Variety is the Disturbance of Life

This veteran of marine mammal stranding has been picking animals off New Jersey beaches and bays for years. Now he's seeing animals that he's rarely if ever seen.

He knows

He is on the front lines of changes caused by rapid heating of the planet -- heat affects currents, currents influence marine mammals. He's like the canary in the coal mine for oceans and he's singing.

An excerpt:

Question: What is the biggest issue facing the Marine Mammal Stranding Center today? 

Bob Schoelkopf: The biggest issue is the increase in the number of animals and types of animals we see coming onto the beaches in recent years.

There is clearly some change in the climate that is moving the currents and bringing various animals we haven't seen before and an abundance of them we haven't seen before. We've never seen so many harp seals in one year, for example. Manatees were never seen this far north before, and now they are.

Read his full interview in Philly.com here.

Image from Philly.com. 

Clover Reaches People

Clover is a tough survivor. She's an older sea turtle and she's missing flippers. Yet she still makes it back to the same Florida beach annually as turtles do.

Once spotted, she gets help from a crew of people who have been waiting for her, and who dig a hole for her to lay her eggs.

An endearing story, yes, but also informative for anyone who has ever tried to communicate the need to save the oceans, or the environment, in general:  It was the second most popular story on CNN for hours when it ran.

People respond to these kinds of stories. Even if the story of a turtle referenced in the first person complete with a pet name should make scientists and serious environmental folks cringe or blush, we should wake up. As the brilliant idealists at Futerra have told us -- humanizing and personalizing the natural world goes farther and longer than doom and gloom.

The most popular story at that time? Unfortunately, the most popular story tells a different, sad story of humanity but we don't need to go into that. Second place is great even if it is to a not-so-great actor and his personal issues.

Read all about Clover here.

A Few Ways to Celebrate Oceans Day

Everyday is Oceans Day but to celebrate this official day, I'd say go to the ocean.

But many of us regrettably cannot do that so instead celebrate the ocean by taking ten seconds to ponder all the great times you've had in and around the oceans. As simple as a barefoot walk on a breezy stretch to a dive off an undersea wall on the precipice of the deep dark blue.

Ponder the oceans in the same way this blind person at a US Congressional hearing spoke of  the Alaskan wilderness:

"I may never visit the North Slope of Alaska, and I will certainly never see its wilderness, but just to know such a place exists fills my soul with hope."

Go ahead, fill your soul with hope. I dare you.  At least have a good day, anyway.

Protect These Canadian Places

Chilling in a Fjord

Check out the twelve Marine Protected Areas proposed by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.

The story in the Guardian has great descriptions of these currently healthy (for now) marine areas in Canada. Each one deserves an Eco Ocean post alone. Now they need protection.

My favorites are South Coast Fjords (guess I'm partial to sea turtles) and Lancaster Sound.

Who knew Canada had such marine biodiversity? They did, and I'm glad for it.

See the proposed MPAs here.

Lancaster Sound

Hectate Strait Glass Sponges

 Images courtesy of The Globe and Mail.

Mr Fish Goes to Washington

Go Jimmy

The third Blue Vision Summit hosted by Blue Frontier Campaign held recently in Washington, DC was great fun.

You go to learn and meet people but you stay for the inspiration, especially the shine from the planned Capitol Hill Ocean Day.

Just to be chatting and hanging with great ocean people was an honor, many have been at this for a long time and deserve accolades for their often quiet but steady ocean activism and accomplishments.

Others were newer on the scene but they made up for it with enthusiasm and optimism.

All attendees came together over a strong desire to support healthy oceans. It was the kind of event that feels like you are just back from a brisk walk on the beach, salt spray still on your cheeks.

For the unprofessional lobbyist, Capitol Hill Ocean Day was everything from democracy in action to an opportunity to publicly wrap your arms around the oceans.

There, at our nation’s capital, we told the staffer from my state, who has the federal Representative’s or Senator’s ear, our concerns and love for the oceans.  We also expressed our support of a National Ocean Policy for the US and a Clean Ocean Zone from Montauk, NY to Cape May, NJ.

Sure nothing may come of my words in that brief meeting -- of course not really -- but they were listening one way or another. There was no script, no talking points, no messaging, just raw love and democracy.

The New York team, led by Jennifer, from Clean Ocean Action, had a full day as did the other teams from other states. Our team was a great mix of artists and writers and simply sincere ocean advocates.

Anne talked about her enviable and fabulous career as a photographer with National Geographic and her countless adventures. Marc came with his book in hand, beautiful photographs of fish silhouettes, designed to illustrate the plight of overfishing.

A few times we had some ringers, too. The students from the NY Harbor School spoke about their love of the oceans with earnest eloquence. They were a tough act to follow but that is perfectly fine.

We went from office to office, walking miles on the hard white marble floors and feeling the hefty humidity of DC. We sat down with the sharp and young staff of a bevy of New York politicians, including Senators Schumer and Gillibrand. The underlying theme in all our words was love of the oceans.

Who knew democracy could be so energizing? Despite the aching feet and despite many of the questions from staffers aimed toward the politics of it all -- which hints at the embarrassing and shameful ongoing squabbling among our elected officials on the national stage -- there is something satisfying to being part of the democratic process.

I may have even used the word love at least once when talking about oceans. Why not? At first I blushed when I gushed the word but I was reaffirmed by my own research and Futerra’s reports and other sources that reiterate sharing the love of nature is much more effective than doom and gloom, possibly more effective than anything else.

It’s the power of positive thinking, and I hope team NY passed some of it (and the urgency) onto the staffers who met with us.

And by the way, anyone can do this, especially constituents. Contact the office of your elected Congressperson and make an appointment. Tell them you love the oceans and would like them protected. It is your right to be heard.

Japanese Consume the Most Bluefin Tuna

When the United States recently declined to protect the bluefin tuna, it was one more failure of people to see beyond themselves.

There's a long line of people to blame but that line ends at the consumer.

The politicians, the officials, and the fishermen are all responding to the money to be made in killing the important and magnificent top predator. That money ultimately comes from the consumer.

The Japanese consume the most by far. Maybe we ought to stop letting people hide behind whatever it is they hide behind as they extinct a species.

Oh, that's right, we already had our chance many times over and we blew it.

Whale Sharks Gather

Just look at those awesome creatures. An aerial view of a massive gathering of whale sharks in the middle of the Sea of Cortez. Look at the boat for scale.

The largest fish in the ocean generally eats the smallest organisms. There's some beautiful symmetry, or even a message in all of that (but don't ask me to describe it).

Plus, how great would it be to be swimming with those docile giants? Actually, it might be as the ocean often is, simultaneously magnificent and frightening.