We Belong to the Sea

Substitute land for ocean in the quote below from one of conservation's great patriarchs, and the wisdom  is just as hefty. 

"We abuse land (the ocean) because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land (the ocean) as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."

~Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac

Love and respect, baby

 
A Sand County Almanac by Leopold is a green classic, right up there with Walden by Henry David Thoreau and Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey.

According to Wikipedia, "Aldo Leopold (January 11, 1887 – April 21, 1948) was an American ecologist, forester, and environmentalist. He was a professor at the University of Wisconsin and is best known for his book A Sand County Almanac (1949), which has sold over two million copies.

Influential in the development of modern environmental ethics and in the movement for wilderness conservation, his ethics of nature and wildlife preservation had a profound impact on the environmental movement, with his biocentric or holistic ethics regarding land. He emphasized biodiversity and ecology and was a founder of the science of wildlife management."

Image: exploreiowageology.org

Canadian Canned Tuna Tough Talk

Greenpeace Canada named their top 14 sustainable canned tunas. This may be good news for those seeking sustainable canned tuna but Greenpeace does not exactly let anyone off the hook. Ongoing vigilance and a heavy does of skepticism seems de rigueur.

“The destructive practices used to catch most tuna in Canadian stores means consumers could be getting more than they bargained for,” said Sarah King, Greenpeace oceans campaigner.

“If consumers knew of the wasted marine life and imperiled tuna caught to produce their can of tuna, they might think twice at the supermarket. Canned tuna is a staple in many Canadian homes and is found in every supermarket chain, but that could change if tuna sourcing doesn’t.”

Read Greenpeace's report here.

Seeing More Sea Cows

Sweet news. There were more manatees than expected in a recent Tampa-area count. Not sure if it's their docile grace or their funny-looking snouts, but you gotta love these beasts.

Read full story here.

Howdy

Photo: Tampa Bay Online

Dive Captain Nemo Dive

It is worth a quick visit to Google's homepage today to check out their doodle dedicated to Jules Verne's 183rd birthday.

The fun, interactive doodle (don't miss playing with the lever to the right) celebrates Verne's science fiction classic Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (in French: Vingt Mille Lieues sous Les Mers). 

As Captain Nemo steered his submarine, the Nautlius, through an array of undersea mysteries and nefarious characters, he brought "exciting and inexplicable phenomenon" to generations of readers. Thanks Jules, and Happy Birthday. 

Title Page 1871

Image: Wikipedia

Top Twenty Countries Killing Sharks

The Shark Twenty (% of Global Reported Shark Catch):

Indonesia (13%)

India (9%)

Spain (7.3%)

Taiwan (5.8%)

Argentina (4.3%)

Mexico (4.1%)

Pakistan (3.9%)

United States (3.7%)

Japan (3.0%)

Malaysia (2.9%)

Thailand (2.8%)

France (2.6%)

Brazil (2.4%)

Sri Lanka (2.4%)

New Zealand (2.2%)

Portugal (1.9%)

Nigeria (1.7%)

Iran (1.7%)

U.K. (1.6%)

South Korea (1.4%)

This list released by Pew Oceans Commission and Traffic illustrates the frustrating reality surrounding marine protection, in this case, sharks.

The oceans' vastness, part of its allure and diversity, creates the conundrum. How can we possibly protect all these areas? How can we successfully get nineteen other countries to curtail their behavior when we can barely get the US (Eighth) to do so? The US passing the Shark Conservation Act just recently is a great start. Nineteen more to go. Yippee.

We have to try though, of course. As Jill Hepp, manager of shark conservation for Pew says in a related Associated Press story, sharks play a critical role in the ocean environment.

"Where shark populations are healthy, marine life thrives; but where they have been overfished, ecosystems fall out of balance," she said.

Read the whole story here.

Read the Traffic and Pew The Future of Sharks: A Review of Action and Inaction report executive summary here.

Cut me some slack

Warm Thoughts Please

In NY and throughout the US, the Winter has taken on a relentless quality. Everything from freezing rain to frigid blasts of wind to mounds of snow. It's a mess.

Maybe this hot-looking tropical beach can warm us up a bit. Feel the heat, the warm water, the need for shade and as little clothing as possible.

Now watch out for that patch of ice.

Yes, Appeal to Human Emotions

Admit it, I'm darn cute.

 J Wallace, marine biologist, is right. He says speaking to emotions to spur conservation is best in a Smart Planet piece that asks the question: Will Appealing to Human Emotions Save the Environment?

The answer is yes. People will protect what they love. That's why David Helvarg of Blue Frontier Campaign tells people to go to the beach to protect the oceans. It's also a great excuse to hit the sand.

Successful conservation campaigns from the past support this. The fluffy, snowy white Harp Seals or the cuddly-looking Pandas were just too cute to let go. Conservation biologists call these charismatic animals precisely because they evoke positive emotions by their appearance alone.

It is what Futerra concluded in their Branding Biodiversity research -- "presenting the awe and fascination and yes, love, of nature is more effective at stirring positive action and inspiring people than any other methods, especially doom and gloom."

That's why Eco Ocean says Share the Love & Save the World.

Read the lovely Smart Planet post with J Wallace.

Photo credit: treehugger.com