Aloha Reporter » Ocean

Obama Is No Friend To The Whales

ar — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 18:10:44 +0000

Brosnan Attacks Obama Over Whales Promise

Whaling in the Faroe Islands

Pierce Brosnan is taking aim at U.S. leader PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA in a new public service announcement for the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

In the PSA, the former 007 reminds Obama of promises he made about protecting sea-life when he was a presidential candidate.

Brosnan says, “As a candidate, you promised to end illegal whaling, and we applauded your leadership, but recent reports reveal your administration supports an international proposal, which gives Japan, Iceland and Norway the license to kill whales.”

Source: ContactMusic News
Photo Source: Wikipedia

Hawaii First In Nation To Ban Shark Fins

ar — Sat, 29 May 2010 02:52:40 +0000

Hawaii has become the first state in the nation to ban shark fins.

Gov. Linda Lingle on Friday signed a bill prohibiting the possession, sale, trade or distribution of shark fins, which are used in pricey Chinese dishes.

Exceptions will be made for researchers who have obtained a permit from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Lawmakers hope the new law will help prevent overfishing and extinction of sharks harvested for their fins.

Many Chinese consider shark fins to be a delicacy, served in high-end Chinese restaurants in soup and as fillets in gravy.

The bill passed the state Legislature earlier this year with broad support.

Source: CBS News

Plastic Beach, Hawaii

ar — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 03:06:33 +0000

Ocean debris turning Hawaiian beach ‘into plastic’

Consumer waste from the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” is turning a Hawaiian beach “into plastic”, Tropic of Cancer presenter Simon Reeve has found.

Conservationist Sam Gon escorted him to the remote Kamilo Beach, where plastic bottles, bags, tyres, rusting petrol cans, and other waste from around the world washes up.

They found more plastic particles than sand, as they dug a hole on what has been described as “the world’s dirtiest beach”.

View Video of Kamilo Beach …

Source: BBC

Related News:
Pollution killing baby albatross chicks by the thousands (North Shore Kauai)

Hawaiian Submarine Canyons

ar — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 23:31:07 +0000

Christie Wilcox writes …

When we think about the vast diversity of life in the ocean, we automatically picture pristine coral reefs teeming with life. This is especially true for rich, tropical locations like Hawaii. What we don’t think of are the deep, dark depths of the canyons that lie just beyond the shallow paradises we know and love.

Scientists have known for years that these deep water locations may contain a wide variety of species, but don’t talk about them as much because no one had ever explored them to see what species lived there.

Now, thanks to researchers from the University of Hawaii’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) and Hawaii Pacific University, someone has.

Source: Christie Wilcox, Observations of a Nerd

Deep-Diving Great Whites Could Tangle With Giant Squid

ar — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 16:59:13 +0000

Credit: hermanusbackpackers on Flickr

Michael Reilly of Discovery reports …

Great white sharks might just be the most badass animals on Earth (possible exception: honey badgers). They pretty much eat anything they can fit their mouth and razor-sharp teeth around — no fear, just pure hunting, breeding, and killing instinct.

And now they have outdone themselves.

New and ongoing studies of the sharks in the Pacific Ocean have turned up two new, amazing traits — great whites migrate thousands of kilometers from coastal waters to parts of the Pacific Ocean so barren scientists call them “ecological deserts.”

Source: Discovery News

Report Blasts Hawaii Aquaculture

ar — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 18:40:08 +0000

Credit: NOAA

Environmental Group Claims Fish Farming Not Environmentally Sustainable

A new report from a national environmental organization blasts Hawaii’s aquaculture industry, saying it damages the environment and is not sustainable. Companies that farm fish in Hawaii dispute the report.

Hawaii has been a testing ground for large-scale industrial fish farming. Currently there are two fish farms here, one off Kona on the Big Island, another off Ewa. More are planned.

Scientists, environmentalists, and native Hawaiians gathered at the Capitol today to urge sustainable fish farming based on more traditional methods. They point to the report by Food and Waterwatch, an environmental organization that says waste from large fish pens damages the bottom. The report also claims the farmed fish spread disease to wild populations.

Source: KITV 4 News