What are Brackish Water Environments?

Brackish water occurs when the freshwater from a river or lake meets the salty seawater of an ocean body. One key difference between these types of habitats is salt content, or the salinity of the water. Salinity is measured in a unit called parts per thousand (ppt), which refers to the concentration or percentage of salt in the water. For example, one ppt is the equivalent of one ounce of salt for every 1,000 ounces of water. While fresh water has an average salinity of less than 0.5 ppt, seawater generally ranges between 35-38 ppt. Brackish water, however, can range in salinity anywhere from 0.5 to about 30 ppt.

While most aquatic animals have adapted to live in either freshwater or saltwater environments, some unique animal species thrive in these fresh and salty estuaries, mangroves and marshes. Here are just a few of my favorite brackish water buddies:

Crocodiles

While alligators primarily live in freshwater, they have been known to adapt to brackish water environments like their cousin—the crocodile. In fact, the Florida Everglades is the only known environment where alligators and crocodiles coexist. However, crocodiles are better suited for brackish environments thanks to their lingual salt glands. These salt-excreting glands live directly under a crocodile’s tongue and help them better manage their electrolytes.

Mudskippers

These fish are the perfect examples of adaptation. Many species of mudskippers are amphibious and spend much of their time on land, which is ideal if you’re setting up residence in brackish water. The name is derived from the ability of the mudskipper to use its body and tail to skip and hop about on land. Mudskippers are highly adaptive to varying levels of salinity.

Bull Sharks

Unlike most other sharks, bull sharks can venture out of saltwater habitats and handle brackish or even fresh water. They spend a lot of time on tropical shorelines, but have been spotted inland in rivers and tributaries, including in the Amazon River. Bull sharks are diadromous which means they can migrate between salt water and fresh water easily. This is because some of the organs responsible for their excretion of excess salt (kidneys, liver, gills and rectal gland) decrease activity depending on their environment. Bull sharks travel to freshwater areas to spawn and juveniles stay in brackish nursery areas where this is less predation risk.

Oyster

Oysters are hard-working animals that are found both in the ocean and in brackish environments. As adults, oysters filter 25-50 gallons of water each day and take on the salinity of the water in which they reside. This is why you’ll find some places are famous for their sweet or salty oysters. Oysters in brackish environments tend to be sweeter since they are filtering less salt than oysters in brinier ocean water.

Manatees

Manatees can thrive in both freshwater and saltwater, making brackish environments no problem. While they can’t drink saltwater per se, manatee kidneys are specially adapted to help filter out excess salt—just in case. Manatees prefer slow-moving rivers and coastal areas, sticking mostly to mangroves where seagrass and other vegetation is thriving. They are vegetarians after all, even though they might sneak a small fish or occasional invertebrate.

But manatees are in trouble. 2021 was the deadliest year on record for manatees living in the warm coastal waters off Florida. According to state officials, the major cause is starvation due to the loss of seagrass beds. You can take action by asking the United States Department of Interior to put the manatee back on the endangered species list.

With voices like yours, we can help protect manatees and other beloved creatures that inhabit brackish environments. What is your favorite brackish water animal?

© James R.D. Scott

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Combating Plastic Pollution Crisis in California

Fewer plastics on our shelves? Check. Less plastic pollution in our ocean? Check. Dramatic increase in recyclability? Check. These statements could all become realities soon in the Golden State, and together, we can make it happen.

Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, or SB 54, which was introduced in the California State Legislature this week, is the most comprehensive legislation to address the plastic pollution crisis we have ever seen in the United States. Passage of SB 54 could set an incredible precedent for states across the country.

If you live in California, don’t wait—contact your legislator now and urge them to support SB 54.

The United States leads the world as the top generator of plastic waste while our plastic recycling rates remain below 10%. Ocean Conservancy’s own research shows that more than half of the most common items littering our beaches and waterways throughout the past 35 years are single-use plastic packaging and foodware. These are among the reasons that the U.S. ranks as high as third in countries contributing to the ocean plastic pollution crisis.

As monumental of a challenge as our ocean plastic pollution crisis is (and it is—11 million metric tons flowing into the ocean in a year!), we know how to solve it: stop plastics from getting there in the first place. And the most effective way to ensure that outcome is to to make less plastic and reuse more—SB 54 would do just that.

So what exactly would SB 54 do?

• This bill would be the first legislation to require a reduction in single-use plastic packaging and foodware—25% less! Not only would this reduce some of the most harmful plastics, but this legislation would also support investments in developing infrastructure for reuse and refill.
• This bill would also support California’s ability to recycle and reuse: it requires that all single-use plastic packaging and foodware actually be recyclable or compostable and holds producers accountable for the cost of managing their products and requires them to pay for the much-needed improvements to California’s recycling and composting systems. By shifting the financial responsibility of waste management to the producers through extended producer responsibility, this policy will create incentives to design products more compatible with a circular economy.
• This bill would also require plastic producers to provide significant funding to support environmental mitigation and cleanup efforts in communities most impacted by plastic pollution, production and harmful waste treatment like incineration.

Bottom line: If signed into law, SB 54 will mean fewer plastics on the shelves, fewer plastics in our communities and fewer plastics in our ocean.

California is poised to further its leadership in combating plastic pollution. How can you help make sure California gets it done? Californians: take action today by telling your elected officials to vote in favor of SB 54. If you don’t live in California, spread the word to your friends and family who do! Together, we can make a difference for our ocean and our planet.

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Urban Ocean Summit Successfully Supports Cities

As our ocean connects us, so does the need for solutions to protect it. Ocean Conservancy research has shown that one of the main ways to reduce the flow of plastic to the ocean is by improving urban recycling and waste collection systems. That’s why over the past two years, Ocean Conservancy’s signature program, Urban Ocean®, has been working with partners and communities around the globe to implement science-based solutions to reduce the plastic pollution stemming from cities.

In collaboration with our partners, Resilient Cities Network and The Circulate Initiative, Urban Ocean hosted the first city cohort’s virtual Accelerator Summit, a platform for cities to present their project ideas designed not only to improve their waste management systems and reduce plastic leakage but to holistically build urban resilience to potential partners and funders. Public and private institutions alike were invited to participate and learn about the cities’ work to combat plastic pollution locally and accelerate their journeys towards a just, resilient and sustainable future.

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As part of the Accelerator Summit, five cities submitted “opportunity statements” to potential partners and funders which included a description of their specific needs and the challenges they want to address. These statements also included project outlines and anticipated support needed to carry out the plans.

City Opportunity Statement Summaries:

Can Tho, Vietnam: Vietnam aims to reduce 75% of marine plastic debris by 2030 by eliminating single-use plastics and non-biodegradable plastic bags from all coastal tourism areas. Can Tho seeks to to demonstrate how a well-managed waste cycle in urban areas can enhance tourism, economic activity and equity to advance policy changes at the national level. They want to achieve this by reducing waste and illegal dumpsites, increasing waste sorting and waste collection and partnering with local community groups and Can Tho University.

Melaka, Malaysia: The Melaka Green City Action Plan, developed in partnership with the Asian Development Bank in 2014, highlights the goal of becoming a zero-waste state and reducing waste-related greenhouse gas emissions. There is also a high percentage of tobacco and cigarette litter in the city, which Melaka aims to tackle simultaneously to address plastic-waste and human-health concerns. The city in turn plans to review their smoke-free policy and expand smoke-free zones. Given that a legal and regulatory framework for household waste segregation and illegal dumping is already in place, the city wants to increase its efforts towards related enforcement and educational activities.

Panama City, Panama: Solid waste generation per capita in Panama is one of the highest in the region, and 42.2% of the District of Panama’s waste is improperly disposed. There is a common perception that even recycled waste ends up in landfills, discouraging separation. The city hopes to demonstrate the value of recycled material with longer-term structural solutions to strengthen the recycling industry in the city, promoting green jobs and equity, by partnering with NGOs, the national government and the private sector.

Pune, India: This city generates on average 2,100 metric tons of waste daily, which is among the highest in India. Pune wants to leverage its exemplary cooperative model for waste pickers to review and improve the city’s current waste management practices, formalize informal recyclers and create a litter-free city campaign.

Semarang, Indonesia: Currently, the city’s waste production significantly outpaces their collection infrastructure. Semarang aims to leverage community-based waste management models to incrementally strengthen waste collection in the city. Through increasing public awareness and improving management systems, the city wants to empower multiple stakeholders to increase equitable economic growth.

As a result of the Accelerator Summit, several new partnerships have been formed, and additional funding has been committed to support program cities in developing their resilience projects to combat the plastic-pollution crisis. Conversations are still ongoing, though some early successes and partnerships to date from the summit include:

• An additional $50,000 grant pool going to Urban Ocean cities. After reviewing the opportunity statements, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) announced a contribution of $25,000 which was then matched by the Resilient Cities Network to total an additional $50,000 which will be leveraged to support Urban Ocean cities to further develop their project ideas.
• Support from USAID in Semarang. The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) flagship program for implementing the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act to reduce ocean plastic flow is called Clean Cities, Blue Ocean. This program will support the City of Semarang to further develop its waste-management action plan drafted during the Urban Ocean program.
• A new cohort of Urban Ocean cities. During the summit, it was announced that three new cities in Southeast Asia and one city in Latin America will join the Urban Ocean program in 2022. The cities are expected to be announced in June.

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Everything You Need to Know About Dogfish

Everyone knows if they are a cat person or a dog person, but have you ever asked yourself this question: “Am I a catfish person or a dogfish person?” When on land, I’m a cat person through and through. But when it comes to our ocean dwellers, I’m a dogfish lover all the way. These sharks are 15/10, delightful in every way.

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So, if dogs are man’s best friends, where does that leave dogfish? Join me on an exploration of this question and many others:

Why are they called dogfish?

No, dogfish didn’t earn their name from being loveable human companions or from being very good boys. Dogfish earned their name from their pack-like mentality. Fishermen observed them chasing down fish together and thought they seemed like a pack of dogs. Dogfish definitely like to bring the party and can hunt in groups that can number into the thousands.

Are dogfish a type of shark?

Yes! They are part of the second-largest order of sharks, Squaliformes, which includes at least 130 different species. Dogfish are small with slender bodies and pointed snouts. Don’t let their small size fool you though, as their strong jaws and sharp teeth make them excellent predators. Some young dogfish are even known to attack prey two or three times their size!

What types of dogfish are there?

Spiny dogfish are probably the best-known type of dogfish and are one of the most abundant species of sharks worldwide. They are among the few shark species that have venom, which coats their dorsal spines. Spiny dogfish have grey backs and white bellies with white spots along their sides that fade with age. They can live for up to 80 years, which means that there may be spiny dogfish around today that were born during World War II, even before the internet and smartphones.

© Ben Thompson/ flickr

Fun fact: spiny dogfish likely have the longest gestation period of any vertebrate, up to 24 months. Imagine baking a baby in your belly oven for two years! Every Mother’s Day don’t forget to go to the sea and thank your local dogfish mama for her incredible labor. But, leave the flowers at home and get her a nice squid instead.

While the spiny dogfish is the most popular, there are at least 37 other species of dogfish around the world. Some have incredible names like the bighead spurdog and the dusky smooth-hound. My favorite is the big-eyed and beautiful Genie’s dogfish. This dogfish has the honor of being named after Eugene Clark, a famous shark scientist who worked tirelessly to understand and protect these magnificent animals. She discovered that some sharks don’t have to move to breathe, confirmed that whale sharks give live births and uncovered a fish species that produces an effective shark repellent.

Where do dogfish live?

Dogfish are bottom-dwelling sharks that can be found near coasts around the world. They are known to migrate long distances. One shark was recorded swimming all the way from the state of Washington to Japan. That’s a distance of 5,000 miles!

How can I protect dogfish?

Ocean acidification due to climate change could affect the way dogfish smell their prey. This could make it harder for them to hunt down squid and the other tasty treats they need to survive. Tackling climate change will not only make it easier for dogfish to find their favorite meals but will also protect all those amazing creatures that dwell in the ocean. Take climate action now.

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