Coral reefs are some of creation’s most strikingly beautiful places. Clean and clear blue water, graceful whales and sea turtles, swarms of dazzling fishes, and amazing coral. We can’t get enough of coral reefs, so we adorn our walls with paintings and photos. Saltwater aquariums abound in households, restaurants and businesses around the world. Naturally, we want to protect all this goodness and beauty. Stewardship is in our DNA. Our emotions can kick in when a threat is perceived. … [Read more...]
Hawaii’s Axis Deer Mismanagement is Causing an Ecological Disaster
The History of Axis Deer in Hawaii As the 8-seat Mokulele Airlines plane approached the Molokai airport, I noticed the very overgrazed Molokai Ranch below. Surely, the ranch owners know better than to let their cattle overgraze like this. And besides, don’t they know cattle produce catastrophic levels of greenhouse gases? Why do they have so many cows? But wait, Molokai Ranch ceased most of its ranching operations back in 2008. The overgrazing was not from cattle, but deer. … [Read more...]
Alaska’s 2021 salmon harvest sets new records, defying doomsayers again
So Many Salmon By late July, salmon runs and the brown bears that pursue them are winding down at Brooks Falls. So I was skeptical about my daughter’s desire to visit this treasure in Alaska’s Katmai National Park in early August. Until she showed me the live webcam. We secured a last minute flight that did not disappoint. Salmon passing over Brooks Falls make their way up from Bristol Bay, without question the world’s most productive sockeye salmon fishery. At over 65 million sockeye … [Read more...]
The Good and the Bad of Netflix Documentary “Seaspiracy”
Ali Tabrizi’s Seaspiracy is a popular and controversial new Netflix documentary which details overfishing and what to do about it. Tabrizi brings many important points to light. However, he draws several questionable conclusions. In particular, his “final solution” to overfishing — a real problem — is mistaken. And, like most environmental films, Seaspiracy misses the real “whale in the room.” Here’s a survey, with assessments. The Taiji Dolphin Hunting … [Read more...]
Oahu’s Energy: Irony, Hypocrisy … or Both?
On Oahu’s west side, a Hawaiian green sea turtle snuggles up to a reef for an afternoon nap. But this is no ordinary reef. It’s the warm water outflow structure for Oahu’s biggest electric power producer, the Kahe Power Plant. Built in the early 1960’s, the 651 megawatt (MW) workhorse often provides over 40% of Oahu’s power. Hawaii being what it is, you are probably imagining Kahe runs on clean, renewable energy. Guess again. Kahe runs on oil. You read that right, the power plant that … [Read more...]
11 Months and Counting—Wrapping our Heads around Florida’s Raging Red Tide
The latest red tide outbreak on Florida’s Gulf Coast, with its awful stench, is in its 11th straight month. The noxious bloom started in November 2017, and the latest reports from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission before Hurricane Michael, whose effects we won’t know for some time, showed that the end was not near. Conditions change daily, even hourly. For example, the map below shows decreased red tide levels for Septemper 21–28 in Collier County. However, the morning of … [Read more...]
Hawaii’s Sunscreen Ban: A Good Law or More Needless Government Meddling?
On July 3, Hawaii became the first state to ban the sale of sunscreens considered harmful to coral reefs. The bill received bipartisan support. Banned sunscreens contain the chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate, which, as I'll explain in a moment, can harm coral. Personally, I'm against excessive environmental regulations that keep people from enjoying creation and shut down businesses for no good reason. So, if you are still reading, please use this as an opportunity to educate yourself on … [Read more...]
Is Climate Change Causing a Sea Turtle Disaster?
Turtle Traffic Jams? On Oahu’s North Shore, Hawaiian green sea turtles are everywhere, but a recent study claims that may not be the case in the future due to climate change. But is it really true that disaster is looming for green sea turtle populations? Tourists flock here daily to see them, with cars and buses jockeying for limited parking along a tiny, two-lane coastal highway. The daily phenomena create what the locals un-affectionately refer to as “turtle traffic jams.” When I … [Read more...]
Stewardship Advice For President Obama’s Alaska Trip
Mr. Obama, here are three points to consider during your Alaska trip this week: 1. Roughly 70% of Alaska is federally owned, and much of that is off-limits to any kind of economic use of natural resources. Compare that with 10% or less in most of the original 13 U.S. colonies. Instead of “helping” native Alaskans by changing the name of Mt. McKinley to Mt. Denali, a better idea might be to either 1) reduce the percent of federal land or 2) open more of it up for job-producing natural … [Read more...]
Seabird Ecology and Scientific Panaceas
Ecosystems are complex. I learned that in a very real way during two summers on Alaska’s Pribilof Islands in 1993 and 1994. Participating in a joint U.S/Russian research project, our goal was to collect as much oceanographic data as possible around tiny St. Paul Island. Imagine a treeless island with the lush green hills and gray skies of coastal Scotland, coupled with the sights (and smells) from almost countless numbers of seabirds and Northern fur seals. Add a scattering of whale bones and … [Read more...]
