Oceans 4Ever

Today, we’re down to day 19 of Pick/Protect 21, and on our minds today is the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus Thynnus), a huge fish  that’s in HUGE trouble. It needs your help, desperately, right now. First, watch them in action:

Why you should pick it:

The Bluefin tuna is gigantic – in adulthood, it averages 550 pounds and about 6.5 feet long (Bluefins as large as almost 1,500 pounds have been recorded).

They’re a beautiful, shimmering metallic-blue on top and pure silver on the bottom. They’re warm-blooded – a rare trait in fish, and are equally happy in the icy waters off Newfoundland as they are in the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

Bluefins are built for speed, able to swim up to 43 miles per-hour, and can retract both their dorsal and pectoral fins to help them reach top speed.  Their reputation for endurance, power and pure fight on the end of a a fishing line are legendary, making them THE fish to catch for sport fisherman seeking the ultimate trophy and harrowing tale of capture.  

Why it needs protecting:

Its also got a reputation for the most delicious meat of its kind, and are widely used in the Japanese dishes sushi and sashimi. The result: extensive and even illegal overfishing that has brought about a dramatic decline in Bluefin since the 1970s, and now the population is dangerously close to extinction, down by 75% .

In March, the Bluefin took another hit when the United Nations voted down a U.S.-backed proposal to ban the export of Atlantic Bluefin tuna to other countries, after Japan campaigned hard with the message that its economy – and economies of many other nations – would be devastated by the ban (Japan imports 80% of its Bluefin supply). 

And to top it off, the 2010 Atlantic Bluefin fishing season starts this weekend.

How you can protect it:

The biggest way to help save the Atlantic Bluefin is to practice responsible seafood consumption (and not eat the Bluefin, specifically, at all). Biggest way 1-B is to learn about the Bluefin yourself and tell everyone you know about the danger it’s in and that eating it is going to wipe it out, forever. (Are we beginning to sound like a broken record? Knowledge is power!)

Check out this site for a downloadable guide to eating seafood responsibly, as well as a “dear restaurant/chef” card for when you dine out. Print a few extra and keep them in with you when you go out to eat – if you see Bluefin on the menu, or even sushi or sashimi, hand the restaurant manager, or even your server, a card, so at least they know what they are doing.

We’ll leave you with a little more news (and it’s NOT good) via this video, in which the World Wildlife Federation discusses the state of the Bluefin:

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One who is just getting to know the perils that exist for ocean life might think that sharks have very few, if any, predators.

After all, their the Terminators of the deep, right?

Wrong. (And in more ways than one; we’ll address threats now, and bad wraps soon.)

Sharks are hunted in a horrific way by their top predator – man - for their fins. Why?

Shark-fin Soup. 

Shark fins have no actual taste contribution to the above. It’s the gel-like consistency that makes shark fins prized as a soup base.

It’s a delicacy in many Asian restaurants, and can cost up to $100 a bowl.

No, this is not a joke. And it’s putting sharks in grave danger. Here’s a list of U.S. restaurants that are known to sell shark-fin soup.

Check out the PSA video by Wild Aid, starring basketball star Yao Ming (warning, a brief display of a finless shark might not agree with the very young):

What can you do to help stop it? Aside from not eating it, you can first forward this post to everyone you know.

You can also:

• Support organizations that are working to stop shark finning, like the Humane Society International, Sea Shepherd, and Wild Aid.
• Educate yourself and people around you about sharks – both the danger to them in the finning industry, and the false reputation they get in the media for being ravenous, man-seeking killing machines. This is simply wrong, and needs to be changed.
• And the obvious: never, ever eat shark-fin soup or support any eating establishment who does.

We’re brief on this post because next month, O4E is taking a week-long look at sharks in our Summer Sharktakular, hosted by a very special and respected guest-expert on sharks.

Spread the word, shark finning is wrong and must be stopped NOW!

[ed note: apologies if you get this post twice - the publish button just wouldn't move out of the way!]

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Here we go!

Today, we’re kicking off our Pick/Protect 21 for Oceans. Forever. contest with ourselves, and we’re counting down to World Oceans Day with day 21. Without further adieu, we’re proud to bring you…

the Sea Otter. Or, Enhydra lutris, if you haven’t been formally introduced.

Why you should pick it (as your fave):

Sea otters are aquatic in every way – they eat, sleep, hunt, birth and raise young – in the water. They do sometimes come ashore to sleep or rest, but they are truly water weasels.

They are members of the weasel family, can grow to four feet long and weigh up to 65 pounds. They can live 23 years, and have water-repellant fur to help them stay warm in sometimes-icy ocean waters.

Both their nostrils and ears close in the water, and they have webbed feet. They are extremely clean, constantly grooming their coats with their teeth and paws. They are the only otter species to give birth IN the water.

They sleep on their backs in the water, and use sharp rocks to smash open shells for their dinners. They can also dive up to 330 feet down into the ocean to grab their grub.

Why they need protecting:

Millions of sea otters were once hunted for their fur, and as a result, their numbers in the early 20th century were 2,000 – MAX. They almost became extinct.

Today, according to the website defenders.org, there are now approximately 2,800 southern sea otters off the coast of California, and about 66,400-77,300 northern sea otters living off the coast of Alaska, Canada and Washington, put together. There are approximately 15,000 in Russia. Japan has less than 12. Meaning, less than one dozen.

Southern (California) sea otters are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, as is the southwest stock of northern sea otters in Alaska.

Sea otters are in danger from oil spills, habitat loss and being trapped in fishing equipment. There’s a great video about what threatens California sea otters and some scientists who who study them here – go watch it!

How you can protect them:

Adopt a sea otter: The Defenders of Wildlife organization’s website offers three price levels of adoption – sea otter, sea otter family and sea otter group, and comes with a stuffed (adorable!) sea otter, certificate of adoption, a photo and a fact sheet (for the sea otter level, more for higher levels). Proceeds go to public education about sea otters and protection from threats like oil spills.

Learn. Visit sites like the Otter Project’s blog, the Marine Mammal Center’s sea otter page, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s sea otter blog, SORAC.

Then, go tell your family, friends and teachers -and O4E - all about sea otters and why you chose to PICK and PROTECT them, and why they should, too.

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