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Newsletter – 2011.5
This year our EcoDive volunteers are even more international than ever with divers joining us from the USA, Canada, Australia, Spain, the UK, Ireland, and the Czech Republic already! We now only have remaining spaces for volunteers to join us from mid September and through October.
We’ve been collected a lot of useful research data and witnessing some amazing behaviour - such as the sea cucumber spawning event, where groups of these animals stand up and coordinate the release of sperm and eggs, and these oscellated wrasse fighting over a nest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8LmsBS1_f8
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Our celebration of European Fish Week in June, with other members of OCEAN2012, was very successful with over 200 people attending the Habaneras, enjoying live music accompanied by Ron Cremat, and hearing about the issue of overfishing.
The new proposals for the Common Fisheries Policy were announced last week...
Uta Bellion, director of the Pew Environment Group’s European Marine Programme and coordinator of OCEAN2012, issued the following statement on the European Commission’s proposal for reform of the European Union’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP):
“The Commission’s proposal includes solid targets for the recovery of European fish stocks, including requiring that measures be taken in accordance with the best available scientific advice. This could bring an end to overfishing in EU waters and by its fleet internationally.
However, the Commission’s proposal falls short in the way it addresses overcapacity, which its own 2009 Green Paper identified as a key driver of overfishing. Instead of mandating a capacity reduction, it aims to decrease the EU fishing fleet by what amounts to the quasi-privatisation of EU fish resources. This type of approach has a mixed track record in other countries and would fail to provide compensation to the public for the loss of communal fishery resources or to reward those who fish in the most environmentally and socially responsible way.
Fisheries ministers have failed to manage these critical resources since the CFP was established more than 30 years ago. Short-term economic interests have taken precedence as the Commission has struggled to address the concerns and issues outlined in its 2009 Green Paper. The European Parliament must work with the EU Council to end this trend and take the lead in delivering responsible and sustainable fisheries for Europe.”
OCEAN2012 would like the CFP to:
Restore and maintain fish stocks above levels capable of producing maximum sustainable yield by 2015, in line with the Johannesburg agreement of 2002.
Give those who fish in the most environmentally and socially sustainable way preferential access to fish resources.
End environmentally harmful subsidies and allocate public funds only to activities that contribute to public goods and services.
There is already much disagreement within the European Parliament and member states in response to the Commissioner’s CFP proposals, and environmental organisations like OCEAN2012 and ourselves would like to see even stricter regulations put in place to protect marine species and habitats being destroyed by uneconomical overfishing and wasteful discards. Please show your support for the oceans by joining Hughﾒs Fish Fight.
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Marine Biology Instructor Position job in Bowling Green, OH www.simplyhired.com/job-id/lju6edrja6/marine-biology-jobs/
APEM Ltd, the UK’s largest specialist aquatic science consultancy, currently has opportunities across the company in all locations at all grades from field and laboratory scientists to Associate Director. www.apemltd.co.uk
Employment and PhDs in marine renewable energy http://www.eri.ac.uk/recruitment/
MSc courses in Sustainable energy solutions. Developing low carbon communities and short courses in renewable energy and the environment http://www.eri.ac.uk/education/masters.asp
Another useful link: http://www.conservation-jobs.co.uk/job-category/marine-conservation/
Newsletter – 2011.4
World Ocean Day 8th June – Come and join us for a dive or snorkel to celebrate this day with a Project AWARE underwater cleanup. During this dive we are also going to be hiding an amphora for SWIMMERS, a local group that has launched a new underwater geo-caching game for divers and snorkelers. There are already several “swims” hidden along the Costa Brava for intrepid treasure hunters to find.
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This week 4 – 11 June is European Fish Week. Our OCEAN2012 exhibition raising awareness of the issue of overfishing can be viewed at the MARAM Center, at the Port of L’Escala. Outside MARAM our main event is a Havaneras (live music accompanied by “Ron Cremat”) on Saturday 11 June 19.00 – 21.00. Please come and join us if you’re in the area!
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Recently we were joined by a TV crew from Poland, who were making a series about diving and snorkelling around the Mediterranean. They dived with us at the Medes Islands Marine Reserve and then interviewed me about our volunteer marine research activities and dived to film us doing some of the research for the Silmar Project.
The underwater video makers were amazed with the abundance of marine life that we have here, and took the message back to Poland that this depends on the Posidonia oceanica seagrass habitat that we are working hard to protect. Maybe we'll get lots of Polish volunteers later this season!
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Artificial night light as a barrier to migration and movement of high value fish
Applications are invited for a PhD studentship funded by KESS (Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship) to work with Siān Griffiths and Steve Ormerod (Cardiff School of Biosciences) on the effect of artificial night light on the migration, movement and ecology of salmonid fish. The project will link animal behaviour, feeding ecology and population dynamics to investigate the likely benefits of managing monochromatic and broad-spectrum street-lighting to reduce adverse impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Using a combination of field and laboratory experiments, the response of salmonids and their invertebrate prey will be investigated.
Start Date: 1st October 2011, Duration: 3 years
This project is jointly supported by Ecoexplore (www.eco-explore.co.uk) and Dr Bill Riley (CEFAS) and will involve work placements and supervisory support from these partners.
KESS award holders are also required to participate in other skills training undertaken as part of the KESS project relating to attainment of a KESS Postgraduate Skills Award. This will include a 3-day GRAD-School and other needs-based training courses.
Candidates should satisfy Cardiff University's admissions criteria (as outlined in the Code of Practice for Research Degrees) - applicants for research PhDs are normally expected to have one or both of the following:
a first degree, normally with class 2:1 or equivalent in a relevant subject;
a relevant Master's qualification or equivalent.
Informal enquiries about the project : Dr Siān Griffiths (GriffithsSW@Cardiff.ac.uk).
Applications for PhD study at Cardiff can be made online at: http://cf.ac.uk/regis/general/applyonline/index.html
Further details on KESS and application forms for KESS funding can be found at:
http://www.cf.ac.uk/racdv/expertise/kess/vacancies.html
Newsletter – 2011.3
Our marine conservation research season begins on Monday with a visit to the Silmar Project base at the Marine Center in Begur as part of the induction for EcoDive volunteers. It will be great to get back in the water and to see how our research stations have fared during the winter. Don’t leave it too late to book your place if you’d like to join in with the conservation activities this summer!
This year, in addition to the key species that we count and measure at our two research stations, we will also be looking out for nudibranchs and giving our data to the local organisation GROC. Take a look at their website to see the most exquisite macro photographs of beautiful nudibranchs and you’ll be amazed at just how many there are to find on the Costa Brava.
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Our plans are taking shape for European Fish Week and this year we will be using the MARAM Center for interpretation of fish, in L’Escala, as the focal point. The finale on the evening of Saturday 11th June will be a Havaneras, which is always a lot of fun.
Havaneras are the fishermen’s songs that were brought back from the Caribbean colonies by Catalan immigrants in the 19th Century. Named after the Cuban capital Havana, these are sung in four or five part harmony and accompanied by guitar, accordion, and bass. They have an impulsive and natural feel to them and are usually accompanied by piping-hot “Ron Cremat”. This drink contains rum, lemon peel, sugar, coffee beans, and possibly a cinnamon stick. It is prepared in an earthenware bowl and set alight, stirring occasionally until it is ready to drink.
Between songs we’ll have artisanal fishermen and other people from different age groups speaking about how fishing has changed over the past decades, with the result that local catches are only half of what they were in the 1970s, and what we want to do to ensure that there are fish for the future.
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Brilliant news! Morrisons have announced a new policy on tinned tuna, committing to stop sourcing fish caught with destructive methods. This means that now all major UK supermarkets are moving to 100% sustainably sourced tuna in their own brand tins.
However, John West is the one last dark cloud hovering over UK supermarket shelves, stubbornly holding on to catastrophic methods that kill sharks, turtles and dolphins.
If you haven't already, please email John West now to tell them to change their tuna. And, if you have, please ask friends to send an email: www.greenpeace.org.uk/fishfight
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OCEAN2012, Greenpeace, WWF and other conservation organisations are writing a joint letter strongly urging the European Parliament not to support any calls for increase of the level of de minimis aid to the European fisheries sector. Our view is that taxpayers’ money should not be spent in a way that undermines the objectives of the CFP, further increases the pressure on already over-fished stocks, delays the necessary restructuring of the EU fisheries sector, distorts competition among Member States and undermines fundamental EU positions in international reform processes.
Newsletter – 2011.2
Following the success of Hugh's Fish Fight campaign Tescos announced a change to 100% pole and line method for catching the tuna sold in its stores. Princes, the largest tinned tuna supplier in the UK, have committed to making a dramatic change in the way they source their tuna, and will stop relying on purse seine fishing on fish aggregation devices (FADs). This fishing method is responsible for huge amounts of by-catch including sharks, rays and other fish, and even turtles and dolphins. Asda have committed to match Princes' strategy to remove all FADs from their supply chains.
That leaves just two companies - John West and Morrisons - which are refusing to stop buying tuna caught by purse seine fishing on FADs. We now have a massive opportunity to make these companies improve their practices, starting with John West. I'd like to ask you to help take this campaign one step further by emailing John West to urge them to change their tuna sourcing, by dropping FADs and/or sourcing from pole and line fisheries. You can find all the details on how to do this on Greenpeace's website. It will only take a few minutes to do.
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On her blog, Maria Damanaki, Minister for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries states “Figures for European fisheries are alarming: for instance, in the whitefish fishery up to half of the catch is thrown overboard and in the flatfish fishery we are even talking about 70% of the catches being discarded. Since our stocks are declining, these figures are not justifiable any more. I have made it abundantly clear that we need to bring an end to the disgraceful practice of discarding. In the context of the ongoing Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy this will be a priority issue.”
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When I go for a stroll along one of our L’Escala beaches, I am always pleased to see the piles of brown leaves washed up on the sand and the conspicuous balls of fibres, known as egagropili. Why? Because these are the dead leaves and the hairy remains of old, degrading leaf sheaths from the underwater plant Posidonia oceanica, which provides the most complex and abundant ecosystem in the Mediterranean. Left to remain on the beach during winter the mounds of leaves can sustain a complex invertebrate food web, protect the shoreline from erosion, and deliver sand in the form of carbonate and silica shells. It reminds me of how green and fresh the Posidonia meadows always look in the springtime and the wonderful EcoDiving that we enjoy there.
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Gaynor made a surprise appearance on L’Escala TV recently when she gave a talk to an English language class about our marine conservation research and clean up activities.
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Project Aware awarded us Second Prize for last summer’s Litter Art Photo Competition entry!
Newsletter – 2011.1
Getting people excited about fish isn't easy. But Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Channel 4 have managed it, bringing a new level of public scrutiny to the plight of fish stocks. Hugh's Fish Fight campaign already has more than 600,000 signatures, and now big retailers are promising to change their labelling and sourcing policies. The campaign deserves congratulations and support.
Simply encouraging British people to be more adventurous and try new species will not automatically ease pressure on stocks most at risk. The UK eats more than its stocks are able to produce: importing more than double its fish product exports, and depends on fish from other countries for more than five months in the year. This dependence on fish from abroad makes the industry more vulnerable.
If the UK had to rely on its own fish supply to satisfy current demand, it would run out by mid July: three weeks earlier than last year. Quite bad for a nation surrounded by potentially rich and productive seas, but still better than Spain, France and Germany, which are fish dependent for more than half a year. The main reason for this fish deficit is that three-quarters of EU fish stocks, including British ones, are overexploited and produce much less than they used to, or what is possible. Stocks, when properly managed, are a long-term source of prosperity and jobs: unsustainable management is economically, and ecologically, careless.
A recent study by the Centre for the Economics and Management of Aquatic Resources (CEMARE) shows that UK catches for cod, whiting and haddock could be five, four and three times bigger if stocks were allowed to recover, with the potential to increase economic gains ten-fold to more than £500m. These figures give an idea of why fish stock restoration deserves at least as much, if not more, attention as the promotion of new fish species into British fish eating habits.
Creating a market for under-utilised species, which would otherwise be discarded, could help to stop edible fish being thrown overboard. But, as the OCEAN2012 coalition suggests, the priority should be to ensure that unwanted catches are avoided, and that any ban on discards is based on the principle of avoiding unnecessary wastage.
The upcoming reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is a perfect opportunity to end discards and restore stocks to healthy and sustainable levels. Getting this piece of policy right will be critical to guarantee that in the not-too-distant future European consumers can go to the supermarket and buy fish with peace of mind, knowing that it all comes from sustainably managed stocks.
In the meantime, responsible consumers can reduce the amount of fish they eat – by far the safest option when it comes to satisfy concerns about the sustainability of stocks. They can also buy products certified by the marine stewardship council (MSC); it’s far from perfect but it’s the most widely recognised standard. Buying fish caught with static gear, such as gillnets, pots, bottom longlines, also helps, as will eating species that are at low levels of the food chain, including mussel, squid, crab, Norwegian lobster, sardines or sprat, which tend to be more abundant and reproduce more rapidly, so eating them has less impact on the marine environment.
We are already making plans for our annual celebration of European Fish Week in June as part of our work in the OCEAN2012 coalition.
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Spaces are filling up with volunteer EcoDivers booking in early this year, eager to escape the cold weather. Although the Medes Marine Reserve is now included in the much larger Parc Natural del Montgri, Illes Medes I Baix Ter, the funding to the Medes Office has been cut by one third. So there’s even more need for volunteer divers to assist with underwater research/conservation activities and we are ensuring that our voices are heard in the consultation process with regard to the regulations for the Natural Park. A strange rare visitor was spotted at the Medes Islands on 4th December – a Sula sula (Red-footed Booby) – whose normal territory is in the tropics.
We are now offering sail/dive cruises for groups/couples seeking a unique and exclusive Mediterranean adventure.
The new website Marine Life Costa Brava has been receiving favourable comments and doing a grand job of raise awareness of the amazing biodiversity and fragility of local Mediterranean ecosystems. Remember to pass the link on to dive buddies and potential volunteers.
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