It's been a long strange trip...

…But now it is time to get caught up. 

How Much Are Coral Reefs Worth To You?

October 2011, NOAA released its technical memorandum titled: “Total Economic Value for Protecting and Restoring Hawaiian Coral Reef Ecosystems”. As the title explicitly states, the study that was conducted tries to put a monetary value on the total expanse of the Hawaiian coral reefs in terms of protection and restoration, which the paper states  that the reefs cover almost 3,000 square kilometers of the ocean floor in the Pacific. 

The methodology of the study used internet surveys that were answered by citizens of the U.S. living in the 48 continental states, for some reason those living in Alaska and Hawaii were excluded. The surveys asked how much the participant would pay per year to expand and maintain fishing exclusion areas and more generally Marine Protected Areas. In addition, the surveys asked participants how much they would pay per year to repair the estimated 5 acres damaged per year by ship groundings on the Hawaiian reefs.

The findings state that the average household would be willing to pay $224.81 per year for protection of the reefs through expanding protected areas and $62.82 per year to restore damage done by grounded ships. The grand total established through the surveys is about $34 billion per year.

Is this market valuation of an invaluable/priceless/too valuable to be valued thing such as the Hawaiian reef system really necessary? Is this the level to which society has stooped such that we must put a monetary value on everything less it be deemed worthless? Someone cannot place value on something, like ecosystems, that have intrinsic value.

Truthfully, our ignorance of the function of ecosystems like coral reefs is simply too great to begin to make a value judgement like the dollar value placed on it. I am trying to fathom the whole purpose of the study in the first place and it seems to elude me. It bothers me to read it because it sends a message that society has reached a point that everything must have a dollar value associated with it be considered important. And hence it might be for sale to the highest bidder.

This report really comes as no surprise because in today’s political atmosphere money talks and everything else walks. I should be happy at the $34 billion per year figure because it is a rather large figure. It is worth noting that Hawaii’s GDP for 2010 was just under $67 billion. I hope that the study was purposefully designed to overestimate the value because I feel that erring on the side of caution, especially when it involves the environment, is a prudent thing to do.

References

United States. Department of Commerce. NOAA. Total Economic Value for Protecting and Restoring Hawaiian Coral Reef Ecosystems. NOAA, Oct. 2011. Web..

"Outlook for the Economy — Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism." State of Hawai'i. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. .

Do you know where you seafood came from?

I love seafood, that is a fact. But at times it is a constant inward struggle to justify my desire to consume marine fauna. This struggle has two important beginnings within my character. One: I love the ocean to the point that I have dedicated my life so far to understanding it. I love swimming and scuba diving and seeing all the cool animals and plants that call the ocean home. I have very often, especially as a kid, wished I was born with gills. I could even go as far as saying I envy marine life for living in the ocean and I consider myself a friend of the ocean and everything in it. So, eating seafood is tantamount to say eating your best friend. Kinda strange put into that context. Two: I have worked as a fisheries observer for four and a half years, which means I full well know how non-sustainable some fishing practices can be. One would conclude that I would not eat seafood at all with my experience and interests.

I am very judicious in my seafood decisions. I am a hound at the grocery store. In fact, I rarely buy seafood at the grocery store. I usually walk by the seafood counter just to see what is in stock. I take note of country of origin and whether it was wild or farmed. Like everything I eat, I would rather buy something that has traveled less distance even if I pay slightly more for it. For me this accomplishes two things: the seafood is more fresh and I support local business. Everyone has had to tighten their budgets in the Great Recession but for me an investment in quality food is one of the best things money can buy. Like the old saying, "you are what you eat". The better the quality of the food, the better the quality of my health.

 Some people are aware of CSAs, which are Community Supported Agriculture. There is a newer version of this concept labeled Community Supported Fishery (CSF). Individuals or groups can buy shares of catch from fisherpeople directly. Imagine the benefits! The consumer knows the fisherperson and the boat. They also are buying fresh seafood that they know has not been sitting in a freezer for months. And the fisherperson benefits by recieving a higher price for their catch. Definitely a win-win situation. Of course this is restricted to communities near the ocean but 50% of the population of Earth live close to or on a coast. If you are not near to a CSF, read the labels at the seafood counter and do the research.


Some strange things have come to my attention recently. One, the World Trade Organization has made a ruling on Dolphin Safe Tuna labels in the U.S. It was ruled overly restrictive and stifles free trade with tuna imported from Mexico. Mexico does not have the same restrictions on Tuna fishing as the U.S. has to protect dolphins. The importance of trade outweighing the importance of environmental stewardship is definitely a cause for concern. Two, while perusing the canned seafood isle, I noticed cans of salmon that stated: Product of Thailand. Ocean Beauty Seafoods, LLC's website claims the salmon are wild caught Alaskan salmon frozen and shipped to Thailand. Business decisions like this boggle my mind. Is it cheaper to can is Southern Asia? Maybe, but what about the environmental cost of shipping across the Pacific Ocean, twice, not to mention the monetary cost of the fuel. Both of these instances highlight the importance of knowing where your seafood come from.


References:

"Walking Fish: About Us." Walking Fish - A Community Supported Fisheries Project. 2009. Web. 19 Sept. 2011. .

"United States — Measures Concerning the Importation, Marketing and Sale of Tuna and Tuna Products." World Trade Organization. 15 Sept. 2011. Web. 19 Sept. 2011. .

"Ocean Beauty Seafoods LLC - FAQs." Ocean Beauty Seafoods LLC. Web. 19 Sept. 2011. .

Diversion for some spicy sauce

10-12 green serrano peppers
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons cumin powder

Blend together in food processor or blender. You can add more olive
oil or soy sauce to make it liquid like depending on your particular
tastes; I would not suggest more vinegar. The stuff you ate did not
have cilantro, but the first batch did and I thought it tasted better.
Good luck and enjoy.

Happy Earth Day

I was turned on to a simple act by my girlfriend, Kat. When she takes her dog for a walk, she would usually pick up one piece of litter from the sidewalk or gutter in her neighborhood. I was impressed and started to try it. I was even more impressed about how good it made me feel. I was noticeably making my environment less trashy instead of walking by and saying; "How sad that people have such disrespect for the neighborhood!" So, now it is a habit when I walk the dog and has even extended to the beach. Kat has said on occasions that she means to bring a plastic bag so she can pick up even more litter when we go for a walk on the beach. Sometimes we are in luck and the people who litter have been thoughtful enough to leave a bag for just such a purpose. It does make me feel good and not in a smug sense that I am better than those who left behind the litter in the first place, but we have been complimented by people on the beach by our actions of cleaning up a little. Just because I did not throw garbage on the ground does not mean I can't do anything about it. Of course, I don't pick everything up I see and I don't go picking up nasty, gross things. I guess I am above that.

Memories of Deepwater Horizon

Last year I spent 24 days offshore on a bottom longliner fishing for deepwater grouper and tilefish. We left out of Panama City, Florida originally planned to be a 9 to 10 day trip; I should have known better. We fished off Texas in over 1000 feet of water, gradually working our way back east. On April 20, I woke up and was told by crew whom where on wheel-watch early morning that they heard radio chatter about a fire on an oil rig that we passed. They said that they could not see the fire but there was a glow coming from the horizon. One of the guys who got up to pee said he thought the sun was rising because the fire was so bright but he knew it was too early. No one knew what the fire really meant; millions of gallons of oil released, countless animals killed, families ruined, ecosystems still covered in oil and the fate yet to be determined of the Gulf of Mexico near Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

On a recent trip to Panama City, I had a chance to talk to some fishermen. Initially after the spill they fished as hard as possible fearful of fishery closures that eventually came. Then, there was hope that they could acquire contracts to do clean up work or be spotters for oil. BP hired numerous vessels to simply patrol the waters in the Gulf to look for oil slicks and report their findings. It was a glimmer of hope to many fishermen out of a job due to closures; temporary work til they could fish again. The unfortunate reality is that much of the spotter work was scooped up by opportunists, those who were not directly affected by the spill, and excluded many fishermen. Many of these opportunists bought boats specifically to do spotter work and used the money from BP to pay off the boats.

After the well was capped and the media turned their attention to something else, BP sidestepped their promises to see the clean up and compensation payments through. As dead dolphins and turtles washed up on beaches in the Gulf this winter, the hope is that the federal and state governments will bring BP to justice in the coming year, but that is small consolation to the people on the Gulf coast who lost their businesses and continue to struggle. Undoubtedly, in a few years time there will be collapses of many fisheries as the year class of animals that were to be spawned last spring failed and have left a gap. The spill came at the worst time, spring is the spawning time for many animals in the Gulf. Hopefully, this prediction will prove false.

Local, Sustainable Botox

I have noticed the past few times walking along Hobie Beach that there are skeletons of dead birds long the tide line. It is disturbing because I wonder about the causes. My first thought is pollution because Miami River, which is nearby, spews outs and is notorious for pollution. If this were true it would not be new but worrisome because the levels are the point of killing birds. However, looking up and down the beach, there are not other signs of this possibility. My line of logic would flow that if the pollution was so great, why am I not seeing fish or other animals dead or dying? So, it must be something else. What about a disease that is spreading, either a bacteria or virus? Such a possibility gives me more reason to worry. Given that birds are warm blooded animals, I feel like I could be susceptible to such an outbreak, right? Just possibly? I surfed the internet and got onto Miami-Dade's Department of Environmental Resource Management. They say that occasionally outbreaks of Botulism pop up in non-native duck populations in the county. Great the same ducks that live on the island are spreading Botulism, also known as Lock Jaw. Luckily the website claims it is not communicable to humans because it is a specialize strain. Thanks, I feel better about walking barefoot and letting my dog run around in the water on that beach. I guess I should have know better when I see people letting their dogs crap on the beach and not cleaning it up. But hey, look at the bright side, all those Botox clinics have a local supply of the poison they rely upon to give people the face lift or lips they have been wanting.