Japanese Activists' Voices Grow Louder - Part II

             Miwa Hayakawa leads WWAWD-2010 rally, Miami (photo credit Alina Soto)

 "It's the Japanese people who have to do this, not outside Westerners. They have to take ownership of this issue. 
I have to be replaced by young Japanese people or housewives." 
~ Ric O'Barry, SaveJapanDolphins.org

by Samantha Whitcraft
November 9, 2010 - Miami, FL.

Back in September, just as the Taiji Dolphin Hunt season was starting up, again, we brought you the story of how Japanese people were starting to make their voices heard, by petition, at least. With our friends at Choices for Tomorrow ("Cruelty Free Living and Animal Advocacy"), a grass-roots organization reaching out to Japanese communities and individuals, we translated and compiled some of the strong words and feelings expressed by Japanese people boldly supporting the Futo Petition requesting that the Ito City Mayor and the local fishing cooperative stop their town from recommencing a dolphin hunt there. One Japanese petitioner commented, for example: 

"While making excuses using the words of tradition and culture, you sell off the wild dolphins to aquariums. You never give a thought about how short the dolphins’ life would be in aquariums with stress. It is as if slave traders. In Japan where food that could be fed to 30 millions people are dumped everyday, killing dolphins is not something to be allowed. Please stop the slaughter. I am shameful as a Japanese."

Then in October, we shared a Japan Times story about a growing local movement and petition to stop the building of an aquarium in a park in Kyoto, Japan that would house captive marine mammals, likely sourced from Taiji and other coastal dolphin hunts. The article stated, "...an anti-aquarium network of local, environmental groups continues to meet, demonstrate and fight the city in the courts."

And now, we find ourselves inspired and led by a Japanese anti-whaling activist in Miami, Florida. As a warm up, Miwa Hayawaka first spoke publicly at the Japan Dolphin Day Rally, with Ric O'Barry and Pete Bethune, at the Japanese Consulate, Miami on October 14th. We spotted her in the crowd and asked her if she spoke Japanese and she shyly replied 'yes'. When we asked her to speak she politely declined and was taken aback by the request, so instead, we asked her to translate a message to the Japanese Government representatives several floors above us. As Pete thanked the current Japanese administration for their 'hospitality' during his recent enforced 'visit' and advised them of his potential return should the dolphin slaughter continue, Miwa's expert translation and great sense of humor got the crowd energized. Next thing we knew, Miwa and Pete, together, were leading the crowd of 175+ in a raucous chant of "SHAME" in Japanese!

               Bethune, Whitcraft, and Hayakawa at Japan Dolphin Day-2010, Miami.

On November 5th, Miwa joined us again, this time at the Worldwide Anti-Whaling Day (WWAWD) Rally at the Japanese Consulate, Miami. This time, there was no doubt she had found her voice and would speak out strongly to save whales and against illegal whaling. She led us in several Japanese language chants and then shared a powerful story from her youth. The assembled crowd was quiet as she shared her memories of her childhood, her father, and the part of her culture she now stood in defiance of. In her own words, here is Miwa's story of the conversation she had with her father about whaling and her activism:

I remember that my grandmother always cooked whale meat dish for my family. It was one of my father's favorite dishes. I, of course, ate it. It was long long time ago...when I was a child. Eating whale meat was normal for Japanese family. It's like eating beef in this country. 

My father was a archaeologist which means he was always protecting and respecting Japanese history, cultures, and tradition. He likes to teach and talk about history of Japan. One day I asked him why we eat whale meat (and, at this time, I was already protesting for whaling), and he told me that our source of food came from ocean, because Japan is an island. Beef, pork, and chicken were very rare to eat in his life. Whale was really popular, because we could used everything of whale, even bones. He explained, we always respected and appreciated whales. We ate whale as a fish. After he finished taught me about history of whaling, he said he hasn't eaten it so much but wanted to... 

And then I told him about what I was doing -- protesting and supporting the anti-whaling movement. He was  surprised and didn't say anything and was quiet for awhile... and then...he said to me..."so you are against your own tradition". He was upset at that time. 

The next day, he started talk about how much he liked to eat whale meat BUT he said "Whatever you do, you are believing in what you are doing, so I respect what you are doing. I will try to stop eating whale meat." I was shocked at what he had said. And he added that "Anyway, your grandma past away, so nobody can cook it for me". I very much appreciated what he said. As an archaeologist, it was difficult for my father to think that his daughter was against our own tradition. And yet, I know he hasn't eaten whale meat since then. Thank you very much for my father!" 

These are the small victories and changes that ARE happening in Japan and in Japanese communities around the world. There is a quiet but strong growing movement of thoughtful and brave individuals who are the future of Japanese activism. Some of us have been privileged to meet, learn from, and stand side-by-side with some of them. Above all else they give us hope.

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Lone Whales Shout to Overcome Noise

ScienceDaily — Just like people in a bar or other noisy location, North American right whales increase the volume of their calls as environmental noise increases; and just like humans, at a certain point, it may become too costly to continue to shout, according to marine and acoustic scientists.

"The impacts of increases in ocean noise from human activities are a concern for the conservation of marine animals like right whales," said Susan Parks, assistant professor of acoustics and research associate, Applied Research Laboratory, Penn State. "The ability to change vocalizations to compensate for environmental noise is critical for successful communication in an increasingly noisy ocean."

Right whales are large baleen whales that often approach close to shore. They may have been given the name because they were the right whales to hunt as they are rich in blubber, slow swimming and remain afloat after death. Consequently, whalers nearly hunted these whales to extinction. Currently right whales are monitored to determine the health and size of the population. The northern and southern right whales are on the endangered species list.

"Right whale upcalls are used extensively for passive acoustic monitoring in conservation efforts to protect this endangered species," said Parks.

Whales produce upcalls, sometimes called contact calls, when they are alone or in the process of joining with other whales. An upcall begins low and rises in pitch. It is the most frequent call produced by right whales.

Parks and her colleagues, Mark Johnson and Peter L. Tyack, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Douglas Nowacek, Duke University, looked at short-term modifications of calling behavior of individual North Atlantic right whales in varying environmental noise situations. They report their results in Biology Letters.

The researchers' data came from right whales tagged with acoustic suction cup tags. They listened to tag recordings from seven male and seven female whales totaling 107 calls. The tags recorded from 2 to 18 calls each. The team looked at received level, duration and fundamental frequency of the calls, and they compared background noise levels with the call-received levels of the individual calls. Noise below 400 Hertz dominated the recorded background noise. These frequencies overlap with the frequencies of right whale upcalls. Much of the increase in background ocean noise in right whale habitat is believed to be due to commercial shipping.

It appears that right whales increase the amplitude, or the energy in their calls, directly as background noise levels increase without changing the frequency. This suggests that right whales can maintain the signal to noise ratio of their calls in moderate levels of ocean noise.

"To our knowledge, this is the first evidence for noise-dependent amplitude modification of calls produced by a baleen whale," said Parks.

Changing calling patterns can, however, incur costs including increased energy expenditure, alteration of the signal and the information it contains, and increased predatory risks. With increased noise the effective communication range for feeding or mating will shrink and stress levels on individual animals may rise.

"Whether they can maintain their communication range in noisier environments still needs to be tested," said Parks. "Ocean sound levels will probably continue to increase due to human activities and there is a physical limit to the maximum source level that an animal can produce."

Another implication for potential changes in whale calls is that upcalls are the whale calls that conservationists use to monitor right whale populations. They do this using automated acoustic sensors that are looking for specific parameters to tease out the whale calls from other noises.

The research team cautions that "Variability of call parameters also can reduce the effectiveness of detection algorithms and should be taken into account when calculating the probability of detection in different habitats."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Office of Naval Research supported this work.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100706204713.htm

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About Oceanic Defense
We are an international non-profit organization with members in over 60 countries, spanning 6 continents with 1 mission; healthy aquatic ecosystems free from human abuse and neglect. Oceanic Defense teaches people to protect our oceans by acting responsibly as consumers and by making smart decisions in our daily lives. Whether we are buying groceries, commuting to work, planning a vacation or advocating within our own communities; each action we take or decision we make either helps or hurts our oceans. We empower people to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem and work together to protect our blue planet.

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Participation Important for Healthy Marine Parks

ScienceDaily— The involvement of locals is a key ingredient in the success of marine parks which protect coral reefs and fish stocks.

The largest-scale study to date of how coastal communities influence successful outcomes in marine reserves has found that human population pressure was a critical factor in whether or not a reserve succeeded in protecting marine resources -- but so too was local involvement in research and management.

The team looked at how successful coral reef marine reserves were at conserving fish stocks. They studied 56 marine reserves from 19 different countries throughout Asia, the Indian Ocean, and the Caribbean.

"About ¾ of the marine reserves we studied showed a positive difference in the amount of fish inside compared to outside -- so most reserves we studied were working" says Dr Josh Cinner of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University.

"However, the differences weren't always large. The most successful reserves showed really big differences of 14 times the amount of fish inside compared to outside, but that wasn't always the case.

"What we were most interested in, was understanding what made some reserves more successful than others. One of the best predictors of how 'successful' a marine reserve was, is actually the size of the human communities around the reserve -- but interestingly, this varied in different regions.

"In the Indian Ocean, for example, where reserves are government-controlled and moderate in size (around six square kilometres on average), having lots of people nearby had a positive effect. But this could be because marine resources outside the reserve are heavily degraded, accentuating the healthier state of those inside the reserve.

"In the Caribbean, we found the opposite. Large human populations near reserves led to poor performance of the reserve -- which may be due to low compliance or poor enforcement in marine parks near population centers," Dr Cinner said.

The other key ingredient for a successful marine reserve was the level of poaching in the reserve. But importantly, the team found that compliance with reserve rules was not just related to the level of enforcement, but also to a range of social, political, and economic factors which enabled people to co-operate better in protecting their marine resources. Reserves worked best where there was a formal consultation processes about reserve rules, where local people were able to participate in monitoring the reserve, and when ongoing training for community members was provided so that they could better understand the science and policy.

"It was clear that this type of local involvement was a very important factor in building the local support necessary to make reserves successful. Park agencies need to foster conditions that enable people to work together to protect their local environment, voluntarily, rather than focusing purely on regulations and patrols.

"Enforcement will almost always be an important part of a successful reserve, but there is a lot of ocean out there to patrol and many of the places we studied were poor, developing countries which don't have the luxury of being able to invest in lots of patrol boats.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100222100817.htm

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About Oceanic Defense
We are an international non-profit organization with members in over 60 countries, spanning 6 continents with 1 mission; healthy aquatic ecosystems free from human abuse and neglect. Oceanic Defense teaches people to protect our oceans by acting responsibly as consumers and by making smart decisions in our daily lives. Whether we are buying groceries, commuting to work, planning a vacation or advocating within our own communities; each action we take or decision we make either helps or hurts our oceans. We empower people to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem and work together to protect our blue planet.

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Corals Partner Up With Heat-Resistant Algae

Corals around the world, already threatened by pollution, destructive fishing practices and other problems, are also widely regarded as among the ecosystems likely to be first — and most — threatened with destruction as earth’s climate warms.

But there is reason to hope, researchers are reporting. The scientists, from Penn State University and elsewhere, have produced new evidence that some algae that live in partnership with corals are resilient to higher ocean temperatures. One species, Symbiodinium trenchi, is particularly abundant – “a generalist organism,” the researchers call it, able to live with a variety of coral hosts.

Corals and algae live together in what scientists call a symbiotic relationship. Coral polyps shelter the algae and as the tiny plants photosynthesize they produce sugars the corals rely on for food. When water warms, though, reefs’ brown or green algae partners die, leaving the reefs white. These so-called bleaching events have become more common as ocean waters warm.

The new research focused on corals in the Andaman Sea, in the northeastern Indian Ocean, but other scientists have made similar algae findings in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

Heat-resistant algae are not enough to save corals, most researchers agree, but their presence may buy time for some reefs. Other researchers have suggested that unusual periods of warm water may allow heat-resilient algae to proliferate, to the long term benefit of corals.

Unfortunately, though, heat-resilient algae do not necessarily occur in corals everywhere. And it is not clear whether importing the algae to threatened reefs would work to save them. “You never know what the effects might be of introducing an organism into an ecosystem in which it is not well established,” Todd LaJeunesse, one of the Penn State researchers said in a statement reporting the new work.

Also, while the algae findings offer a glimmer of hope, there remain plenty of reasons to worry. Perhaps chief among them is the fact that as ocean waters absorb carbon dioxide they become more acidic, threatening the coral skeletons.

source: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/corals-partner-up-with-heat-resistant-algae/

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About Oceanic Defense
We are an international non-profit organization with members in over 60 countries, spanning 6 continents with 1 mission; healthy aquatic ecosystems free from human abuse and neglect. Oceanic Defense teaches people to protect our oceans by acting responsibly as consumers and by making smart decisions in our daily lives. Whether we are buying groceries, commuting to work, planning a vacation or advocating within our own communities; each action we take or decision we make either helps or hurts our oceans. We empower people to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem and work together to protect our blue planet.

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LEMON SHARKS PROTECTED IN FLORIDA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
OCEANIC DEFENSE: LEMON SHARKS PROTECTED
Feb 18, 2010,

We are very pleased to announce that the FWC has protected Lemon sharks from harvest in the state of Florida. We will continue to bring you more news as it becomes available. Please visit us on facebook for updates: http://www.facebook.com/OceanicDefense

The following is directly from the FWC website:

Official release from FWC:

News Release

February 18, 2010
Contact: Lee Schlesinger, 850-487-0554

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved a rule Thursday to prohibit all recreational and commercial harvest of lemon sharks from Florida waters. The FWC took this action to protect lemon sharks, because they have a high potential to be overharvested.

Lemon sharks are often found near shore in shallow water, especially in Southeast Florida, where they aggregate in large numbers each year. This makes them easy to locate and raises the potential for large numbers of lemon sharks to be removed from the population with minimal effort by fishermen.

Lemon sharks also are susceptible to overharvest because of their life history characteristics. They are slow-growing, reaching sexual maturity at 12-15 years of age, and have a low reproductive potential, producing 6 to 18 pups per litter every second or third year. Juvenile lemon sharks experience a mortality of 40-60 percent.

Recently, some preliminary data from an ongoing tagging study found that at least 7.5 percent of tagged adult lemon sharks from a Southeast Florida aggregation succumbed to fishing mortality in one season. At that rate, the entire lemon shark aggregation could be harvested in a few years.

In addition, recent regulatory actions for other shark species might put more fishing pressure on lemon sharks in Florida waters, where 90 percent of known lemon shark aggregations occur. The harvest of lemon sharks will still be allowed in offshore federal waters adjacent to state waters.

Healthy lemon shark populations are especially important to Florida's dive charter industry which provides ecotourism trips to see lemon shark aggregations in the winter months.

The FWC's lemon shark rule takes effect on March 23. More information about recent shark-management actions is available online at MyFWC.com/Rules, click on "Fishing - Saltwater."

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About Oceanic Defense
We are an international non-profit organization with members in over 60 countries, spanning 6 continents with 1 mission; healthy aquatic ecosystems free from human abuse and neglect. Oceanic Defense teaches people to protect our oceans by acting responsibly as consumers and by making smart decisions in our daily lives. Whether we are buying groceries, commuting to work, planning a vacation or advocating within our own communities; each action we take or decision we make either helps or hurts our oceans. We empower people to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem and work together to protect our blue planet.

Join us on Facebook:
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Visit our official website:
www.oceanicdefense.org
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OD Announces Great Barrier Reef Swim

Miami Beach , Florida, November 08, 2009. -- Oceanic Defense is honored to announce our partnership with The Great Barrier Reef Swim. This unprecedented conservation effort features two world class swimmers; Rob Hutchings & Todd Cameron. The guys will swim the entire length of the Great Barrier Reef to educate and activate people on our ocean's plight.

Canadian swimmers Rob & Todd are also joined by Toni Nossitler the founder of Walk For Awareness. Toni will perform her Reef Walk simultaneously to bring more land based interest and support.

This conservation event is a first in the history of The Great Barrier Reef. The swim/hike will cover 2300km and is set to start between October 15 & November 01, 2010. Rob and Todd will meet Toni in selected locations along the way promoting aquatic conservation issues and chatting with children, community groups and the media.

Watch our website for more important announcements including the launch of the Great Barrier Reef Swim website wholly sponsored by Oceanic Defense.

In the meantime you can follow the GBRSwim's blog here: http://greatbarrierreefswim.blogspot.com

If you would like to donate to the Great Barrier Reef Swim you can do so by Direct Debit in Australia: Account name: Great Barrier Reef Swim BSB: 015 367 Account No: 4790 62552

For more information visit:
Oceanic Defense
Great Barrier Reef Swim on Facebook
Walk For Awareness

Remotely Operated Vehicles And Satellite Tags Aid Turtle Studies

ScienceDaily — Researchers are using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and satellite-linked data loggers to learn more about turtle behavior in commercial fishing areas and to develop new ways to avoid catching turtles in fishing gear. This marks the first time an ROV has been used to follow turtles in the wild to learn about their behavior and how they interact with their habitat.

Heather Haas, Henry Milliken, Kimberly Murray, and Eric Matzen of NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass. and colleagues Ron Smolowitz and Matthew Weeks of Coonamessett Farm in East Falmouth, Mass,. have been tracking two juvenile loggerhead turtles with satellite-linked tags since August, and following other non-tagged loggerheads with an ROV.

The two juvenile loggerheads have been followed since August 24, when they were captured off New Jersey and equipped with satellite-linked data loggers that continually record water temperature, depth, location and time of day. The turtles are now about 30 miles off North Carolina.

"The most commonly caught sea turtles are juvenile loggerheads," Haas said. "Understanding their behaviors at sea, such as where they go in the water column and when, could help us reduce their chances of getting caught in nets and dredges."

With support from the commercial fishing industry, the team and fellow turtle scientist Jeff Seminoff from NOAA's Southwest Fisheries Science Center lab in La Jolla, Calif., spent three days in late August aboard the commercial scallop vessel F/V Kathy Anne from Barnegat Light, N.J., attempting to catch two juvenile loggerhead turtles to tag.

On August 24, the team captured two juvenile loggerheads and attached the data loggers to the turtles' shells. The instruments log and store data, and should stay affixed to the turtles for at least six months and could remain attached as long as 18 months or more. Data are relayed back to the lab via satellite when the animals are at the ocean's surface.

The two turtles were in the northern part of a controlled access scallop fishing area known as Elephant Trunk. Since being tagged, the turtles have been located in water depths between 165 and 230 feet and in water temperatures between 50 degrees Fahrenheit on the bottom to 72 degrees Fahrenheit on the surface. Temperatures are important because turtles get "cold-stunned" if the waters get too cold and can become stranded, a common occurrence on Cape Cod in the fall.

Haas, Milliken, Matzen and Murray all work in the Woods Hole Fisheries lab's Protected Species Branch, which studies marine mammals, sea turtles and sea birds. Loggerhead turtles, the most common sea turtle in U.S. coastal waters, are currently a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

Smolowitz has worked with the NEFSC group since 2002 trying to learn more about sea turtles. He has received a number of grants from the Atlantic sea scallop fishery's research set-aside program. He has also been contracted by NEFSC to develop technologies to reduce the numbers of turtles caught in scallop dredges, such as excluder devices and modified dredges that deflect turtles away from the dredge opening. The current project is being funded by NOAA Fisheries Service and the Atlantic sea scallop fishing industry.

"The commercial scallop industry understands the importance of this research and has been very supportive of our efforts to understand and reduce turtle bycatch," Milliken said. "There is still a lot to learn about turtle behavior. Knowing more would improve our ability to reduce bycatch and estimate turtle distribution and abundance. The tags and the ROV images will provide some insights, but are only the start."

Smolowitz says the F/V Kathy Anne is ideal for the turtle research studies because the commercial scallop vessel has a crow's nest atop the mast, making it easier to see turtles in the water. Approximately 50 turtles have been located and followed with the ROV. Researchers pay special attention to their behavior, including observing their feeding, swimming, how they interact with the ocean bottom and with each other.

"I view this pilot project as a chance to work out the kinks for a larger, more comprehensive effort to study turtle behavior in commercial fishing grounds," Haas said. "We timed this study to coincide with scallop fishing activity, and we are already gaining new and unique information on turtle behavioral patterns in the wild."

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028140043.htm

Sharks Murdered for Ego and Bragging Rights

Sarasota, Florida May 15-17, 2009
The despicable act of killing sharks for no reason came to the shores of Sarasota Florida in this annual ego stroke. The Sarasota Shark Tournament sees entrants fish and kill sharks for nothing more than a trophy and bragging rights.

In our opinion this is even LOWER than the shark fin trade because this sharks are completely wasted. 100% of their bodies are discarded once they are weighed.

Oceanic Defense will form a page on Facebook and create a petition to get the organizers of this barbaric tournament to cease the useless killing of a species in danger.

If you are interested in signing our petition please visit our page:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/sarasota-shark-tournament/

Join us on Face Book:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=871615706&ref=profile#/group.php?gid=43644118201


Photo by: Todd