Having spent a good portion of my cinematic time filming the great white sharks of California, particularly those that migrate south to Isla Guadalupe, I was heartened by the news that the local populations of these animals might be showing signs of improvement. With all of the uphill battle issues we are having to deal with regarding ocean conservation, it's nice to to get some possible good news for a change.
Making the rounds of the shark blogs, like SharkDivers', is a recent article from Pete Thomas posted in his Outdoors blog. Pete has had a strong interest in white sharks and has been to Isla Guadalupe several times to see them first hand. He writes of some positive comments from Dr. Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at the California State University Long Beach, and someone who has studied a variety of California elasmobranchs for years, from white sharks to leopard sharks to round stingrays.
Pete writes, "It almost seems implausible, in an era during which so many species of sharks are overfished and believed to be in decline, that any species could mount a comeback. But considering the changing landscape off California, a comeback and its timing make sense. The ban on fishing for white sharks -- for sport or commercially -- was imposed in 1994. That same year, voters approved a measure outlawing the deployment of gillnets within three miles of the California coast."
According to Dr. Lowe, "So if you add those two things[better fishing regulations and increased numbers of seals and sea lions]together, you've got a restored forage base for the adults and you've got better survivorship of the pups," Lowe said. "So what we think we're seeing from the fishery catch data and some of the other anecdotal pieces, is the actual recovery of the white shark population."
But we're not completely out of the woods yet. White sharks are migratory and do not heed the limits of national or regional ocean borders that might provide a degree of protection. These sharks are still threatened by commercial fisherman in international waters (white sharks are not specifically targeted but are subject to loss as bycatch in gillnets) or by poaching (juvenile white sharks are still being caught and sold in local seafood markets in Ensenada).
"If what we are seeing is truly an increase in the white shark population that would be a relief. Currently we are finding that the total number of adult white sharks along the west coast of North America is much smaller than many people expected," says Salvador Jurgenson, who heads up Stanford University's white shark research at the Hopkins Marine Station.
Many thanks to Pete for his article and hats off to Dr. Lowe and his continuing.work. I've had the opportunity to meet with Chris, filming his "round stingray roundup" where a local high-density population of stingrays are collected, measured and released to monitor their growth and overall health. He and his grad students have also conducted metabolic studies of leopard sharks using the Aquarium of the Pacific, where I was a volunteer dive team leader, as a test bed facility. Some good news - nice way to start the day.
Read Pete Thomas' article. Top photo: RTSea, Bottom photo: Christy Fisher.
In Canada's Arctic region, within the territory ceded to the Inuit Indians in 1999, lies Lancaster Sound. This remote site has become the center of a controversy between the Inuits and the Canadian federal government over proposed seismic testing surveys. Over the weekend, a judge in the northern Arctic territory known as Nunavut handed down a temporary injunction to halt all seismic testing because of its potential threat to narwhals, beluga and bowhead whales and other marine mammals within Lancaster Sound.
In commenting on her decision, Judge Susan Cooper said“There is evidence before the court that the proposed testing areas are both calving areas and migration routes for marine mammals.”
The Inuits, who are granted the right to three whale hunts per year as a recognition of their nomadic heritage, are major supporters for the protection of Lancaster Sound. The Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) was the original petitioner to the courts and, in addition to expressing concern for the fate of marine mammals, brought up the contradictory actions of the federal government regarding whether the area should be designated a marine reserve or potential oil and gas drilling site.
According to Liberal Party Leader Michael Ignatieff, the Conservative Party-lead government is “rushing ahead with oil exploration”in Lancaster Sound while touting plans to create a marine wildlife sanctuary in the same place. There are those critics of the government-in-power that claim that the government is trying to ascertain oil and gas deposits before potential boundaries for a marine reserve are drawn.
Chris Debicki, a member of Canada's Oceans North environmental group, says, “We look forward to focusing our energy on the creation of a national marine conservation area in Lancaster Sound — something both the government and QIA are in agreement about — so that conflicts like this don’t arise again.”
The BLUE Ocean Film Festival & Conservation Summit will be taking place in Monterey, CA from August 24th through the 29th - and, flat out, it is an event not to be missed for the dedicated ocean conservationist to the mildly curious.
Only in its second year, the festival has grown tremendously in scope and recognition because of the wide range of films, conservation events, and just plain fun and fascinating events for people to participate in. There are single and multi-day passes and industry delegate passes, so you can build your schedule accordingly - watch some of the very best ocean films from international filmmakers, take in premiere photo exhibits and discussion panels on a wide range of ocean exploration and conservation subjects, or you can even get out in the field or get wet with some of the top experts in their field.
This year, the festival's 2010 Dr. Sylvia Earle Award will be presented to Dr. Carl Safina, director of the Blue Ocean Institute, who is one of our most dedicated and eloquent environmentalists and who will be giving a special presentation on the status and future implications of the Gulf Oil Spill. There will be other great speakers, like Jean Michel Cousteau, Dr. Sylvia Earle, and many other recognized heavyweights in the field, along with a variety of important seminars and panel discussions. I am pleased and honored to once again be participating in and moderating a Shark Conservation Discussion Panel and I will be joined by Peter Knights (WildAid), Laleh Mohajerani (Adoptashark), Stefanie Brendl (Hawaiian Shark Encounters), and Dr. Greg Stone (Conservation International).
Also, for all you beginning or emerging underwater video filmmakers, I will be conducting an Introductory Underwater Video Workshop that includes 2 dives in Monterey Bay's famous kelp beds along with a classroom workshop.
The films that will be shown range from major productions like Disneynature's Oceans, National Geographic and BBC productions to short films and online-dedicated videos (I have one in this category that will be screened and two that received honorable mentions) - over 60 films total.
The festival events will be taking place in venues throughout the city, including the Monterey Bay Aquarium, one of the festival's major sponsors. So you can really plan quite a time for yourself.
The wolves of Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies have won an important reprieve in the courts. On Thursday, a federal judge ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had illegally stripped the gray wolves of the northern Rockies in 2009 of their protections under the Endangered Species Act by using political, rather than scientific-based, reasoning. The judge ordered the wolves be placed back on the endangered species list, which effectively halts the hunting of wolves that was taking place in Montana and Idaho.
The ruling was the result of a lawsuit brought by The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), Defenders of Wildlife and other groups, and defended by Earthjustice, a major environmental legal firm. It is a prime example of the importance of utilizing the power and effectiveness of the courts on behalf of conservation issues - as equally important a component as is generating public awareness and support.
"Yesterday's ruling will also help other wildlife because it strikes a down Bush-era policy adopted by the Obama administration allowing the government to protect only small populations of endangered species instead of the entire species. Reliance on this anti-environmental Bush policy has been one of the many low points of Interior Secretary Salazar's management of endangered species," said Kieran Suckling, executive director of CBD.
Wolves - like sharks, tigers, and other apex predators - serve an important function in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. I commented on the importance of this predator vs. prey relationship and the consequences that have transpired over the years with the on again, off again eradication of wolves. This new ruling will hopefully put the natural balance back on a steady course.
But the wolves are not totally out of the woods yet, as there are pockets of wolf populations that are at risk from reduced habitat and conflict/poaching potential with ranchers. Roger Schlickeisen, president of the Defenders of Wildlife, noted, "We must continue our on-the-ground efforts to prevent conflicts between ranchers and wolves, counter anti-wolf misinformation in the media and work with all stakeholders to ensure these wolves fully recover and can then be legitimately delisted." Read press release from the Defenders of Wildlife. Read article from Montana's Missoulian.
Bioluminescence: the ability of animals to generate light. We've seen it from fireflys to deep sea creatures to the flashing green dynoflagellates churned up in the night's crashing waves. It is an internal chemical reaction that provides many animals with unique ways to hunt, communicate, reproduce, or basically just get around in the dark. What is interesting is how much ocean life depends on bioluminescence. And scientists continue to learn more about this marvelous capability.
Dr. Edith Widder has been studying bioluminescence for over a decade, first as a grad student up to today as she continues her work as president and senior scientist of ORCA (Ocean Research and Conservation Association). Recently featured in Scientific American, Widder's passion for all things aglow underwater began with her studies in neurobiology and the light-producing plankton, dynoflagellates, that produces the emerald green light seen in the evening surf or wrapped around racing dolphins that leaves long green torpedo trails. (I often enjoy turning my dive light off during a night dive and follow my dive buddies by the light trails they give off from the action of their dive fins.)
Dr. Widder became forever hooked on bioluminescence when she had the opportunity to dive to 800 feet using a WASP - a high-tech cross between a deep sea diving suit, similar to the Newt or JIM suits, and a submersible. Scientific American quoted her reaction, "'I was trying to take some readings with a meter,' Widder says, 'when suddenly the whole inside of the suit lit up blue.' Widder had brushed up against a chain of siphonophores—a colony of jellyfish relatives—sparking their light show. 'It was breathtaking, absolutely breathtaking.'"
She has gone on to design remote camera platforms and other devices to film and observe deep sea bioluminescent organisms in their natural state - unperturbed by large submersibles or dive suits - gaining more insight as to an animal's day-to-day (or should I say, night-to-night) use and purpose for this fascinating function of nature.
According to Widder, there is much more bioluminescence taking place underwater than most people would suspect. If you were to trawl a net from 3000 meters to the surface, over 90% of your catch would be creatures capable of bioluminescence. And Widder has found some pretty unusual examples:
The cookie cutter shark is able to hide itself from predators or potential prey swimming underneath with a bioluminescent stomach that matches the light coming from above, a technique called counterillumination.
The scaleless dragonfish can emit and perceive red light - one color that is not typical for bioluminescent animals because of its short wavelength which limits its effectiveness. But this red light capability gives the dragonfish an advantage, allowing it to see potential prey before the prey sees the dragonfish.
Then there is the deep open-ocean octopus that Widder recently discovered, whose suckers, not needing to cling to a rocky bottom, have evolved into light organs to attract potential prey.
Widder continues her work at ORCA and gives lectures and presentations to many academic and scientific organizations to illuminate the rest of us to the amazing world of bioluminescence. Here is a presentation Dr. Widder gave at TED this past April:
Dr. Widder notes that the study of bioluminescence is not just a look at something fascinating, that there are some very practical applications for ocean conservation, "We are using bioluminescence in a number of different ways to protect the ocean. We are using bioluminescent bacteria to detect toxins in ocean sediments, develop pollution gradient maps and perform water quality monitoring. Since bioluminescence in bacteria is directly linked to the respiratory chain, anything that depresses respiration—like toxins—depresses illumination. That way, we can tell you exactly how unhealthy a sediment is." Read more about Dr. Edith Widder in Scientific American. View her April, 2010 presentation at TED.
When you think of bighorn sheep, what image comes to mind? Nimble rock climbers? Mountain-bound and well-adapted to their environment? And so, if you felt compelled to count them, you would grab your best insulated sleeping bag, parka, and warm boots and head up the slopes, right?
Well, not so in California. In the mountain ranges of southwest California, the bighorn sheep is endangered as their populations have been threatened by habitat fragmentation, diseases from feral cattle, and predation by mountain lions. But to effectively monitor their numbers on an annual basis, the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park rangers, assisted by volunteers from The Nature Conservancy, position themselves in the blistering summer heat of the low desert to await their quarry.
Why? Because this time of year, the bighorn sheep will come down from the mountains to drink at the small watering holes along the desert's edge. That's easier for the researchers than hiking in difficult terrain. Easier, if you like 108 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
“This state park’s bighorn census is the most accurate feedback on how effective the recovery efforts are for the endangered bighorn sheep,”says Dave Van Cleve, the Nature Conservancy’s senior project manager for the region.“It’s a brutal job, counting sheep in this blistering heat, but it’s the most reliable method available.”
Fortunately, the news has been good. The number of bighorn sheep have been steadily increasing for the past 40 years (last year 354 sheep were counted). The census numbers provide state park management with the information to gauge the effectiveness of their conservation efforts - like removing all cattle from the park and prohibiting off-road vehicles from palm and riparian oases that provide food and shelter for the sheep.
Congrats to the Nature Conservancy for their support with the challenging annual desert census. According to the group, "The [Nature] Conservancy is actively working to weave conservation lands into a connected network for wildlife like the bighorn sheep, mountain lions and other species that need large habitats. Recently the Conservancy helped the park acquire more than 4,000 additional acres of prime bighorn sheep territory and worked with California’s Fish and Game Department to acquire 7,400 acres adjacent to the park — key habitats that will contribute to a broader corridor for the park’s large mammals." Have a cold one on me, folks. You deserve it.
Read the article in The Nature Conservancy website.
Back in June I recounted having come back from an interesting film shoot in the Bahamas where the normally prolific number of sharks the crew was accustomed to had decided to play a frustrating game of hide and seek. While we finally got the footage needed, it was a concern to everyone as to what possibly kept all of the sharks away.
As director of photography, I was working with Los Angeles-based Digital Kitchen on a series of segments promoting Shark Week for AT&T U-verse digital TV customers. We certainly had no control over the content of Discovery's Shark Week programs, but Digital Kitchen was, to their credit, very interested in getting it right with their production.
With Luke Tipple as the host and underwater shark guide, the AT&T segments looked at the challenges in filming sharks, including interviews with me and my camera operator Scott Cassell. The Blue Iguana was our aquatic home away from home and we had fun staging some interesting and fun/odd underwater scenes as the segments show.
Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, the segments revealed that sharks aren't always hungry. We had some very disinterested Caribbean reef sharks who ignored freshly cut up fish strewn all about. At one point, Luke was standing, waving two filleted fish over his head like an airport ground crewman flagging down a 747. And the sharks couldn't have cared less.
The segments in full HD are currently available only for those with AT&T U-verse service. But they are also available on the AT&T U-verse web site: Segment 1: click here. Segment 2: click here. Segment 3: click here. Segment 4: click here.
Again, Digital Kitchen did a great job in producing a well-balanced piece of information and entertainment. I hope Discovery Networks appreciates the effort.
A lobster fisherman came across this extremely rare yellow lobster in his lobster trap recently. How rare? One in 30 million! It's not that it is part of a dwindling obscure species; lobsters can have occasional color variations that are caused by an unpredictable genetic mutation. There have also been blue and even white lobsters (the white lobster is the rarest of all: 1 in 100 million).
Although caught, this yellow lobster did not end up as dinner. The fisherman has donated it to the local lobster fishermen association for display in an aquarium.
To view an AP video of the lobster (and some of the other color variants), click on the image above.
A new term that more and more of the general public is hearing about is ocean acidification - the process whereby the pH level of the oceans is lowered, making it more acidic. This effect is a byproduct of global CO2 emissions and has been documented as having a negative effect on many forms of shellfish and other creatures that depend on the use of calcium carbonate in their development (calcium carbonate is broken down in the acidification process).
Much has been written about how ocean acidification will impact coral reefs, as calcium carbonate is a major component of the supporting skeleton of reef-building corals. But tropical waters are not the only locales affected. The Seattle Times recently reported on the effects of ocean acidification on Pacific oysters fields both in the wild and in commercial oyster farms.
The deep waters off the northwest shores of Oregon and Washington are much more highly acidic than the ongoing average (even with the "average" becoming more acidic, these waters are still higher than shallower waters). For commercial oyster farms who pull in seawater to help raise oyster larvae, as long as the winds blow in the right direction, they appear to be relatively free from harm.
But winds can blow in ways that move surface water and draw in water from below - an upwelling as it is called. And this can spell trouble for the oysters, especially those living in the wild. The lowering of the pH (raising the acidic level) impacts the growth of new larvae, baby oysters, and even the reproductive cycles of adult oysters. Pacific oysters have not reproduced in the waters off Washington state's coast in six seasons.
"Nobody had thought about those upwelling events,"said NOAA oceanographer Richard Feely. "They didn't predict any impacts along the coast until we observed them."
But oysters and other shell fish are not the only creatures potentially affected by corrosive, acidic waters. Changing the ocean's pH can have impacts on an animal's behavior and even the ocean's acoustical properties.
The Seattle Times listed these additional disturbing facts as a result of acidification:
The metabolism of squid can change, making them more lethargic - perhaps affecting their hunting ability and susceptibility to predation.
Acidic waters affect the way young fish larvae seek out prey and can actually be drawn to predators. An Australian researcher discovered that clownfish and some damselfish larvae get confused in corrosive water and seek out the smell of rock cod - one of their own predators.
Water with a lower pH has a different density, and so acidification changes the acoustical properties of seawater, essentially making it a noisier place. This could impact whales and dolphins that rely on their underwater sonar or echolocation for hunting.
But what concerns researchers the most in the Pacific Northwest is the fundamentals. "What I'm most worried about is the bottom of the food chain, things such as plankton and other small sea creatures,"said John Guinotte, a marine biogeographer with the Marine Conservation Biology Institute in Bellevue, Washington."We've got some of the lowest pH levels found anywhere, but we don't have any idea what the biological impacts are."
Through our actions, we are pushing the oceans into a brave new world, one in which it may adapt but not without serious consequences to a wide range of animal species, including mankind.
It's Sunday and so begins Discovery Network's annual week-long programming of shark "documentaries" - Shark Week 2010. This event has been a ratings success (translating into advertising dollars) but exasperated shark advocates have reviled the network's reliance on over-sensationalism and distortion of the facts.
The programming usually consists of one large budget new program, several new smaller budget programs, and then the rest of the programming slate is filled out with selections from the network's vast library of shark programs they have amassed over the past 20+ years. This week's promotional spots for Shark Week seemed sharp-witted and exciting, so let's see what the new program lineup looks like:
Ultimate Air Jaws - leaping South African white sharks seen in super-slow motion. Hmmm, could be interesting.
Into the Shark Bite - Hmmm.
Shark Attack Survival Guide - Hmmm.
Day of the Shark 3 - HmmmMMmmm.
Shark Bite Beach - HmmmMMMmmmhhhmmm.
Shark Bites; Adventures in Shark Week with Craig Ferguson - Hmmm. Well, at least he's funny.
So, is there a counterbalance to Shark Week that helps to put things in some sort of reasonable perspective? Sure, in the form of blogs, shark conservation groups, and videos. Here's just a few, in no particular order or preference (and my apologies to any that I left out):
Shark Conservation Groups: There are so many (perhaps too many, as it leaves the movement highly fragmented), so in no particular order or preference. . .
So, if you or your neighbors wonder out loud this week as to what all the fuss is about with sharks (Are they malevolent monsters out to get us? Or are they hapless victims of ruthless hunters and bad public relations?), check out some of the items listed above. When it comes to sharks, the truth is definitely more interesting than fiction.
The RTSea Blog was started in 2008 and now includes over 950 entries available for media or academic background research use, including observations on a wide range of topical issues and events involving the oceans, sharks, and nature in general. After a brief break in 2012-13, there will now be more posts forthcoming.
Use keywords in the Search tool below or at the bottom of this web page to locate articles of interest.
Cinematographer/media consultant & producerRichard TheissandRTSea Mediaadministers this blog with the intent that information will be disseminated across the Internet and, in so doing, will illuminate others as to the serious challenges that lay before us in preserving and protecting our natural resources.
Search This Archive
Richard Theiss - DP/Media Consultant & Producer
Available for HD video assignments, media consulting, and speaking engagements. For contact information, click on the image above.
Having spent a good portion of my cinematic time filming the great white sharks of California, particularly those that migrate south to Isla Guadalupe, I was heartened by the news that the local populations of these animals might be showing signs of improvement. With all of the uphill battle issues we are having to deal with regarding ocean conservation, it's nice to to get some possible good news for a change.
you've got better survivorship of the pups," Lowe said. "So what we think we're seeing from the fishery catch data and some of the other anecdotal pieces, is the actual recovery of the white shark population."
