28 April 2008
Seagrass-Watch's electronic news service, providing marine and coastal news of international and national interest. Abbreviated articles are presented with links to their source.
Seagrass-Watch HQ recommends that readers exercise their own skill and care with respect to their use of the information in this bulletin and that readers carefully evaluate the
accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance of the material in the bulletin for their purposes. Seagrass-Watch welcomes feedback on the bulletins, and you are free to
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IN THIS BULLETIN
NEWS.................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1
Hunting towards oblivion (Sydney, Australia)................................................................................................................................................. 1
South China Sea headed for troubled waters (AFP) ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Port Richey Dredging Plan Clears Initial Environmental Review (Tampa, FL, USA) ..................................................................................... 2
Look out for 'whale' that's watching the bay (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)................................................................................................. 2
Turtles to be climate change canaries (Gland, Switzerland) .......................................................................................................................... 3
Bellarine in a stink over load of rot (Geelong, Victoria, Australia) .................................................................................................................. 3
India to join global effort to save Sea Cows (Bangkok, Thailand) .................................................................................................................. 3
5 protected areas identified in northern Iloilo towns (Iloilo City,Iloilo,Philippines) .......................................................................................... 3
GALLERY ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 3
Queensland, Australia: 16-18 April 2008........................................................................................................................................................ 3
Yule Point: 18 April 2008........................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Green Island: 19 April 2008 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Bowen: 16 April 2008................................................................................................................................................................................ 4
Singapore: 09 - 12 April 2008......................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Chek Jawa: 12 April 2008 ......................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Cyrene Reef: 10 April 2008....................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Tuas with Schering Plough: 09 April 2008 ................................................................................................................................................ 4
FROM HQ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 4
Upcoming Seagrass-Watch Workshops......................................................................................................................................................... 4
To register: ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Frequently Asked Questions .......................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Seagrass-Watch News Issue 32 .................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Seagrass-Watch Shop ................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Virtual Herbarium ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Giveaways...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Future sampling dates.................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Handy Seagrass Links ................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Please note: links to sources were active on date of publication. Some sources remove links periodically.
NEWS
Hunting towards oblivion (Sydney, Australia)
26 April 2008, The Australian
Debate over indigenous hunting has been ignited by Japan's move to attack as hypocritical Canberra's support for
the indigenous harvesting of dugongs in Australian waters. While Australia leads the charge against Japanese
whaling, the number of minke whales killed annually by the Japanese - ostensibly for scientific research - is similar to
the number of dugongs killed each year for food in the Torres Strait, about 1000. The Japanese point out that the
world population of the minke whale is several times that of the dugong.
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Australia is home to 80 per cent to 90 per cent of the estimated world population of 100,000 dugongs. While the large
sea mammals - listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as "vulnerable to extinction in the
medium-term future" - range widely in the Indian and southwest Pacific oceans, their numbers have crashed due to
hunting pressure and the loss of the seagrass meadows on which they feed.
A new study from James Cook University researchers, commissioned by the federal Environment Department's
Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility, reports that surveys in 2006 estimated a population of 23,500
dugongs in the Torres Strait and northern Great Barrier Reef, about 25 per cent of the world total. This is close to the
number estimated in surveys in 2000 and 2001, but substantially lower than numbers noted in 1996.
Modelling for the study suggests that killing more than 100 to 200 dugongs annually in the Torres Strait and 56 in
northern reef waters - a fraction of the present harvest - is not sustainable. The study also says climate change may
be affecting dugong numbers by increasing the incidence of seagrass dieback.
more....................... http://www.seagrasswatch.org/news.html.
South China Sea headed for troubled waters (AFP)
13 April 2008, Independent Online
Hanoi - Polluted, crossed by busy shipping lanes, and disputed by many countries, the South China Sea has taken
an environmental battering that threatens future food supplies, marine scientists have warned. In a decade the sea -
at the heart of a densely populated and rapidly industrialising region - has lost 16 percent of its coral reefs and
coastal mangroves and 30 percent of its seagrass, says the United Nations.
The South China Sea is ringed by China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore,
Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, with about 350 million people living along its coastal areas. "There are large
populations heavily dependent, directly and indirectly, on fishing, in one of the world's most biodiverse marine areas,"
said Keith Symington, a marine specialist with the World Wide Fund for Nature.
more....................... http://www.seagrasswatch.org/news.html.
Related links: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=143&art_id=nw20080413113413802C282460
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5g14PmlEpFYeIPw0TRk3O2avGzncQ
Port Richey Dredging Plan Clears Initial Environmental Review (Tampa, FL, USA)
26 April 2008, Tampa Tribune
PORT RICHEY - It's not a done deal, but the city's plan to dredge miles of silt-clogged canals leapt forward Friday
with word that state regulators have accepted a permit application. The Florida Department of Environmental
Protection said it has completed the review process required to move forward on the city's request to dredge 25
canals, a key component of the multimillion-dollar project.
Of the three permit applications submitted by the city to the DEP and the Army Corps of Engineers in January 2006,
this is the only one that has made such progress. The Army engineers in February signed off on dredging the 20
canals without seagrass, which is a vital marine habitat. The other five have seagrass that would be threatened by
the dredging.
The city initially sought blanket approval for all 25 canals. But city consultant LPA Group divided Port Richey's
request into two parts: one for canals where the seagrass beds will be disturbed, the other covering canals devoid of
seagrass.
Full story and source: http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/apr/26/pa-port-richey-dredging-plan-clears-initial-enviro/
Look out for 'whale' that's watching the bay (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)
23 April 2008, The Age
AN ORCA was sighted in the clear waters off Sorrento yesterday. But don't worry if you missed it -- sightings of this
orca are about to become much more common in Port Phillip Bay. Measuring 15.5 metres, the vessel -- named after
what is also known as the killer whale -- will sail the bay as an independent environmental watchdog during the
controversial channel-deepening project.
"It's not a protest ship," said Simon Roberts, the Monash University biologist in charge of the Orca's scientific
monitoring. "If anything, what we are trying to do is increase the integrity of the sampling that is being done so that
people have more confidence."
Divers from the Orca will perform regular manual checks on the health and density of seagrass beds, while the full
depth of the water column will be inspected for nutrient levels, turbidity and oxygen levels at 20 sites around the bay.
Full story and source: http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/look-out-for-whale-thats-watching-the-bay/2008/04/22/1208742941538.html
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Turtles to be climate change canaries (Gland, Switzerland)
17 April 2008, WWF International
Just as canaries help miners monitor underground gases, marine turtles are emerging as excellent indicators of the
effects of climate change. "Turtles are a really good way to study climate change because they depend on healthy
beaches as well as mangroves, seagrass beds, coral reefs and deep ocean ecosystems to live", said Dr. Lucy
Hawkes, coordinator of an initiative to develop adaptation strategies for climate change impacts to turtles.
As part of the initiative, WWF launched a new website today, Adaptation to Climate Change in Marine Turtles (ACT)
through a grant from the MacArthur Foundation and support from Hewlett Packard.
Full story and source: http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/index.cfm?uNewsID=131301
Related links: http://www.reporter.bz/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2710&Itemid=2
Bellarine in a stink over load of rot (Geelong, Victoria, Australia)
15 April 2008, Geelong Advertiser
ROTTING seagrass has caused an ``unbearable stench'' across the Bellarine Peninsula and authorities say they are
powerless to stop it. The pungent smell is caused by decomposing seagrass which has washed up along the
northern coast of the peninsula.
Leopold resident Greg Glascott said the smell was similar to gas and had spread all the way to Ocean Grove. Mr
Glascott said the Environmental Protection Agency had received hundreds of complaints. ``It's not a very nice thing
to be living with,'' he said.
Department of Sustainability and Environment spokesman Geoff Brooks said there wasn't much they could do to stop
the smell. ``It's a natural occurrence. Seagrass fragments have accumulated along the northern part of the Bellarine
Peninsula,'' he said.
Full story and source: http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2008/04/15/13071_news.html
India to join global effort to save Sea Cows (Bangkok, Thailand)
11 April 2008, Thaindian.com
New Delhi, April 11 (IANS) India Friday decided to join the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) to conserve
Dugongs commonly known as Sea Cows, the only herbivorous mammal marine species. The cabinet decided that
India would join the "memorandum of understanding (of the CMS) on the conservation and management of dugongs
and their habitats".
Full story and source: http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/enviornment/india-to-join-global-effort-to-save-sea-cows_10036933.html
5 protected areas identified in northern Iloilo towns (Iloilo City,Iloilo,Philippines)
11 April 2008, News Today Online
A total of 225 hectares of coastal areas found in the four northern municipalities of Iloilo have been declared as
protected areas by virtue of ordinances and resolutions passed by their respective municipal councils. The protected
areas, found in the municipalities of Anilao, Banate, Barotac Nuevo and Barotac Viejo, are all members of the Banate
Baywide Resource Management Council Inc. (BBRMCI).
Based on data provided by the BBRMCI 210 hectares are sanctuaries to include the 25-hectare Hibotkan Rock Fish
Sanctuary in Banate; 25-hectare Pasil Seagrass Sanctuary in Sitio Lamintao, Brgy. Talisay and a 160-hectare
Mangrove Reserve and Aquatic Wildlife Sanctuary in Brgy. Palaciauan, all in Barotac Nuevo.
Seven hectares on the other hand are for research and development of angel wings and eight hectares are reserved
for seagrass and brown mussel. Meanwhile, an additional 30-hectares in Barotac Viejo, playing host to seagrasses
are also being proposed to be declared as reserved areas.
The declaration of protected areas allows the protection of the resources as well as regulation of fishing operations
and other activities and consequently ensure the sustenance of food supply.
Full story and source: http://www.thenewstoday.info/2008/04/11/5.protected.areas.identified.in.northern.iloilo.towns.html
GALLERY
Queensland, Australia: 16-18 April 2008 http://www.seagrasswatch.org/gallery.html
Yule Point: 18 April 2008
Dugong feeding trails galore at Yule Point. Despite the rainfall and associated runoff, the intertidal seagrass
meadows in the far north appear to be fairing extremely well.
www.seagrasswatch.org
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Green Island: 19 April 2008
At Green Island, seagrass abundance also remains high. Also evident, was scarring the result of boat
propellers cutting into the meadow.
Bowen: 16 April 2008
Singapore: 09 - 12 April 2008 http://www.seagrasswatch.org/gallery.html
Chek Jawa: 12 April 2008
Monitoring revealed the good ol' Halophila ovalis, as well as Halophila beccarii.
Cyrene Reef: 10 April 2008
Our transect lines unveiled some surprises. We had a seagrass flower and came across a knobbly sea star.
The surprises were not yet over as the day yielded some seahorses. The one on the left is a tigertail
seahorse while the picture on the right shows a pregnant papa.
Tuas with Schering Plough: 09 April 2008
Another bright and early morning, this time at Tuas with TeamSeagrass volunteers from Schering Plough.
FROM HQ
Upcoming Seagrass-Watch Workshops
· Bowen,
May
17th
·
Hervey Bay, May 17-18th
To register: http://www.seagrasswatch.org/training.html#wrkshop08
Frequently Asked Questions http://www.seagrasswatch.org/faq.html
Seagrass-Watch News Issue 32 http://www.seagrasswatch.org/newsletters.html
Seagrass-Watch Shop http://www.seagrasswatch.org/shop.html
Virtual Herbarium http://www.seagrasswatch.org/herbarium.html
Giveaways http:/ www.seagrasswatch.org/shop.html#GIVE1
·
Seagrasses of Australia
·
Phytoplankton Guide
· Bookmarks
· Stickers
·
Seagrass-Watch Newsletter 31 (hardcopy)
·
Seagrass-Watch Newsletter 30 (hardcopy)
·
Seagrass-Watch Newsletter 28 (hardcopy)
Future sampling dates http://www.seagrasswatch.org/sampling.html
Handy Seagrass Links http://www.seagrasswatch.org/links.html
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Seagrass-Watch HQ does not guarantee, and accepts no legal liability whatsoever arising from or connected to the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any material contained in this bulletin. Seagrass-Watch HQ
recommends that readers exercise their own skill and care with respect to their use of the information in this bulletin and that readers careful y evaluate the accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance of the material in the bul etin for
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Seagrass-Watch E- Bulletin is compiled by Len McKenzie & Rudi Yoshida.
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