Watery Wasteland

http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0704/sights_n_sounds/index.html

This is a link from the National Geographic website. It has a series of very short slideshows of images with narration about the global fish crisis.

Squid to be Microwaved

In February fishers in the Antarctic caught a colossal squid weighing half of a ton. The squid was frozen to preserve it for studies, however now that they want to study it they are having difficulties figuring out a way to thaw it. If they just let the squid thaw out naturally it would take up to 4 days, and whithin this length of time some tissues would have decomposed while the center of the squid would still be frozen.

Museum scientists are leaning towards the idea of using an industrial microwave machine, like the ones used to dry timber. Some, however, believe that this is acrazy idea as it will ruin the specimen.
The final decision was to let the squid thaw naturally while circulating warm water around the harder mantle, and packing ice around the soft arms. the squid defrosted without and serious damage.

Global Warming PEI

On march 21 2007 Charlottetown Guardian had an article stating that global warming will have, and is having a major impact on P.E.I. Issues include, rising water level, storm surge, and subsidence of land. PEI's main assets are scenery, historic properties, and beaches, all of these are in danger. Areas which have already lost shoreline include Maritime Electric generating station, energy from waste plant, waste water treatment center and 335 heritage properties. P.E.I. National Park has already lost shoreline in the 2004 december storm because the shoreline was not protected by ice. Global warming is already presenting problemsand we must adapt quickly.

New Tax for the Environment

The Conservative government has made some environmental decisions in mondays budget. Gas guzzlers such as hummers and SUV's which are huge gas consumers, will now have a new tax of $4000 put on them. On the other hand, those who who chose to drive fuel efficient cars will recieve a rebate of $2000.

Bill C-45

Today in the PEI Guardian there were two letters to the editor about the new fisheries act, BillC-45. Fishermen are very concerned that this new bill will take away teir right to sell or transfer their fishing licences. However the head of PEI Fishermen's Association calmed them down by saying that section 30 of the bill has been misinterpreted and that the act is similar to the old one.

Mars Pole

On the National Geographic website I found an article on Mars. Scientists have used ice-penetrating radar to map the south pole of mars's underlying terrain. They say that the southern polar ice cap of Mars has about 2.2 miles of ice, enough to cover the planet with 36 feet of water. The article also says, that from the radar they have discovered that the ice is very pure, containing less than 10% dust.

Principles of Sustainable Fishing

Here are 10 principles that the David Suzuki Foundation’s Seas of Change report has posted in promoting sustainable fisheries:

The Principles of Sustainable Fishing;

1. Manage the entire marine ecosystem, rather than individual stocks;

2. Adopt a precautionary approach to fisheries management;

3. Ensure that all relevant stakeholders have a meaningful say in fisheries management;

4. Decrease fishing fleet capacity and plan for stock fluctuations;

5. Protect ecological and species diversity;

6. Protect critical ocean habitat;

7. Create marine reserves to protect representative marine habitats;

8. Manage for and minimizing by-catch and discards in commercial fisheries;

9. Ensure that aquaculture operates under sustainable standards;

10. Invest in monitoring, enforcement and data acquisition.

flipping ship

The FLIP - Floating Instrument Platform - was designed by engineers at San Diego's Scripps Institute of Oceanography. It is used to study waves underneath the surface of the sea.

The ship is able to operate both horizontally and vertically using a complex water ballast system, and the quarters rotate with the ship, enabling the crew to move around easily whichever way up they are.

http://www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20070207140746ymnews.html

The Oscars

Influenced by Al Gore’s film, An Inconvenient Truth, the Oscars decided to be environmentally friendly this year. One of the first things they did was do an energy audit for the Kodak theater, and make the recommended energy saving changes. Most of the stars arrived in hybrid cars, instead of limousines. Where ever recycled paper could be used, it was. Even the envelopes and results used to announce the winners were recycled. They went so far as to serve only organic food at the Governor’s Ball. All of this was done as an example for the millions of viewers who tuned in.