Monday, August 29, 2011

AQUACULTURE - Inka Milewski on Aquaculture and the Blue Revolution


Blue Revolution Revisited

by Inka Milewski
Heather Issac and vying for first followed by Dawn Marie at Friendship. There were a lot of big boats doing some fast dancing at the races this season. Winter harbor attracted boats and a crowd. Good racing prizes and the annual lobster festival helped. ©Photo by Sam Murfitt
It’s not clear when the term ‘Blue Revolution’ was coined to describe the industrialization of aquaculture. By the late 1990s, in the wake of declining wild fish stocks, policy analysts, scientists, economists and government agencies around the world began touting the Blue Revolution as the “next frontier for humankind’s food.” Traditional fisheries were being described as “Stone Age” and their technology as primitive as those of “hunter-gatherer” societies.
While hailed as the world’s next major source of protein, farmed fish represents a very small portion (6 percent) of per capita global protein consumption. According to the most recent data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, plants and animals still represent about 80 percent of the primary source of protein for most of the world’s population. Globally aquaculture is dominated (89.1 percent) by seaweeds, crustaceans and freshwater fish production. Farmed salmon represents only 2.8 percent of global aquaculture production. 

Thanks to Joyce M.
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Sunday, August 21, 2011

LNG: Quick status report from Passamaquoddy Bay


Tanker LNG Rivers, LNG capacity of 135 000 cub...Image via Wikipedia

The Latest Update to the Save Passamaquoddy Bay website:

LNG Developers in Passamaquoddy Bay
Updated status of LNG projects.
Downeast LNG — Over 2 Years Late answering technical questions, still in FERC permitting process.
Calais LNG — No money, no terminal site, no office, still inactively present in the FERC permitting process.
Quoddy Bay LNG — This project is still permanently dead.

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Wednesday, August 17, 2011

SHARKS: Great white shark caught in Bay of Fundy

CBC News
Posted: Aug 17, 2011 6:51 AM AT
Last Updated: Aug 17, 2011 6:51 AM AT Read 2comments2

Related LinksShark sighting not uncommon, says researcher



This great white shark was caught in a fishing weir near Economy, N.S. submitted

A great white shark was caught this week in the Bay of Fundy, the first confirmed great white shark sighting in Atlantic Canada in more than six years.

The three-metre, 272-kilogram shark was caught in a fishing weir by fisherman Wayne Linkletter, near Economy, N.S.

Steve Campana, head of the Canadian Shark Research Laboratory, said the shark was likely looking for fish when it got trapped.

"They're interested in fish and perhaps small seals and dolphins. It's very unusual for a great white to attack a person and usually when they do, it's because they look up and see a surfer on a surfboard and it resembles a seal, which is one of their favourite prey," said Campana.

Campana added that great white sharks are often more threatened by humans, rather than the other way around.

"Canada is within the range of great white habitat, so they've undoubtedly been coming up here since time immemorial," he said. "It's just that the population of great whites used to be much larger, at least 10 times larger, just 30 years ago than it is now."

Campana said the sharks are sometimes seen around Sable Island.

"The great whites will go up there and have a buffet meal of tasty young seal," he said.

The shark was caught alive but later died.

The head was sent to Halifax's Museum of Natural History for further study.

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Monday, August 15, 2011

Sunday, August 14, 2011

EVENTS: Cobscook Bay Music, support our Bay of Fundy Neighbo/urs

You are invited to the following event: 


Event to be held at the following time, date, and location: 


Aug 20, 2011 
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM 

Crow Town Gallery
406 South Lubec Road
Lubec, ME 04652


Western Swing Hall of Fame inductee Maryann Price has an illustrious career, to say the least. Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks, Asleep at the Wheel, the Kinks, Trio Del Rio - Maryann Price is well-known for her vocals with them all. Her solo career...

Share this event on Facebook and Twitter

We hope you can make it!

Cheers,
Cobscook Bay Music 

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Saturday, August 13, 2011

OIL SPILLS: Extreme Spill Technology to locate in Penobsquis, NB

A beach after an oil spill.Image via WikipediaThe Bay of Fundy is wide open to an oil spill catastrophe because of the ship traffic, in particular the oil tankers entering Saint John. Since oil spills are almost always the result of human error they cannot be eliminated even by building the safest facilities. Turbulent weather, fog and fast currents increase the risk.

The whole world for the past forty years has been using the same oil spill mitigation technology that was largely developed in the 1970's. Most people don't realize that these techniques and equipment have never worked on any ocean, much less a dangerous body water like the Bay of Fundy. The worldwide average for successful oil spill recovery is 0-5%. In fact, the oil spill technology is so inadequate that the Canadian Coast Guard only requires that it function in Force 4 conditions (Raises dust and loose paper; small branches are moved). This is called a perfect day on the Bay of Fundy.

The BP spill last year demonstrated the world's experts giving it their best shot, backed by unlimited funding. BP spent $8 billion on skimming and cleaning with over 1,000 skimmer vessels and 48,000 workers. They recovered 3% of the oil. In-situ burning (polluting) processed 5% of the oil and created havoc with marine life destroyed in the fires. Dispersants "processed" about 8% and created a toxic sludge that coated the bottom. In-situ burning and dispersants are acts of desperation, not solutions. The industry has no idea how to remove the oil from the sea so they do things that would land them in jail in any other situation. What happened last year in the Gulf of Mexico is what's in store for the Bay of Fundy, only far worse because our northern waters are fierce in comparison.

The current situation of equipping a large tug or escort ship with conventional equipment is unworkable. This video shows what happened in Norway in July, 2009 when a small, empty cargo ship spilled its fuel oil. 200 km of coastline was wrecked http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHqjgmUL-Po . The ship could handle a hurricane but the oil spill equipment costing over $1 million could only handle a millpond. Another excellent video can be seen here http://www.iprizecleanoceans.org/ .

There is one way we can now improve the situation. Extreme Spill Technology (EST) has developed oil skimming ships suitable for rough seas and fast currents. The Canadian Coast Guard considers it the first truly innovative approach in forty years. Escort tugs in Saint John based on the EST 70m skimmer ship could react immediately to an oil spill even in bad weather. Details can be seen here http://www.spilltechnology.com/news.html . EST will soon be manufacturing at a new facility in Penobsquis, NB.
David Prior
CEO, Extreme Spill Technology
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Beijing, China
Mobile: (902) 441-8284 / China 136 6135 9474
http://spilltechnology.ca <http://spilltechnology.ca/>


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Friday, August 12, 2011

Sperm Whales back in Bay of Fundy

From NatureNB Listserv.

Sperm whale and Bottlenose whaleImage via Wikipedia
The New England Aquarium right whale research vessel heard sperm whales in the Grand Manan Basin August 4 on a hydrophone and confirmed their presence today with one sighted. They also saw 2 sei whales and about 25 right whales today on their surveys.

We had 3 humpbacks near the Wolves and two fin whales off the northern end of Grand Manan as well as about six or more minke whales, many harbour porpoises, and four basking sharks. We also had two sunfish last Friday. 

Laurie Murison, Grand Manan, NB

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Thursday, August 11, 2011

CONSERVATION: Wolf Fish deserve protection in the Bay of Fundy too!


The following concerns being expressed for the lower Gulf of Maine apply equally here in the Bay of Fundy.

New research on the Atlantic wolffish, a depleted species that needs our help

By Talking Fish on August 11, 2011

In the deep ocean waters off New England’s coast lives one of our region’s most unique fish species: the Atlantic wolffish. While these fish may look threatening, and indeed they use their canine-like teeth (hence the name “wolffish”) to crush whole clams, scallops, sea urchins and crabs, Atlantic wolffish are themselves under threat from commercial fishing practices and modern fishing gear, which have decimated wolffish populations and destroyed the underwater habitat they call home.

According to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), over 1,200 metric tons of wolffish were caught in 1983. In 2009, the last year for which data is available, U.S. landings declined 97 percent to only 31.6 metric tons. Although wolffish are not targeted commercially, they are caught unintentionally in nets as bycatch, and they are also threatened by destructive modern fishing practices, such as trawling and dredging, that destroy the seafloor. Because wolffish live on the rocky seafloor and depend on its diverse features to hunt for prey and protect their young, the impact of trawling and dredging on these habitats can significantly limit the fish’s reproductive success and survival.


U.S. Landings of the Atlantic woflfish have declined dramatically over the past 25 years.

In 2008, concerned about the decline in Atlantic wolffish populations, the Conservation Law Foundation petitioned NMFS to list the fish under the Endangered Species Act. Although in 2004 the federal government designated the Atlantic wolffish as a Species of Concern, in 2009, NMFS declined CLF’s petition to list the wolffish as endangered, claiming that such protection was not warranted at this time. The New England Fishery Management Council has implemented a total ban on the

SPOOFS?: Keep your eyes peeled for Red-winged Vultures

This showed up on Nature NB today.
For the evidence, see http://sackvillebirder.blogspot.com and click on 
the photo for a larger view.


Christopher Clunas
Sackville, NB
The rare Red-Winged Vulture Bird

The rare Red-Winged Vulture Bird is a cross between a vulture and a red-winged blackbird. It is known to strike fear into the hearts of sunflower seeds everywhere.



This one happened to be beneath my feeder with a contingent of other blackbirds.

This on one of NB's best bird photography blogs. Check for more at: http://sackvillebirder.blogspot.com/

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OIL SPILLS: Experts in handling spills question preparedness in the Bay of Fundy.

David Prior has returned to the Maritimes to push development of oil spill technology on the east coast. He recently returned from involvement in the Gulf of Mexico and China.



Links Provided by David Prior
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