Wind-powered Cargo Vessel Holds Hope for a Greener Future

Floating in the Brooklyn Pier One15 with the Manhattan skyline silhouetting its two 79-foot masts, the cargo sailboat Grain de Sail makes for a dramatic sight. While a wind-powered cargo vessel may seem like a 19^th Century idea, the Grain de Sail may be a herald of a greener future rather than a nostalgic nod to the past. Thanks to a combination of sails, solar panels, wind turbines and hydropower, the Grain de Sail crossed the Atlantic with a cargo of 18,000 bottles of organic French wines using just a little more than two gallons of diesel fuel. In contrast, the average small car in America holds 12 gallons and a single large container ship can burn 200 tons of heavy fuel oil each day. As we count the increasing cost of inaction from the climate crisis, that seems like a good change to me.

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I was lucky to visit the Grain de Sail on May 18, 2022, midway through its stay in New York, coinciding with yet another virtual meeting of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) sharpening discussions on shipping emissions. One question heavy on my mind both on and off the ship: How do we get from one cargo ship carrying two containers’ worth of goods to an entire fleet carrying a far greater share of cargo? While the Grain de Sail’s masts may not be perfect for a large bulk carrier full of iron ore (as we and our fellow wind advocates at Pacific Environmentnoted in last year’s All Aboard), there are many wind-based propulsion solutions that can improve efficiency and reduce fuel consumption for vessels of all sizes. Even if it’s ultimately paired with a renewable fuel like ammonia or hydrogen, harnessing the wind is going to play a key role if we are to decarbonize this sector quickly.

Just as key will be new regulations and measures that push the shipping industry to zero emissions, and we caught a glimpse of what those could be during the IMO meeting as well. After agreeing to a very weak short-term measure in November 2020, the discussions last week focused on new measures that could take effect by 2030. The most ambitious potential new measure remains a levy beginning at 100 dollars per ton of carbon that the Marshall Islands and other island states proposed. This could be established alongside other technical measures like a low-carbon standard for shipping fuel to improve uptake of zero-emission fuels.

By the end of the week one thing seemed likely, a price on shipping fuel’s carbon emissions even if it doesn’t end up being the exact levy proposed by the Marshall Islands. Regardless of what the price ends up being, it must be ambitious enough to close the gap between fossil fuels and more renewable options. Still, one of the best options to cut shipping emissions also remains the simplest: raise the ambition of the short-term measure and work to bring down emissions by at least 50% this decade. Whatever the pathway, it’s clear the adoption of wind propulsion should be incentivized and encouraged as part of the solution.

© Daniel Hubbell

Raising ambition has become a growing theme at the IMO generally. In April 2021, U.S. Special Envoy for the Climate John Kerry committed to working with the IMO to reach zero emissions by 2050. Under the leadership of the Marshall Islands, the United States and Denmark, 31 additional countries from Sri Lanka to Panama have echoed this call. This comes alongside other increasingly vocal calls from outside the IMO for ambitious maritime climate policy, like the Climate Vulnerable Forum’s Dhaka-Glasgow Declaration endorsing the Marshalls’ carbon levy.

It is becoming clear which way the wind is blowing.

Beyond its potential to help usher in a zero-emissions future, the Grain de Sail also represents a change in mindset that needs support and engagement from all of us as consumers and governments. The ship makes a point never to travel without cargo, a far cry from the waste of today’s empty containers on a westward voyage to China. It’s also slower than the average cargo ship, another shift away from the ”just in time” mentality that leaves ships idling outside of Los Angeles or Long Beach harbor, spewing greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants. Building more vessels that travel at this slower speed regardless of using wind power or conventional engines will also lead to quieter oceans and less air pollution.

On Sunday, May 22, 2022, the Grain de Sail departed Brooklyn for the Dominican Republic, now laden with a cargo of medical necessities like wheelchairs. From there the ship will turn back to France, loaded with green coffee and chocolate, before repeating the cycle again. Work has already begun on her sister ship, three times the size of the Grain de Sail. Other wind ships, like the Neoliner, are also taking sail and promise to deliver cargo to ports around the world. The age of sail may be in our past but coupled with a more serious climate week at the IMO, it’s also the future I most want to see.

The post Wind-powered Cargo Vessel Holds Hope for a Greener Future appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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Managing Ghost Gear in Mexico

This blog was written by Claudia Cecilia Olimón, the Latin America GGGI Project Coordinator Consultant for Ocean Conservancy. She has more than 12 years working in ocean conservation. Holds a MSc. in Ecosystem Management, a BSc. in Social Communication and a tech. grade in Journalism. Former Coordinator of the Ghost Gear Project resulting in the removal of 1300+ nets from the endangered vaquita habitat in Mexico. Former ED-founder of Pesca ABC, an eco-minded fishers NGO. GGGI is leading the first-ever transboundary program to prevent ghost gear in the coastal waters of the western U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

The North American Net Collection Initiative (NANCI) is the first transboundary initiative to address abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) in the coastal waters of western Mexico, United States and Canada, bringing together local organizations to prevent, mitigate and remediate ghost gear. NANCI was developed by the Global Ghost Gear Initiative® (GGGI) after Mexico became a member in 2020. The goals of NANCI are to develop knowledge of ghost gear in Mexico, facilitate the development of Mexico’s national ghost gear removal strategy, promote the GGGI’s Best Practice Framework for the Management of Fishing Gear, remove ghost gear from critical areas and transform end-of-life gear, among others.

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In collaboration with Natural Resources Consultants, NANCI is building a predictive model to identify potential ghost gear hotspots—locations where gear might be lost or accumulating—in the Pacific and Atlantic waters of Mexico. In the coming months, the model will continue to be refined with data from on-the-ground fisher surveys that are being carried out in coastal Mexican states by NANCI’s local partners Pronatura Noroeste, Pronatura System chapters and the Manta Caribbean Project. Once complete, the predictive model will guide the country’s efforts to tackle the issue through the development of a national ghost gear strategy.

“Local fishers’ knowledge methodically gathered along the entire Mexican coastline will help generate a solid base for the design of a national strategy for the removal of abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear, and the prevention of further gear loss in our country,” said Gustavo Danemann, Executive Director of Pronatura Noroeste.

NANCI is facilitating the creation of a national integrated fishing gear management strategy in collaboration with the Mexican Federal Government. Together, they will develop an action plan to prevent, mitigate and remediate ghost gear. The plan will be based on proven strategies from around the world, GGGI’s Best Practices for Gear Management and with consideration for the local social, economic, and environmental context. It will include input and recommendations from dozens of stakeholders in the fisheries and environmental sector who will also participate in strategy design. This strategy will also be discussed with the governments of Canada and the United States to facilitate cross-border collaboration on ghost gear in North America.

In March 2022, the GGGI led our first workshop in Mexico around the Best Practices for Gear Management with participants representing 15 regions across the country from nongovernmental organizations, state and federal governments, the private sector, academia and the fishing industry.  The main objective was to promote and discuss recommendations on the prevention, mitigation, and remediation of ALDFG. The event facilitated knowledge exchange and sharing of experiences with ghost gear in Mexico. The workshop included recommended application of the Best Practice Framework for the Management of Fishing Gear, how to use the Ghost Gear Reporter App, existing efforts by the Mexican government and local partners to tackle ghost gear, and net recycling opportunities. The workshop resulted in a new partnership for the recycling of end-of-life nets between Grupo Pinsa and Bureo inc.Grupo Pinsa is a national leader within the tuna and sardine industries. They agreed to donate 20 tons of end-of-life nets to Bureo and NANCI. The GGGI will hold a similar workshop in Cancun in July 2022 with the aim of gathering new and existing partners from the Gulf of Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula.

Examples of work our GGGI partners are doing in Mexico

Bureo:

One of the members of the GGGI and key partner to NANCI, Bureo, a certified B-Corp, developed a report on the feasibility of establishing an end-of-life gear collection hub to process nets from Mexico. This is being established in Ensenada city and the upcycle processing will be done in the Bureo’s new facility in Oxnard, California. Bureo is implementing fishing net recycling schemes in South and Latin America. Their patented “Net Plus” is a third-party verified post-consumer recycled plastic constructed from 100% waste fishnets, which operates through a shared-value model to give back to coastal fishing communities for every kilo of fishing net received. Bureo uses this material in everything from skateboards to winter jackets, building toward a circular economy.

Hagamos Mas:

© Pablo Curiel

This local organization promotes community engagement and female empowerment. As a recipient of the GGGI Small Grants Award, thanks to the Lenton Parks Foundation, Hagamos Mas will work to detect ALDFG and marine plastic litter (MPL) in sensitive habitats, collect and properly dispose of ALDFG and and create alliances between public and private institutions in the regions of Santa Rosalia and Mulege. They will also empower women from the existing fishers alliance to build awareness of the negative impact of ALDFG and MPL. Hagamos Mas will employ a “weigh and pay” program, offering fishers a system for direct rewards according to weight of end-of-life gear delivered. The results from this program will be collected in the Ghost Gear Reporter App. Hagamos Mas has worked in coordination with Ecologists Without Borders (EcoWb) and the Instituto Superior de Mulegé (ITESME) in Baja California Sur since 2013.

“We are proud to be part of this great initiative and to have the valuable participation of women in creating awareness among fishers and fishing families, because we believe that to achieve a permanent change, we must change our minds. Our strong group of women, mainly wives or relatives of fishers, perfectly know the communities in which we work; they know the work; the habits; and ways of thinking of our fishing people. Woman have become our most valuable allies in this great effort that is expanding more and more, thanks to the support of the GGGI. We can assure that with their support we will be able to educate and collect fishing gear that has been abandoned on the shores, preventing microplastics damaging our species and allowing us to provide information through the Ghost Gear Reporter Application”.

– Alma Colorado Betanzos, Executive Director of Hagamos Mas.

With this first transboundary GGGI initiative, NANCI is paving the way for on the ground operations in Latin America. The GGGI is excited to support the expansion of ghost gear actions in Mexico and looks forward to the future of the NANCI as well as that of all the local partners.

The post Managing Ghost Gear in Mexico appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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The Slimy, Scaleless Snailfish

With one look at the snailfish, you can see where it gets its name. Its gelatinous, tadpole-like appearance is reminiscent of a snail without its shell (if that snail had fins). Although these translucent critters might not be winning any beauty contests, they are fascinating deep-sea fish that have adapted to one of the most extreme habitats on earth.

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Let’s dive in and learn more about the snailfish.

What are snailfish?

The name “snailfish” can refer to any of the more than 400 species found in the family Liparidae. Sometimes they’re also called seasnails—not to be confused with gastropod sea snails (which are the animals you probably picture when you hear the word “seasnail”).

Snailfish are found all over the world, including in Antarctica. Although they’re found in shallow waters, the deep-sea species are the ones that stand out. Lots of fish can survive in shallow waters—how can snailfish survive 7,000 meters below the surface?

A deep-sea life

It’s no surprise that the deep sea is pretty inhospitable to most animals. It’s dark, freezing cold and animals there are under a lot of pressure literally—the pressure in the deepest ocean trenches is equivalent to having a walrus stand on the tip of your finger. A number of species manage to survive in deep sea waters, but the hadal snailfish is the deepest-known fish. The hadal snailfish has been recorded 8,200 meters (27,000 feet) below the surface.

Hadal snailfish have a few special adaptations that allow them to survive in such harsh conditions. First, unlike other shallow-dwelling fish species, they lack a swim bladder. Where others use a swim bladder to move up and down in the water column, in the deep sea it becomes a liability under pressure. Scientists have found instead they use a gelatinous substance and species muscle enzymes to help them control their buoyancy.

More fish to discover

Since we know more about the surface of the moon than we do the sea floor, each deep-sea expedition brings the chance to discover new species. A recent research crew off of Australia found two new species of snailfish when baiting 6,500 meters down. They were observed with special underwater cameras, which is a good thing—once the snailfish are brought to the surface, they begin to “melt” under the heat and changing pressure.

But scientists have other tricks up their sleeves to learn more about these little-studied species. In 2019, scientists sequenced the genome of the hadal snailfish—the first deep-sea fish to have its entire genome identified. Genome sequencing, or identifying the full DNA pattern of an organism, helps scientists learn more about their adaptations and how they’re related to other fish. Research found that the deep-sea hadal snailfish diverged from a shallow-water relative about 20 million years ago and accumulated genetic adaptations that make its bones softer and more pressure-tolerant.

Although some snailfish species live thousands of meters below the surface, they can’t escape human influence. Our ocean’s deepest trenches have evidence of chemical pollutants and plastics and aren’t immune to the effects of climate change. Learn more about the animals in the deep sea and take action to protect them and all animals that live in the ocean. 

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New Report Shows Fishery Management Floundering

Imagine this future: You go to the market to buy fish for dinner. What used to be a plentiful supply of fish stacked on top of each other at the fish counter is now sparsely dispersed across beds of ice. You go to the coast to fish with family and friends, and what once was an abundant population of your favorite catch is now hit or miss.

“What used to be” and “what once was” could no longer be guaranteed—these are the threats that we face with increasing climate impacts on U.S. fisheries and the stalled progress on reducing the stocks that are experiencing overfishing, are overfished and are struggling to rebuild to healthy levels. This isn’t simply a hypothetical situation; the fish that are available to us and our ocean ecosystems are essential to our survival and successes. Healthy and abundant fisheries nourish entire coastal communities and their economies and livelihoods. How we manage our fisheries now will be critically important for what the future of those fisheries looks like.

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NOAA Fisheries recently released its annual Status of Stocks report to the U.S. Congress, available to the public, on how marine fisheries are doing. Every year, this report is a chance to check in on successes and challenges. On one hand, the fishery management system is keeping up adequate management of some stocks. On the whole, the 2021 report points to management progress staying stagnant, and more stocks are less healthy and less resilient to climate change. Here is the breakdown by status:

Overfishing Status

For a stock to be considered “subject to overfishing,” it must have a higher harvest rate than the rate that produces its Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY), a science-based largest average catch value for the stock to support fishing in the long term. Overfishing status is like spending more money than you’re earning—more fish are being caught than the population can readily replenish.

• The report says: Overfishing is low but hasn’t budged. Of the total stocks with known overfishing status, 92% are not experiencing overfishing, which is good news. While having only 8% of stocks experiencing overfishing remains near an all-time low, this percentage has largely stayed the same for a decade, even though the law requires an immediate end to overfishing.
• What does this mean? Fishery management needs to do more to prevent overfishing. Big picture: Having only 8% of known stocks experiencing overfishing is laudable, but let’s get as close to zero as possible. Many of the stocks that are subject to overfishing have been so for years.

Overfished Status

An overfished stock has a population that is low enough to jeopardize the stock’s ability to support long-term fishing. Overfished status is like declaring bankruptcy.

• The numbers show this: A notable chunk of our stocks are overfished, and the number has seen an increasing trend in the past four years. Fifty-one stocks, or 20% of stocks for which we have estimated their population size, are overfished. That number is a slight increase from last year and now part of a discouraging trend. One of those stocks, gag grouper in the Gulf of Mexico, is overfished once again after being rebuilt in 2014.
• What does this mean? This trend of increasing overfished stocks is worrisome and, without proper management action, can get worse. When a stock is overfished, there are fewer opportunities for fishing, which is difficult for fishermen and the communities that depend on fisheries. Overfished stocks are also less resilient to climate impacts, putting communities and cultures further at risk, and making it clear that avoiding an overfished stock should be the goal.

Rebuilt Status

A stock that is rebuilt was previously overfished and went through a managed rebuilding plan. The stock has increased to a size that can once again support long-term fishing.

• Here is the verdict: Progress on rebuilt stocks has stalled. The total number of rebuilt stocks—47—hasn’t changed since 2019. Only one stock—the Sacramento River fall Chinook salmon on the West Coast—was rebuilt this year, but it was rebuilt before and then slipped back to an overfished status. It was first rebuilt in 2013, was declared overfished again in 2018, and has been rebuilt again in 2021.
• What does this mean? Fishery management must work to consistently rebuild stocks and prevent them from experiencing overfishing and becoming overfished once more. Management actions should do more to prevent stocks from repeatedly needing rebuilding.

These numbers are concerning and should signal a need for more and better management action. They also suggest that climate change is an increasingly important force in this equation of fishery management. The 2021 report recognizes this link and affirms that NOAA Fisheries is “committed to reducing the number of stocks that are overfished and subject to overfishing, and to rebuilding stocks that support sustainable fisheries in our changing climate.”

Last month, NOAA Fisheries delivered a similar message in a news feature for Earth Week 2022: “At NOAA Fisheries, we know the answer lies in keeping our pulse on population trends, accounting for uncertainty, adapting management strategies to changes, and holding industry and ourselves accountable.” The agency acknowledges that climate change continues to impact fish stocks and, in this latest Status of Stocks report, affirms their commitment to respond accordingly.

The ocean is not at a stasis. It’s changing more than ever with rising sea levels, warming temperatures, ocean acidification, deoxygenation and more. The dynamism and growing pace of climate impacts must be reflected in management response—we can’t delay management action any longer. Fishery management must ensure that we prevent stocks from reaching low numbers for catch, while simultaneously continuing the progress we’ve made. That way, “what used to be” and “what once was” remain phrases that do not become lifestyles and threaten our abilities to fish in the long term. Accomplishing this will bring great benefit to the health and success of U.S. communities, economies and livelihoods.

The post New Report Shows Fishery Management Floundering appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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Introducing the Global Ghost Gear Initiative Small Grants Recipients of 2022

Ocean Conservancy’s Global Ghost Gear Initiative® (GGGI) engages with international leadership as well as grassroots projects around the world to combat ghost gear—abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG). GGGI membership includes representatives from academia, governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector dedicated to combat this most harmful form of marine debris.

Inspired by and modeled after a similar small grants program sponsored by Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup® (ICC) in support of ocean cleanup projects, Ocean Conservancy launched its GGGI Small Grants Program in 2021. This program builds greater capacity for GGGI projects by providing the financing and mentoring support needed for GGGI member projects with the aim of preventing, mitigating and remediating ghost gear.

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The GGGI also designates an annual recipient of the Joanna Toole Ghost Gear Solutions Award. This award was established in 2019 to honor GGGI co-founder, United Nations worker and former World Animal Protection campaigner Joanna Toole who tragically lost her life at age 36 in the March 2019 Ethiopian airlines crash. This award, presented to projects that show excellence in tackling the problem of ghost gear, is made possible by support from Ocean Conservancy, the Government of Norway and Joanna’s friends, family members and colleagues, including the Joanna Toole Foundation.

Adrian Toole, Chair of the Foundation and Joanna Toole’s father, had this to say about the award: “As Joanna’s father and on behalf of the Trustees of the Joanna Toole Foundation, I am very grateful that Ocean Conservancy and the Government of Norway are awarding this, the fourth yearly award, that both honors Joanna and continues her work for animal welfare. Joanna was among the first campaigners to recognize the terrible toll that ghost gear exacts on aquatic life and its detrimental effect on the economies of fishing communities.”

In 2022, the GGGI Small Grants program received 15 applications from members in 10 countries that spanned from East Africa to South and Southeast Asia, Europe and North America. Applications were reviewed by the GGGI leadership as well as members of the Expert Advisory Council. With support from Ocean Conservancy, the Government of Norway, Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund and Morgan Stanley, we are excited to announce a total of $205,000 in grants awarded to six organizations working to mitigate, prevent and remediate ghost gear.

The GGGI is proud to present the following grant recipients:

Fourth Annual Joanna Toole Ghost Gear Solutions Awardee

NP Junior Rangers Uganda Limited (Kampala, Uganda)—This organization aims both to prevent and remove ghost gear from Lake Victoria in Uganda by working with the local community. Their project goals include:

• Removing and preventing ghost gear in Lake Victoria by identifying hotspots, organizing monthly cleanups and running workshops with the aim of removing at least 2000 pounds of gear per year.
• Developing infrastructure necessary to collect and properly dispose of waste gear.
• Researching recycling opportunities, piloting net recycling methods and designing a recycling strategy for Kampala and the surrounding fishing communities.

© Uganda Junior Rangers

Additional Small Grant Recipients

Emerald Sea Protection Society (British Columbia, Canada)—What began as a small, self-funded organization founded by commercial divers and marine surveyors has quickly grown to a leading public and private partner addressing ghost gear off the Pacific Coast in Canada. Their project aims to expand their ghost gear removal capacity and raise awareness for their work by:

• Acquiring additional specialized equipment required for gear and marine debris removal.
• Removing an estimated 25,000 pounds of derelict predator net from a location near Port Hardy, British Columbia.
• Expanding and developing their media, communication and educational resources

Mare Nostrum (Constanta, Romania) )—An environmental NGO based in Romania, Mare Nostrum centers on sustainable development education, conservation of marine and coastal biodiversity, natural resource management and urban management policy. Their project Net Free Black Sea focuses on:

• Removing at least 1000 kilograms of ghost gear from at least two hot spots between Cap Midia and Vama Veche.
• Connecting relevant stakeholders, including local government, communities, industry and academia.
• Raising awareness of the social, economic, and environmental damage caused by ghost gear in the Black Sea.

Patuakhali Science and Technology University (Patuakhali, Bangladesh)—This academic program is focused on research, training and entrepreneurial development for undergraduate and postgraduate programs. The university aims to pioneer a ghost gear study in the Bay of Bengal with the following goals:

• Assessing the status of ghost gear in the Southern coastal area of Bangladesh.
• Identifying the current knowledge, practices, and attitudes on ghost gear by fishers in the region.
• Building awareness and capacity for fishers to prevent ghost gear in the region.

Sea Mammal Education Learning Technology Society (Washington, United States)—Also known by the acronym SMELTS, this organization is focused on the research and development of technology to reduce harm in interactions between humans and marine life. This project employs their ropeless lift bag technology to remove marine debris and rescue anchored whales and includes:

• Building two acoustically controlled lifting engines for marine debris recovery and animal rescue.
• Partnering with the Center for Coastal Studies’ Marine Animal Entanglement Response (MAER) and commercial lobsterman Rob Martin to test their technology.
• Using and sharing all data collected with the international GGGI community.

Stichting Ghost Diving (Zuid-Holland, Netherlands)—Founded in 2012 by technical divers specializing in the removal of ghost gear and marine debris, Ghost Diving is the largest and most experienced global diving organization focused on tackling ALDFG. Their project, Coasts Untangled, conducts ghost gear surveys along the Greek coast by:

• Hosting workshops with Ghost Diving Greece and local stakeholders in fishing and coastal management to find areas most impacted by ALDFGs and share knowledge.
• Conducting aerial surveys of areas of interest across approximately 25 km² of costal marine habitat.
• Running field tests on machine-learning algorithms to detect ghost gear using aerial imagery.
• Contributing to GGGI data.

The post Introducing the Global Ghost Gear Initiative Small Grants Recipients of 2022 appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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Multi-scale Solutions Critical to Solving St. Paul’s Marine Debris Problem

It’s May on St. Paul Island in the Bering Sea, and more than half of the world’s breeding population of Laaqudan, or northern fur seals, are returning to the Pribilof Islands. After a winter foraging in the open ocean, these massive whiskered seals are making their way back to the island’s rookeries to breed. Life on the beach is noisy, filled with roaring male bulls called “beach masters,” defending their territories, boisterous juvenile seals play-fighting and squawking seabirds that are also migrating back to the island for the summer. The scene is wild and beautiful, but unfortunately, it’s not unspoiled or as healthy as it once was or needs to be in order to fully thrive.

Widespread marine debris litters the beach—webbing, line, nets, packing bands, buoys and plastics of all shapes and sizes and displaying brands that reveal the debris has washed in from faraway places around the Pacific Ocean. As fur seal and some seabird populations decline in the region, wildlife entangled in the debris are a growing concern.

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Recognizing that beach cleanups are one part of the solution needed to tackle this global problem, Ocean Conservancy and the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government’s Ecosystem Conservation Office (ECO) are joining forces for a two-week marine debris cleanup in May 2022. This is a welcome opportunity for Ocean Conservancy to work alongside our Tribal partners on their home beaches.

We asked Dr. Veronica Padula, assistant director of ECO, for her perspective on the daunting problem of marine debris on St. Paul Island and what it will take to change it.

Here is what she had to say:

When I began working for ECO in May 2017, my first assignment was to write a blog post about the marine debris cleanup that had occurred on St. Paul Island that year. It was in writing about the cleanup crew’s huge effort to remove literally tons of debris from their island’s shorelines that I recognized marine debris is not only a pollution issue; but also an environmental justice issue.

What at first seemed like a simple assignment resulted in changing the course of my graduate research. I had been involved in marine debris research and outreach for a number of years before joining ECO, and while the stories of marine debris impacting Alaska’s coastal communities were told often, it seemed like the voices, observations and concerns of those communities were rarely included in conversations about solutions.

As concern grew over the impacts of marine debris, we wanted to ensure that the coastal communities most heavily impacted by marine debris were included in the development of solutions to this issue.

Through a series of interviews with community members I learned that on St. Paul Island, marine debris is diverse—plastics and fishing gear are prominent—and that debris has often travelled long distances to arrive here. Debris, such as abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded commercial fishing gear is not generated on St. Paul Island.

As one community member put it: “It’s pretty obvious, fishing vessels, vessels in general, that would be the number one … when I see marine debris on the beaches today or trash or items on the beach I almost look at all of it as marine debris not so much as island trash.”

Importantly, St. Paul is a community of approximately 350 people, and crews have removed upwards of 20,000 pounds of debris from only a fraction of the island’s shorelines in a single cleanup effort.

While community members realize that major marine debris cleanups are helpful in addressing the issue of ocean plastic pollution, they know that cleanups are not the only solution. It can be frustrating to see fellow community members work tirelessly to remove so many thousands of pounds of debris from the shoreline, only to see their efforts washed away merely months later when new debris litters it again. Removal also does not answer the broader questions of the long-term impacts of marine debris to the environment, especially on wildlife.

Ultimately, we must include the concerns, knowledge and suggestions from the communities that are most vulnerable and most highly impacted by marine debris in the development of solutions. The insights from the St. Paul Island community make it clear that marine debris solutions must include a combination of removal, research and prevention measures, and efforts must continue to be made to include the voices and concerns of the communities most heavily impacted by marine debris. Multiscale solutions are critical and they’re happening at the international, regional, national, state and local levels. Some examples include the following:

• The United Nations negotiating an international instrument to “end plastic pollution”
• The United States passing the Save Our Seas Act
• Beginning development of a Marine Debris Action Plan for Alaska
• Local prevention efforts, such as the Ocean Guardians Schools in Juneau that have removed single use plastic utensils from their cafeterias

Communities like St. Paul Island will continue marine debris cleanups because they are one important way to tackle the marine debris crisis. However, as many community members have expressed repeatedly, cleanups are not the only solution. On St. Paul, we are working to craft new approaches with partners like Ocean Conservancy. We hope these new ideas will help reduce plastic pollution at its source and help prevent it from accumulating on our beaches.

Follow along with the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Ecosystem Conservation Office on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The post Multi-scale Solutions Critical to Solving St. Paul’s Marine Debris Problem appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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Building a Clean Swell

My family loves spending time at the beach—the sun, the sand, the crash of the ocean waves. But what I treasure most are those moments when we get to witness all the creatures that dwell along the shoreline. My kids love searching for tracks left by nesting sea turtles, watching a dolphin leap from the waves, following a crab scurrying over the beach, and finding starfish lurking in tide pools.

Getting those little glimpses of nature reminds me how we are all connected to the ocean. A piece of litter near my home in Washington, DC, could make its way into the Potomac River, out into the Chesapeake Bay and into our ocean—which means that our actions are connected, too. Simply picking up that piece of litter can make a difference for a turtle swimming hundreds of miles away.

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This week we’ve launched a new version of our Clean Swell® app which makes it easier to see how your small actions can make a big impact on our ocean. Use the app to record the trash you clean up in your neighborhood, beach or park. The data you collect will help scientists and advocates around the world create lasting solutions to tackle ocean trash on a global scale.

This new update of the app makes it easier for anyone to see their impact anytime, anywhere. With Clean Swell, you can easily see how your efforts, combined with those of thousands of volunteers around the world, have resulted in the removal of millions of pounds of trash from our beaches and streets. We’ve even added an action center full of articles and advocacy opportunities that will help you become a champion for the ocean right from your phone.

© Bada Studio

With Clean Swell you can power solutions for a healthier ocean with just a little bit of free time. Take your kids out to help pick up trash on a Sunday walk through the park. Ask your friends to help with a little neighborhood tidying-up before brunch. We want to hear how you are using the app to clean up the places you love! Share your stories with #CleanSwell on social media.

Each time I log in to Clean Swell I am reminded of the power of the International Coastal Cleanup® and the people who work to ensure we leave behind a cleaner ocean for our kids and generations to come. Each piece of trash, whether it is a bottle found on a beach or a straw found on a sidewalk, adds up. Volunteers like you remove a huge amount of trash that never gets a chance to enter our ocean, harm wildlife or break down into microplastics that are nearly impossible to remove from our environment. With this new and improved app, we are making it even easier for you to continue your monumental work to help us make the world’s largest volunteer effort to clean our waterways even better.

© Ben Hicks

Dive in and download Clean Swell via the App Store or Google Play. After you clean up make sure to share on social media how you are using the app to make an impact with #CleanSwell.

The post Building a Clean Swell appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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It’s Not Too Late to Prevent Mass Extinction for Our Ocean

Pop quiz: What causes mass planetary extinction events? Asteroids—yep. Volcanic explosions—those too. But the biggest cause of extinction events right now and in the foreseeable future? PEOPLE.

A new study examined what the ocean will look like in the future if we keep burning all the fossil fuels we can lay our hands on. And if we do, the future for the ocean is grim indeed. The researchers applied powerful Earth system models that faithfully recreate the behavior of the ocean, land and atmosphere to game out the future.

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The researchers found that unchecked fossil fuel burning will cause a mass extinction event in the ocean in the far future. By 2300, ocean warming and dwindling oxygen will eliminate the huge diversity of marine life that has filled the ocean for the past 50 million years. The authors have compared what’s in store to a period that geoscientists call “The Great Dying.” This was the largest mass extinction in Earth’s history some 250 million years ago driven by a huge upswing in planetary volcanic activity. About 90% of all marine life and 70% of all terrestrial life went extinct as a result.

Yep, you heard that right. If we don’t get our act together fast, humans will be directly responsible for The Next Great Dying.

But the researchers also showed that there is still hope for the ocean. If we cap planetary warming to less than 2°C, losses of marine species will be minimized. At 1.5°C it would be even better, as it would protect stony corals and other species that are at greatest risk. But limiting planetary warming to that level requires immediate, decisive shifts away from the most-polluting behaviors that have put our global society on this path.

What will we do to save the ocean we love?

Will we upend our bad habits, our greed and our obsession with convenience to reimagine what our global society can be? Are we brave enough to rapidly embrace the solutions that are ready now that will help us do this? The science is clear, many technologies are available and the cost of using them continues to drop.

So many ocean-based solutions exist already to help transform the future. We can decarbonize our transportation and manufacturing, and transition to renewable energy sources both on land and in the ocean. By investing in people and communities (particularly those suffering the most from climate change), we can create a society built around the common good instead of immediate profit for a few. Ocean Conservancy is working hard on these and other climate solutions.

The alternative is to continue the short-sighted habits that the previous few generations hooked us on and be responsible for the next great planetary extinction. Technically, we have a choice—but to me, there is only one answer. Climate action is essential. Take action today by urging our leaders to act on climate now and avoid this devastating future for our ocean.

The post It’s Not Too Late to Prevent Mass Extinction for Our Ocean appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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