State of the Oceans — Log 91

Jul 18

YOUR WEEKLY BRIEFING FROM PARLEY

This image from the NOAA. Header image by Gleb Kozenko.

WHALES

The North Atlantic Right Whale is now listed as critically endangered – one step away from extinction. Only 409 individuals remain in the wild, and scientists believe that fewer than 250 are able to reproduce and grow the population.

Whalers named this species the “right whales to hunt” because they were big, slow targets and would float after dying. Though whaling has been illegal for some time, humans are still the North Atlantic Right Whale’s primary threat. Feeding along the water’s surface, the whales are often caught in fishing gear, or struck by ships. Climate change may also play a role, as the whales are moving north into new waters where few protections are in place.

Scientists know how to save right whales. Regulating ship speeds and lobster traps will prevent mortalities, but there is little political will to stand up to commercial fisheries and enforce those policies. “It’s devastating,” said the executive director of Whale and Dolphin Conservation North America, “There’s now more people working on right whales than there are right whales left.” One scientist added, “The good thing about this is that does bring right whales back front and center. Hopefully, that will bring them up to the top of political consciousness.”

INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE

Native Americans living along the US east coast sustainably cultivated oysters for thousands of years. The finding comes from a new study that excavated 37,000 oyster shells from trash heaps that were used by the ancestors of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Over time, the oysters got bigger and healthier – which suggests they were actively managed. The archeologists believe that a collaborative social system allowed communities to sustainably grow oysters up until the government forcibly relocated the Muscogee (Creek) Nation to Oklahoma in the 1800s. In an email, members of the Nation’s Historic and Cultural Preservation Department wrote, “Even though we do not live near oyster habitats anymore, we are still very invested in protecting the cultural sites along the coast. These places don’t just represent biological diversity, they represent the culture of our forbearers.”

GLOBAL HEATING

After carbon dioxide, methane is the most important greenhouse gas responsible for global heating, and its concentrations are reaching record highs, according to a new study published this week. Global methane emissions are up 9% from early 2000s levels, which means 50 million tons of methane are added to the atmosphere annually. That’s equivalent to adding 350 million cars on the road every year. While most methane emissions come from fossil fuels and agriculture, there are also more unpredictable sources, such as methane releases from landfills and wetlands. “There’s a hint that we might be able to reach peak carbon dioxide emissions very soon, but we don’t appear to be even close to peak methane,” said the study’s lead author. Another added, “The key message is that methane concentrations and emissions are still rising, and we know the main cause. This is not the right path.”

MARINE LIFE

Scientists have discovered 16 species of deep sea fish that reflect almost no light – leading to comparisons with Vantablack. Like that material, the fish absorb 99.956% of the light that hits them. “It’s like looking at a black hole,” the study’s lead author said. The researchers believe that cell layers of melanin – the same pigment found in human skin – enable the creatures’ “ultra-black” appearance, which offers multiple camouflage adaptations to the dark, deep sea environment. The threadfin dragonfish, for example, is only ultra-black when it’s young and needs the most protection. Another species has ultra-black intestines, so that any bioluminescent – or light-producing – prey would not make it an easy target. As another author said, “You don’t want to be swimming around with a glowing belly, right? That’s just asking for trouble.”

OIL SPILL

Just weeks after the largest oil spill in Arctic history, two more disasters are underway. First, a barge explosion has sent a quarter million liters of oil into the waterways of the Philippine island Guimaras, threatening coastal environments and communities. Guimaras’ mangrove forests and seagrass meadows are still recovering from a much larger 2006 oil spill. Meanwhile, in Yemen, a decaying oil tanker has sat moored without maintenance for over five years, and in May seawater leaked into its engine room. Houthi Rebels control the ship and will not allow UN inspectors aboard until conditions related to Yemen’s civil war are met. The vessel contains over 1.1 million barrels of oil – which, if spilled, could cause a catastrophe four times larger than the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill.