Happy New Year!

Ancient premonitions about 2012 have penetrated pop culture (Hollywood not withstanding) and hung a dark, ominous cloud over the coming year.  However, the marine conservation community isn’t letting the Mayans get them down.  As evidence mounts for a dramatically changing climate, growing impacts of development, and continued resource exploitation, researchers and practitioners will be looking to promote their causes and make it a big year for the oceans.  Within the government, strategic planning and annual guidance developed years in advance help prioritize activities and projects. 

For NOAA, some of these priorities will include improving the capacity for science and energy development in the Arctic, evaluating newly implemented fisheries catch share programs, and enhancing the nation’s ability to prepare for and recover from extreme weather events.  Despite slim budgets, agencies and organizations around the country will pursue such diverse conservation issues ranging from illegal fishing, protecting corals, and studying ocean acidification.  Perhaps one positive outcome of budget shortfalls will be greater collaboration and teamwork.  Regardless, we wish for a good year for our world’s oceans, lakes, and coasts. 

Got any good New Year’s Resolutions for 2012?  In case you’re lacking inspiration, doubt your own resolve, or worry about commitment, here are a few simple things you can do for the ocean.  

• Learn your local recycling rules.  In DC, we can recycle most everything, but find guidance here. 
• Take reusable (or re-use plastic) bags to the market for fruits and veggies.
• Make a donation to one of the numerous NGOs for an annual membership and put it on your resume to advertise your loyalties. 
• Take eating utensils to the cafeteria – each fork matters! 
• And lastly and perhaps the most fun, talk with your friends and family about the ocean and coasts, and stay up-to-date by talking to us fellows about our numerous conservation and management projects! 

These simple activities will remind you why we’re all living miles away from the ocean and perhaps inspire our friends and family to think about the connections between human activities and environmental health the next time they take a seaside walk or coastal hike. 

Happy New Year!

Ocean Artists

Oil painting, Milenski

As we all know from experience, individuals express their passions in a variety of different ways.  When it comes to the ocean and its creatures, some advocate, some pursue answers through science, and others write stories or news articles.  For the creative among us, other forms of expression are also available.  A whole community of ocean lovers who raise awareness and inspire others to act on the ocean's behalf through art.  Paintings, photographs, sculptures, and jewelry are only the beginning.  

Courtney Mattison's Corals

Just like films can elicit our emotions and communicate simple and powerful concepts, still images and artistic renditions of the oceans and its creatures can become an invaluable conservation tool.  Check out these artists to get inspired yourself, and think further about ways that you can use your skills to share your passions with others.  Many of them are strong proponents of interdisciplinary work.  Click on the links below and see what interesting tips you can pick up from their bios and posted resumes.

Plastic bags, Helle Jorgensen

• Sophie Webb
• Courtney Mattison
• Bob Timmons
• The MacGillvray Group
• TheBlu
• Ocean Artists Society 
• The Wyland Galleries
• Washed Ashore
• Plastic Pollution Coalition Art Exhibit

Happy browsing and get your creative hat on!

Happy Holidays!

Marine scientists place the utmost importance on biodiversity within the oceans, coasts, and terrestrial ecosystems around the world. Diversity provides stability, resilience, and vitality within a system of complex ecological relationships.  In other words, animal and plant communities depend on variety.  But what about diversity within our own social spheres and systems?  Diversity is difficult to define in anthropological terms, but it is hard to argue that variety enriches our life experiences by exposing us to new and changing ideas that stimulate learning and creative thinking. 

This holiday season, let’s celebrate the diversity within our own communities.  Along with unique ethnic backgrounds, professional training, or regional upbringing, each of us have special holiday traditions, family rituals, travel plans, and even spiritual beliefs.  As the winter’s holidays come and go, think about all of the joy and solidarity enjoyed by people around the world celebrating winter and the coming of a new calendar year.  Whether you’re sitting around a Christmas tree opening stockings or lighting a family menorah, take a few moments to think of all the people in your communities (and everywhere, for that matter) who are celebrating unique and diverse traditions that bring warmth and happiness. 

Visit Wikipedia to learn more about seasonal holidays being celebrated around the world. 

Happiest holidays and get ready to compare and commiserate on best ocean-themed gifts you received from friends and family!

It's Summer Somewhere - Let the Science Begin!

As winter weather rolls into the District and work slows down for the holidays, it is important to remember that the chilly rain and biting wind aren’t felt everywhere.  In fact, ice and snow are melting throughout the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica and it’s coastal islands.  Glaciers calve, snow melts, and sea ice slowly retreats as the ecosystem shakes off it’s cold slumber and comes to life.  In the Austral summer, phytoplankton blooms and stimulates feeding frenzies and bursting life that reverberates up the food chain.  Sea lions gulp down krill and bottom-dwelling sea stars and worms feast on the sunken remains;  penguins give birth to their chicks, seals nurse their pups, and large orca and humpback whales migrate to their feeding grounds.  

Not only do these areas come to life, but so do the passionate scientists that study them.  Starting in early December, countless Antarctic research groups begin the arduous trek to this incredible landscape, their minds filled with excitement and anxiety about the coming field season.  These groups spend months preparing and organizing supplies for the journey south, including personnel, medical exams, food supplies, and research equipment.  Despite the best preparation, working in such a dramatic and harsh environment often presents unforeseen challenges that encourage adaptability and a good-natured attitude. 

To all of the consortiums and groups shipping out, we wish you safe and fruitful field seasons!  Follow NOAA’s Antarctic Environment Division, the Long Term Ecological Research program from Woods Hole, and the British Antarctic Survey activities throughout the coming months.

Polar Fast Track - A Guinness Expedition

This past Wednesday marked a very important milestone anniversary: it has been 100 years since Roald Amundsen and his team of Norwegian explorers first made it to the South Pole.  To commemorate this momentous achievement, a team of adventurers are setting out to make history by traversing the continent in record time.  Oh, how the times have changed!

Breaking world records is never an easy feat, but in the rugged and unforgiving landscape of Antarctica, this three-man team certainly faces the challenge of a lifetime.  The mission: to set a new Guinness World Record for reaching the South Pole by beating the existing time of 2 days, 21 hours, and 21 minutes.  This type of an effort requires huge investments in planning - the team has been gathering supplies and putting the final touches on their tricked-out ride for weeks.  The group will certainly be traveling in style in the bright red Toyota Takoma that has been outfitted with solar panels and fuel-efficient converters to minimize environmental impacts.  But, it's whats on the inside that really counts: they will have 6 onboard mini cameras, solid-state laptops, a high-tech internet connection, and countless other bells and whistles to document the conditions and share the journey with their devoted fans following their progress from around the world.

It's a far cry from Amundsen's two-month journey aided by modest supply posts and dog sleds, but the fast-track expedition shows that humanity still has both a need for exhilaration and a respect for the power of nature.  Amundsen was one of the greatest explorers of his time, with dangerous expeditions to both poles and through the Northwest Passage.  Now that the world has been mapped a hundred times over, we must find newer and faster ways to experience and explore the thrilling dangers of the planet's extremes.  If your adventurous side needs indulging, live vicariously through these thrill-seekers by following their progress through their blog or on twitter and facebook.  

Knauss Brown Bag - Today!

Welcome back to the Knauss Brown Bag Seminar Series, where we've had back-to-back weeks of great presentations from our impressive fellows.

Louisiana coastal waterways.

This week, come hear Amy Scaroni (National Sea Grant Office) tell us all about the work that has inspired her to work toward managing for sustainable coasts and communities.  She will present on her dissertation work, which highlights the impacts of nutrient runoff from levees along the Mississippi River into the eutrophic waters of the Gulf of Mexico.  When anthropogenic activities isolate rivers from their historic flood plains, fewer nutrients are taken up and more flow into the growing dead zones downstream.  Amy's work has countless implications for coastal wetlands planning and restoration, so come on over and hear all the details from the source!

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Pirates Beware!

Heads turned yesterday when Senator Inuoye (HI-D) introduced a bill that would discourage illegal foreign vessels from docking in certain cities in the U.S.  While these vessels aren't committing violent acts off the coast of Africa, they are pirates in the basic sense of wreaking havoc on the environment and causing economic losses within marine communities and industries.  The legislation within the 2011 Port State Measures Agreement and Legislation is the first step in making it more difficult for these vessels to penetrate the trade market by disallowing them to make port.  And what are their commodities, you ask?  Why fish, of course!  If successfully passed, the Pirate Fishing Elimination Act will be the foundation for supporting domestic fishermen and processors.

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is one of the largest challenges facing efforts to rebuild fish stocks and support sustainable resource management around the world, driven largely by a high demand for imports from large countries such as the U.S.  This legislation is bolstered by an agreement between the U.S. and European Union Commissioners signed in the summer that promises cooperative work to combat these pirate fishermen.  These agreements and legislation are huge milestones for NOAA, as the agency was responsible for drafting the legislation and will be the charged with implementing its provisions for enforcing licensing and reporting requirements.  Through NOAA, the U.S. will work to strengthen nations' abilities to enforce their fisheries management regimes in an attempt to discourage illegal activities.

It is true that the global marine community is far from ending IUU fishing or even curbing the $10-20 billion in annual losses, but the EU, Norway, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar have already ratified the agreement that has become known as "Not in Our Ports."  Big congrats to NMFS International Affairs for such an accomplishment.

Visit the NMFS homepage and stay tuned to hear the latest updates from Congress.