The World is Just Awesome

Overfishing occurs when fish are caught or killed faster than they can reproduce, and this is a huge environmental issue because when one species becomes extinct the rest will start to follow. Fishermen know that overfishing is an increasing problem yet they still do it, and heartless people shrug off the issue and pretend that overfishing has not yet become a big problem. Overfishing impacts the ocean and its marine life because without fish we wouldn’t be able to survive. Even if you don’t eat seafood or fish it still effect’s you; if life in the ocean (such as whales) were to run out of smaller fish to eat they would move on to bigger fish and eat them. If man-kind ran out of tuna, or crab, or lobster, and all other small fish, they would move on to hunting bigger fish. You can see where I’m going with this because eventually bigger fish (whales, sharks, etc.) will no longer be available. If fish aren’t available then man will hunt meat until that runs out too. Overfishing has an impact on humans because as I’ve pointed out eventually everything will run out. Once we run out of fish we will move on to meat and, I believe, eventually eat each other. As gruesome as it seems you can’t help but think the same thing, and in order to fix this problem we as a human race need to be more conservative with our food, and more resourceful. Instead of hunting the same type of fish until it runs out we need to span out, by this I mean we need to hunt a variety of fish and eat more of the fish itself. We’re so used to eating what we want and throwing the rest away when were done but really we should be eating every part of the fish we can instead of just the “good” part. I’m not saying we should eat the eye’s or bladder or anything like that I’m just saying we should be eating the fin’s and the body both instead of just one or the other. I honestly believe that as a society if we start doing this and using our resources more wisely we can fix this problem and prevent overfishing from becoming a huge problem that can’t be fixed.

Aundrea: Blog #4

     Sound is a important feature in all types of marine environments. It can be used by animals to detect predators, forage, navigate and communicate. People have started using a thing called Sonar more and more. Sonar stands for Sound Navigation and Ranging. By this it’s almost obvious to tell what we use it for. We can measure distances by way of sound by sending a soundwave down through the water, having it bounce back up and then measuring the time it took.

     Sonar is a good source of underwater detection and range finding but it’s effect on marine life is misunderstood. Most marine animals communicate with sonar and when our navy is out getting depth readings out in the middle of the ocean, and one of the sonar waves hits an animal, does it give that animal false information? Could sonar be the cause for beached whales?

     I think that sonar does affect the marine environment’s animal life because of these things. I think that if people are going to use sonar, they should only be able to use frequencies of sound that the animals nearby can’t hear. Therefor it won’t interfere with their habitat. My idea of what our sonar would be from an animal’s point of view is like a neighbor hammering on his metal roof constantly; day and night. Does this drive animals insane and make them do things that they wouldn’t normally do? Is this one of the reasons for escalated shark attacks over the years? Do whales go insane, and just to get away from the noise beach themselves? Or do our sonar waves interfere with their sonar used to navigate? This is like blurred vision except instead of sight, we’re dealing with sound. This could also be compared to driving with the sun in your eyes. aren’t you be more likely to run into things or not be able to focus on certain details if the sun light was interfering with your sight? This is the same as a whale swimming up a beach because of blurred “vision.”

     I think if we are to use sonar for navigation, we have to be concious of the animals below us that use it as well. Do we want a neighbor who hammers on his metal roof all day every day? Who wants to go a long distance and then learn you got the wrong directions? Worst of all, who wants to drive all day with the sun in your eyes? This could be what we’re causing marine life to go through by using sonar just to see what may be underwater. I think we should either find an alternative way to use sonar like different frequencies of sound waves, or we need to find something besides sound to use.

-Chris

New York Times; online; April 20, 2009; By Henry Fountain:

Why Mussels’ Grip is Stiff but Stretchy;

In this article I learned about mussels and why they’re so stiff. Mussels are stiff because the shell contains Calcium Carbonate, and without Calcium and Iron the mussels wouldn’t be as stiff as they are today. One fact I found was: A hard material will crack when you try to stretch it where as a soft material is flexible and anything but stiff. However there was no data to support this. An inference about this article i found was: “removing calcium and iron from the cuticle of a mussel reduces it’s stiffness by 50 percent” (thanks to researchers J. Waite & N. Holten-Anderson who released their findings in this article). I believe that if mussels didn’t have either iron or calcium in their body’s they wouldn’t have the strenth they do now and might not be able to survive because they would be an easy prey for other animals.

New York Times;  online; April 17, 2009; By Lauren Porcardo Dorment:

Gaurdian of the Fish with the Golden Eggs:

The fist part of this article stated a very broad fact: Dr. Doukakis is on a mission to protect the sturgeon, a fish particularly vulnerable because its eggs are used to make caviar. This article jumped out at me because i thought of the convenience stores such as Safeway in town, or the Sushi Restaraunt in Bonneylake where caviar is available. I’ve heard of people loving caviar and eating it at fancy dinner’s but it never occured to me how harmful eating such a dilectable food could be. Although no data proved present this article intrigued my insterests, because i have recently heard of caviar being sold in the Black Market illegally which was mentioned toward the end of this article.  I am a pescitarian but i have never had cavair (nor do i wish to) and i believe Dr. Doukakis is doing a great thing to protect “The Fishes Rights” by “Whacking” the overfishers/wrong do-er’s because the numbers are becoming increasingling smaller out there in the big bad ocean.

New York Times; online; April 15, 2009; Andrew C. Revkin:

Coral Fossils Suggest That Sea Level Can Rise Rapidly:

Everyone has a different theory about Global Warming whether it be: “it’s a hoax” or “start stocking up now, it’s coming” and i personally dont know what to believe yet. The author of this article claims: “Evidence from fossil coral reefs in Mexico underlines the potential for a sudden jump in sea levels because of global warming, scientists report in a new study” as a fact. But how is anybody expected to believe this without any real data? I believe that the waters are rising and may in fact be due to global warming, but i also believe that this whole thing is blown completly out of proportion. The coral reefs in the ocean near Mexico have in fact shown signs of the waters rising but both humans and animals (marine life included) cant do anything drastic at the moment to prevent this from occuring. I think we all just need to calm down, take a breather, and find some recent data to support our ‘theories’.

-Aundrea; Blog #2

Killer Whales otherwise known as Orca Whales, can be found in all the oceans throughout the world. These predators are beautiful, but vicious animals. Their food chains are very diverse, they hunt anything from fish life to marine life including: Sea-lions, Seals, Walruses, and even other Whales. I personally love Killer Whales because they can survive in any climate whether it be in the ice cold Arctic regions where the ice caps engulf the sea or in the warming Tropical Antarctic regions where the sun blazes through the open waters all day, this is a very unique characteristic. Their unique spots also give them beautiful characteristics, and along with their beauty Orca’s are very social and playful (they play with their food) which some people describe as a cruel characteristic. “Although Killer Whales are not considered endangered as a whole, some local populations are being threatened by their decreasing food supply. Along with all Marine life these whales are treading in polluted water, and being captured to be put into the Zoo’s we visit which is why they were put on the endangered list in 2007″ claims Wikipedia.org. On the bright side every year with the new tide comes new baby Killer Whale to continue in the ever changing cycle of life.

Aundrea: Blog #3