Support Wind and Create Jobs

A new study commissioned by the American Wind Energy Association says that if the Production Tax Credit, a lifeline for the burgeoning wind industry, is allowed to expire as scheduled at the end of 2012, it would eliminate about 37,000 jobs, while an extension of the credit could save and create 54,000 jobs.

Read more here.

Finally Some Movement on Mercury

Good news -- the Environmental Protection Agency is going to limit mercury emissions from coal fired power plants. It's not a done deal by far -- Congress will likely try very hard to kill the proposed rules. 

Nevertheless, the EPA is finally putting it out there. Some people might be surprised, having assumed this was already taken care of.  No such luck, the fossil fuel industry has resisted this for years while toxins and pollutants continue to pour into our air and water.

The opposition claims that the proposed rules will have a huge impact on power supply or jobs. That seems unlikely. Hard to trust, too. These days it seems our trusted officials can say things that just aren't true. Anyway, I could be wrong, but I'd rather be wrong and have cleaner air, water, and fish than not.

Even people within the fossil fuel industry say it's about time. According to the New York Times: 

"Ralph Izzo, the chief executive of the Public Service Enterprise Group, the parent of New Jersey’s largest electric utility, said his company had spent $1.3 billion to bring his plants into compliance with New Jersey’s air quality rules, which are as stringent as the new federal standards. He said other utilities had had more than enough notice to clean up their facilities in advance of the federal rule announced on Wednesday.

Mr. Izzo said that the E.P.A. action was “long overdue,” and that the Clean Air Act, under which the new standards were issued, provided enough flexibility to allow all power generators to come into compliance without a threat to the electric supply."

Sometimes you have to pick a side. Do you side with the fossil fuel industry and their well-paid lobbyists and politicians who have dragged their heels for years? Do you believe the industry resisted making the necessary changes all these years because they were concerned about the job security of their employees and the service to their customers? There is a lot of money to be made not buying equipment to clean emissions.

Or do you side with doctors, scientists, and environmentalists who are saying these pollutants are bad for everyone's health, and we can clean them up?

Follow Costa Rica's Lead

A scientist who studies bugs, but who is well aware of the ongoing negative impact of humans on land and sea, is inspired.

After spending months in Costa Rica, Poncie Rutsch came away with hope that we can save the world before it's too late.

Or is just that Ticos, the friendly name for a Costa Rican, are simply wonderfully enlightened? Hopefully, it's a little of both.

"I can say that the people in Costa Rica have their priorities straight when it comes to conservation biology. They want to share their land with scientists, and they are keen to know what lives in their backyards and how they can protect it. If all developing countries took this much of an interest in their endemic wildlife, there would be boundless potential for conserving biodiversity worldwide," said Poncie Rutsch in the article.

The Ocean is Not a Dump

The latest skirmish around the ongoing theme that "the ocean is not a dump" has environmental groups suing the US Environmental Protection Agency to do its job, and clean up the US Navy's method of sinking retired ships. According to an article in The Maritime Executive, it's about time.

The Navy uses the ships as target practice. The adolescent in me loves a good explosion for sure, and maybe the ships even help create artificial reefs that attract fish, but the downside of pollution and message are more important.

The lawsuit claims that EPA must initiate rules to regulate the marine disposal of PCBs during ship sinking exercises to protect human health and the environment against an unreasonable risk of injury.

“EPA is legally required to keep dangerous chemicals like PCBs out of our oceans,” said Amanda Goodin, an attorney with Earthjustice representing Basel Action Network and Sierra Club. “It’s time for EPA to make the Navy clean up its act.“

Very simply: The ocean is not a dump. Thanks to several groups for carrying that message to the EPA.

Whale Songs Have a Profound Impact

A really concise and swift interview with Roger Payne, the founder of Ocean Alliance, in the Guardian spells out the depressing news about whales. Japan hunts whales under the guise of science; the Japanese are pretty much the world's demand for whale meat; the International Whatever Commission is powerless; toxins are piling up in whales.

Let's focus on the fascinating and beautiful. Here Payne talks about the sounds whales make.

"What has pleased me most is the reaction that people still have when they hear the sounds of whales. Nobody is prepared for it. Whales seem to be communicating in what I think of as emotional communication.

The songs of whales have a profound impact on many people. A lot of people weep when they hear them. And they can't even tell you why they have wept, except they say it just seems so sad. And many times it does."

Sustainable Deja Vu in Kenya

 
What is surprising is that this is still happening.

All the ways that we know are the wrong ways to grow a coastal economy, from experiences in many other developed or developing nations, are happening along Kenya's coast, according to the Guardian.

Sustainable development is a well known practice or skill set. Reading about Kenya's mistakes is like something from the early nineties or even further back.

It appears people are piling up short term profit at the expense of long term value and wealth. Sustainable deja vu.

Ecosystem services are worth billions. Healthy seas full of fish are worth billions (some would say priceless). They are the gifts that can keep giving if properly handled -- shorthand for 'sustainable'.

"Coastal developments are one of the top five threats to sea turtles. Because of the loss of land, turtles may waste their eggs in the sea or lay them in an inappropriate location, reducing their chance of survival. The greatest problem is when an entire beach is affected by coastal developments," says Meggy, a sea turtle project manager in Kenya.

Nemos Love Them to Extinction

It is possible to love them to death. Or rather -- love them to extinction. The death of all deaths.

A well-publicized report from Canadian researchers highlights the ongoing plight of many of the stars of Disney's Finding Nemo including clown fish, sea turtles, and sharks.

The complex psychology behind some of the challenges is both vexing and disheartening. Disney's Finding Nemo had a conservation message but it actually served to cause depletion of the star, the clown fish, according to an article in Newser and the Washington Post. 

“When people see a beautiful film about tigers, they don’t go out and shoot a tiger. They don’t go out and purchase a tiger. In the case of things in the ocean, they think, ‘I care about them, so I’d like to have them,’ or, ‘I care about them, that’s why I’d like to fish them,’ ” said one of the scientists.

And at times sad.

“They are truly the celebrities of the ocean. Despite their legendary status, most people are unaware that sharks are literally being fished to extinction,” said another scientist.  Read -- shark fin soup. 

And at times whimsical.

The authors of the Nemo paper apparently watched the movie about four times for their research.

A Great Start: Coal Plants Close

Celebrate the closure of coal plants? Yes, indeedy do.

In Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota coal plants have closed, according to the Huffington Post. This isn't just rabid environmental activism. This is common sense.

Coal is dirty stuff. There is no such thing as clean coal; that's just a marketing term. The costs of coal -- health care including mercury tossed into the air and seas, and environmental damage on extraction and after burning -- far outweigh the benefits.

We can still provide jobs and power this country without coal, applying a mix of renewables and a reasonable use of transition fuels.

Thanks Sierra Club and its supporters for leading the way.

My Face Off with a Climate Denier

I met a climate denier and a Tea Party disciple the other day. It went well all things considered. He only threatened to knock me off my bar stool rather than actually knocking me off. Apparently because he was a born again Christian, my life was spared. All of this is true.

It snuck up on me as I was on vacation, checking out the local color on a beautiful island on the Gulf of Mexico. He came into the sparsely crowded bar wearing a festive t-shirt, smoking a cigar (which you can still do indoors in Florida), and wearing a small gold cross around his neck. He greeted people as if running for office.

His jet black hair was a little too black but he looked good and moved swiftly. When he plopped down on the barstool next to me and flashed me a smile, I thought this guy could be interesting or at least fun.

We didn’t get to climate denial until he had told me all about himself including his days as a professional hockey player in Minnesota where he grew up. He liked to talk about himself, but that’s ok. He told me if not for Christ, he might be dead from money and drugs.

He told me he had a huge house on the island on some nearby hill. I said there are no hills in Florida, and he said there is now -- he built it. Probably dredged the mangroves for the fill but that’s another story.

I forget the exact moment when things unraveled between us. I think it was when he told me the basis for his climate denial.

He said that as he has observed it -- from his seat as a financial planner or something like that backed with his extensive scientific training as a professional hockey player -- sea level on the island has not changed since he has lived there.

Stacks of peer reviewed science and consensus, sworn statements by Nobel laureates, and every government in the world confirming climate change were not going to slow him down.  His front yard was still dry.

But maybe the facts don’t really matter so much. It’s odd how these things are spoken as if faith rather than science. That may be part of the communication problem, and there is a communication problem.

If only 47% of Americans attribute climate change to human activity, there is a serious communication problem. And as a professional communicator, mea freaking culpa.

Our face-off added a hard twist of discouragement to such frustrations. Not because he was sitting there denying climate change and not because of the aforementioned large number of Americans who would agree with him, but because I could see no opportunity to try to persuade or even learn: We were both making too much noise.

We were both buying into the hyperactive hyperbole that drives a schism between people who otherwise might listen to each other, even a little.

Much of it has to do with the national conversation, created by the media and good PR on both sides. Tension and controversy and wild statements sell almost as much as sex. Often if one side is shouting and the other side is taking the “high road”, the shouter is only one people hear.

Plus, people including tough, retired hockey players, can only take so much doom and gloom before they shut down. Who wants to agree to all that climate calamity? They’re actually invoking a self-protection mechanism and shutting down the depressing scenarios at the source. Hence, denial.

National personalities and emotions don’t help either. A good part of why this denier so vehemently denies is he simply does not like Al Gore. He has a visceral reaction to him. I saw the veins in his head bulge when he talked about the great climate change guru. I can understand this. If my new friend had told me to believe that something Rick Perry says is true and right, I might want to knock him off his bar stool.

But the gloves did not really come off until he called me “ignorant” and “stupid” more than once.

The bartender winced, and looked over sympathetically. She of course knew the guy.

It did not help that I followed up by asking him if he was “a teabagger”.  That’s when he made the comment about knocking me off my bar stool. For future reference, Tea Partiers do not like to be called teabaggers, even if delivered with a brash schoolyard smile.

At about this time, the bartender asked us both to quiet down as we were scaring the other customers.

Anyway, I didn’t bring you this far into the story to let it end with a shushing.

Fear not climate believers, all is not lost. There are ways around.

So I asked him what about pollution, thinking few people are pro pollution. And what about innovation and business? How about we do it differently than humans have been doing it for 10,000 years (burning stuff to create energy)? I also brought up energy independence. No one really wants to see young Americans killed in far away places so we can still drive cheaply to the strip mall.

And surprise, surprise, he was fine talking about all of that. We proceeded to have a good conversation about clean energy and technology. The name calling was over and I stayed on my bar stool.

Maybe the lesson is when confronted with climate deniers and tea partiers, don’t argue science or belief.  Talk about things people can understand and that are not depressing. And look for the possible hot button reason why that specific person is really so against something, and avoid it. When I didn’t mention the term climate change or Al Gore, I was singing a lullaby.

But there is no set playbook for this. To carry the sports analogy one agonizing step further, if you’ve got a guy in the penalty box or if you’re up against a fast team versus a big team, you need to change up and improvise. You need to try to assess your opponent and work on the areas that can get things done.

Did I make a difference? Maybe not, probably not, but at least I got him talking in a positive way about renewables.

Soon after, my new friend finished his beer, and just like that he left, off to another local haunt, probably to find cold comfort with some other denier. They have to stick together. It’s a lonely road.

We’re all unhappy about the situation but when you choose to do something, to acknowledge it, life has endless potential and meaning. Denial is for fossils and darkness. Step into the light and join the human race.

After my new friend walked out, the bartender placed a fresh beer in front of me and smiled.

“This one’s on me,” she said.

US Losing on Global Clean Energy Biz

The United Nations talk fest in Durban has raised the profile of clean energy, at least until this news cycle expires. What emerges is a puzzling fact: the US is letting an unprecedented opportunity slip through its hands.

No matter what people think of climate change or pollution, clean energy is a massively growing global business yet the US drags its feet. This is completely unlike us. We are leaders when it comes to capitalism and innovation and making a buck. What's going on?

Sunil Sharan of Sierra Consulting has some insight in the Washington Post. 

"The production of renewable energy and smart grid technology is not the only way in which the United States is falling behind. Government gridlock at the federal and state level is slowing the nation’s progress. Despite a stalemate in federal policy, 24 states, as well as the District of Columbia, have passed a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) — a binding target for renewable energy production.

"Others wait to gauge which way the national wind blows, while the rest will not act unless forced to. In sharp contrast to our inertia, the European Union, with a population of about 500 million, and a standard of living equivalent to ours, has forged ahead. In 2007, the EU leaders agreed to mandate that a 20 percent share of energy consumption must come from renewable sources by 2020. And the region is reportedly on track to meet that goal.

"Congress refuses to budge even as America continues to lose ground, and its intransigence could continue for years, compounding on the nation’s competitiveness problem. A way out is for President Obama to pass an executive order mandating a nationwide RPS, moderate enough to make the climate amenable for renewable energy but not so aggressive that it will be hard to meet or needlessly inflame partisan passions. Such an order would immediately empower the nation to compete for the world’s emerald laurel."

Politicians seem willing to trash the whole country as long as they make money and stay in office. So let's vote them out.

Local Hope Really Far Away

Turtle hatchery on Besar Island

Something about a conservation effort in such an exotic and far away place is hopeful.

People in a culture half way around the planet have come to the same conclusions about saving species and protecting the gift of nature. The right thing to do surfaces.

In this case, it is saving sea turtles on Sarawak's Talang Talang islands. "These creatures have been around since the Triassic Era, representing one of the few species that have lived through the evolution and subsequent extinction of the dinosaurs," says Aref Omar in Adopt a Gentle Giant.

"Unfortunately, they too are becoming an endangered species, which is why ongoing conservation efforts have been established by the Sarawak Forestry Corporation."

The only downside to this is here's another place to add to the list.

Toninha Survives in Brazil

Everyone likes survivor stories. A rare white dolphin, known as Toninha in Brazil, has been spotted in the Bay of Babitonga.

Not only has the albino dolphin avoided natural predators despite lacking its natural camouflage, but it has also survived humans who prey on all the living things in the bay in subtle but well-documented ways.

"Albino animals generally have fewer chances of survival because they have greater chances of being caught by predators. Here, in this bay, they don't have natural predators. But there is a lot of environmental degradation from two ports, industrial and residential sewage, tourism. This is an another argument for its protection," said Camilla Meirelles Sartori, chief biologist.

Carl Safina on Extinction

Carl Safina, president of the Blue Ocean Institute and author of great books like The View from Lazy Point, questions those who say that losing some species of animals doesn't matter because we can live without them.

"Hell yes it matters. Don't let anyone suggest it doesn't matter because people can live without them (extinct species). People can-and most do-live perfectly well without computers, refrigerators, the Winter Olympics, plumbing, libraries, concert halls, museums, and ibuprofen. Whether things are worthwhile for survival or whether they help make survival worthwhile are two quite different things. Whether we "need" them, is a dull and uninteresting question. Need? We never needed to lose our living endowment, our inheritance."

Don't let anyone suggest it doesn't matter.

Everyone Wants a Piece

In New Jersey, a swordfish fisherman, who is trying to do the right thing, is at the nexus of the complicated nature of an ocean without borders and conservation measures with borders. 

Swordfish are a success story in the Mid-Atlantic as conservation measures have led to their recovery yet overfishing looms on the edges as a constant potential threat, according to the Press of Atlantic City. In this case, Canadian fishermen unrestricted by US conservation measures want a piece of the US quota.

"Fishermen in other countries do not have the same regulations, as America goes way beyond commission recommendations. This includes landing and gear restrictions, minimum sizes, area closings of thousands of square miles of ocean — particularly in the Gulf of Mexico, observers onboard vessels, reporting requirements, electronic monitoring of vessel movements, and bans on certain types of fishing," according to the article.

It is great to see the US leads in conservaiton but it would be frustrating to say the least if other nations undermine our good work.

Bringing Clean Energy Technologies to Market

The opposition enjoys throwing failures like Solyndra in the face of sustainability. Never mind them.

A vibrant clean energy industry is already growing in the United States with government investment. More is needed and with a few tweaks to the system, smart government support would be more successful, according to Forbes. Some key points and excerpts from a recent article by Jesse Jenkins follow.

A clean energy industry is here and needed.

"First, the global energy system is modernizing and diversifying. For an array of motivations from public health and climate change to security and economic growth, today’s economies demand a 21st century suite of clean and reliable energy technologies to supply the $5 trillion-and-growing global energy market."

Government support is needed.

"While the Loans Program Office falls short in some areas, we must not forget the reason it was originally established, with strong support from both parties, by the Energy Policy Act of 2005: American entrepreneurs face a persistent challenge in securing adequate financing to demonstrate and commercialize promising advanced energy technologies, a market barrier that must be addressed by smart and effective public policy."

A revamped loan program that would become a new investment agency would be an improvement over the current program. This has already been discussed on both sides of the aisle.

"Under the leadership of Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the proposed investment agency has already been well vetted. The program has the support of leading venture capitalists, American energy companies, and the U.S. Chamber of Congress. And it received bipartisan votes of confidence from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in both the 111th and 112th Congresses.

The time to act is now. American entrepreneurs and businesses need Congressional policymakers to stop playing politics and focus on the key reforms needed to ensure clean and affordable advanced energy technologies can be readily brought to market."

Renewable Power Plants Up

The small victories add up. According to Climate Progress, renewables recently edged fossils in new power plant investments.

"Electricity from the wind, sun, waves and biomass drew $187 billion last year compared with $157 billion for natural gas, oil and coal, according to calculations by Bloomberg New Energy Finance using the latest data. Accelerating installations of solar- and wind-power plants led to lower equipment prices, making clean energy more competitive with coal."

The sooner we get off carbon, the better.

Giving Thanks on the Edge

I try to give thanks by honoring the oceans and beauty in the natural world here and a few other places. But that all just becomes cyber babble, right?

Just go to the sand, stand on the edge, the place where water meets land, and feel the gift.

Or remember that moment, perhaps the first or most recent visit to the sea. It has staying power, doesn't it? That's what I'm thankful for on this holiday.Well, that and great friends and family and food on the table and shoes on my feet. Oh yeah, and sea turtles. And sea horses and manatees and waves. So awesome.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Ocean Champions Winning the Trenches

Ocean Champions just scored a bevy of victories with the federal government, yes, that federal government. This is simply great news from the trenches, I mean the real trenches. Way to go Ocean Champions.

Here is their newsletter verbatim about their recent wins:

Lots of good things come in threes. Three in a row of anything seems like a big achievement.  There’s the Triple Crown in horse racing (and, more importantly, in pro surfing), and of course, the Hanson brothers from the movie Slapshot.  Today, we wanted to update you on three important ocean wins your support has helped make happen.

One: For months, a nasty campaign has been carried out to block the  “catch shares” framework from being used in any more U.S. fisheries – including those that are choosing to adopt it.  The “Jones Amendment” (named for its original sponsor, Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC)) would have been very bad for fish conservation, because quite simply, catch shares help fisheries recover and traditional approaches often do not.  Ocean Champions played a lead role in a small coalition that killed the Jones Amendment by preventing it from being included in the just-passed “Minibus” Appropriations bill at every step in the process.

Two: There was an effort afoot to attack the National Ocean Policy, and to stop NOAA from carrying out a range of related activities including marine and ocean planning in a number of coastal states through another bad amendment to the “Minibus” Appropriations bill.  Working closely with our champions as part of a coalition of ocean organizations, we helped prevent this amendment from coming up for a vote.

Three: The Senate Commerce Committee recently passed our Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia bill, making it ready for floor action in both the House and Senate.  Last year it passed the House and barely missed in the Senate, but this time around we believe it can pass both houses of Congress – stay tuned!

These wins demonstrate two important ideas.  First, the ocean community may be small, but when we work together we can get things done!  Second, Ocean Champions (with our unique relationships on Capitol Hill) is able to apply political power for the oceans to get results.  Our ability to do so comes from your support, and we are grateful!

WE are grateful. Nice work.

Elegance and Refinement of Movement

The sun is the main source of life on this planet and of course the moon moves the oceans. The fact that we can tap a little energy from these celestial bodies has a beauty to it. Phil Pauley has devised a marine solar power system based on such grace.

How much better is that than burning stuff?

Sure this is in the conceptual stage but as long as it does not negatively impact sustainable fishing or ocean life, it is the kind of innovation that will carry us

I look forward to a day when I can look up at a moon on one crisp and clear night and know that as it swings around Mother Earth, inexorably tied to her, we are a part of it. We are powering our lives. And look at that glow -- that's the sun on the other side of the planet bouncing off the orb.

Saving a Hemingway Legacy

Hemingway's grandson, John, an avid recreational fisher, and a true man in the sea, calls for sustainable fishing of billfish such as marlin, sailfish, and spearfish. He asks people to support the Billfish Conservation Act of 2011 in his Miami Herald editorial.

His personal experience provides nice inspiration to get on board:

"I remember fishing as far back as I can remember anything. Some of my fondest memories as a child are from those days trolling in the Florida Keys and beyond Bimini with my dad, reel in hand, just the two of us against the world. He loved billfishing as much as his father did before him.

Sadly, those days have long since passed, not only because I miss my dad who died in 2001, but also because the fish he and my grandfather both pursued are so diminished. Still, if we act now, we can ensure that billfish will be around for many years to come. A novel shouldn't be the only place where a child can experience the excitement and wonder of a hooked marlin leaping from the deep blue waters of the Gulf Stream in that age-old struggle between man and the sea."

Clean Energy Creates Jobs

Those opposed to developing a clean energy economy love to raise the specter of jobs -- as if burning fossil fuels and polluting the country is the necessary evil to keep us all employed.

Here is yet another expert disclaiming such nonsense. "Clean energy and energy efficiency businesses hold the potential to create thousands of new jobs and be a bright spot in today's otherwise sluggish economy," says Keith Reopelle, senior policy director for Clean Wisconsin. His comments appeared in Madison.com in an article titled Clean Energy Means More Jobs.

A report released recently by the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, a Chicago-based advocacy group, says Wisconsin could create as many as 14,600 new jobs while saving utility customers up to $946 million on their electric and natural gas bills by expanding the Focus on Energy program.

This story is repeated in many US States. Cape Wind estimates that construction of its well-publicized 420-megawatt wind farm in Massachusetts will create between 600 and 1,000 jobs during the construction phase.

Meanwhile, Michael Conathan director of Oceans Policy at the Center for American Progress, said that installation phase alone of a 150-megawatt wind farm resulted in the creation of more than 800 jobs and the Department of Energy has predicted that the build out of 54 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 would result in the creation of 40,000 American jobs.

Sounds like clean energy actually creates jobs. How about them apples?

Earth's Resources Are Finite

Healthy oceans are essential to human health. 

Now researchers are developing an Ocean Health Index to put a numerical value on the connection between ocean health and human benefits, according to an article on Miller-McCune.

Some people may be appalled siting the intrinsic value of the oceans but this index seems to enhance that value not replace it. Besides, indexes are part of the language of economists and policymakers. Anyone interested in saving the oceans could surely benefit from knowing the lingo.

Two excerpts remind us, and clarify the challenges:

"We want bountiful seafood, thriving coastal communities, and gorgeous places to explore. But reaping these benefits involves tough choices. One of science’s roles is to inform decision-makers and the public about the likely consequences of decisions and remind us, whether we like it or not, that Earth’s resources are not infinite.

It is human nature to assume we can have it all. Reality, particularly with an eye toward a sustainable future, tells us that we can’t, and that tough choices lie ahead. The Ocean Health Index will help us confront those choices with open eyes."

More on the Ocean Health Index.

Funny Cause It's True

It is funny because it's PATHETIC (and sadly, true).

Jon Stewart on the Daily Show illustrates the empty rhetoric and historical failure of the US federal government to transition the wealthiest nation in the world to a clean energy economy.

Link here and laugh a little.

Clean Energy Jobs Need an Ocean Policy

A National Ocean Policy is vital to the economic and environmental health of the oceans and should be instated as soon as possible, according to Michael Conathan, director of Oceans Policy at the Center for American Progress.

His statement before the House Committee on Natural Resources lays it out in clear if not staid language. But it has to be said, and although policy is not nearly as exciting or dramatic as say, saving a sea turtle from a poacher's harpoon or throwing rancid butter at Japanese whaling ships, it is crucial.

It is about jobs and the "economic engine" of the oceans. Wind energy is a great example. 

The BBC reported that the installation phase alone of a 150-megawatt wind farm resulted in the creation of more than 800 jobs, according to Conathan. Furthermore, the Department of Energy has predicted that the build out of 54 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 would result in the creation of 40,000 American jobs.

Cape Wind estimates that construction of its well-publicized 420-megawatt wind farm in Massachusetts will create between 600 and 1,000 jobs during the construction phase.

Yet other developed countries in the world are cruising ahead of us as investors in the US are slowed by a regulatory matrix as dense as cement. 

"Today European countries have installed nearly 3,000 megawatts of offshore wind facilities, and Europe and China combined have permitted more than 40,000 megawatts of wind turbines in their oceans. The United States has permitted exactly 488 megawatts, and we have yet to break ground on our first turbine," according to Conathan.

For ten years, the Cape Winds project has dealt with the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Minerals Management Service (now the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement, or BOEMRE), and other agencies, according to Conathan.

"Businesses simply will not invest in this industry until these issues are resolved. And until that investment comes, the employment opportunities these projects represent—in engineering, manufacturing, construction, transportation, maintenance, and other categories—will not be created."

The solution: a National Ocean Policy. As long as healthy oceans are given due consideration and respect, this is the future that we need.

Chain Your Car to that Tree

After reading a concise editorial in the Seattle Times about the grim potential of ocean acidification, which is caused by climate change, a bit of levity was needed.

Happily, it came in a posted comment to the editorial :

The solution is simple:
1.plant a tree
2.chain your car to that tree.
3. when you feel that strong primitive instinct to pro-create, get a puppy.

Thanks "English Racer".

The Unintended Consequences of Stoke

Who knew catching a rad set needs greening? Last week, Rip Curl, the surfing apparel company, kicked off their World Tour competition with a litany of sustainable features.

The event was a success, especially with a veteran surfer beating back youth and wrangling waves to win it all. Congrats to Kelly Slater.

Turns out there is further opportunity to green surfing. There are toxins and waste in basic elements of surfing including sunscreen, board wax, and the boards themselves. According to Evirosurfer, 60% of coral reefs are threatened as 6 million bars of wax and 400,000 boards are manufactured each year.

Check out Envirosurfer's excellent infographic titled "The Toxicity of Surfing", and subtitled "The Unintended Consequences of Stoke". 

Let the Sun Shine

Clean energy is not a fad, or a cause or an idea. It is a business, and it is growing despite what you may have heard. 

"Venture capital investments in U.S. clean tech companies jumped 73% to $1.1 billion in the third quarter of this year compared to the same time last year", according to USA Today.

Meanwhile, the blogosphere and the tweet world is ablaze with New York Times columnist's Paul Krugman's Here Comes the Sun piece. Here he is knocking one out of the solar park:

"Let’s face it: a large part of our political class, including essentially the entire G.O.P., is deeply invested in an energy sector dominated by fossil fuels, and actively hostile to alternatives. This political class will do everything it can to ensure subsidies for the extraction and use of fossil fuels, directly with taxpayers’ money and indirectly by letting the industry off the hook for environmental costs, while ridiculing technologies like solar.

So what you need to know is that nothing you hear from these people is true. Fracking is not a dream come true; solar is now cost-effective. Here comes the sun, if we’re willing to let it in."

And it's alright, it's all right -- George Harrison.

Eye on the Prize

Two contrasting images:

A shark in the Palau sanctuary

A shark fin market in Taiwan

We may have won some battles but we have yet to win the war.

Images: National Geographic

Rip Curl Catches the Sustainable Wave

Fun and Sustainable

Surfing seems pretty stream-lined. At the most basic it only requires a surfboard and a bathing suit. Actually, the bathing suit is not required, but it is recommended, for various reasons. But like nearly everything, there is still opportunity for surfing to catch the sustainable wave.

Rip Curl knows this and has jumped in. The water may be a rich blue color but Rip Curl's World Tour surf competition in California this November will be shades of green.

Beyond boards and board shorts, they are launching several creative initiatives to bring the benefits of sustainability to the sport. Not least of which is valet service for skateboards. Yes, that's not a typo. Bicycles of course are already accommodated but now skateboards get VIP treatment, too.

On the bigger impact side of things -- the event will be powered by biodiesel from local restaurants, nearly 90% of the waste from the event will be diverted, and the banners and flags will be recycled, also known as upcycled, into "high quality retail goods," according to the event promoters.

Also, surfboards broken during the intense wave carving in the thunderous surf will be repaired and donated to local surf organizations. Traditional sustainable practices will be applied at the event such as water stations to refill bottles and beach clean ups in and around the area.

Seems like there's even more reason to get out there and catch a wave.

Kudos to Rip Curl for making the sustainable move and to Sustainable Surfing for showing them how.

Fright Delight

Have you ever been out swimming alone in the big blue?

I was swimming off Kauai once, alone in some big morning waves. I had fins and a mask but was feeling tossed around. As usual the ocean did what it wanted with me.

I looked down and saw shafts of light knifing downward through the green water into the abyss, into the darkness below me. I could see no bottom, no coral, or anything but the deep.

I imagined the beasts that would come up and devour me. I imagined sinking into that darkness, the water getting colder, the light dimming, lungs burning. My heart raced.

I raised my head out of the water to get my bearings and to be reassured by the land. It was there but felt far away. The jungle behind the small beach was more shadow than deep green.

Another swell forced me to focus on the water again. I bobbed and swam, and made progress. I would be back ashore soon enough. I knew that.

Then I looked below me once more, into the abyss -- I couldn't resist -- and my heart raced again.

Happy Halloween.

Sunny Outlook

According to the Boston Globe, "the high costs that for years made solar impractical as a mainstream source of energy are plummeting. Real estate companies are racing to install solar panels on office buildings. Utilities are erecting large solar panel “farms’’ near big cities and in desolate deserts. And creative financing plans are making solar more realistic than ever for homes.

Solar power installations doubled in the United States last year and are expected to double again this year. More solar energy is being planned than any other power source, including nuclear, coal, natural gas and wind." 

There are issues, yes, from concerns about renewal of much needed financial support and incentives from the federal government, to favorable return on investment, to impact on the desert tortoise.

But on this Friday, I will bask in this sunny outlook for at least a few minutes.

Full article.

What is This?

Appropriately dark and fuzzy, an image from six miles below the ocean's surface comes into view and a clutch of scientists hold their breath.

It's called a xenophyophore. A what? Yup, even the name is intriguing.

These are the largest one celled organisms around and they have the ability to thrive in the dark and cold at the bottom of the ocean, according to Fox News.

How did they get this image? Scientists dropped a camera encased in a thick glass bubble into the depths, glass thick enough to withstand eight tons per square inch of pressure. Great stuff.

The Money Says Yes

Investors representing $20 trillion in total assets are all in when it comes to a clean energy economy.

They said as much and more in a four page Global Investor Statement that outlines what is needed to get there including an end to fossil fuel subsidies, a reduction in greenhouse gases, and policies that support renewable energy development.

This statement adds a heft to those who advocate for a renewable energy future. These money guys do not mess around.

It is not a pipe dream. It is not a fringe "cause". It's a business. It's an industry. Time to leave the deniers and the doubters behind. Some people just don't get it.

Here is an excerpt, in wonderfully dry and serious language, from the investors' statement:

An integrated climate change and clean energy policy framework should include:

Financial incentives that shift the risk reward balance in favour of low-carbon assets. This includes strong and sustained price signals on carbon, well-designed carbon markets and other appropriate incentives to enable private investment in clean energy. An integral part of this should be the removal of fossil fuel subsidies.

Clear short-, medium- and long-term greenhouse gas emission reduction objectives and targets, and comprehensive, enforceable legal mechanisms and timelines for delivering on these objectives and targets.

Comprehensive energy and climate change policies that accelerate the deployment of energy efficiency, cleaner energy, renewable energy, green buildings, clean vehicles and fuels, and low-carbon transportation infrastructure.

Comprehensive policies directed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from sources other than energy, for example waste, industrial emissions, fugitives, land-use change, deforestation and agriculture.

Policies supporting investment in renewable energy generation, including measures that support the access for electricity generated from renewable energy sources to electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure.

The investors' statement was also covered in Triple Pundit.

Legal Seafood Ads Get the Job Done

Legal Sea Foods' latest ad spot says save the fish "so we can grill that baby up real nice."  They are attention-getters, and the reasoning behind them is sound -- people respond to things that impact their lives.

This seems basic but doubt it has been said in quite this way before, and that makes it original and inspired. 

People need to understand that that their favorite fish to eat might disappear altogether if we don't fish sustainably. Save the tuna so we can eat tuna sushi long into the future. Save the cod so we can have more fish and chips.

The ad stumbles when it mockingly says save this sea life because "every creature is sacred" or something touchy feely along those lines. That's a bit of a cheap shot.

I have not run into anyone in the marine conservation world who has advocated saving a fish because of their holy stature or anything like that. So the joke can be a put-off but a mild one -- the bottom line message is "save".

The ad is likely much more effective at reaching more people than poetry, certainly more than doom and gloom.

I cannot afford to care too deeply how we get there (as long as it's smart and does not create more problems). 

The focus is on the end game. If these ads end up saving sea life and achieving healthy oceans, they are getting the job done. Good work.

Ocean Blues

I went down to the Atlantic Ocean near Montauk and snapped this photo. I was feeling a little blue on a chilly, mostly overcast October day.

Now, you might think a walk on the brisk beach cured me, but no, it did not. It helped me feel much better, though.

It helped me see how small I was, and you might think that deflating, but no, it was actually inspiring. It is good to know that I am a minuscule part of a powerfully beautiful and intricately connected world.

The ocean does not care that I know that, which is something special in itself, but if I stand and listen and see, I might be lucky enough to absorb its message of life.

More Work to be Done

New research shows half the world's sea turtles are threatened.

Almost half of the world's most threatened sea turtle species can be found in the northern waters of the Indian Ocean and on nesting beaches lying within Exclusive Economic Zones in countries such as India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, according to the report.

So there's more work to be done. But we knew that. Let's do it.

Clean and Snappy Ocean Video

One World One Ocean put together this snappy video with cut and dry facts and a catchy, kind-of-funky soundtrack. Check it out. It's short and sweet (well not for the oceans, but that's the point).

Why the Ocean?

Know the Tenor of the Opposition

"Those who write the rules are those who profit from the status quo. If we want to change that status quo, we might have to work outside of those rules because the legal pathways available to us have been structured precisely to make sure we don't make any substantial change."

-- Tim DeChristopher, who was sentenced to two years in federal prison and a $10,000 fine for 'disrupting' a Bureau of Land Management auction in 2008.

Strong words. What did Tim do?

DeChristopher decided to participate in the oil and gas lease auction, signing a Bidder Registration Form and placing fake bids to obtain 14 parcels of land.

DeChristopher was removed from the auction by federal agents, taken into custody, and questioned. He did not steal anything or hurt anyone. For that, on July 26, 2011, Judge Dee Benson sentenced DeChristopher to two years in prison and the $10K fine, according to Wikipedia. 

That seems like overkill, a particularly harsh reaction for something that in another context or another time could be called a stupid prank. It makes one wonder about the opposition to a clean energy economy.

Perhaps it is naive for anyone to imagine that the opposition -- seemingly the fossil fuel industry -- is anything but fierce and obstinate. It appears they are very likely unreasonable; beyond negotiation and persuasion. When people advocating for clean energy say 'climate change is the fight of our lives' it can feel a shade dramatic, but no, I guess it's spot on.

No Finners Allowed

 Dear Sharks, 

Pack your bags, head over to the Marshall Islands. It's a very safe neighborhood.

Yours,
Pew Environment Group

Finally some good ocean news -- sanctuaries for sharks are gaining momentum, this new one in the Marshall Islands is the biggest in the world, according to the Saipan Tribune.

Hopefully, sharks can find the well-needed respite from the unfortunately long reach of the Finners, which includes the people with the knives slicing off shark fins and the people creating a market for those fins by eating shark fin soup. Steer clear of Finners, they're bad news.

“We salute the Republic of the Marshall Islands for enacting the strongest legislation to protect sharks that we have seen,” said Matt Rand, director of global shark conservation for the Pew Environment Group, which is spearheading efforts to establish shark sanctuaries, where targeted fishing for these species is prohibited.

“As leaders recognize the importance of healthy shark populations to our oceans, the momentum for protecting these animals continues to spread across the globe.”

Thanks to the Pew Environment Group and everyone who made this happen. 

Act Now to Save a Crucial Little Fish

They may be small but menhaden are crucial to the seafood web and they're being overfished.

Here is an opportunity to act. Sign the petition. Courtesy of The Herring Alliance. Pew also has a campaign to save Menhaden. Sign them all.

"These fish play a critical role in the marine food web as prey for striped bass, bluefish, tuna, whales, porpoises, seabirds, and other wildlife. But the essential role menhaden play in the marine ecosystem is now at risk."

Just do it. With climate change breathing down our necks, we cannot afford to lose the building blocks of ocean health and productivity. Besides, they're kinda cute.

Carl Safina Proposes a Merger

Continuing where he left off with his excellent book A View From Lazy Point, Carl Safina, founder of Blue Ocean Institute at Stony Brook University, asked a rapt audience at the Institute’s annual gala to merge knowledge and commitment to stabilize a rapidly overheating planet and a changing ocean.

“In our private and civic lives, our religious places, and our business dealings we must all merge a scientific love of knowledge with a devotion as consistent and values-based as any religion.”

Speaking frankly about current challenges--from ocean acidification to overfishing-- Safina succeeded in conveying hope and inspiration.

Part-poet, part-philosopher, and part scientist, Safina once again added his own refreshing twist. He followed his description of watching a Peregrine Falcon hunting high over the ocean with a quote from Yeats. He spoke of compassion, consumerism and values.

Safina referenced Jacques Cousteau’s famous statement, “We protect only what we love” and went on to say that, “to protect effectively, we must fuse head and heart. Then, we can’t just watch, and we can’t just wait; we must also do. The falcon must search the waves, but it also must focus on a target and execute the plunge.”

He noted that we protect what we love "but not if the love burns us out. So in addition to working, we need to touch the beauty, and we need to have fun a goodly some of the time".

Touch the beauty -- sound and lovely advice.

Safina concluded by asking listeners to merge and embody three things: “Passion in how we care. Cool-headedness in how we evaluate. Devotion in how we act.” To celebrate the proposed merger (and have some fun) Safina lead the crowd in a cheer of “The Ocean Is…Too Big to Fail!”  He then encouraged all present to be part of the ocean’s “bailout.

With over 200 ocean supporters in the room, Institute fund and friend-raising exceeded expectations at The Lighthouse at Pier 61 in Chelsea.

Another highlight of the evening was a talk by Sven-Olof Lindblad, founder of Lindblad Expeditions, who was honored for his role in introducing thousands of travelers to the beauty and awe of nature.

Safina told of a prolific year for Blue Ocean Institute, which included two new books, his Saving the Ocean series airing on PBS, ongoing advances in ocean research, and successful educational programs such as Green Chefs/Blue Ocean. He previewed new initiatives such as an international youth ed program and companion tours of his books on Google Ocean.

During the program a special honor was presented to Marshall Gilchrist in memory of his late brother, Eric Gilchrist, a former board member of Blue Ocean whose bequest now serves as the beginning of an endowment for the Institute.

California Bans Shark Fins

 California bans shark fins. Bye bye shark fin soup. Great stuff.

Let's move the model over to Hong Kong and China and get it done there.

Celebrate These Ocean Champions in Congress

After typically railing against our politicians in Washington, happy today to celebrate a handful.

There are some who are true ocean champions and they deserve to be acknowledged and celebrated. 

Thanks to the OceanChampions.org who have worked tirelessly to put this together. From them comes hope.

So celebrate these ocean champions:

Senators Mark Begich (AK), Ben Cardin (MD), Bill Nelson (FL), Olympia Snowe (ME), Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), and Representatives Shelley Berkley (NV), Lois Capps (CA-23), Kathy Castor (FL-11), Sam Farr (CA-17), John Garamendi (CA-10), Martin Heinrich (NM-1), Rush Holt (NJ-12), Ed Markey (MA-7), Nick J.Rahall, II (WV-3), and candidates Val Demings (FL-8) and Jared Huffman (CA-2).

Steve Wright Misses the Big Wind Power Picture

Steve Wright would be better served to focus on the bigger picture of climate change rather than one wind farm in one part of the world.

In his op-ed, The Not-So-Green Mountains, published in the  New York Times, he rails against a wind energy project in Vermont for its negative impact on the Lowell Mountains. This view is narrowed by the blinders of local environmentalism.  

Certainly, his blanket indictment of wind energy “in Maine and off Cape Cod” is a disservice.

The bigger and broader view is every beautiful mountain in Vermont denuded and massive biodiversity loss throughout the region because of mutated weather due to climate change. 

These very real scenarios are many, and the interconnectedness of nature ensures there are still many more we cannot even predict or imagine yet. 

I agree with Steve about the value of nature. I suggest we are on the same team in the fight of our lives. But some compromise is necessary. We cannot accept flagrant assaults on ecosystems, but we also cannot lose on climate change.

People who will determine the victor end up listening to the most strident voices, usually with facts trampled underfoot. It's the harmful bluster of climate deniers and the fossil fuel industry. It damages all of us when Wright adds his voice to theirs.

Bad Acid Trip

This one gets the warning: Love of the natural world can often lead to chronic grumpiness and foul language.

Doom and gloom is not recommended but sometimes we have to hear it.

Grist published a good story detailing the personal, and commercial, impact of ocean acidification. Look at how it effects a family oyster business in Oregon as well as the consumer.

Serious: "I'm afraid the ocean will be dead long before we have to worry about the other implications of global warming," Barton (scientist in the story) says quietly. "I didn't believe any of this stuff three years ago. I was always skeptical about our global models ... But ocean acidification is pretty cut and dried for me now. You see it every day. You can't escape it."

Deep Sea Daydreams

A World War II freighter, sunk by a German U-boat, its hull full of silver, was found 2.9 miles beneath the cold Irish Sea. Fantastic stuff.

Sometimes the mysteries of the deep are all about human nature. Yet they are as compelling as the true blue deep. It was the number one emailed story on CNN and the New York Times online for many hours.

And as if our imaginations were not enough, Peter Cope, a British submariner said in the Times:

"Technology is opening up a very big door,” he said. “Think of how many ships were sunk in the First and Second World Wars. There are millions of ounces of silver — and thousands of tons of tin and copper — down there.”

It's simply fun to daydream about such things, no matter how wildly romantic it may be.

The captain of the SS Gairsoppa held the transom as the green-black sea battered his iron clad freighter. He had two options, both dismal. Low on fuel, if he stayed with his protective convoy, he would run out of fuel and be unable to control his vessel. They would be tossed around in the turbulent water like a cork in the surf.

If he broke from the convoy, he would be vulnerable to attack from German U boats, which more than likely lurked below the surface ready to strike. The Wolf Pack had already sunk hundreds of cargo vessels throughout the Atlantic, disrupting supply lines and sending many a brave merchant marine soul to the depths.

Only the Captain knew there was more at stake than lives and a cargo of tea and ore. One of his hulls was secretly filled with millions of pounds of silver, a treasure vital to the British fight against Nazi Germany.

But like a Zebra separating from the herd in a lion's territory, Captain Edwards decided to take his chances with the U boats. He had heard of ships somehow sneaking through the deadly gauntlet. The ocean was giving no signs of letting up, and he desperately needed diesel for his engines.

Far from the tranquil waterfall in India for which the boat was named, the SS Gairsoppa reluctantly broke off from the long line of military and cargo ships and set their course for Galway, Western Ireland. Only the First Mate Cooper was secretly pleased with their new destination; he knew a lass who lived in the pretty port town by the sea.

Cooper would soon regret his enthusiasm and the Captain his gamble...

Image from wreckhunter.net

Solyndra and Renewable Growing Pains

For all those clean energy hopefuls fretting over the dramatic and costly collapse of Solyndra, USA Today says that studies support investments in clean tech industries. Besides, these are the growing pains of a nascent industry.

There is no need to let one well-publicized failure taint the progress of building a clean energy economy.

But certainly those opposed to clean energy are eating up Solyndra's failre. Course they may be a bit tongue tied because their common refrain is that clean energy solutions should be "market based", and it was the market that tanked Solyndra.

The market for silicon in this case. It changed dramatically because Chinese businesses entered the fray. Since the Chinese government sees the global opportunity and has seized it, nearly all aspects of a renewable energy economy are being or will soon be lead by the Chinese.

Meanwhile, US politicians on the federal level are either in the pockets of big fossil fuel or are more interested in keeping their jobs.

But I digress.

"Energy-efficiency loans are a stable investment with low default rates and large-scale potential, according to a study released Tuesday by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. The review of 24 loan programs found default rates ranged from 0% to 3% throughout the life of the financing and remained largely unchanged despite the near collapse of the real estate market over the past few years," according to USA Today.

Keep in mind, too, that businesses fail all the time in all aspects of the economy. It happens. Don't get me wrong, the Obama Administration and the Department of Energy should be asked the hard questions of what happened on their watch.

Anyway, one Solyndra should not stop the renewable energy economy. Renewable energy needs inspiration and innovation, and government support to bring down the cost of clean energy while the true cost of fossil fuels -- in health care, wars, lost ecosystem services -- becomes transparent.

PleaseTry Again Diana Nyad

Diana Nyad

The long distance swimmer Diana Nyad tried again to swim from Cuba to Florida but had to quit after 40 hours in the water. She was stung by Portuguese Man of War jellyfish so badly she could have died.

But this story is inspiring. Nyad should not be disappointed. She should be proud she tried, and I hope she tries again.

The simple power of the oceans is clearly a theme to take from this story -- if not the currents, if not the sharks, if not the swells, then the jellyfish -- but let's not miss the blazing power of the human spirit.

The drive, the will, the ability to do things so many said could not be done. At least even to try. It's the same spirit we need to tap in parts big and small to move to the renewable energy economy and to ensure healthy seas.

Please try again Diana Nyad, you rock.

Photo from the Associated Press.

One Sea Turtle, Lots of Good

A sea turtle was found with a spear lodged in its head in the Florida keys. The remarkable Caretta caretta lived but it begs the question: who is the jerk who speared him in the first place? Suppose it's not surprising.

But look at all the good that came out of one person's moment of smallness. Doctors operated on the turtle and saved it. It was a close one with the spear a breath away from vital parts.

Meanwhile, "a $16,000 reward is offered for tips that lead to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the injury. Much of the money came from local commercial fishermen and boat captains. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Marine Fisheries Service is investigating," according to CNN.

This kind of inspired response from fishermen and boat captains? The world is getting better.

Under a beautiful blue September morning sky, the turtle was released near the Seven Mile Bridge in Marathon, Florida, according to the story.

Good News Friday

Due to improvements in fishing gear, accidental capture and killing of sea turtles dropped 90 percent, according to the International Business Times.

Sounds like a Good News Friday. 

"Researchers used data collected from 1990 to 2007 by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to determine bycatch rates across more than 20 fisheries. These fisheries are operating in Atlantic waters from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border, and in the Pacific Ocean, along the West coast and around Hawaii."

Just Say It

Al Gore and countless others did their 24 hour Climate Change reality show last week. Pretty cool to have follow the sun coverage across the planet. It's all about confronting the deniers.

This is good stuff that needs to happen but it is geared mostly toward affirming that climate change is happening. Here's the melting polar caps, here's the sea level rise, here's the extreme weather, that kind of thing.

But there is also a need for affirmation that climate change is the result of man burning fossil fuels. 

Just say it.

China's Pleasant Beluga Surprise

Hong Kong's Ocean Park apparently recently said no to capturing and displaying endangered Beluga whales according to Seattle pi.

With the demand for shark fins and rhinoceros horns coming from China at the expense of ecosystems everywhere (and museums), here is something good, if not surprising, to celebrate.

Would be but a wish for it to turn into a trend. When a billion people decide to do something, the world feels it.

Kiwis Go Into That Dark Basement

New Zealand is learning the hard way, as so many other nations have and are. The oceans are finite and yes, we can remove entire populations of important and valuable marine species. Nearly scripted, the government is defensive.

To see this played out again, in another fishery, in another place, in another ecosystem, is akin to watching a standard horror movie: "Don't go into that dark basement where you just heard all those thumps and groans. Don't go alone with a faulty flashlight. Don't do it!"

"Fishing for orange roughy started in New Zealand and grew rapidly through the 1980s and 1990s. However, most of the fisheries were overexploited and catch levels have either been dramatically reduced or the fisheries closed all together," said Dr Malcolm Clark, a New Zealand-based fisheries biologist, who helped write the paper.

"The same pattern has been repeated in Australia, Namibia, the South West Indian Ocean, Chile and Ireland. It demonstrates how vulnerable deep-sea fish species can be to overfishing and potential stock collapse," according to Stuff.co.nz.

Australia declared orange roughy a threatened species in 2006. The species takes 30 years to reach sexual maturity and can live up to 125 years. Do the math.