Kennebec Estuary Land Trust wins $5000 grant
Press Herald The Kennebec Estuary includes Merrymeeting Bay, the lower Kennebec River and surrounding uplands. It extends from Woolwich to the Gulf of Maine between Phippsburg and Georgetown. The upper estuary at Merrymeeting Bay provides 4,500 acres of ... |
Estuary is a mudflat, really?
The Olympian Interesting to assume a naturally occurring estuary would have worse water quality than a contaminated man-made lake. Since the New Zealand mud snails arrived via the lake-using enthusiasts, I find the argument thin at best. I suspect with these ... |
Afloat |
Kilrush RNLI Welcomes HRH The Duke of Kent to Shannon Estuary
Afloat The Duke of Kent visited Kilrush RNLI yesterday afternoon as part of a two-day tour of lifeboat stations in Tipperary, Clare and Kerry. The Duke has been ... and more » |
Times of India |
87 acres of mangroves to be cut for sewage plant
Times of India The re-plantation of the mangroves, ironically, will be done in distant Thane. A senior civic official said three times the number of mangroves destroyed will be replanted in Thane district. "We visited several locations in Thane to find a suitable ... |
The Particle Core team at KBI Biopharma were searching for a tool to aid them in their in-house characterization service by identifying both visible and sub-visible particles.
They also required a technology which was easy-to-use, with a range of options for analysing the different samples they handle.
Malvern Instruments was the first company to help KBI achieve a solution-state analysis for particle characterization by Morphologically-Directed Raman Spectroscopy (MDRS), by considering the company's specific needs and developing a 'solution' using the Morphologi G3-ID.
Download our free white paper to read the full interview with Dr Amber Fradkin of KBI Biopharma.
Maine conservation group awarded grant to help monitor bird habitat
Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel “We want to create a volunteer bird monitoring program, plus increase and promote the use of the eBird online observation program in the Kennebec Estuary region,” Kolak said. The funds will enable them to make bird conservation a more prominent ... |
YourStory.com |
Mumbai needs to wake up and save the 5K acres of mangroves under serious threat
YourStory.com Mangroves form an integral part of the landscape of Mumbai and are essential in maintaining the stability of the coastline. Apart from serving as breeding and feeding grounds for birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, as well as humans, they prevent ... |
East Anglian Daily Times |
'It could all disappear into the sea' – Watch Nick Robinson's Save Our Suffolk Estuaries video
East Anglian Daily Times Members of the Alde and Ore Estuary Trust (AOET), which is behind the campaign, told visitors about the threats and what can be done. AOET is seeking donations to strengthen estuary defence walls of the Alde, Ore and Butley rivers to prevent the loss ... |
Lombok villagers beat poverty with tortilla chips and mangroves ...
Reuters LOMBOK, Indonesia (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Just over three years ago, Herniati had never heard of tortilla chips, let alone tasted them. Now she loves ... and more » |
FEATURE-Lombok villagers beat poverty with tortilla chips and mangroves
Reuters The CCDP supports rehabilitation of natural resources such as reefs and mangroves, provides fishing equipment to men, and trains fishermen's wives to become entrepreneurs, linking them with companies to sell their products. The villagers contribute ... and more » |
North County Outlook |
Fish, wildlife return to Qwuloolt Estuary
North County Outlook The Tulalip Tribes gave their first update on the restoration of the Qwuloolt Estuary since they breached the local dike in September of 2015. The project to restore the estuary area near the Sunnyside area of Marysville was meant to provide a better ... |
With the publication of the current administration’s budget calling Sea Grant part of the “lower priority, and in many cases, unauthorized” parts of NOAA, we here at DSN are highlighting people who are or have been supported by Sea Grant. If you would like to share your story with us about why #IAmSeaGrant, please send it to us.
Pam DiBona is an environmental scientist who has worked in the nonprofit, for-profit, and public sectors on marine issues.
I am Sea Grant
Well… I’m not, really – I’ve never been an official employee or fellow or intern – but I think of Sea Grant as a best friend.
Best friends help when you’re trying to figure out how to share the Ocean Literacy Principles, or develop a logic model to evaluate an educational program (thanks, CT Sea Grant!); or understand the intricacies of maritime law (thanks, RI Sea Grant!), or team up on a homeowners’ guide about coastal hazards (thanks, Woods Hole Sea Grant!); or find someone to explain the connection between eelgrass and Blue Carbon to a group of strangers over a pint (thanks, MIT Sea Grant!); or inspire hundreds of volunteers to get muddy (thanks, NH Sea Grant!); or need the latest word on shellfish aquaculture in the Northeast (thanks, Maine Sea Grant!).
In other words, Sea Grant is always there, ready to inspire, educate, investigate, and just plain get things done on the coast. Let’s keep it that way.
Water technologies advisory firm Bluefield Research has released a report stating that $300bn of forecasted capital expenditures will be invested towards municipal water pipe and hardware network over the next ten years.
The report titled ‘US Municipal Pipe Markets: Trends, Opportunities and a Changing Competitive Landscape in Water’ predicted that new and replaced pipe and hardware infrastructure will form more than 57% of municipal utilities’ aggregate spending through 2026.
Bluefield Research president Reese Tisdale said: “The public does not want to think, or even know, about the 1.6 million miles of pipes underground, but hundreds of thousands of water main breaks and lead-tainted water have begun to put a spotlight on this historically overlooked sector.
“In fact, the average age of water pipes continues to climb– from 25 years in 1970 to 45 years in 2020– largely because of underinvestment.”
Meanwhile, the pipe sector’s material profile, for water and wastewater, is also undergoing change.
The company noted that plastic pipes such as PVC and HDPE, which account for $97bn of the total capital expenditure forecasted for the coming decade, are being preferred by utilities and engineering firms.
It is expected that more than $2.7bn will be allocated to asset condition assessment and pipeline monitoring through 2026, while operating expenditures on leakage management will sum up to $1bn through the period.
Tisdale further noted: “Replacing water pipes is extremely labour intensive and costly, so utilities will increasingly be forced to look for ways to squeeze costs with more cost-effective materials, installation techniques, such as trenchless technologies, and network analysis.”
Headquartered in the US, Bluefield Research is an insight firm which offers research services that help water companies to validate their assumptions, address critical questions, and strengthen strategic planning processes.
Australia-based desalination and water treatment firm Osmoflo and Coopers Brewery have extended their existing build-own-operate (BOO) agreement for water supply.
Under the renewed contract, Osmoflo will provide water treatment services for additional ten years at Coopers Brewery’s Regency Park location.
The firms initially entered into a partnership in 2001 following which Osmoflo suppled a 1.5MLD water treatment plant.
The capacity was later increased to 3MLD in 2007 due to the business expansion and enhanced water supply requirements of Coopers.
For similar reasons, Osmoflo will now upgrade the water treatment capacity of the plant to 4.5MLD with renovation and addition of a new RO train.
Osmoflo sales general manager Ajay Jaggi said: “Building on an existing 17 years of water supply service, Coopers is showing great trust in Osmoflo’s capabilities; that we will successfully maintain, operate and deliver their water treatment requirements for another ten years, at least.”
As per the extended BOO agreement, Osmoflo will continue to own and operate the plant and will also provide a water source and cost savings.
The firm holds a part of the reject water from the RO plant in tanks and mixes it with rainwater, which is then used for onsite irrigation, resulting in cost savings.
Currently, Osmoflo owns and operates six water treatment plants across mining, power supply, oil and gas and food & beverage sectors. It also provides water treatment solutions during temporary or emergency requirements.
Cheers to long-lasting relationship as Osmoflo & Coopers Brewery confirm extension of water treatment contract
Seventeen years after Osmoflo first provided water to South Australia’s iconic Coopers Brewery, Coopers have confirmed an extension to its water supply agreement with Osmoflo, strengthening its relationship with the desalination and water treatment company, and securing water treatment services at its Regency Park location for another decade.
Water is essential in the production of Coopers’ high quality beers and the new contract extends an existing build-own-operate (BOO) agreement.
This longstanding relationship began with Osmoflo providing a 1.5MLD water treatment plant in 2001. In 2007 following Coopers’ business expansion and increased water supply requirements, the plant capacity was increased to 3MLD.
Coopers uses treated artesian water to brew beer. With malting facilities soon to be operational, as well as increased production due to business growth, water requirements will increase proportionally. Osmoflo’s existing water treatment plant is critical in providing Coopers’ water requirements and the plant will now be upgraded with the refurbishment of existing assets and addition of a new RO train to increase its total water treatment capacity to 4.5MLD.
Ajay Jaggi, Osmoflo’s General Manager Sales said that “very few water treatment companies can claim this longevity in a build-own-operate contract. Building on an existing 17 years of water supply service, Coopers is showing great trust in Osmoflo’s capabilities; that we will successfully maintain, operate and deliver their water treatment requirements for another 10 years, at least.”
By entering into an extended build-own-operate arrangement, Osmoflo will continue to own and operate the RO plant, while providing Coopers with a reliable water source and cost savings. By treating bore water on site, the company does not have a reliance on mains water in their production activities; which comes at a substantially higher cost. A portion of the reject water from the RO plant is held in tanks on site and mixed with rainwater, which is then suitable for irrigation use on the Coopers’ site. This provides further cost savings for the company.
Nick Sterenberg, Operations Manager at Coopers added that "after almost two decades, Osmoflo continues to offer fantastic service and support to us. They provide flexible solutions that work for us and that will ensure the brewery’s water supply well into the future".
Osmoflo takes pride in its ability to offer clients not just the right technical solution, but also flexible financial and contractual arrangements that best suit their individual needs. A build-own-operate arrangement is one of these options. Osmoflo retains ownership of the plant and its operation and maintenance, while the client is then billed on a monthly basis, allowing them to minimise costs and risks, and focus on their core business. Osmoflo currently owns and operates 6 water treatment plants for clients in industries including mining, power supply, oil and gas and food & beverage. Osmoflo also provides similar solutions for temporary or emergency requirements, drawing on one of the largest rental fleets in the Asia Pacific region.
American Water’s nonprofit arm, the American Water Charitable Foundation has partnered with National Governors Association Centers for Best Practices (NGA Center) Water Policy Learning Network to create a platform to share strategies and best practices on the responsible management of water resources.
The partnership will feature an annual Water Policy Institute that will place emphasis on best practices from states on various issues, quarterly webinars and state retreats where designated cross-agency teams will develop policy strategies.
American Water Charitable Foundation board chairman Aldie Warnock said: “As leaders committed to a reliable water future we must work collaboratively to tackle the challenges facing our nation’s water supply.
“Whether it’s looking at ways to address an aging infrastructure or sharing information about water quality, this new programme will provide valuable insights.”
American Water Charitable Foundation president Darlene Williams said: “The Water Policy Network is a unique three-year programme aligned with our vision of providing support and funding for strategic initiatives that advance our commitment to clean water, conservation, education, and community sustainability.
NGA is a public policy organisation whose members are the governors of the states, territories and commonwealths.
NGA executive director and CEO Scott Pattison said: “We are thrilled that Governor Edmund Brown and Governor Larry Hogan are co-chairing the Water Policy Learning Network.
“Both California and Maryland are recognised leaders in water quality and conservation policy.”
Water services company Aqua America is set to invest $450m this year to upgrade critical water infrastructure in the communities it serves.
With an aim to ensure that clean and safe water reaches each customer, the company will spend the money to redevelop and replace water infrastructure across all the eight states it serves.
Aqua America engineering and environmental affairs senior vice-president Bill Ross said: “As a leading water utility, our number one priority is delivering safe, reliable drinking water to our customers.
“Infrastructure Week provides a great opportunity to increase awareness about the efforts Aqua makes to replace aging infrastructure, enabling us to provide quality water and reliable service.”
Under the infrastructure investment plan this year, the company will replace 150 miles of water mains across eight states, thereby preventing billions of gallons of water leaking from pipes and water mains.
Ross added: “Aqua employees understand the challenges facing the nation over the next few decades, and we work every day to do our part to help revitalise the nation’s infrastructure.
“Aqua is constantly repairing and replacing old, outdated facilities, water mains, water and wastewater plants, and well stations.”
Between 2012 and 2016, the company spent $1.5bn in infrastructure renewal, including the replacement of more than 700 miles of water mains.
Aqua America serves nearly three million people in Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois, Texas, New Jersey, Indiana and Virginia in the US.
With the publication of the current administration’s budget calling Sea Grant part of the “lower priority, and in many cases, unauthorized” parts of NOAA, we here at DSN are highlighting people who are or have been supported by Sea Grant. If you would like to share your story with us about why #IAmSeaGrant, please send it to us.
Josh Good is a concerned citizen who has more than a fair bit of knowledge about Sea Grant programs. He recently shared with me a letter he sent to his senators and representatives regarding the prospect of eliminating Sea Grant.
I am writing today in reference to the proposed cuts to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), specifically regarding the National Sea Grant Program.
I am a 5th grade teacher and my wife is an Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program Agent here in remote port community of Unalaska/Dutch Harbor.
You may know that Unalaska/Dutch Harbor is indisputably one of the most prolific fishing ports in the United States, and even the world. Being consistently ranked in the top three fishing ports nationally in terms of fishing related income, being among the top 30 ports worldwide when considering volume of fish, and supporting a community of nearly 5,000 residents (not to mention the thousands of fishers who work through the port), Unalaska/Dutch Harbor is completely dependent upon the health of the fisheries based in the surrounding waters. The services of NOAA, including accurate and timely weather forecasts, scientific monitoring and surveys, and fisheries research and regulation, all among many other things, help to provide safety, profitability, and sustainability within the industry upon which our community and many others like it depend.
The mission of Sea Grant focuses on the health of the ocean and the sustainability of ocean based practice, and that mission impacts everyone in our community along with countless other communities across the country and world- coastal or not. Sea Grant programs play a huge part in everything from my 5th grade classroom’s (super awesome) science curriculum; to support of the science, management, and even international and domestic sales of the fish and fisheries that our community entirely relies upon; to the monitoring of endangered, protected, and/or commercially and subsistence harvested species across our state and country.
Sea Grant as an organization, the research and programs they organize, and the agents they employ, each play an integral part in the connections between science, industry, and members of the public. Without these connections that are made and fostered by Sea Grant programs, each stakeholder in marine related industries would be more isolated, less efficient, and far less profitable. Putting profitability into perspective, consider the economic value of the fisheries in Alaska alone, all of which are somewhat to wholly dependent upon services provided by NOAA and Alaska Sea Grant, a value that is far reaching and impossible to ignore. The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute reports that the fishing industry in Alaska supports nearly 60,000 workers annually, and well over 110,000 full time equivalent jobs throughout the United States. The industry is responsible for over $5.8 billion in annual labor income, and more than $14.6 billion in nationwide economic output.
With that small amount of information, please consider the following:
– If employment or job creation and sustainability are a concern, do not allow NOAA and Sea Grant Funding to be cut.
– If Economic output and economic value are a concern, do not allow NOAA and Sea Grant Funding to be cut.
– If the people of the community of Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, along with every other coastal, Great Lake, and watershed based community in the United States is of concern to you, do not allow NOAA and Sea Grant Funding to be cut.
East Anglian Daily Times |
Save Our Suffolk Estuary's £10m flood defence campaign to launch with celebrity backing at Suffolk Show
East Anglian Daily Times Members of the Alde and Ore Estuary Trust (AOET), which is leading the campaign, will be running a stand at the show, where a short teaser will be presented of a film made by BBC presenter and Orford resident Nick Robinson to highlight what is at stake. |
Hindustan Times |
Coastal Road project: Mumbai to lose mangrove cover equivalent to 4 Oval Maidans
Hindustan Times Officials from the state mangrove cell said while they are yet to receive the money, mangrove plantation has already commenced. “A 200 ha patch in Airoli has been planted with mangrove saplings. We will ensure that the patch grows into a mangrove ... and more » |
The Cairns Post |
Huge 1500km aerial survey of mangroves underway in Far North ...
The Cairns Post HUNDREDS of kilometres of mangroves along the Far Northern coastline will be filmed by scientists in the wake of an unprecedented dieback of the trees in the ... and more » |
Washington and Oregon unveiled on Friday a controversial proposal to resume limited sturgeon retention in the lower Columbia River beginning with an eight-day estuary fishery in June.
A public meeting on lower Columbia sturgeon fishing will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Heathman Lodge, 7801 N.E. Greenwood Drive. A joint state hearing is scheduled Wednesday to discuss adoption of a fishery.
No specifics for retention fisheries upstream of the estuary are proposed, but allocations for fall seasons between the Wauna power lines and Bonneville Dam, plus in the lower Willamette River, are mentioned.
Sturgeon retention in the lower Columbia has been closed since 2013 due to concerns about population size. Research indicates the juvenile population is in trouble, but tagging studies show a steady rise in the number of legal-size fish.
The estimate for legal-size (38 to 54 inches fork length) sturgeon in the lower Columbia dropped to 72,700 in 2012, leading to the retention closure in 2014.
State biologists estimate the population in 2017 is 237,900 legal-size fish. A more conservative methodology places the population at 165,600 sturgeon.
The number of spawning-size fish appears increasing, with the 2014-16 average of 4,230 exceeding the Oregon Conservation Plan threshold status of 3,900.
However, the production of young sturgeon in the lower Columbia remained down for the seventh straight year. Production of young has improved in the lower Willamette.
State officials have been working for the past couple of weeks on potential retention seasons. A hearing was scheduled last week to consider a sturgeon season, but was cancelled 17 minutes before it was to start in order to allow more public comment.
A wide schism exists among sportsmen on resuming sturgeon retention after the three-year conservation closure. Sturgeon once generated more than 100,000 angler trips a year on the lower Columbia with annual sport catches as high as 40,000 in 2000.
Butch Smith of the Ilwaco Charter Association predicts good catches if a season is adopted.
“Last year, we were catching and releasing 70 to 80 fish between 7 a.m. and 10:30,” Smith said. ”It might be a little slower this year due to the high water and the anchovies arriving later.”
Using the conservative population estimate of 165,600, the states are proposing an annual harvest of 6,235 sturgeon. The commercials would get 1,245, the estuary sport fishery 3,000 sturgeon, upstream of Wauna sport fishery 1,245 and 745 in the lower Willamette sport fishery.
The draft fishery proposal released by the two states on late Friday includes the following details:
Estuary – Allowing angling downstream of the Wauna power lines from Friday through June 15 on Wednesdays through Saturdays. Only fish between 44 and 50 inches fork length could be kept. On days open for retention, fishing for sturgeon would close at 2 p.m.
It is estimated the estuary harvest in the eight days would be 2,780 sturgeon, but that is based on many assumptions. The season likely would be adjusted if catch rates or effort are different than projected.
Lower Columbia – No specifics for a fishery between the Wauna power lines and Bonneville Dam are included in the proposal.
Catch rates generally are better in this stretch of the river in spring and late fall, so a fall opportunity in 2017 is possible.
Lower Willamette – Oregon is not prepared to recommend specifics for a retention season, but a fall season would likely be considered.
Bonneville Pool – Two-hundred-twenty nine sturgeon remain on the sturgeon allocation for the Columbia River between Bonneville and The Dalles dams.
The states are proposing to allow retention on June 10. Additional retention will be considered if sufficient fish remain on the guideline.
Hindustan Times |
Mangroves outside Mumbai Metropolitan Region are not protected by state cell
Hindustan Times Two years after 15,088 hectares of mangroves along the Maharashtra coastline were notified as reserved forest by the state government, apart from the entire mangrove cover in Mumbai, the revenue department has not yet handed over 9,600 hectares to the ... and more » |
The Columbian |
Sturgeon retention opener mulled for lower Columbia
The Columbian Washington and Oregon unveiled on Friday a controversial proposal to resume limited sturgeon retention in the lower Columbia River beginning with an eight-day estuary fishery in June. A public meeting on lower Columbia sturgeon fishing will begin at 6 ... |
With the publication of the current administration’s budget calling Sea Grant part of the “lower priority, and in many cases, unauthorized” parts of NOAA, we here at DSN are highlighting people who are or have been supported by Sea Grant. If you would like to share your story with us about why #IAmSeaGrant, please send it to us.
Ben Wetherill is a recent UMB grad (go Beacons!) who has been developing coastal technologies for a variety of marine industries around Boston.
I recently graduated from UMass Boston with a Masters Degree in Marine Science and Technology. My graduate research was mostly funded by MIT SeaGrant. I studied several different aspects of marine monitoring technology. A co-researcher from Boston University and I developed a simple low-cost camera technology for monitoring remote coastal conditions. We tested it in Boston Harbor, and since then I have installed the same design under contract for researchers at several locations around Massachusetts. I also worked on improving technology for modeling bacterial water quality in beaches and rivers. I developed models based on real-time weather and water conditions, and one of my sensor installations was purchased by the Charles River Watershed Association. I am currently working under contract to study water quality and sensor data in Lynn and Swampscott. As a result of the funding I received from MIT SeaGrant, I was able to start a consulting company providing water sensor and monitoring services (http://ift.tt/2r8GdDJ). I have even done one job with MIT SeaGrant as a client. And, support from MIT SeaGrant also gave me the opportunity to teach students about water quality monitoring at the Cohasset Center for Student Coastal Research.
I am SeaGrant.
With the publication of the current administration’s budget calling Sea Grant part of the “lower priority, and in many cases, unauthorized” parts of NOAA, we here at DSN are highlighting people who are or have been supported by Sea Grant. If you would like to share your story with us about why #IAmSeaGrant, please send it to us.
Christy Bowles is faculty at Cal State Sacramento and American River College.
As I heard that the president’s budget would eliminate the Sea Grant program, I reflected on how Sea Grant started my career and has allowed me to give back to society.
I was a California Sea Grant State fellow. Funded by Sea Grant and the state of California, I spent a year learning how to use my science background to benefit natural habitats, wildlife, and coastal communities. Because #IamSeaGrant, I was a critical part of teams to address climate change adaptation and management of our precious coast. The money I earned went back into my local community, including my child’s preschool.
Four years later, my time as a Sea Grant Fellow shapes my daily life. I am now faculty at a community college and a state university, where I teach science and applied science classes. I just returned from a morning class, planting vegetation to stabilize a creek bank. Because of Sea Grant, my students are learning about critical environmental problems inside and outside of the classroom. Because of Sea Grant, my students are active in studying and restoring natural areas. Because #IamSeaGrant, I can better equip my students, including many first generation college students, with the knowledge and skills they need to become our future scientists and policy-makers.
WE’RE ON A BOAT! That’s right, The Blogfather Dr. M and myself (Dr. Bik, Assistant Blogmaster?) are in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico AT THIS VERY MOMENT!
To celebrate this awesome scientific cruise, we’re running a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session Tomorrow, Saturday May 27th from 8AM – 8PM Central Standard Time (Louisiana, USA time zone).
Hi @reddit_AMA! Ask me anything this Sat. I’m currently on the ocean for a science research cruise studying the deep sea with a robot #AMA http://pic.twitter.com/dvkQ67VPx8
— Craig McClain, Ph.D. (@DrCraigMc) May 25, 2017
Why are we here? Well Dr. M has a nifty new NSF grant to research wood falls in the deep oceans; logs and whole trees that saturate with water and sink to the deep-sea floor. These wooden carcasses bring a rare commodity to the deep sea devoid of light and plants: food. On the seafloor, these wood falls are covered in unique marine invertebrates wholly adapted to eating wood.
As part of this work, Dr. M is also collecting sediment cores, which I’ll be using to isolate nematodes for environmental sequencing and genomics work.
But there is a whole team of people here on the boat, and you can ask them anything too! Our scientific cast is:
–Dr. Craig McClain, a deep-sea biologist, DSN Blogfather, and the Executive Director of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON).
– Dr. Clif Nunnally (LUMCON) – Research Associate, Actual Person in Charge of the cruise
– Chase Landry (LUMCON/Nicholls State) – Undergraduate Researcher, Cajun Translator
– Dr. Virginia Schutte (LUMCON)- Media Officer, unfortunately a Morning Person
– Dr. Thomas Webb (U. of Sheffield) – Statistical Guru, “All the gear, no idear” (he’s British)
– Dr. Holly Bik (U. California Riverside) – Microbial Genomics and nematode taxonomy, bringing high fashion to the high seas
– River Dixon (U. South Carolina) – Undergraduate Researcher, has no idea what she signed up for
– Jason Bradley (Bradley Photographic) – Photographer, probably has kissed more sea animals than you
– Chase Lawson (Texas A&M) – Undergraduate Researcher, literally just spent 2 hours handling raw meat
– Dr. Alicia Caporaso (Bureau of Ocean Energy and Management) – Underwater Archaeologist, studies shipwrecks but can’t touch them
from Deep Sea News http://ift.tt/2roG4NF
via IFTTT
Speakers stress importance of mangrove forests for coastal areas
The Nation KARACHI - Experts on Thursday underlined the importance of combined efforts to protect Mangrove forests of Indus delta. They said that Mangrove forests, on the Pakistani coastal line, acted as a protection wall against Tsunami or cyclones. Mangrove ... Need for safety of Mangrove forest highlightedPakistan Observer all 2 news articles » |
Manning River Times |
Bream on the bite from the estuary
Manning River Times BREAM are biting well in the lower parts of the estuary. Mullet strips are the best bait while cranka crabs are the best soft plastic to use. Some luderick have been taken on weed during the day on yabbie baits at night. Flathead are still being caught ... |
With the publication of the current administration’s budget calling Sea Grant part of the “lower priority, and in many cases, unauthorized” parts of NOAA, we here at DSN are highlighting people who are supported by Sea Grant. If you would like to share your story with us about why #IAmSeaGrant, please send it to us.
Nyssa Silbiger is a postdoc at UC Irvine and starting faculty at Cal State Northridge this fall (YES!). You can find her on Twitter at @nsilbiger
My Ph.D research was supported through funding from the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program. Were it not for Sea Grant I quite literally might not have my PhD. Funding from the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program allowed me to complete my research, gain unique hands-on training in science communication, and have an opportunity to share my research with the community and local decision makers. Because of Sea Grant, I developed a novel way to monitor coral reefs, which is now being used throughout the Pacific; collected data to help predict how coral reefs may shift in a High CO2 World; shared my findings with the broader community through local lecture series, school visits, and outreach events; and gained an overall appreciation for how important it is to protect our coastlines. Today, my research focuses on ways to improve coastal resiliency and, ultimately, protect important economic resources. Sea Grant is the cornerstone to my success as a marine scientist and I am certain that it will be a vital part of my research program in the future.
I am Sea Grant.
Welp, the administration’s new budget is out, and science as a whole does not fare well. Ocean science get it particularly rough. Even at NASA, which seems to have escaped the most, is seeing the ocean-sensing PACE satellite cut. But it’s at NOAA where the ocean science really gets hit.
Why?, well:
“The Budget proposes to eliminate funding for several lower priority, and in many cases, unauthorized, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) grant and education programs, including Sea Grant, the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, Coastal Zone Management Grants, the Office of Education, and the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. These eliminations would allow NOAA to better target remaining resources to core missions and services”
This is… not good news. Fortunately, the final word is up to congress, so let’s hope they have more sense.
Mumbai Mirror |
Building permit for mangrove plot earns BMC flak
Mumbai Mirror But activists like Sachin Dhuri, who complained against the developer for destroying the mangroves and has been pursuing this case since 2012, point out that the MCZMA withdrew the stop-work notice with some conditions that the builder is blatantly ... |
Mangala estuary to be desilted soon
HERE. NOW According to sources, the water resources department will start desilting the estuary in June. “We have decided to dig up the river mouth in the first week of June. The early arrival of monsoon is likely to hinder the process,” said a water resources ... |
Forest officials visit mangroves burning site
Times of India Navi Mumbai: A team of state forest officials from the mangroves cell recently visited the site next to Palm Beach Road where a large patch of mangroves was set on fire by some miscreants. A panchanama will soon be prepared to take action against the ... |
Northglen News |
Tyre thieves target Beachwood Mangroves reserve
Northglen News WHILE car theft is a common crime widely reported, another type of theft that doesn't get as much reportage is tyre theft. However, the Beachwood Mangroves Nature Reserve recently fell victim to thieves who targeted a trailer and a Ezemvelo KZN ... |
Mongabay.com |
Communities band together to protect El Salvador's last mangroves
Mongabay.com He is standing on a rare dry patch of soil amid a mangrove forest on El Salvador's eastern coast. While his green button-up shirt bears the logo of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MARN), Juan works as a volunteer on his daily patrols of the mangroves. |
The Clare Herald |
Promoting investment in the Shannon Estuary Region
The Clare Herald Stakeholders engaged in the development and management of the Shannon Estuary have produced a marketing film promoting the deep water marine investment opportunities along Ireland's largest and deepest estuary. The promotion is the result of the ... |
IRINnews.org |
Vietnam's response to climate change? A shrimp and mangrove cocktail
IRINnews.org As sea levels and temperatures rise, rice farmers are losing crops to salt water intrusion. While salinisation could offer more opportunities to switch to shrimp farming, that industry is notorious for destroying mangroves – the tangled forests that ... and more » |
Scoop.co.nz (press release) |
Two local district councils unite to fight mangrove spread
Scoop.co.nz (press release) This week both Councils passed a resolution to proceed with a joint Mangrove Management Bill, which proposes each council may prepare a draft mangrove management plan in relation its coastal area and maintain acceptable levels of mangrove vegetation ... and more » |
The Star, Kenya |
Women fight taboo, take up 'Men's work' and Save Mangroves
The Star, Kenya Mariam Mwalimu, the group's assistant chairperson, says they have made strides in reducing pressure on mangroves by embracing mariculture as an alternative source of livelihood. Mangroves are breeding sites for the fish but they are being cut down. |
Xplore Technologies is pleased to announce that one of the world's major automotive manufacturers has equipped personnel at one of its latest US-based body shops with Xplore's XC6 rugged tablet PCs as part of a multi-million-dollar, multi-year mobility scheme.
The long-time global customer is utilising the vibration-proof, shock-proof, waterproof, and dustproof industrial-grade tablets on forklifts in support of multiple logistics activities, including materials handling, shop floor tasks, and maintenance.
They have also installed Xplore's secure vehicle docking systems third-party forklift mounts and DC power converters as part of the total Xplore-engineered mobility solution.
Additional screen black-out software has been installed for safe rugged tablet use while the forklifts are in transit.
Xplore president and CEO Mark Holleran said: "The XC6 is the most rugged Windows tablet on the market, which is exactly what auto manufacturers' need in fast-paced body shop facilities where workers' tools, and heavy hands, have been known to wreak havoc on electronic devices.
"Not only does the XC6 boast a less than one percent annualised failure rate, but it comes standard with an extensive number of high-performance features that augment existing industrial IT systems to eliminate production downtime.
In fact, the XC-series tablet platform has proven to be the perfect computing solution for this customer's quality-driven, mass-volume manufacturing operations for more than five product generations."
Over the last several years, thousands of Xplore's rugged tablet-based forklift terminal solutions have been deployed across the automotive leader's manufacturing and warehousing facilities worldwide to facilitate work orders completion, inventory tracking and data collection.
Other Xplore rugged tablets, including the XSLATE B10, R12, F5 and CL920 models, are also in use by mobile workers and forklift operators in the manufacturer's plants and body shops worldwide.
The tablets are used on order picking carts for parts delivery, as well as on the assembly line to confirm the accuracy of vehicle parts prior to installation. They're also used to conduct vehicle inspections and quality tests prior to customer delivery, among other logistical tasks.
Holleran continues: "Workers like the XC6 because it's easy to use, and supervisors claim that its use has directly contributed to operational efficiency gains.
"Plus, the modular design of this custom-developed forklift solution provides the manufacturer with greater usage and servicing flexibility than the older technology of permanently installed forklift terminals.
"Not only does that translate to a lower investment cost upfront, but a lower maintenance cost over the life of the mobile computer. The same tablet model can be removed from the forklift and used to complete any mobile workflow application in and around the manufacturing shop floor, and it can easily be upgraded to higher computing standards as needed to accommodate the evolving technology requirements of cutting edge smart factories.
"As such, an investment in Xplore's mobility solutions protects the return on investment (ROI) of customers' entire IT investment."
The Xplore XC6 ultra-rugged tablet PC is specifically configured to support factory-related workflows, including those conducted primarily by forklift and cart operators.
The IP67 mobile computer can survive a 7-foot drop, the highest of any rugged computer on the market today, and is reinforced internally and externally to tolerate a number of other industrial hazards such as extreme temperature variations that occur between storage areas and loading docks.
The XC6 ultra-rugged tablet also features a direct sunlight readable, resistive multi-touch display that supports glove touch, finger, and stylus interface for easy data input and access on the move.
Please contact Xplore via the enquiries form for more information.
The Northwest Florida Daily News |
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