -- or, according to one marine ecologist, "the rise of slime." Part two elaborates on the effects, discussing how blooms of brain-poisoning algae have intensified along the Pacific coast in the last eight years, coinciding with increased numbers of seals, dolphins, sea lions, manatees, and other large mammals washing up on shore, addled or dead. Parts three to five will be published later this week, and promise to be similarly gloomy. Enjoy!

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