Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
April 20, 2009
3. Watersheds –
Scientists seek clues to save sea
The
Backwater closures bring conflict
The
Swimmers feel sting as jellyfish thrive
The San Francisco Chronicle
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Scientists seek clues to save sea
The
By John Sammon
Human beings are putting too much ecological pressure on the world's oceans.
And though the clock can't be turned back to the time before human involvement, scientists are looking for clues on how to turn the tide of rapid marine degradation by studying the history of the oceans.
That was the message at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Symposium, "Preserving the Sanctuary by Exploring Its Past," held Saturday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in
"We don't have time to wait another decade," Dan Basta, director of the National Marine Sanctuary Program in Silver Spring, Md., said to the audience of around 80 people. "This is a challenging time. From science to public policy, we have to reach out in ways we haven't done before."
The world's oceans face an onslaught of pressures from global pollution to overfishing, from water diversion projects, such as dams, destroying habitat to oil spills and harmful chemical discharges from agricultural runoff.
An avalanche of junk, from plastic cups to discarded fishing nets, have been tossed into the sea, helping to decimate species of fish and hurt commercial fisheries. Seas are rising because of climate change, threatening coastal communities and eroding beaches.
Big fish, such as marlin and swordfish, are mostly gone. But 500 years ago in
John Pearse, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California-Santa Cruz, described a
The area teemed with whales, otters, abalones, sea urchins, squids, salmon and sardines. Successive waves of hunters and fishermen, starting with American Indian tribes and accelerating through European settlement, took their share of nature's bounty.
"The first commercial enterprise along this coast were the otters," Pearse explained. "After otters were almost eliminated in the 19th century, abalone and sea urchins increased dramatically."
The otters made a comeback, but abalones decreased dramatically after people learned how to cook them as a delicacy. Some species, such as the flat abalone, are almost gone today.
The sea gull population, on the other hand, has exploded.
"There's a lot more nesting on City Hall and on the wharf, killing starfish, picking them to death or swallowing them," Pearse added.
In addition, elephant seals — new arrivals — have been seen moving into the area during the last 12 years.
Mark Hyklema, Santa Cruz District archaeologist for the California State Parks, told the gathering the Spanish explorers who first ventured into
"This was a Native American culture that used mollusks for food, also pinepeds (seals), seeds and acorns for flour," Hyklema said.
Tim Thomas, curator of history at the
"From abalone to rockfish, everything was fished and used," he said. "
However, during the past 25 years, pressures on the fisheries increased dramatically.
Paul Reilly, senior marine biologist for the state Department of Fish and Game, said most species of fish today are under some form of restricted access.
"We've seen many of these species disappearing," he said. "Rock fish and tuna have declined 50 percent, and swordfish more than 50 percent. This has been a difficult quarter-century."
Bryan Largay, tidal wetland project director for the Elkhorn Slough National Estuary, said the slough — a 3,000-acre estuary and home to 750 animal species — faces the drying up of 200 acres of salt marsh because of fewer sediment deposits.
The
Scientists are considering how to replace sediment deposits, including carving a new ocean inlet with barriers to the slough to limit incoming, scouring tides.
"Whatever is done, we have to proceed with caution," Largay said.
John Hunt, marine pollution expert for the
"It's clear that polluters are no longer just rogue industrialists in black hats, but also people like us who use household products that find their way into the aquatic ecosystems we strive to protect," he said. "It's us."
Keynote speaker Bruce Robison, a senior scientist with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, pioneered the use of undersea vehicles for research.
Robison said a number of dramatic new discoveries have taken place, including greater knowledge of oxygen levels in the mid-depth zone of
http://www.montereyherald.com/national/ci_12177370?nclick_check=1
Backwater closures bring conflict
The
By Megan Bakker
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It’s turning out the best areas to grow endangered fish species as part of the Multi-Species Conservation Program along the lower Colorado River are conflicting with favorite areas for local fishermen and recreational users of the river.
“This is the Colorado River in its purest form,” fisherman David Greaves said about the backwater areas of the
The Multi-Species Conservation Program is a joint agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and a variety of water agencies in
John Swett, the multi-species program manager for the Bureau of Reclamation, said two of the endangered fish species, razorback sucker and bonytail, are prey for the sport fish, such as bass and catfish.
“They don’t compete very well. Everything eats them,” Swett said.
Therefore, some of the 360 acres of backwater areas along the lower
But coming to an agreement on which acres to close has become a major undertaking.
More than 70 fishing tournaments are held in the
“The MSCP brings zero dollars into the area,” Greaves said. “You take our fish away, and you take our sport away.”
According to the bureau’s screening and evaluation report for the river, a variety of criteria come into play when deciding which sites to include in the program.
A total of 25 sites were identified as candidate backwater sites, based on their potential to provide long-term habitat to the razorback sucker and bonytail. Nine were ranked as having excellent habitat creation opportunity and 11 were ranked as having high habitat creation opportunity. The report looked at things like water quality, spawning habitat, cover available and how well other fish survived in the habitat.
“Many of the sites that rated highest and appeared to be excellent prospects are currently connected to the river, which contributes to their excellent water quality conditions,” the report said.
But that interconnection is also part of the problem. Greaves cited a case in
Greaves said that he and other local fishing groups don’t want to take the lawsuit route. Instead, they have found different backwater areas that aren’t as accessible as the ones the report highlights.
“We’ve figured out a way that they can implement this program and still make it a viable program,” Greaves said.
Swett said the bureau has chosen 15 acres of connected backwater so far, but that no other sites have been decided on.
“We’re trying to find places that aren’t utilized as much by fishermen but also have those biological requirements,” Swett said.
The bureau is focusing on collecting data and working with other agencies before choosing any other sites and moving forward with the program. He estimated it would be another two years before another site is chosen.
“We are concerned about the public,” Swett said. “We definitely aren’t going forward with anything firm.”#
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2009/04/19/local_news/news03.txt
Swimmers feel sting as jellyfish thrive
The San Francisco Chronicle – 4/18/09
By Peter Fimrite
Schools of creepy brownish jellyfish known for their painful stings are lurking in
Dozens, if not hundreds, of sea creatures known as Pacific sea nettles have been spotted in the bay feeding on small fish and plankton when they aren't stinging swimmers.
One touch from a nettle's long, brown tentacles will result in a powerful, numbing jolt that can hurt for hours and sometimes days.
The gelatinous creatures are relatively common in the ocean along the West Coast, but nobody can remember so many of them floating in bay waters at one time. The critters, known scientifically as Chrysaora fuscescens, are darker and bigger than the Moon or
Alicia Battle, a 47-year-old Castro Valley triathlete, was stung in the face on April 1 during a recreational swim off
"All of a sudden I felt something kind of strange going on with my face,"
"It was," she said, pausing for emphasis, "uncomfortable."
Sarah Levin, 28, of
"I'd never been stung before, so it caught me by surprise," said Levin, a member of the South End Rowing Club.
'Very horrifying'
Levin said she tried to ignore the pain because she did not want to alarm the more inexperienced swimmers. Moments later she looked down while treading water and there, between her legs, was a monstrous-looking jellyfish, its long tentacles swaying like ribbons against her inner thighs.
"It was very horrifying, and just as I saw it I felt the pain as it stung my thighs on both sides," said Levin, who related how her legs burned for an hour afterward. "That was the most surreal moment. It was shocking in more ways than one."
Other bay recreationists have reported swarms of jellies bobbing around in the water. Kayakers recently had to push gobs of them out of the way to clear a path for a group of swimmers near
"I personally have not seen a mass influx of Pacific sea nettles in the bay before," said Michael Grassmann, an aquatic biologist for the Aquarium of the Bay, which recently opened an exhibit on the primitive creatures. "It is a little unusual."
Oddly, the aquarium collected a number of specimens out in the ocean in March for the aquarium exhibit. Grassmann, however, dispelled any notion that the bulbous beings might be swarming the bay in search of their comrades.
"They don't have a brain or consciousness. They just have a collection of nerves or ganglion," he said. "They don't sting people because they are angry. They do it out of reflex."
Nutrient-rich water
Marine biologists believe strong coastal upwellings of nutrient-rich water and northwest winds are responsible for the influx of nettles, which usually reside over vast stretches of the Pacific and Indian oceans. The stinging jellies, which can be found floating on the surface or hundreds of feet under the water, are more commonly seen near shore during the fall and winter.
Vast blooms of sea nettles have been known in the past to congregate in one location, sometimes for months at a time, clogging fishing nets and depleting the water of plankton.
Biologists around the world are concerned about an apparent increase in the number and size of jellyfish blooms of all species. Studies are being conducted to determine whether the prevalence of jellyfish, which reproduce both sexually and asexually, has anything to do with global warming.
"This bloom in the bay may or may not be related to climate change, but it's definitely something to be concerned about," Grassmann said.
Sejal Choksi, the program director for the environmental watchdog group Baykeeper, said there are no plans to remove the jellyfish. Marine biologists expect them to clear out on their own.
The good thing about the surge of stinging jellyfish in
The Pacific sea nettle
Pacific sea nettles have become popular aquarium exhibits because they are large, colorful and poisonous. The jellyfish, known scientifically as Chrysaora fuscescens, was first successfully cultured on a large scale by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where it remains a popular exhibit.
With a golden bell and undulating red tentacles, nettles are beautiful in captivity, but in the wild they can deliver a painful sting, even after they are dead. The effect of the sting on humans varies, depending on skin sensitivity, but it is rarely serious.#
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/18/MNQR174C09.DTL&feed=rss.news
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