Man-Made Fish on Your Plate?

A resounding no to genetically engineered fish from a chef in a CNN editorial makes some really good points.

Perhaps the best point is: it doesn't sound appetizing.  But there's more and it starts with aquaculture.

Aquaculture -- fish farming -- itself is complicated because there are tricky pros and cons.

On the one hand, it can take pressure off wild fish while creating a whole economy as well as food and nutrition for millions.

On the other hand, some farmed species may do more harm than good.  Farmed Atlantic salmon comes to mind as this carnivore eats wild fish feed.  We could find ourselves depleting the wild stocks of the feed fish to feed the farmed salmon.  Avoiding this is clearly the way to ensure that aquaculture is not an ocean issue but a solution.

Enter genetically engineered fish, which holds the potential for great profit while some say, courts catastrophe.

The first genetically engineered animal up for approval in the US by the Food and Drug Administration is a salmon designed to grow twice as fast as normal salmon.  A genetically altered fish with a voracious appetite, one that will eat twice as much wild feed fish as a regular salmon, sounds like the problem doubled rather than solved.  It actually sounds a little like an invasive species.

There's also too much we do not know (see also hubris and greed).

When the altered fish escapes – escapes already occur constantly -- into wild waters, what happens to the natural balance?  Will wild salmon and other species be overwhelmed by the bigger, stronger, and hungrier fish?  The answer is we do not know what will happen.

So how come the FDA has approved the genetically altered fish?  For one, I doubt sustainability was a criteria (the criteria on which they based their decision is confidential).  For two or three, can you really trust these knuckleheads to consider anything but whether or not eating it will kill you?  No.  And sometimes they don't even get that right.

Note: Some farmed species are good, like tilapia, which eats algae, although some environmentalists question the farming practices in some countries. 

See Oceana's excellent infographic on man-made fish.

Apparently Size Matters

This time the United Nations is saying size matters. According a Reuters article, the UN says smaller marine conservation areas are more effective than larger ones. Not sure I got that memo. If it's true, that's great, but so far the research and science seem incomplete.

Plus, the reasoning for proposing small marine areas seems flawed. The scientist in the study says "Closing big zones can be excessive for conservation and alienate fishermen who then ignore bans." Who's to say fishermen won't ignore the smaller bans, too?

In general, the phrase "excessive for conservation" is a little troublesome, a little passive aggressive. Since when do conservation efforts even approach excessive? We certainly have shown that, if anything, we humans are very capable of excess for everything but conservation. Personally, I'd like to err on the side of excessive for conservation than the alternative. Let's keep an eye on this one.

Read more here.

China to Join Western Nations in Exploiting the Oceans

China, with over a billion people and thousands of miles of coast, looms over the ocean's future. So it's good news that the Chinese government is part of the United Nation's Pacem in Maribus (Latin for Peace in the Oceans) Conference as noted on English.news.cn.

The level of engagement is a yet to be seen of course, and this sentence is either a victim of translation or truth telling: "Li said China would attach great importance to conservation on the marine ecosystems in the process of exploiting marine resources, and actively develop the green marine economy."

Maybe they are just being honest as to say we're going to take the oceans for everything they've got and only stop short with a few minimal conservation measures when it seems politically beneficial. Why not? That seems to be Western governments' modus operandi (Latin for let's rape the sea) for the past fifty years at least. Ok, too cynical. But the UN. Really? They're like a real estate agent with nothing to sell.

Read the whole story here.

Here We Go Again

Fishing industry in strong opposition to marine conversation is not a new story but I wish it were. Wish we were done with this squabbling because at the end of the day, it's the habitats and the species that suffer. All over the world people are overfishing. All over the world people are fishing beyond what is sustainable. It's called the tragedy of the commons. Garrett Hardin coined it forty two years ago.

So if there is something we can do to help keep one of the Earth's last wild resources viable and healthy, shouldn't we do it? Shouldn't we keep on our collective eyes on the bigger picture?

This time it's in Australia. But even if old news, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, Jean-Michel Cousteau delivers the key point succinctly:

''I am on the side of the fisherman. I want to protect them. I'm not opposed to fishing, I'm opposed to them taking more than nature can produce.''

Hopefully this is not lost on the fishing industry. That would be a tragedy.

Read the full story here.

Irrawaddy O Daddy

About 30 to 40 Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris), one of the world's rarest and most threatened species, have been spotted in the coastal waters of Negros Occidental province in Western Visayas, Philippines, according to GMA News TV.

Good news, although the backdrop is a common and sad species story. Species decline due to habitat loss because of people, or as the GMA News TV puts it: "the Irawaddy population declined drastically in recent years because the dolphins’ habitat overlaps with areas used by people".  According to the Visayan Daily Star news site, the Irrawaddy dolphins  are found mostly in Bago City and Pulupandan town in Negros Occidental.

It's always refreshing to see a species beat the odds, even if only temporarily.

Read the full story here.



Image courtesy of topnews.in

Beer and the Ocean, Perfect Together

The ocean gives life and...beer! According to CNN, the oldest bottle of beer has been found, preserved for over a hundred and fifty years in the cold waters of the Baltic Sea near the Aland Islands and Finland. Another mystery of the deep to fire the imagination.

Was it a gift to smooth an unwelcome matrimony between two courts or simply one royal beer lover sharing a few bottles with his counterpart in another land? Did the crew pinch a bottle or two along the way and steer the boat awry? Who made it? Is it a pilsner or a lager? Can I taste it? Please?

Looks Like an Ancient Amber

All Water Leads to the Ocean

Earl has brought much needed rain to eastern long island. The runoff pollution is less desirable. 

The ocean water along the coast is now a lighter shade of blue-green than the deeper water offshore as freshwater from the rain pours into the ocean from the surrounding land -- literally runs off the land.

Granted, so far east out here, where there are not so many people and there is little development, there is likely not a lot of pollution in that runoff. Even so, there is still probably a fair amount of pesticides, fertilizers, solvents, and other nasties. Most places are less fortunate. Runoff, especially in and around major cities, is a big contributor to ocean pollution.

The rule of thumb is that all water leads to the ocean. Everything that washes off sidewalks, streets, buildings, parking lots, lawns, etc. eventually goes into the ocean. We should avoid whenever possible and remind people of this simple rule of thumb. Some cities have successfully implemented an elegant reminder -- they've spray painted images of fish on storm drains and even sidewalks.

Here is an thorough set of recommendations on how to avoid contributing to runoff pollution from the Long Island Sound Study.

Also, here are some ways to prevent runoff pollution from a municipal perspective from Ron Bottorff who looks after the Santa Clara river:  

Public education of citizens, business, and public agencies about the impacts of daily activities on urban runoff and stormwater quality can raise awareness and improve polluting behavior;

• Heed signage such as No Dumping and No Littering, that remind people about how stormwater drains lead straight to the ocean.

• Replace impervious surfaces such as asphalt with porous pavement to keep potential runoff on site and recharge it into the ground water for future use. Rerouting downspouts and drains to divert flow across porous surfaces can achieve the same results.

• Use site design to allow vegetation, topography, and hydrology (water flow patterns) to effectively maximize filtration, provide temporary retention and improve runoff quality. Examples include reduction of impervious surfaces and the replacement of typical storm drain pipes with natural conveyances.

• Control roof runoff by using rain barrels, cisterns, and rain gardens to store rainfall and runoff on site and allow for future water reuse.

• Design and maintain your irrigation/sprinkler system properly you do not over water or create excess urban runoff.

• Cover fueling areas to shelter them from rainfall to reduce the entry of such contaminates as oil, grease, and coolants into storm drains.

• Isolate vehicle washing areas so the wash water is directed to the sewage system in dry weather, to avoid putting phosphates, solvents, oil, and metals into storm drains.

• Isolate outside commercial and industrial processing and material storage areas to reduce runoff contamination. Using leak-proof sheds for containment of manufacturing materials and frequent lot sweeping are good housekeeping practices.

• Enclose or cover trash storage areas to avoid direct rainfall and to prevent loose trash and debris from being transported or blown into nearby drain inlets, channels and creeks.

Earl has the Best Cheesburgers

Here comes Earl. Sounds like someone working the griddle at a good diner in a sunbeat coastal town. Weather hype is interesting. It can dominate the conversation even thousands of miles away. Here on the east end of long island, where Earl will most likely only generate some clouds, rain, and rough water, if you didn't know any better you'd think the apocalypse was upon us.

Even three days from when it's expected to swing close, you get dramatic headlines in semi-local papers. Hurricanes are born over the sea and are a great reminder of the ocean's awesome power. They are also a reminder small we are on this big blue marble spinning through cold, dark space. Instead of engaging in hysteria over one storm, let's keep these big pictures in mind.

Your Dorsal Fin Must be this High

Maybe they're hanging out in Williamsburg. Or Coney Island, riding the Cyclone and playing Shoot the Freak. The Sharks that is, and not the gang from West Side Story.

According to a NY Daily News story by Barry Paddock, colonies of Tiger sharks visit the New York City area waters annually and marine biologists don't really know what they do or where they go. So they're going to catch some of them, attach a small sonic device to their fins, and track their movements. Hopefully, the research will help the population. "Seascape biologists hope to tag some two dozen sand tiger sharks, whose population has declined 80%," according to the story. 

Read more.



Image courtesy of Graphicriver.com

Fang Toothed Dopplemuncher

The deep, dark depths of the ocean are full of intrigue, and they're a little scary. Check out this rogue's gallery from Oddee.com.  Wouldn't want to run into Number 3 in a dark alley, or Number 1 or 6, or any of them. Actually, very interesting how much some of them look other worldly. The vast, awesome ocean at work once again.

Toes Up

Let the confession begin. Yesterday, I missed a posting. Yet, I have a great excuse.

The eastern end of long island is stoking with sweet sunshine and breezes. Small violet and bright orange dune flowers are blooming amid the Spartina grasses topped with their collective purple haze. So I went for a run along the bay side like a mirror of the sky, gave a nod to an osprey out enjoying the updrafts, crossed the highway, and tucked into the thick sandy trail of another great state park. When the trail ended at the ocean, I whispered a small prayer as appropriate and then turned west and continued down the beach.

It was a bit of a slow and steady slog but with waves crashing on one side and dunes on the other and few to zero homo sapiens, it was spectacular to the point of inspiring. The run finishes with a swim in the ocean, like a swift striped bass the plunge in, emerge past the break, drift toes up in the late afternoon glow. Catch a few mellow rollers in. Walk home, untouchable, shake out my bathing suit alongside my soul.

Don't Shoot the Messenger

Of course it was probably too good to be true...according to a CNN.com article by John Sutter, Samantha Joye and another scientist published a memo saying that three-quarters of the oil spilled into the Gulf -- about 3 million barrels -- remains in the ecosystem. It's out of sight and perhaps out of mind, she says, but it's not gone.

This contradicts an earlier report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The government's "oil budget," which was based on observations and calculated estimates, was interpreted as saying as much as three-quarters of the oil is essentially gone, also according to CNN.com

But some people want to shoot the messenger. One jerk wrote her as such: ""You WANTED an ecological disaster and when it didn't happen you are literally willing to do or say anything to make it look like there was one," one person wrote.

She's a scientist and they're supposed to ask questions and she's asking good ones that no one has answered yet (like Where's the methane? What happens with the oxygen? How fast is the oil being degraded?) She's also defending the ocean. In general, that gets a shout out from Eco Ocean.

I know people are probably sick of bad news about the Gulf and none to happy to embrace the "good news" from the government, but the debate is healthy and the full story has yet been told. People like Samantha are doing good work. Let's withhold judgment until time and sound science give us the full picture.

Read the whole CNN.com story here.

Sponge Worthy

According to the BBC, trawlers are tearing up sponge habitats in the cold waters off Scotland. The sponges are important for cleaning the kitchen counter -- joking. Ocean sponges from shallower waters have already proved effective at combating diseases like cancer, noted the brief article. Even if sponges did not have the potential to help cure cancer, they are part of an ecosystem, which is good enough reason for me. Let's not trash them if we can help it people.

Hope springs eternal if we are willing to believe the spokesperson for the accused fishing industry. "Sponge beds are enormous, very dense areas, which are not targeted by fishermen, in fact, exactly the opposite is true," said Phil MacMullen, Head of Environmental Responsibility at Seafish.

Read the whole story here.

Everyday Heroes Inspire

Shout out to Don Hansen, who received the 2010 United Anglers of Southern California (UASC) Bill Ray Memorial Conservation Award, according to the San Clemente Times. Apparently Don has been up to lots of good and is definitely part of the solution. Everyday heroes like Don are refreshing and inspiring.

Also according to the article, in recognition of his hard work and dedication over the years, Hansen received the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries “Sustainable Fisheries Award” in 2007. He was honored for improving management programs for West Coast marine fisheries, which he accomplished by fostering open dialogue and understanding between fishery scientists, resource managers and the fishing community.

As anyone can tell you, this is never an easy task. However, it was one made easier by Hansen’s ability to listen to and understand differing viewpoints, treat everybody with respect and get people to work together. In short, getting the best out of people. That same year, Hansen also received the Dana Point Harbor Association’s Leadership and Legacy Award for his key role in shaping and serving the Dana Point Harbor. Thanks, Don.

People who know Don and work with him also apparently get it, “I still get a thrill watching people feel the calming effects of the ocean; it offers a release from everyday stresses when you’re out there. The Hansen’s truly get that and try to ensure everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the experience of sportfishing and whale watching,” said George Clough.

Read the whole story by Roxann Pope here.

Relax, Don't Do It

Straying a little from ocean conservation but still within the realm, a word about rip tides. To protect the ocean is to love it, and to love it is to not fear it irrationally. Respect it for sure, in every sense of the word. It is big and powerful and dangerous.

With rip tides forming in isolated areas along the Atlantic coast this August, like every August, it is easy to irrationally fear them. So maybe a quick lesson on rip tides will help with the "love it and not fear it irrationally" part.

If you get caught in a rip tide, RELAX. Like Frankie Goes to Hollywood sang, "Relax, don't do it," as in don't try to swim back to shore against the strong pull of a rip tide. The ocean always wins those battles.

Rip tides don't suck people underwater. People die in rip tides because they become exhausted and drown. This happens because they panic, which exerts more energy, and they try to fight the tide, which exhausts them further. 

Instead, if caught in a rip tide -- suddenly pulled farther from shore than you wanted or expected -- tread water or float on your back. Catch your breath. Admire the beautiful sky and the dunes on shore from your new found vantage. Then swim parallel to the shoreline. Then swim in normally. If it takes longer than usual, take a break, rest, breathe, tread water, and then go again. Like little Nemo's mantra: Just keep swimming.

And remember, if someone else is in trouble, panicking and getting tired and in danger of drowning, the lifeguard's mantra is Reach, Throw, Row, Go. The last thing you want to do is go into the water. Many people become victims themselves, get tired struggling with the drowning person, and they also drown. Reach for them with something. Throw them something. Get in a boat and go to them. And before any of that, call a lifeguard.

This cool site, The Art of Maniless, provides some good advice on rip tides. The image above is from the site.

Brainiac 5 Will Save the Earth

Shout out to all the Brainiac 5s out there working on some great green ideas. Brainiac 5 is a DC Comics character who, you guessed it, is supersmart. He helped save the earth at least a dozen times.

Now real Brainiac 5's creative solutions include batteries from nanotubes and plants engineered to turn into fuel, according to a New York Times article by Matthew Wald. The story is not likely a comprehensive survey of all that's going on, but it is a good glance at some clever ideas. Also, great to see the US Government is providing financial support. It would be nice to see much more support, but it's a good start.

What does this have to do with Eco Ocean? These are the steps toward a renewable energy economy and away from the fossil fuel economy that Eco Ocean harps on. Climate change has many negative impacts on the oceans and its inhabitants so this is a bit of optimism after ongoing bad news about the Gulf oil plumes (Monday's post) and dying corals (yesterday's post). A little splash of cold water on a hot August day. 

Read the whole story here, including good explanations of how these things work.

Image courtesy of DC Comics

Coral Killed, Suspect Goes Free

A coral reef died recently and strong evidence including witness testimony points to one suspect, but as of this writing, that suspect goes free and continues its anti-social behavior. State and local police have no comment. The FBI was brought in but once they learned the deceased was not human, they went away. A local philosopher argued that humans are victims, too. Victims of their own ambitions, genius, and greed. His counsel was not enough to bring back the federal and local protectors, however. One witness with long blond locks and carrying a trident exclaimed, "Where is the justice?"

We'd miss them

Seriously, it's simple. Coral is in trouble due to climate change. Coral is extremely important. Coral is hands down beautiful.

This isn't new news really but we seemingly have to hear it again and again. Don't we? One more excellent reason to move off the petroleum economy and onto a renewable energy economy as soon as possible.

With CO2 emissions rising sharply from human activities, reefs—which are home to perhaps a quarter of marine species and provide critical protection for coastlines—are poised for a "bust" on a scale unlike anything seen in tens of millions of years, according to Charlie Veron, Former Chief Scientist of the Australian Institute of Marine Science in mongobay.com. The header on the article is "Coral Reefs Doomed by Climate Change.

Others agree and they're telling us where. According to MSNBC.com today, one of the most destructive and swift coral bleaching events ever recorded is under way in the waters off Indonesia, where water temperatures have climbed into the low 90s, according to data released by a conservation group this week.

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) says a dramatic rise in sea temperature, potentially linked to global warming, is responsible for the devastation, according to MSNBC.

"This is a tragedy not only for some of the world’s most biodiverse coral reefs, but also for people in the region, many of whom are extremely impoverished and depend on these reefs for their food and livelihoods," said WCS Marine Program Director Caleb McClennen. Coral reefs provide haven for fish and other creatures, and larger fish tend to congregate around reefs because they are good places to feed.

So let's get this climate change. Serve some justice. All kidding aside, we're all victims when these things happen BUT we have our future in our hands. To do the right thing, to be part of the solution and not the problem, is one of the biggest moral challenges for humankind in history.

Read both stories in full here:

http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0722-coral_reefs_atbc.html

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=8993446531016772012

Photos corutesy national geographic, backpackerben.co.uk.

Gulf Oil Finds Bottom

Me Like Oil

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of man...or in this case, the depths of the Gulf of Mexico. Ok evil is a strong word but ta da! the oil in the Gulf didn't just disappear, according to some intrepid marine scientists. A good portion seems to have sunk into an underwater canyon, one that happens to supply the creatures of the Florida Gulf Coast with food.

Researchers from the University of South Florida found the oil. According to CNN.com, the researchers found micro-droplets of oil scattered across the ocean floor and they also found those droplets moving up through a part of the Gulf called the DeSoto Canyon, a channel which funnels water and nutrients into the popular commercial and recreational waters along the Florida Gulf Coast.

The scientists say even though it's getting harder to see the oil the Gulf is still not safe, according to CNN.com.

"This whole concept of submerged oil and the application of dispersants in the subsurface and what are the impacts that it could have, have changed the paradigm of what an oil spill is from a 2-dimensional surface disaster to a 3-dimensional catastrophe," said David Hollander, a chemical oceanographer and one of the lead scientists on the recent USF mission.

Hollander aptly raises the spectre of catastrophe once again, a word used commonly in association with BP and the Gulf of Mexico mere weeks ago. It wasn't a spill as in don't cry over spilled milk or 'darn, I spilled the beans'. The disaster BP created in the Gulf is a catastrophe. Let's not forget that. No out of sight and out of mind on this one. And now hopefully, we'll find out more about where the roughly 25% of 5 million barrels went and how it may impact life in the Gulf of Mexico.

 P.S. What's up with relief well -- the word was mid-August it was to be completed -- how come we've heard nothing?

Photo courtesy of 2ols.com

315 Billion Pounds and Counting

If anyone ever needed a good ocean-related reason to reduce the amount of waste they produce on terra firma, here's one. Scientists from 5 Gyre, an ocean conservation group, have calculated a rough estimate of how much plastic is swirling around in the world's oceans. 315 billion pounds and counting.

According to the article on Discovery News by Michael Reilly: We've all heard about the Texas-sized "garbage patch" swirling in the North Pacific, and recently we've been warned that the Atlantic's got a plastic problem, too. Rather than distinct patches, the planet's interconnected watery parts are effectively a thin soup of plastic refuse, with perhaps larger concentrations of rubbish in five large rotating gyres of water like the Pacific's.

I was going to list a bunch of reasons why this is a bad thing but stopped myself. It's just plain wrong! Disgusting, depressing, shameful, etc. Anyone who needs a list of reasons why we should do what we can to reduce the waste we produce and keep our oceans clean, just doesn't get it.

Read the entire article here and check out the video clip: http://news.discovery.com/earth/how-much-plastic-is-in-the-ocean.html

Check out the 5 Gyres web site too.

BP Breaks the Link

David Helvarg's -- ocean author and founder of the Blue Frontier Campaign -- short piece on damage to the Gulf of Mexico is worth reading. He makes some great points about what long-term damage really means, sheds light on entrenched damage at other spill sites, and slips in some choice metaphors.

"So the good news is maybe half the oil has been burned off, skimmed and dumped, evaporated in the heat, eaten by bacteria in an anaerobic process that also sucks oxygen out of the water or otherwise biodegraded. That's good news in the sense that amputation is better news than gangrene," he writes.

In the end, his measured, researched, knowledgeable conclusion is sobering but we need to hear it: Still, for people of the Gulf and beyond who understand what it means to have your life linked to a living sea, BP's impacts won't be going away anytime soon, or probably anytime in our lifetimes.

The full text of Helvarg's piece is here:

Oil Gone for now?

They've finally cemented up BP's runaway well (from above with a second relief well plug still to seal it from below). Unfortunately this comes after 220 million gallons of oil slimed the Gulf of Mexico. So what's the effect of a spill 20 times the size of the Exxon Valdez? Apparently not much if you believe the government's estimates.

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Budget put out by the Department of Interior and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration says one quarter of the total oil naturally evaporated or dissolved. Having spent time in the heat and oil of the Gulf in June and July, and given the volatile compounds in the light crude that was released I don't have a hard time believing this. Score one for air pollution. They claim 25 percent was burned, skimmed or recovered from the wellhead. Again, having seen the surface burns and the Q-4000 rig flaming off 6,000 barrels a day in July, creating a black column of oily smoke, skipping the middle men (cars and trucks) and putting sooty carbon dioxide right into our already overheated atmosphere, I can almost believe this figure although it would represent the most successful mechanical recovery of spilled oil in history and I know from being there a lot of oily water was counted as recovered oil.

The 'Budget' also claims 24 percent of the oil was dispersed into the water (either naturally or through millions of gallons of chemical dispersants being sprayed on the surface and pumped down to the wellhead). They claim 26% remains on or just below the surface or has been collected (or not collected) from the shoreline as oily muck and tar balls. This 'residual oil is being naturally degraded they reassure us. The oil budget, like the federal budget, seems to be running on a deficit however.
Two problems; one, the 24 percent they say is dispersed into the water column has not gone away any more than the 26 percent on or just below the surface (also staining wetlands and beaches). In addition the massive amounts of methane gas released into the water (remember, they're drilling for oil and gas), though not counted in the budget, is also impacting the Gulf ecosystem from deep ocean bottom habitat to warm surface waters, along with every living thing therein.

So the good news is maybe half the oil has been burned off, skimmed and dumped, evaporated in the heat, eaten by bacteria in an anaerobic process that also sucks oxygen out of the water or otherwise biodegraded. That's good news in the sense that amputation is better news than gangrene. We still, conservatively, have half the oil and gas mixing with saltwater, algae and resident wildlife, though harder to spot and corral thanks to chemical dispersants

Three years ago, in November 2007, we had the Cosco Busan bunker fuel spill in my home waters of San Francisco Bay. That's one two thousandth as much fuel as the government estimates oil still left in the Gulf. Subsequent NOAA studies (that were not made public until San Francisco Weekly reporter Peter Jamison did an expose in March of this year) found that herring embryos exposed to the type of oil used in the bunker fuel were fatally deformed. For the last three years the Bay's annual herring return has disappeared and the most famous urban fishery left in America has collapsed. Crab counts have also fallen precipitously in the last few years with the spill being viewed as a likely reason.

After the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, Prince William Sound's herring fishery collapsed. Unlike bald eagles and pink salmon, this keystone species never recovered. The shrimp fishery took twenty years to recover.

The persistence of oil released into the marine and coastal environment can also be seen in Alaska by digging eighteen inches below the surface along the Prince William shoreline where oil can still be found just deep enough to maintain its toxicity. Sea otters digging for clams have been spotted bringing up welling pockets of oil.

BP has already begun cutting back on its 'clean up' effort in the Gulf and talking up the idea of returning to drill that part of the Mississippi Canyon deep oil reservoir they didn't let explode into the water. So what is the definition of clean other than the slate BP would like to write its story on?

In June Greenpeace biologist John Hocevar took me onto a beach near Grande Isle Louisiana that had been cleaned two days earlier. You could still see small medallions of copper oil spots on the sand but it looked pretty clean compared to a sludgy nearby wetland. “Some of the oil has also sunk into the sand,” he told me. Wanting to check for myself I took a sandy stick and dug a hole about two feet down. Sure enough there were more penny-sized medallions of oil deeper down in the sand. I tossed the stick and vigorously brushed my hands together but the sand stuck to my palms. I rubbed them on my jeans and light brown oil stained my jeans and hands where the sand rubbed off. Multiply that a million times and you begin to understand what persistent pollution means.

It will take years of study to determine the impacts of the BP disaster on the Gulf of Mexico's ecosystem. My fear is that if Florida's tourist beaches aren't heavily oiled (as they appear not to be for now), and if the mainstream media no longer feels it has to “feed the beast,” (as a CNN producer put it) then the long term impacts of the spill on the Gulf's habitat and marine wildlife and those whose livelihoods depend on them may be ignored and forgotten. Consider how other long-term and larger disasters degrading our ocean commons are being ignored. These include plastic, urban and agricultural runoff pollution, climate linked sea-level rise, acidification and arctic melting, loss of habitat (including Louisiana's shredding wetlands) and industrial overfishing for the global seafood market.

Maybe if Snooki and the Situation from 'Jersey Shore' were as oil covered as a flock of Louisiana Pelicans or Lindsey Lohan's flesh as saturated with leaked methane as it's been with alcohol or BP's Bob Dudley admitted he was a True Blood vampire we'd be able to retain public interest in this unfinished disaster. Still, for people of the Gulf and beyond who understand what it means to have your life linked to a living sea, BP's impacts won't be going away anytime soon, or probably anytime in our lifetimes.