Canterbury Times |
Victory in pleas for help to get to Estuary View as MP steps in
Canterbury Times PATIENTS relying on public transport will now have an easier journey to the Estuary View Medical Centre. The relocation of outpatient services from Faversham's Cottage Hospital to the Whitstable site, sparked concerns over the journey for patients. and more » |
Clacton and Frinton Gazette |
Fears for the Blackwater estuary if Chinese developers run nuclear site
Clacton and Frinton Gazette A CAMPAIGN group fears the Blackwater estuary could be “trashed” if Chinese developers take over the Bradwell nuclear site. Share article. Blackwater Against New Nuclear Group (Banng) chairman Andy Blowers said: “For the Blackwater estuary, it is ... |
Graham, Mary, and Wayne - three of Sea Shepherd's Operation Henkaku volunteers. Photo: Sea ShepherdAs September draws to a close, the Cove Guardians are reflecting upon the first month of Sea Shepherd’s Operation Henkaku as they prepare for the next five months of this emotionally grueling campaign to expose the capture and slaughter of cetaceans in Taiji’s infamous cove. In the sixth consecutive season of its Taiji Dolphin Defense Campaign, Sea Shepherd will once again be present throughout the entire six-month drive hunt season to bring the atrocities in Taiji to a worldwide audience via real-time reports, video and photographic documentation, and livestreaming.
Japan Tries to Hide the Bloodshed
Again this season, returning Cove Guardians have been denied entry into Japan by Immigration and deported from the country, without any official reason. Veteran Sea Shepherd crewmember Karen Hagen of Norway and two-time Cove Guardian volunteer Linda Trapp of the USA were both detained, interrogated and held for hours and ultimately deported from Japan.
Sea Shepherd believes that these denials are attempts by an increasingly desperate Japanese government to hide the massacre of wild dolphins and small whales in Taiji from the eyes of the world. Despite all obstacles, Sea Shepherd has had a team of Cove Guardians on the ground since the launch of the hunt season on Sept. 1 and continues to monitor and document the shameful actions of the Taiji Fishermen’s Union.
First Slaughter of the Season – Risso’s Dolphins
SS Taiji hunters drag a Rissos dolphin to be slaughtered. Photo: Sea ShepherdThe 2015-2016 season began with a peaceful streak of ten consecutive Blue Cove Days, during which no pods were captured or killed. Day after day, the hunters were forced to keep their boats in port due to the weather conditions or they returned to Taiji Harbor empty-handed, after their greedy search for wild dolphins or small whales did not turn up any victims to harass and murder.
Sadly, on the 11th of Sept. the blue streak was broken, as the first slaughter of the hunt season claimed the lives of 10 beautiful Risso’s dolphins. The panicked members of the pod fought for their lives, and following a stressful drive into the shallow waters, they threw themselves onto the rocks along the cove in desperation.
One Risso’s dolphin managed to jump over the inner nets and ended up stranded. The heartless killers paid no mind to the plea for compassion, dragging the distressed Risso’s dolphin back into the water and toward an inescapable fate. No member of the pod was spared.
From the Cove to Captivity: Bottlenose Dolphins Captured
On Sept. 19, a pod of approximately 80 bottlenose dolphins fell victim to the true economic force behind the drive hunt – the captive industry. When the Taiji killers spot a bottlenose pod, they know it is to be a lucrative day, as this species is the most profitable and therefore the most sought-after in the international captive trade. Once this pod was netted within the cove, a brutal captive selection process ensued and 18 wild dolphins were taken prisoner.
Panicked bottlenose dolphins huddle together during captive selection. Photo: Sea ShepherdThe remaining pod members were held overnight in the cove without food or shelter – a regular occurrence in Taiji’s cruel hunt – and faced hours of captive selection the following day on Sept. 20. In total, 50 bottlenose dolphins were kidnapped from this decimated family and from the sea, transferred to the Taiji Harbor pens where they await a lifetime of imprisonment in captive facilities in Japan or overseas.
Those dolphins who were not chosen for captivity were driven back out to sea, likely traumatized, stressed and possibly injured from their two days of hell in the cove, after having lost most of their family. These 28-30 dolphins were mostly juveniles who stand little chance of surviving without the protection of their mothers and pod. Sea Shepherd has previously documented the bodies of dolphins who have washed ashore shortly following these exhausting drives back out to sea.
Will the Killers Exceed their Risso’s Quota Again this Year?
In the second slaughter of the season, another Risso’s pod was callously wiped out by the hunters on Sept. 23. One dolphin, paralyzed with fear and exhaustion, drowned before the killers were able to claim his or her life by slaughter, though they are still responsible for the dolphin’s death. The remaining 10 members of the pod were quickly driven deeper into the cove and mercilessly killed.
The number of Risso’s dolphins allowed in the hunters’ self-allocated quota this season is 256. Last year, the Risso’s quota of 265 was exceeded, with no regard for the effects on Risso’s populations. It remains to be seen whether the killers will once again exceed their quota, for which they have faced no penalty from Japan in the past. Not only is Taiji’s drive hunt unthinkably cruel, but it is quite possibly driving numerous dolphin species from existence in these waters.
Another Blue Streak in the Cove
A bottlenose dolphin gets trapped in the nets.
Photo: Sea ShepherdIn the wake of the slaughter on the 23rd, the waters of the cove have remained blue for seven consecutive days, with torrential rain keeping the boats in port on Sept. 24 and the hunters returning empty-handed the remainder of the days closing out this month.
Even on Blue Cove days, Sea Shepherd volunteers are still on duty, keeping a watchful eye on the captive dolphins in the Taiji Harbor pens. Their presence is a constant reminder that though there were no slaughters or captures on a given day, this hunt will end only when the global demand for captive dolphins and whales is ended. Sea Shepherd believes that the drive hunt could not be sustained solely by the sale of dolphin meat for human consumption – as demand for dolphin and whale meat continues to sink to an all-time low. That is why this season, along with continuing to document and live stream each capture and slaughter to apply continuous pressure upon Japan, Sea Shepherd has strengthened our focus on raising vital awareness of the inextricable link between the slaughter in Taiji and cetacean captivity around the globe. Please stand with us and our Cove Guardians as we break the vicious cycle that flows “From Taiji to Tanks.”
Shellfish ban to be placed on coastline
Northern Advocate A rahui on gathering shellfish will soon be placed on Ngunguru Estuary following the second mysterious mass die-off on Whangarei's coastline, and tangata whenua want Government backing to enforce the ban. Though the sudden deaths in May had put the ... |
The Hindu |
Tales from the Adyar Estuary
The Hindu With its smooth walkway and safety railings, the bridge across the Adyar estuary was a perfect stage for Rickshawkaran (1971), in which MGR and Manjula to dance to 'Kadaloram Vaangiya Kaatru'. Today, the crew of Thedinen (with Sahir and Lakshmi Nair) ... |
Canterbury Times |
Victory in pleas for help to get to Estuary View as MP steps in
Canterbury Times PATIENTS relying on public transport will now have an easier journey to the Estuary View Medical Centre. The relocation of outpatient services from Faversham's Cottage Hospital to the Whitstable site, sparked concerns over the journey for patients. |
Commentary by Sea Shepherd Founder, Captain Paul Watson
We need to return whale and fish populations to pre-exploitation levels. The focus must be on revitalizing bio-diversity in the sea.
Photo: Sea Shepherd/Barbara VeigaIf the ocean dies, we all die. Why?
A few people have asked me to explain just why it is that humanity will die if the ocean dies.
Billions of people depend upon the ocean for food, and I’m not talking about restaurants, sushi bars and fish markets in New York, Paris, London, Tokyo or Sydney. I’m talking about extremely poor people whose lives actually depend upon catching fish.
But food being taken from the ocean is the least of the factors that will kill us.
The ocean is the life support system for the planet, providing 50% of the oxygen we breathe and regulating climate. The ocean is also the pump that allows us to have fresh water. It is the driving force, along with the sun, of the global circulation system that transports water from the land to the sea to the atmosphere and back to the land again.
Plankton – the most important group of plants and animal species on the planet (excluding bacteria). Plankton populations have been diminished by 40% since 1950, yet there is now commercial exploitation by Norwegian and Japanese fishing corporations to extract millions of tons of plankton for conversion to a protein-rich animal feed.
Every year 65 billion animals are slaughtered to feed humans and some 40% of all the fish caught are converted to fishmeal to feed pigs, chickens, domestic salmon, fur-bearing animals and cat food. With fish populations diminishing, the corporations are looking to replace fishmeal with a plankton paste.
Is cheap fishmeal for domestic animals worth robbing the planet of our oxygen supplies?
Where does oxygen come from? Some 50% comes from the forest that we are rapidly cutting down. The rest comes from the sea.
Some of this oxygen is produced by seaweeds and sea grasses, but the vast majority of the oxygen is produced by phytoplankton, microscopic single-celled organisms that have the ability to photosynthesize. These tiny creatures live at the surface layer of the ocean (and in lakes and rivers) and form the very base of the aquatic food chain.
During photosynthesis, phytoplankton remove carbon dioxide from sea water and release oxygen. The carbon becomes part of their bodies.
Providing oxygen and sequestering carbon dioxide is the major contribution of plankton, along with forming the foundation for the entire oceanic food chain.
The fish- and animal-killing industries are robbing the seas of oxygen production for short-term profits.
This is one of the things that most likely WILL NOT be discussed at the Climate Change Conference in Paris in two months.
Other factors diminishing plankton are acidification from excessive carbon dioxide, pollution, habitat destruction and the radical diminishment of whale populations.
The whales are the primary species that fertilize the phytoplankton. For example, one blue whale defecates three tons of nitrogen and iron-rich feces a day, providing nutrients to the phytoplankton. In return the phytoplankton feed the zooplankton, the fishes and ultimately everything that lives in the sea.
In order to restore phytoplankton populations we need to restore whale populations and we need to abolish the industrialized exploitation of bio-diversity in the ocean. We also need to have governments end all subsidization of commercial fishing operations.
The reality is that there are simply not enough fish in the sea to continue to feed an ever-expanding human population. It is a simple concept to understand – more humans eating fish, directly or indirectly (i.e. fishmeal), contributes to further diminishment of fish.
This diminishment means diminished supplies, resulting in increased subsidization to provide more efficient technology to extract even more of the diminishing supplies. Unless the subsidies are cut, this diminishment will result in collapse. I call this the “economics of extinction.”
There must be a global moratorium on all industrialized fishing. And there must be a global cessation on the killing of whales. We need to return whale and fish populations to pre-exploitation levels. The focus must be on revitalizing bio-diversity in the sea in order to address climate change and diminishment of phytoplankton oxygen production.
Will it cost profits? Absolutely. Will it costs jobs? Absolutely. But are jobs and profits really worth destroying the planet’s life support system?
Strangely, to many of the world’s politicians, the answer to that question is yes.
The solutions to climate change are simple but, unfortunately, the solutions are not what anyone will be discussing in Paris in two months, at least not at the gathering of world leaders.
The solutions are:
The collapse of ocean bio-diversity and the catastrophic collapse of phytoplankton and zooplankton populations in the sea will cause the collapse of civilization, and most likely the extinction of the human species.
And that is why when the ocean dies, we all die!
The Quint |
Kerala's Mangrove Crusader Passes Away at 85
The Quint Kallen Pokkudan, an organic environmentalist who recognised the importance of mangroves well before anybody believed him, died of age-related ailments in a private hospital in Kannur on Sunday. He was 85. Born into the Scheduled Pulaya community in ... |
Llanelli Star |
Loughor Estuary record tides predicted as safety warnings issued
Llanelli Star In the Loughor Estuary, the tide is expected to reach a high of 8.8 metres tonight. The Crew of the Loughor Inshore Lifeboat are urging people to treat the area with caution, especially if boating in or walking along the estuary. It is expected to ... |
Northland's NewsCenter |
Efforts to better preserve the Saint Louis River estuary
Northland's NewsCenter Duluth, MN (NNCNOW.com) -- The Saint Louis River estuary is one of 43 areas of concern on the Great Lakes. Industrial pollution from a century ago still affects what looks like a beautiful river on the surface. Click here to subscribe to our daily ... |
Commentary by Sea Shepherd Founder, Captain Paul Watson
Sea Shepherd offers $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for illegally slaughtering 25 walruses for ivory in the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.
Any relevant information can be sent to:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Alaska Regional Office
1011 East Tudor Road
Anchorage, AK 99503
Phone: (907) 786-3309
Fax: (907) 786-3495
Or send an e-mail to Fish and Wildlife Law Enforcement at: ak_le@fws.gov
Read about the walrus slaughter on Alaska Dispatch News
Large walrus on the ice (NOAA)
Sea Shepherd believes that the decisions from the NOAA and the U.S. District Court, ultimately, are victories for the overall population of beluga whales and for whale conservation as a whole.In a long-awaited decision, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia has today upheld a denial by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), rejecting Georgia Aquarium’s application to import 18 wild-caught beluga whales from Russia.
In 2012, Georgia Aquarium applied for a permit to import into the U.S., 18 beluga whales captured from Russia’s Sea of Okhotsk between 2006 and 2011. In August 2013, NOAA denied the hotly debated request, following an extended public comment period that saw 9,000 comments submitted. An online petition launched by a Sea Shepherd volunteer also received nearly 76,000 signatures against the proposed import.
According to NOAA, permit denial was based largely on the following reasons:
Undeterred by NOAA’s denial, in September 2013, Georgia Aquarium brought its attempts to get its hands on the wild-caught whales to the courtroom, asking the U.S. District Court to overturn NOAA’s decision. Judge Amy Totenberg, in today’s ruling, stated that NOAA “properly reviewed” the permit application, despite Georgia Aquarium’s accusations – which Judge Totenberg said were “like something out of a Russian spy novel.”
If the permit had been granted, upon arrival in the U.S., the whales would have been scattered to aquarium and marine parks including Georgia Aquarium, SeaWorld locations in Orlando, San Diego, and San Antonio, Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, and Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut. This month, SeaWorld stated that it no longer had plans to accept any of the belugas, likely in an attempt to battle the ongoing public backlash against the company for its treatment of whales.
Sadly, these 18 beluga whales have already been captured and they reportedly remain in pens at Russia’s Utrish Marine Mammal Research Station. Critics of the opposition to the import have pointed out that the belugas will likely still face a life of imprisonment in captivity there or elsewhere around the world. However, Sea Shepherd believes that the decisions from the NOAA and the U.S. District Court, ultimately, are victories for the overall population of beluga whales and for whale conservation as a whole. Allowing Georgia Aquarium to import these whales would have set a dangerous precedent, opening the floodgates for further captures and exports from around the world into the U.S. The aquarium’s import permit application was the first attempt to import wild-caught whales directly for the U.S. captive industry in 20 years.
Sea Shepherd has followed this issue since the application was submitted by Georgia Aquarium and encouraged our supporters to oppose the aquarium’s plans to import these 18 whales torn from the sea. Sea Shepherd applauds today’s responsible decision from the federal court, and hopes that it will help to end the demand for wild-caught whales and dolphins that continues to fuel violent captures around the world. As we have seen time and time again, It is this same demand that sustains the drive hunt that targets entire pods of cetaceans in Taiji, Japan.
Hindu Business Line |
Kallen Pokkudan, guardian of mangroves
Hindu Business Line Kallen Pokkudan, a Dalit farm worker from Kerala, died on Sunday at the age of 78, after devoting the last 25 years of his life to the conservation, proliferation and exemplification of mangrove forests in the region. He was better known as Kandal ... and more » |
onmanorama |
An ode to Kerala's mangrove man
onmanorama Kallen Pokudan was born in 1937 at Ezhom village near Pazhayangadi, which is known for its mangrove forests and brackish-water paddy cultivation. By the 1990s, he had transformed into Kandal Pokudan from Kallen Pokudan because of his activities ... Kerala's 'Mangrove Man' Kallen Pokkudan No MoreFocus News Kerala's Mangrove Man Kallen Pokkudan Passes Away at 78The New Indian Express Mangrove missionary Kallen Pokkudan diesTimes of India Oneindia -International Business Times, India Edition all 21 news articles » |
Focus News |
Kerala's 'Mangrove Man' Kallen Pokkudan No More
Focus News He also authored several books on conservation of mangroves and received several awards, including 'Vanamithra' and 'Haritha Vyakthi' by Kerala Government. He had also acted in a feature film, 'Papilio Buddha' directed by US-based Malayalee filmmaker ... Kerala's Mangrove Man Kallen Pokkudan Passes Away at 78The New Indian Express An ode to Kerala's mangrove manonmanorama Mangrove missionary Kallen Pokkudan diesTimes of India Oneindia -International Business Times, India Edition all 21 news articles » |
Business Standard |
Kerala's Mangrove Man Kallen Pokkudan Passes Away at 78
The New Indian Express Pokkudan, also known as Kandal (mangrove in vernacular), devoted his life to the cause of mangrove conservation. He has planted more than one lakh mangroves across the state over three decades. He is also the man behind one of the biggest mangrove ... Kerala's 'Mangrove Man' no moreBusiness Standard Kerala: Mangrove man Kallen Pokkudan diesInternational Business Times, India Edition Mangrove crusader Kallen Pokkudan deadTimes of India Hindu Business Line all 15 news articles » |
State sets up foundation to protect mangroves
Times of India Nagpur: In order to conserve coastal and marine biodiversity and improve livelihoods of coastal communities, Maharashtra government has established a Mangrove and Marine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation (MMBCF). The management, supervision ... |
Business Standard |
Kerala's 'Mangrove Man' no more
Business Standard He also authored several books on conservation of mangroves and received several awards, including 'Vanamithra' and 'Haritha Vyakthi' by Kerala Government. He had also acted in a feature film, 'Papilio Buddha' directed by US-based Malayalee filmmaker ... Kerala: Mangrove man Kallen Pokkudan diesInternational Business Times, India Edition Mangrove crusader Kallen Pokkudan deadTimes of India Kerala's 'Mangrove Man' Kallen Pokkudan dies at 78Hindu Business Line onmanorama -India.com all 10 news articles » |
International Business Times, India Edition |
Kerala: Mangrove man Kallen Pokkudan dies
International Business Times, India Edition Pokkudan, who started working towards the preservation of mangroves since 1989, has planted over one lakh mangrove saplings across the South Indian state. Known as Kandal (mangrove) Pokkudan, the green activist has also authored several books. Mangrove crusader Kallen Pokkudan deadTimes of India Kerala's 'Mangrove Man' no moreBusiness Standard Kerala's 'Mangrove Man' Kallen Pokkudan dies at 78Hindu Business Line onmanorama -India.com all 10 news articles » |
The Guardian |
Search under way after upturned vessel found in Thames estuary
The Guardian Search under way after upturned vessel found in Thames estuary. Coastguard helicopter and RNLI lifeboats dispatched after rucksack containing clothes and maps found on board unoccupied vessel. Catamaran found upturned in Thames Estuary. Search launched after upturned catamaran found in Thames EstuaryBT.com Sailor missing after discovery of upturned catamaran in Thames estuary off ...Metro Concern growing after empty catamaran found drifting in Thames Estuary off ThanetKent Online Canterbury Times -ITV News -Yahoo News UK all 16 news articles » |
Business Standard |
Mangrove crusader Kallen Pokkudan dead
Times of India Pokkudan, also known as Kandal Pokkudan because of his passion to cultivate mangroves (known as kandal in Malayalam), began his crusade to conserve mangroves in the 1980s when he noticed the peculiar nature of the plant that grew in the marshy ... Kerala's 'Mangrove Man' no moreBusiness Standard Kerala: Mangrove man Kallen Pokkudan diesInternational Business Times, India Edition Noted environmentalist Kallen Pokkudan passes away at 78India.com Kaumudi Online all 5 news articles » |
Mangroves Matter
Channel 7 Daily News So, while the country's water and sewage services provider is waiting for a grant, the environment has a ready-made defence against such pollution. We're referring to mangrove forests, which act as a natural filtration. So, that's one more reason to ... |
Catch News |
Forest fight: Fadnavis' toilets versus minister's mangroves
Catch News But even before people could take notice of Fadnavis' tweet, his party colleague and Maharashtra's minister for forests, Sudhir Mungantiwar announced the setting up of the Mangrove Protection Authority in the state, a body that could end up achieving ... |
