Abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear is impacting fish stocks and poses a hazard to boats

Large amounts of fishing gear lost at sea or abandoned by fishers are hurting the marine environment, impacting fish stocks through "ghost fishing" and posing a hazard to ships, according to a new report jointly produced by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

According to the study, the problem of abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) is getting worse due to the increased scale of global fishing operations and the introduction of highly durable fishing gear made of long-lasting synthetic materials.

The report estimates that abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear in the oceans makes up around 10 percent (640 000 tonnes) of all marine litter. Merchant shipping is the primary source on the open sea, land-based sources are the predominate cause of marine debris in coastal areas.

Most fishing gear is not deliberately discarded but is lost in storms or strong currents or results from "gear conflicts," for example, fishing with nets in areas where bottom-traps that can entangle them are already deployed.

The main impacts of abandoned or lost fishing gear are:

• continued catches of fish -- known as "ghost fishing" -- and other animals such as turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals, who are trapped and die;
• alterations of the sea-floor environment; and
• the creation of navigation hazards that can cause accidents at sea and damage boats.

Gill nets, fishing pots and traps are most likely to "ghost fish," while longlines, are more likely to ensnare other marine organisms and trawls most likely to damage sub-sea habitats.

Ghost fishing

In the past, poorly operated drift nets were the prime culprits, but a 1992 ban on their use in many areas has reduced their contribution to ghost fishing.

Today, bottom set gill nets are more often-cited as a problem. The bottom edge of these nets is anchored to the sea floor and floats are attached to their top, so that they form a vertical undersea wall of netting that can run anywhere from 600 to 10 000 meters in length. If a gillnet is abandoned or lost, it can continue to fish on its own for months - and sometimes years - indiscriminately killing fish and other animals.

Traps and pots are another major ghost fisher. In the Chesapeake Bay of the United States, an estimated 150 000 crab traps are lost each year out of an estimated 500 000 total deployed. On just the single Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, about 20 000 of all traps set each year are lost each hurricane season - a loss rate of 50 percent. Like gill nets, these traps can continue to fish on their own for long periods of time.

Solutions

"The amount of fishing gear remaining in the marine environment will continue to accumulate and the impacts on marine ecosystems will continue to get worse if the international community doesn't take effective steps to deal with the problem of marine debris as a whole. Strategies for addressing the problem must occur on multiple fronts, including prevention, mitigation, and curative measures," said Ichiro Nomura, FAO Assistant Director-General for Fisheries and Aquaculture. He also noted that FAO is working closely with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in its ongoing review of Annex V of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) as regards fishing gear and shore side reception facilities.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said:" There are many ‘ghosts in the marine environment machine' from overfishing and acidification linked with greenhouse gases to the rise in de-oxygenated ‘dead zones' as a result of run off and land-based source of pollution. Abandoned and lost fishing is part of this suite of challenges that must be urgently addressed collectively if the productivity of our oceans and seas is to be maintained for this and future generations, not least for achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals".

The FAO/UNEP report makes a number of recommendations for tackling the problem of ghost nets:

Financial incentives.  Economic incentives could encourage fishers to report lost gear or bring to port old and damaged gear, as well as any ghost nets they might recover accidentally while fishing.

Marking gear. Not all trash gear is deliberately dumped, so marking should not be used to "identify offenders" but rather better understand the reasons for gear loss and identify appropriate, fishery-specific preventative measures.

New technologies.  New technologies offer new possibilities for reducing the probability of ghost fishing. Sea-bed imaging can be used to avoid undersea snags and obstacles. Fishing equipment can be expensive, and many fishers often go to great lengths to retrieve lost gear. Technology that makes doing so easier can help. Using GPS, vessels can mark locations where gear has been lost, facilitating retrieval, and transponders can be fitted to gear in order to do the same. Similarly, improvements in weather monitoring technology can be used to help skippers avoid deploying nets when very bad weather is imminent.

Just as new synthetic and other materials used in fishing gears have contributed to the ADLFG problem, they can also help solve it. Work is underway to speed up the commercial adoption of durable gear components that incorporate bio-degradable elements. For example, in some countries fish traps and pots are constructed with a biodegradable "escape hatch" that disintegrates when left under water too long, rendering the trap harmless. As this would not necessarily reduce the levels of debris, a reporting and retrieval system should also be adopted.

Improving collection, disposal and recycling schemes.  It is necessary to facilitate proper disposal of all old, damaged and retrieved fishing gears, according to the report. Most ports do not have facilities on site that allow for this. Putting disposal bins on docks and providing boats with oversized, high-strength disposal bags for old fishing gear or parts thereof can help remedy this.

Better reporting of lost gear.  A key recommendation of the report is that vessels should be required to log gear losses as a matter of course. However a "no-blame" approach should be followed with respect to liability for losses, their impacts, and any recovery efforts, it says. The goal should be to improve awareness of potential hazards and increase the opportunity for gear recovery.

The report discusses a number of other measures that could help, as well.

"Clearly solutions to this problem do exist, and our hope is that this report will prompt industry and governments to take action to significantly reduce the amount of lost or abandoned fishing gear in the marine environment," said Nomura.

The new report comes as nations are set to gather in for the World Oceans Conference in Manado, Indonesia (11-15 May 2009), where the issue of realizing healthy marine environments will figure high on the agenda.
http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/19353/icode/

Any influenza-like signs in pigs should be reported

After the detection of the A/H1N1 virus in pigs in Canada transmitted by a human, FAO has again urged national authorities and farmers to carefully monitor pigs and investigate any possible occurrences of influenza-like symptoms in domestic animals.

"The human-to-animal transmission that occurred in Canada does not come as a surprise as influenza viruses are capable of transmitting from humans to animals," FAO's Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech said.

"The Canadian event should therefore not be a matter of panic, but it should remind us of the human-animal link in virus transmission on which we definitely need to keep an eye."

Influenza viruses, whether in humans or among animals, are constantly evolving genetically, along with changes in their ability to cause morbidity and mortality in humans or animals. Therefore the current A/H1N1 situation should be carefully monitored as many of the virus characteristics and developments are still unknown, Domenech said.

Surveillance for porcine respiratory disease should be intensified and all cases of porcine respiratory syndrome are recommended to be immediately reported to veterinary authorities. It is also recommended to inform OIE and FAO about any occurrence of outbreaks of the new A/H1N1 Influenza virus in pigs.

Strict biosecurity measures including restriction of movements of pigs, goods and people should be applied on all farms or holdings with swine showing signs of clinical respiratory illness until diagnosis of the illness has been made.

Where A/H1N1 influenza is confirmed, movement restrictions should be in force for seven days after the last animal has recovered. Governments are requested to provide full support in improving biosecurity measures particularly to small and medium pig farmers.

Persons who work directly with swine should be urged not to go to work if they have any signs of respiratory disease, fever or any influenza-like illness. Animal handlers and veterinarians should wear protective clothing to minimize the risk of being infected.


FAO stressed that there is absolutely no need to slaughter animals in view of preventing circulation of the A/H1N1 virus.

The agency emphasized that the A/H1N1 virus cannot be transmitted to humans by pork and pork products. Pork and pork products, handled in accordance with good hygienic practices recommended by the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission and the OIE, will not be a source of infection.

http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/19365/icode/

News tips:

please read this interesting article posted by Sir David Attenborough on indiegogo.com

Sir David Attenborough: Help us save the mountain gorilla

Help us protect this Critically Endangered species & increase mountain gorilla numbers to over 1,000 individuals in the wild.

A personal plea from Fauna & Flora International (FFI) vice-president Sir Attenborough as he asks the world to help save the mountain gorilla. With your support, FFI & the International Gorilla Conservation Programme can protect this Critically Endangered species and help its population reach at least 1,001 individuals.

In return for your support we are also offering a selection of exclusive perks, including signed items by FFI vice-presidents Sir David Attenborough, Stephen Fry and Rove McManus.

Our Work Protecting Mountain Gorillas

The International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) is the coalition of conservation partners which FFI established with Sir David Attenborough in 1978 (then called the Mountain Gorilla Project).

The project fosters cooperation across national borders and empowers communities to monitor, protect and benefit from maintaining a healthy population of mountain gorillas.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sir-david-attenborough-help-us-save-the-mountain-gorilla?goback=.gde_120409_member_5806508954280288256#!

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please read this interesting article posted by Lawrence LeBlond on redOrbit.com


New Species Of Big Cat Discovered In Tibet Fills Evolutionary Gap


The evolution of big cats has been nearly as mysterious as the cats themselves, but a new discovery will likely lead anthropologists to a better understanding of when and where big cats originated.

During a 2010 paleontological dig in Tibet, a husband-and-wife team who were part of a larger expedition discovered the fossilized partial remains of what appeared to be a type of cat. University of Southern California (USC) graduate Z. Jack Tseng and his wife Juan Liu made the discovery in the Zanda Basin near the border of Pakistan and China.

Tseng, who now works with the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York, said the discovery was a surprise. In a Smithsonian Magazine blog, Tseng explained that the team had been driving trail after trail in the Tibetan “badlands” before discovering a patch of fossils protruding from the ground on one particular hillside.

“In the little concentration of fossils, there were lots of limb bones from antelopes and horses obscuring everything else,” said Tseng. “It wasn’t until we started lifting things up, one by one, that we saw the top of a skull, and we thought, from the shape, that it looked something like a cat.”

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1113001694/big-cat-fossil-tibet-evolution-farther-back-111313/

Sea jelly threat in AU. Warming waters and changing currents could bring a particularly dangerous species southward along Queensland coast.

Under changing ocean conditions, could more dangerous jellyfish be moving farther south?

Will venomous irukandji jellyfish reach south-east Queensland?

For the people of northern Australia, dangerous jellyfish stings are all too common. But under changing ocean conditions, could more of these dangerous jellyfish be moving farther south along the Queensland coast?

Increasing ocean temperatures and strengthening ocean currents are causing many marine species to migrate polewards. Among the species predicted to expand their distribution is the potentially deadly irukandji jellyfish, which are found in tropical regions around the world, including northern Queensland.

If these jellyfish do reach south-east Queensland waters, it could have a severe impact on local tourism and human health in coming generations.

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/will-venomous-irukandji-jellyfish-reach-southeast-queensland-20131029-2wd1x.html#ixzz2kYY2w09k

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please read thisinteresting article posted by  Mark A. Loewen, Randall B. Irmis, Joseph J. W. Sertich, Philip J. Currie, Scott D. Sampson on Plosone

Tyrant Dinosaur Evolution Tracks the Rise and Fall of Late Cretaceous Oceans

The Late Cretaceous (~95–66 million years ago) western North American landmass of Laramidia displayed heightened non-marine vertebrate diversity and intracontinental regionalism relative to other latest Cretaceous Laurasian ecosystems. Processes generating these patterns during this interval remain poorly understood despite their presumed role in the diversification of many clades. Tyrannosauridae, a clade of large-bodied theropod dinosaurs restricted to the Late Cretaceous of Laramidia and Asia, represents an ideal group for investigating Laramidian patterns of evolution. We use new tyrannosaurid discoveries from Utah—including a new taxon which represents the geologically oldest member of the clade—to investigate the evolution and biogeography of Tyrannosauridae. These data suggest a Laramidian origin for Tyrannosauridae, and implicate sea-level related controls in the isolation, diversification, and dispersal of this and many other Late Cretaceous vertebrate clades.

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0079420

News tips:

please read thisinteresting article posted by  Mark A. Loewen, Randall B. Irmis, Joseph J. W. Sertich, Philip J. Currie, Scott D. Sampson on Plosone

Tyrant Dinosaur Evolution Tracks the Rise and Fall of Late Cretaceous Oceans

The Late Cretaceous (~95–66 million years ago) western North American landmass of Laramidia displayed heightened non-marine vertebrate diversity and intracontinental regionalism relative to other latest Cretaceous Laurasian ecosystems. Processes generating these patterns during this interval remain poorly understood despite their presumed role in the diversification of many clades. Tyrannosauridae, a clade of large-bodied theropod dinosaurs restricted to the Late Cretaceous of Laramidia and Asia, represents an ideal group for investigating Laramidian patterns of evolution. We use new tyrannosaurid discoveries from Utah—including a new taxon which represents the geologically oldest member of the clade—to investigate the evolution and biogeography of Tyrannosauridae. These data suggest a Laramidian origin for Tyrannosauridae, and implicate sea-level related controls in the isolation, diversification, and dispersal of this and many other Late Cretaceous vertebrate clades.

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0079420

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please read this interesting article by Aditya Joshi, Srinivas Vaidyanathan, Samrat Mondol, Advait Edgaonkar, Uma Ramakrishnan on Plosone

Connectivity of Tiger (Panthera tigris) Populations in the Human-Influenced Forest Mosaic of Central India

Today, most wild tigers live in small, isolated Protected Areas within human dominated landscapes in the Indian subcontinent. Future survival of tigers depends on increasing local population size, as well as maintaining connectivity between populations. While significant conservation effort has been invested in increasing tiger population size, few initiatives have focused on landscape-level connectivity and on understanding the effect different landscape elements have on maintaining connectivity.
We combined individual-based genetic and landscape ecology approaches to address this issue in six protected areas with varying tiger densities and separation in the Central Indian tiger landscape. We non-invasively sampled 55 tigers from different protected areas within this landscape. Maximum-likelihood and Bayesian genetic assignment tests indicate long-range tiger dispersal (on the order of 650 km) between protected areas.

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0077980

Japanese and New Zealand scientists discover more marine critters at 1200+ feet deep off NZ using the Skinkai submersible. (video)
Scientists have discovered rare marine creatures living hundreds of metres below the ocean surface.

Scientists discover rare new marine creatures

By Tony Field

Japanese and New Zealand scientists have discovered rare marine creatures living hundreds of metres below the ocean surface.

The research vessel Yokosuka has docked in Auckland, after exploring underwater mountains and volcanoes, about 1000 kilometres northeast of New Zealand.

Images recorded by the scientists show creatures they encountered 400 to 500 metres beneath the surface, some in areas containing active marine volcanoes along the Kermadec Trench.



http://www.3news.co.nz/Scientists-discover-rare-new-marine-creatures/tabid/1160/articleID/319926/Default.aspx#!

More jellyfish blooms? The jury is still out but one researcher writes that it's possible due to loss of predators, pollutants, and global warming.

Are Ocean Conditions Ripe for a Jellyfish Takeover?

By Elizabeth Howell on Livescience.com

Data on jellyfish populations is making it hard to figure out if they are on the rise, and – if that rise is indeed happening – why it is so.

In 2000, a bloom of sea tomato jellyfish in Australia was so enormous — it stretched for more than 1,000 miles from north to south — that it was even visible from space. It was certainly a bloom that Australian jellyfish researcher Lisa-ann Gershwin won't forget.

http://www.livescience.com/40951-oceans-ripe-for-jellyfish-takover.html#!