The Beacon
Shark Fin Ban Making Waves In The New York Times
Fans of sharks have undoubtedly noticed that protections for the oceans' great predators have really ramped up in the last couple of years - and now the New York Times has taken notice, too.
Reporter Elisabeth Rosenthal quoted Oceana's very own Elizabeth Wilson in yesterday's article about the proliferation of shark finning and trade bans. In the last year, the West Coast has neared a total ban on finning and trade, and the U.S. and Chile have passed national bans on finning. Oceana has been an integral part of advocating for shark protections, as tens of millions of sharks, including some rare and endangered species, are killed each year for their fins.
As Elizabeth said in the Times: "We're really enthusiastic to see good things finally starting to happen for sharks."
And we're thrilled by all the Oceana Wavemakers who joined us in the fight to save sharks. There's still time to help: If you're a California resident, you can call Gov. Jerry Brown to encourage him to sign the shark fin ban, AB 376, that was passed by the state Senate last week into law at 916-445-2841. Call by Oct. 9, which is the deadline for it to be passed. The sharks thank you!
Ted Danson's "Oceana" Now Available on Kindle
I hope you've already picked up your copy of Ted Danson's book, "Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and What You Can Do To Save Them."
But if you haven't, great news: It's now available on your Kindle.
This book represents the culmination of Ted's 25+ years of ocean activism, and we couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. The Friday Infographics we've been running are all included in the book, as well as a ton of incredible photos alongside Ted's own description of the state of the world's oceans. And, of course, there's a strong focus on the positive aspects of conservation and what we all can do to save our oceans, seafood and marine wildlife for future generations.
Check it out today!
Ted Danson On NBC Nightly News
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Ted Danson was on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams this weekend, talking about his book, "Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and What We Can Do to Save Them." Once again he does a fantastic job describing the state of the world's oceans - and why he's optimistic that they can be saved in our lifetimes. If you haven't picked up your copy of "Oceana" today, be sure to order one here!
Kate Walsh on Offshore Drilling
Check out Kate Walsh explaining her support of Oceana's campaign to end offshore drilling at yesterday's event. Kate has been a fantastic spokeswoman for us and we can't thank her enough for joining us at the Capitol.
A Close Call With a Manta Ray
Photographer Tony Wu has a cool story up on his blog today. While shooting a large manta ray near Sri Lanka earlier this week, he was suddenly accosted by the normally-peaceful animal. The manta ray emitted a weird screeching noise as it headbutted him, telling him in no uncertain terms to back off. Tony swam away with what he jokingly calls "the first documented case of 'manta burn.'"
Tony describes the sound on his blog, but can't track down any documented reports of manta rays making any noise at all. Our own Explore section says mantas are sometimes "sociable with divers," though - perhaps Tony just got this one on an off day.
Marking the Oil Spill Anniversary In Washington DC
Oceana was joined by longtime supporters Kate Walsh ("Private Practice" and "Grey's Anatomy") and Aaron Peirsol (gold medal-winning swimmer) in Washington, D.C. today to remember the one-year anniversary of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. We were also joined by Patty Whitney, a Louisiana resident-turned-activist whose home was affected by last year's disaster.
Along with campaign director Jackie Savitz, and a slew of energetic volunteers, the group served to remind us that offshore drilling is never safe - and that an oil spill could happen anywhere. Check out this slideshow of images from today's event.
Ted Danson And Mark Bittman On Ocean Conservation
On the anniversary of the oil spill, New York Times columnist and author Mark Bittman sat down with Ted Danson to talk about Ted's book, "Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and What We Can Do to Save Them." I can't embed the video here, but be sure to hop over to the Times' site to watch the clip! Enjoy.
Previewing The Latitude's Research In Mississippi
Tuesday was a busy day on the Latitude, as the crew docked in Mississippi to share preliminary findings of the first weeks on the water. Here's Dustin's update:
The Oceana Latitude arrived in Gulfport, Miss., late Monday. Over the next few days, equipment for Oceana’s upcoming deepwater oil exploration efforts will be loaded onto the vessel.
On Tuesday, Oceana was joined for a press conference by corporate partner Nautica and celebrity activists, including award-winning actors Ted Danson and Morgan Freeman as well as New York-based Spanish model Almudena Fernandez and San Pedro (Belize) mayor Elsa Paz.
At the press conference, experts provided an update on the first legs of the two-month research expedition and discussed the approaching efforts to map the subsurface oil plume with cutting-edge science and document seafloor habitat areas that may have been harmed by underwater oil with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) capable of reaching depths of more than 3,200 feet and filming in high-definition.
The press conference was covered by several media outlets, including Associated Press, Thomson Reuters, EFE, CBC Radio, Biloxi Sun Herald, Mississippi Press and local ABC affiliate WLOX.
Scientist-in-charge of the expedition Dr. Michael Hirshfield also led two tours to Ship Island on Tuesday. Ship Island, which survived Hurricane’s Camille and Katrina, was devastated by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Although this island’s fort was once capable of protecting the local coasts, it was no defense against oil. According to BP contractors, 1,200 pounds of sandy tar balls were removed from the island Tuesday, 1,400 pounds Monday and 1,600 pounds Sunday.
On The Hunt For Elusive Whale Sharks
Emily went up in a spotter plane last weekend to look for whale sharks, while senior campaign communications manager Dustin Cranor was on the Latitude waiting for word of the sharks' location so the scientists on board could follow them in order to tag the animals. Unfortunately, the sharks proved elusive. Here's Dustin's report:
The whale sharks in the Gulf of Mexico spent the weekend hiding from the Oceana Latitude.
The crew spent two days searching for these sharks off the coast of southeastern Louisiana. Our hope was to tag some of them so that we could monitor their movements and contribute to scientists' understanding of the effects of the Deepwater Horizon disaster on their survival. Whale sharks were observed swimming in surface oil near the gushing wellhead earlier this year.
The two spotter planes did have one sighting, but the four whale sharks dove too quickly for us to track them.
Oceana and the University of Southern Mississippi have not given up and will continue the search Tuesday.
Here’s Oceana marine scientist Elizabeth Wilson:
It wasn’t until we reached Grand Isle to drop off the shark experts that we saw a school of what appeared to be silky sharks.
During transit, the experts spent time talking with Associated Press reporter Rich Matthews. One thing is clear, no matter what direction you look in the Gulf of Mexico, there are always oil rigs in the landscape.
Latitude Spies Evidence of Abandoned Oil Wells
Yesterday, our scientist Matthias Gorny was unsure if he could identify indications of abandoned oil wells on the Gulf floor using the ROV from the Oceana Latitude. But in our dispatch from today, Dustin Cranor has let us know that Matthias has evaluated the ROV footage further - and this time come up with signs of an abandoned well 90 feet underwater. Along an otherwise flat seafloor, Gorny discovered a raised surface approximately three feet high with black sediment excavated by worms, which indicates a presence of hydrocarbons.
Check out this slideshow of images captured by the ROV.
