How much more plastic is there in the Pacific Garbage Patch?

May 17th, 2012

It is hard not to see the evidence of the increasing amounts of plastic on the ocean. Grocery bags glide along the surface like ocean tumbleweeds. Drinking straws bury themselves upright in the sand, bending and waving ominously. Plastic pieces photodegrade into festive colored confetti fragments. We’ve all seen it, but now we’ve begun to quantify this apparent increase.

A new study published in Biological Letters seeks to do just that by examining past and present ocean samples and looking for changes over time. What the group found was startling. The researchers concluded that there has been a 100 fold increase in plastic debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in just the past 40 years.

Many species are struggling to adapt to the changing ocean composition, but some are persevering. Interestingly enough, the marine insect commonly known as the sea skater is faring better than most with the increasing flood of permanent plastic. These insects, similar to water striders seen in freshwater, rely on floating flotsam as a place to lay their eggs. Previously they had to use seashells, bird feathers, and tar lumps when they came upon them. But now, with the increase in the floating plastic, there is ample habitat for their brood. With the sea skater population increasing, this will certainly provide more food for their crab predators, potentially enhancing their population as well. This is one of the first documented cases of plastics being beneficial to marine species.

However, this potential boon for sea skaters, also comes with a heavy cost for a wide variety of other ocean denizens. We are all too familiar with the consequences of sea turtles, whales, and sea birds ingesting the plastics, causing impaction and potentially death. Then there are the instances of entanglement, which has claimed the lives of many obligate air breathers. The same researchers that concluded the 100 times increase in plastic, found that 9% of the fish they collected had ingested plastic. They hypothesize that mid-depth fish in the North Pacific are ingesting plastic at a rate of 12,000 – 24,000 tons a year!

Plastics have not been part of our everyday world for very long. They only became widespread during the late 1940s/early 1950s. Despite its relatively recent debut in the consumer market, we have certainly made quick (and often wasteful) use of the product. A walk through your local supermarket will reveal isles full of plastic display, making that 100 fold increase seem very plausible. Maybe that number is even on the low side, but there is a continuous supply of plastics streaming into all of our ocean gyres to bolster the ones already out there. Plastics do not naturally biodegrade, so plastics from 2012 are joining plastics from the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and so on forming a soup of debris that will not be going away anytime soon. So please remember to reduce, reuse, and recycle – with a strong emphasis on reduce.

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Closing the loophole on sea turtle bycatch

May 10th, 2012

While legislation in the 1980s requiring mandatory use of turtle excluder devices (TEDs) went a long way to protect sea turtle populations, a loophole was established that has continued to inhibit conservation efforts. A current proposal from the National Marine Fisheries Service seeks to correct this loophole, ensuring the Gulf and Atlantic waters will be a little safer for marine species.

While TEDs became mandatory on large trawling vessels, primarily those used in the shrimp industry, smaller boats with different equipment were excluded. Instead of using the excluder devices they were required to shorten the nets soak time. From April 1 through October 31 the tow time restriction is 55 minutes and from November 1 through March 31 it extends to 75 minutes. In theory, this shortened soak time will allow turtles to be removed in enough time for them to recover.

However, trends in the Gulf seem to indicate the contrary. The last two years have seen over 1,100 dead turtles wash up in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama (644 in 2010 and 525 in 2011). Those specimens that were not too degraded were necropsied. Results indicated that the most likely cause of death was drowning, most likely in shrimp nets. These numbers only represent the turtles that were collected; there are undoubtedly many, many more that decomposed at sea and were never accounted for.

Gulf shrimping plays a significant role in sea turtle mortality. Estimates from NOAA indicate that 28,000 turtles are caught in nets annually. The increased usage of TEDs can help ameliorate the fisheries related mortality of sea turtles. The newly proposed regulation would only affect 2,400 vessels, 65 of them in North Carolina water. Florida already has mandatory TED usage on all the different shrimp fishing fleet – skimmer trawls, pusher-head trawls, and wing nets. It is slated to go into effective at the beginning of the 2013 shrimping season, with a target date not later than March 15, 2013.

The mandatory TED proposal is now available for viewing in the Public Record. Hearing dates are slated for Morehead City, NC; Larose, LA; Belle Chase, LA; Biloxi, MS; and Bayou La Batre, AL. Please let the government know about your support for this proposal by either attending a hearing or voicing your approval via email or phone during public comment acceptance.

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Shifting Sands

May 4th, 2012

If people can be considered trespassers on the beaches of Florida, is turtle persecution not far off? Apparently not. Juanita Schultz, an Englewood woman was recently fined and sentenced to community service for repeatedly removing the nest markers on the sand in front of her house and placing her beach chaise on top of a nest. Probably not a significant enough punishment for violating the Endangered Species Act, but she may represent the first of many beach-possessive cases.

Schultz’ recent bout with the law has brought to light a lesser known clause of Florida’s beachfront property laws. According to the state law, the part of the beachfront located above the mean high tide line marks the beginning of private property, if there is a property owner.And private owners have been increasing enforcement of people coming on “their” beach by posting trespassing signs, asking beach goers to leave, calling the police for enforcement, and even keeping their own private security guards. With 60% of Florida beaches listed as private, this raises the important issue of whether beaches can and should be owned.

Florida’s interpretation of property allocation runs contrary to the long help public trust doctrine. This requires the sea and tidal land to remain open to the public. The public trust doctrine has been expanded to include rivers, lakes, and many other natural resources that should be considered a public good. Practically every other state applies this doctrine to their beach access.

The sands that form beaches are highly transient. Barrier islands on the East Coast continue eroding landward, but these homeowners attempt to fight the natural forces by clamoring for renourishment or the construction of permanent, hardened structures, like groins and jetties.  However, it is not just these homeowners that pay for these projects. The entire states tax payers bear the financial burden, and then they are denied access to the very beach that they have helped shore up.

The beach that the property owners claim to own has long been the habitat for shore bird to hunt, ghost crabs burrow, horseshoe crabs to lay eggs, sea turtles to nest, and, yes, people to fish and recreate. Beaches should be open to all the public, since they pay to support both the beaches existence and those animals that live there.

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Help Protect our Coasts

April 30th, 2012

Every day we face tradeoffs, and now both the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states face one that has the possibility to irrevocably change the future of our coasts. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has been touring the East Coast from Jacksonville, Florida to Wilmington, Delaware with a plan outlining exploration of offshore oil and gas resources.

The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) proposal has three different derivations, all with varying degrees of invasiveness. The three options – Alternative A, Alternative B, and Alternative C – are briefly discussed below:

  • Alternative A. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will use depth sounders, magnetometers, side scan sonar, and sub-bottom profilers to survey different ocean areas. These devices could pose problems to marine life – from small, sessile invertebrates to large pelagic organisms. The one concession granted is a time-area closure for the North Atlantic right whale calving areas, but this only applies to parts of Florida.
  • Alternative B. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will use the same techniques to survey, but in addition to the partial right whale closure, they also concede a time-area closure for nesting sea turtles, but only for Brevard County, Florida.
  • Alternative C. This option advocates no action for oil and gas exploration maintaining the offshore exploration ban.

While the use of these acoustic techniques can be extremely disruptive for marine life, particularly mammals that use echolocation, our biggest objection is the devaluation and exploitation of our coasts. North Atlantic right whales don’t solely calve off Florida, as evidenced by Calvin, a uniquely named female who has twice calved in North Carolina waters. And if her reproductive cycle remains consistent, we’ll probably see her again this December, possibly calving off Wrightsville Beach. And the right whales certainly pass through North Carolina waters on their migration.

Nor do sea turtles exclusively nest off central Florida. Topsail Island in North Carolina alone had 110 nests last year – that was over 9,000 live hatchlings starting life on our coast. In total, North Carolina had 967 nests, Georgia had 2004, and South Carolina had 4027 nests in 2011 alone. Whether whale or sea turtle, each juvenile represents a significant portion of these species threatened and endangered species populations. Their protection should extend beyond a sliver of North Carolina.

The resources off our coast are not great enough to reliably diminish our reliance on foreign sources. The only hope for that is consistent development of renewable energy sources. The resources we should be looking after don’t lie in oil and mineral deposits buried under the sediment. They swim, float, glide, fly, breach, and settle throughout our oceans. Let us hope that future generations get to see them.

Please support Alternative C and give the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management your feedback at: ggeis@boem.gov

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The Beginning of a Dream

March 15th, 2012

An interview with Sea Turtle Camp Director – Rick Civelli

What inspired this marine biology summer camp?

The turtles!  Back in 2003 I had the idea for this camp and purchased the domain name.  Since 2001, our surf camps have been bringing people of all ages to the Sea Turtle Hospital to educate them about sea turtles and in turn the sea turtles have actually taught us many things. The look of thank you in a turtle’s eye while you are washing their wounds and the energy your feel from them as you take them back to the ocean is all the inspiration you need to bring to this program.

Jean Beasley and her volunteer crew have also been an inspiration.  Their love, compassion, and hard work are contagious and eye-opening!  Every participant in our overnight WB Surf Camp and Guppy Camp gets a private educational tour of the Sea Turtle Hospital. After a visit our participants leave with a newfound or strengthened sense of understanding. Sea Turtle Camp offers a deeper opportunity for accomplishment and giving back for teens, which hold the future of our world in their hands.

Who do you hope to reach with this camp?

We want the domino effect!  We hope to reach our campers and their family and friends, our partners, and especially our local communities. It would be wonderful if each person shared at least one piece of their newfound knowledge and respect, whether it is about sea turtles or coastal conservation.  Change has to start at the grassroots level.  This is how changes are made, one small step at a time!

What sets this marine biology camp apart from other camps?

Sea Turtle Camp is set apart because of the unique opportunity for the campers to have hands on experience working at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital.  It’s high quality approach is very unique to education and fun. We believe that kids and teens are learning the most when they are having the most fun.  We are very good at having fun! All campers will earn at least fifteen hours of community service and will learn through hands-on, feet-wet educational activities while giving back their time and energy to the environment.

Are there any future plans or goals for other camps or outreach that would affect the world around you?

You may call it a blessing or a curse, but my mind is always running with new ideas. However, future goals will never come at the expense of current quality. We believe that no matter what we are doing, we can always do it better. You can rest assured that our planning pipeline runs deep and that we will always be committed to quality, our students, and coastal conservation.

Do you foresee accepting scholarships or donations from people/ businesses in the near future for this camp?

Sea Turtle Camp has set up an annual membership program for the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital and will help manage this initiative. In all the years of its existence the Sea Turtle Hospital has never had a membership. We know that once it is set up and once people know that it exists, many people will want to be a part and support this amazing organization.

Through Sea Turtle Camp, we are hoping to attract new people and businesses to this membership drive.  Sea Turtle Camp would also welcome donations to provide scholarships for our campers, but our primary focus is to drive funds straight to the hospital and therefore the turtles.

What do you envision this camp progressing to in the future?  Realistic goal? Dream goal?

We dream big and work really hard to try to make all of our goals come to fruition. Our first year, we started with two sessions which quickly went to four sessions because of demand.  We will continue to expand our weeks of camp, offer camps internationally, and offer day programs for a wide variety of ages including young kids and adults.  Although our vision is large, we will only grow if we can maintain our high standards of quality and professionalism. We know that it will take time, but all good things should.  Our ultimate goal is to empower as many people as we can to be stewards of sea turtle conservation and coastal conservation and to continue to support the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital every step of the way.

If you are from out of town, what can you do on your vacation to help
the hospital or the beach?

During the summer, the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital is open to the public for tours from 2:00 – 4:00 PM every day except Wednesday and Sunday.  A couple of ideas to help protect the turtles at the beach: organize your own family beach clean-up, do not leave any large holes in the sand (helping our nesting mommies and hatchlings), and keep bright lights off the beach in the evening.  Also visit www.seaturtlecamp.com and buy a membership and become part of the Sea Turtle Hospital Foundation.

What are the details of this membership drive for the hospital?

Sea Turtle Camp set up an annual membership program for the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital.  There are different levels of membership, ranging from student, individual, family, business supporter, and business donor.  100% of all donations go to the non-profit Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital and are tax deductible.  The Sea Turtle Hospital is 100% dependent on donations and powered by volunteers. Currently not one penny goes towards administration…it all goes to food, medicine, and the turtles!  Now that is a worthy non-profit.

The construction of the new hospital is nearing completion and is being built by the donations of all the wonderful sea turtle supporters.  You can literally see your donations at work! Sea Turtle Camp hopes to bring more support to the sea turtle hospital through this membership drive.

I understand that this passion for the hospital is a family affair. How are they involved?

It is definitely a family affair!  For years Jen volunteered every Friday and called it “her day with the angels”.  I have also volunteered and have incorporated financial support to the Sea Turtle Hospital through our family business, Surf Camp Inc. A portion of every Wrightsville Beach Teen Overnight Surf Camp student’s tuition is given to the Sea Turtle Hospital.  Over the past decade we are very proud to have donated $36,500 in cash.

We have passed this passion down to our two boys, Vincent (5) & Dominic (3).  Neither one of them have missed a sea turtle release since their birth. This past release, Vincent was so excited about carrying down the sign with “Onslow’s” name on it as his parents carried Onslow home into the ocean.  He talked about it for days!

So, what gets you out of bed in the morning? What keeps you motivated to help the world around you?

Our children! :)   The coastal environment is a huge part of our lives.  We love to surf, fish, and go boating. It is our work, our retreat, and our fun! I would say that over 95% of my life’s paychecks have been derived from the ocean so working hard to protect it is our way of giving back.  Without a clean ocean and clean environment our boys would not be able to enjoy all the beautiful gifts the coastal environment brings us.

What do you think is the ultimate utopia that you can envision for your kids when they reach your age?

The ultimate utopia for us would be to see our kids healthy and happy in what they are doing! We can only hope that it will include enjoying a clean ocean and beach, and teaching their children how to conserve our amazing coastal environment while knowing the importance of giving back for all the blessing that they have received.

What do you think is the future of the sea turtle? I hear they are planning on taking the sea turtle off the endangered list.

There are several different species of sea turtles; some are on the endangered list and some on the threatened list.  The truth is we need to start taking better care of our oceans, our environment, and all the inhabitants.  Without a clean environment, clean ocean, and environmental education all marine life will have a threatened future and we will not have a beach or ocean to enjoy.

Everyone has a lot going on in their lives. What is one small step that someone can do to help the environment/ocean around them?

As full time working parents, we definitely have a lot going on and know the pressures and time restraints of everyday life. Everyone should take the time to at least try to do the small things to minimize their impact.  Reduce – Reuse – Recycle

The little things add up and as Jean Beasley put it best: “If everyone just did one thing to help the planet, to save our home, and as a result save the home for all the other living creatures as well.  Then, it would make a huge impact and it would only grow from there.  Because once people are aware, and once they find out that they can do it, and they can make a difference, and that they will feel good about doing that, then it will change the world!”

We are a beach community.  What do you think that really means?

Beach communities are very special; because everyone has something in common… they love the coastal environment!  This common thread binds people closer together and this is a unique quality that makes beach communities so special.  With this common link, we think people take more ownership in their community and stand together better to take care of it and especially its members.

If this camp would end up being your legacy to the world, what would you hope that you did to make it happen?

If our legacy included educating and empowering people to be stewards of our coastal environment, we would be proud. The results of helping the sea turtle population recover and providing a safe place for people to come together and have fun are truly profound! I believe that we are defined by our actions; how we live our lives and most importantly how we treat other people. This camp teaches so many things, but most importantly it teaches compassion for all living things.


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