Preparing for the Future: The

Next Generation of Coastal

Managers

Part 2 of a series of articles exploring leader-

ship, succession planning, and opportunities for

promoting coastal management

By Susan White

Do you remember sitting in the auditorium

during freshman orientation (or Organic

Chemistry lecture) waiting for the speaker

behind the podium to boom out that fabled

line, “Look to your left, look to your

right---by the end of this semester only 1

in 3 people will be left standing." While I

never personally heard that statement from

any of my instructors, it may have been

closer to the truth than was comfortable in

Organic Chemistry. Yet here I am, over a

decade later, thinking of this same myth as

my career evolves to include ever greater

involvement with federal, state, and aca-

demic professionals working to address the

complex multidisciplinary issues associated

with the management of coastal resources.

Only this time, the myth is uncomfortably

closer to reality.

As of September 2006, 43% of the United

States federal government workforce was

over the age of 50, compared with only

7.3% of employees under the age of 30 (U.S.

Office of Personnel Management, www.

opm.gov/feddata/html.Age_Dist.asp). The

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin-

istration (NOAA) reported that in 2005, the

average age of a NOAA Federal employee

was 45, with only 7% of the workforce

under the age of 30. They estimate that by

2007, 50% of their workforce will be eligible

to retire (NOAA Strategic Human Capi-

TCS Bulletin

Volume 29 (3) 2007

The International Activities

of the National Estuarine

Research Reserve System: A

Little Known and Generally

Unplanned National Asset

by Maurice P. Lynch

In spring 1998, I saw a little note in one of

the many emails I receive from different

parts of the National Oceanic and Atmo-

spheric Administration (NOAA), describing

an upcoming ceremony in Silver Spring, MD.

An agreement was to be signed between

NOAA and the People's Republic of China,

State Oceanic Administration (SOA), pairing

the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Re-

search Reserve with the Tianjin Paleocoastal

and Wetland Nature Reserve in Tianjin

Province.

Since I was managing the Chesapeake Bay

Reserve in Virginia at the time and knew

nothing about this, I contacted my coun-

terpart in the Chesapeake Bay Reserve in

Maryland, primarily to find out how she had

managed to get involved in this internation-

al project. To my surprise I found out that

she had never heard of it either. Calling

my program officer in the Estuarine Reserve

Division of NOAA, I discovered that she was

equally unfamiliar with the agreement. I fi-

nally tracked down the responsible staff of-

ficer in NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS)

International Office and asked him. He

hadn’t realized there were two Chesapeake

NERRs, so he opined that the agreement

must mean both of them. Thus began a long

relationship with the NOS International Of-

fice, which has included participation in the

International Workshops related to marine

INSIDE

Message from the

President

.....................

2

Shipping Lanes Shifted

to Protect Whales

.......

3

NewsNotes

..................

8

Chapter Voices

..........

10

Chapter

Updates

.....................

11

TCS21

........................

13

Upcoming

Conferences

..............

14

Board of

Directors

...................

15

continued on page 6

continued on page 4

President’s Message

TCS 29 (3)

Dear TCS Member,

When our Bulletin editor, Ellen Gordon sent me her friendly reminder email that the time for my President’s letter

was now upon us, I was in the midst of a multiple-destination trip that took me from the Northeast to the West

coast to the Southeast and back to my house in Rhode Island. Leaving my carbon footprint aside for now (!!), my

preference for window seats on airplanes always gives me ample opportunity to see natural features of the conti-

nent from a different vantage point. My favorite features, as is likely no surprise, are in the coastal areas, and I

gaze down on them with music from my MP3 player filling my ears. Fortunately, on the longest leg, from Atlanta

to Los Angeles, I managed to remove my earphones long enough to meet the soft-spoken gentleman beside me. A

world traveler with significant knowledge of the rivers and geological features along the way, he explained the

unique qualities of the historic flood plain around the Mississippi River, the Salton Sea, and Palm Springs. I was

lucky to be assigned Seat 19A – many of us who travel know how this anonymous fellow traveler can make quite a

difference in the quality of a trip!

The quality of our work in the coastal field also sometimes depends on removing our “disciplinary headphones" for

a time and staying open to ideas, thoughts and models from disciplines other than our own. No one debates that

this is challenging, time-consuming, and at times frustrating. Indeed, this trip included discussion with economists,

biologists and ecologists about natural resource law issues that highlighted language differences, unsupported

assumptions, and models of analysis. But, it was clear by the end of three days, we were able to leap over these

hurdles and discuss potential solutions in a more creative and strategic way, complete with exclamations of “Oh . .

. that’s what you meant!"

The membership of the Coastal Society offers each of us the opportunity to take from and share with other dis-

ciplines. Even a cursory review of the membership reveals a wealth of disciplines and perspectives ripe for the

crafting of creative solutions and strategies. Just within this issue, you’ll note perspectives from experts in policy

and science. We hope you will take advantage of your membership to share your disciplinary expertise with oth-

ers through the Bulletin or the upcoming TCS conference next year. (Abstracts due October 23!) I look forward to

learning from you, as well!

The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent TCS nor its Board.

TCS BULLETIN

VOLUME 29 (3) 2007

2

Sincerely,

Kristen M. Fletcher

Shipping Lanes

TCS 29 (3)

TCS BULLETIN

VOLUME 29 (3) 2007

3

Shipping Lanes Shifted to Protect Whales

by Paul C. Ticco

For the first time in U.S. history, a major shipping lane has been changed to protect wildlife. After decades of re-

search and efforts by NOAA and the U.S. Coast Guard, ships (over 3,500 transits per year) traveling in and out of Bos-

ton Harbor now sail through a path rotated 12 degrees to the north and narrowed from 5 to 4 nautical miles. This will

add 3.75 miles and 10 to 22 minutes per one-way trip, but provide greater protection to marine life, especially the

populations of humpback, right, finback and minke whales that use the area within and adjacent to the 842-square-

mile Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS) each spring and summer to feed.

The International Maritime Organization which governs international ship channels and the U.S. Coast Guard approved

the lane revision in December 2006. Since then, navigational charts have been updated with the revision. For further

information please see the SBNMS website http://stellwagen.noaa.gov; or contact either Paul Ticco of the National

Marine Sanctuary Program at (301) 713-7240 or the Sanctuary at (781) 545-8026.

Dr. Paul C. Ticco is the Past-President of TCS, and serves as the East Coast Regional Coordinator for NOAA's National

Marine Sanctuary Program. Paul.Ticco@noaa.gov

Scientists at the SBNMS used 25 years of extensive data from the

Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, the Whale Center of New

England, and the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium to deter-

mine that the heaviest concentrations of whales were located direct-

ly in the shipping lanes, and that the shift will reduce the potential

for hitting any whale 81%, and the critically North Atlantic right

whale 58%. With the entire North Atlantic right whale population es-

timated at just 350, this lowered risk is significant. Ship strikes and

marine gear entanglements are the top human causes of right whale

deaths. Twenty-eight deaths of the whales due to ship strikes have

been documented since 1972, including eight since 2004.

Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. The solid line is the original shipping lane.

The dotted line is the alteration that increases protection to marine life.

NERR System

TCS 29 (3)

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TCS BULLETIN

VOLUME 29 (3) 2007

4

protected areas that NOS convened and sponsored in

conjunction with the biennial Coastal Zone conferences in

1999, 2001, 2003 and 2005.

I have had many discussions with the non-U.S. par-

ticipants in these conferences, including other visiting

foreign Coastal Zone Management and/or Marine Pro-

tected Area (MPA) personnel, many of whom have been

exposed to the NERR System through field trips. A strong

thread running through many of these conversations was

that the NERRs had a lot to offer to those interested in

MPAs. During the 2005 Workshop, which focused on MPA

networks, many of the examples of successful networking

were drawn from the NERR system, particularly in areas

of monitoring, education and technical training.

I have also come to realize that the NERR’s Federal and

state partners do not think of the NERRs as international

“players." To the contrary, in the discussion that fol-

lows, I will outline the scope of the international efforts

already underway. Perhaps other Reserves and potential

partners will soon find more opportunities to get involved

internationally. Carpe Diem!

Top-Down NOAA NOS International

Office-Originated Programs

The Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

in Virginia and the Tianjin Paleocoastal and Wetland

Nature Reserve in Tianjin, & The Rookery Bay National

Estuarine Research Reserve in Florida and the Shankou

Mangrove Ecosystem Nature Reserve in Guangxi Province

The history of cooperation between these reserves began

in 1997 when a team from the NOS International Of-

fice set out to establish a joint endeavor in the field of

Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) with the People's

Republic of China, State Oceanic Administration (SOA).

Agreements were formally signed in 1997 and 1998 which

partnered the U.S. NERRs with the MPAs in China. Their

projects include mangrove restoration, an ecotourism

plan and an education plan.

Tianjin- Chesapeake Bay: Visits between Reserve staffs

in 2000 culminated in the signing of an MOU in 2002. In

2003, a delegation from China visited the U.S. and in

2005, staff from the U.S. visited Tianjin to begin on-the-

ground planning for future research activities. A team

from Tianjin will visit the Virginia Reserve for training

in water quality monitoring protocols used in the NERR

System Wide Monitoring Program and in techniques to

measure plant productivity and succession in wetlands.

Shankou-Rookery Bay: Rookery Bay staff has visited China,

and many Chinese as well as other foreign coastal zone

and MPA managers have visited the Rookery Bay Reserve,

often as a brief stop on the way to Florida Keys National

Marine Sanctuary. Unfortunately there have been few

repeat visits from Shankou Reserve personnel but both

Chesapeake Bay NERR in Virginia and Rookery Bay NERR in

Florida have incorporated the sister Reserve projects into

their management plans.

Bottom-Up, Reserve-Initiated International Programs

Great Bay NERR (NH) and Ireland’s Marine Institute

In 1997, Peter Wellenberger, Manager of the Great Bay

NERR attended the Coastal Zone conference in Boston,

MA. At that meeting he met a staff member from the

Republic of Ireland’s Marine Institute, and initiated dis-

cussions about some cooperative programs between his

Reserve and Estuary groups in Ireland.

In 1999, the Reserve (through the New Hampshire Fish

and Game Department, its parent agency) entered into

an international agreement with the Republic of Ireland’s

Marine Institute to establish a sister Reserve program.

Taking advantage of the 1996 Peace Treaty that links

NOAA to Ireland's Marine Institute (in Irish, Foras Na

Mara); the partnership included Northern Ireland as well.

As a result, the Reserve is developing cooperative agree-

ments with Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland and the

Shannon Estuary on the west coast of the Republic of

Ireland. Both of these sites have been designated as MPAs

through the European Commission. The goal is to share

and exchange information and research. International

visits back and forth have followed and the program has

been incorporated as a project in the Reserve’s Master

Plan.

Old Woman Creek NERR (OWC) and the Belize Audubon

Society

The OWC education coordinator, Linda Feix, attended the

First International Congress on Tourism and the Environ-

ment held in Belize in 1992. During that meeting, she

met staff members from Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary,

one of nine natural areas managed by the Belize Audubon

Society for the government of Belize. The staff of the

Reserve and the Sanctuary realized that despite being

1800 miles apart, they were home to many of the same

migratory birds. After a number of years of maintaining

informal contact, in 2000, the Friends of OWC, a nonprofit

group, funded travel by OWC staff to Belize for detailed

planning.

a wide range of watershed issues, particularly erosion due

to unplanned and poorly constructed development. One

goal of the management plan indicates a need not faced

by other Reserves: “Continue to work with Border Patrol

and other interests north and south of the border on how

best to avoid negative effects on natural resources associ-

ated with undocumented immigrants and Border Patrol

activities…. Better coordination with Mexican agencies

and the potential for cooperatively funded projects will

enable the Reserve to take positive steps in this challeng-

ing area."

Regional Alliances

The Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA) is a state-driven

initiative to better manage the natural resources of the

Gulf of Mexico. The five involved U.S. states, Florida,

Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas have developed

an action plan for the Gulf of Mexico and are working with

six Mexican states (Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco,

Tamaulipas, Veracruz and Yucatan) through the Accords of

States of the Gulf of Mexico signed by the eleven states in

1995. Thirteen federal agencies under the coordination of

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and NOAA

have committed to support GOMA.

All of the Gulf Coast NERRS are also included in the sup -

port infrastructure for GOMA. Rookery Bay NERR played

a key role from the beginning by hosting the first in a

series of 8 community workshops around the Gulf region

in summer of 2005. Apalachicola NERR (Florida) and Grand

Bay NERR (Mississippi) have also hosted these community

workshops, while Weeks Bay NERR (Alabama) and repre-

sentatives from five Mexican states have attended.

Gulf of Maine Council

In 1989, the governors of the three states (Maine, New

Hampshire, and Massachusetts) and the premiers of the

The result was the project, “Birds with Two Homes," fo-

cused on the migratory birds. The project quickly evolved

beyond birds into a cultural exchange involving the two

countries’ history and people. The realization that the

Reserve and Sanctuary had many resource management

issues in common resulted in expansion of the project

to discuss those issues, as well. As part of the interac-

tion between the Reserve and Sanctuary, teachers from

Ohio and Belize have made exchange visits and shared

classroom teaching. In addition, staff from Belize Audu -

bon were brought to OWC for joint technical training in

neotropical bird migration, data collection, monitoring

techniques, nature based tourism and law enforcement.

The funding for this exchange was provided by Ohio Audu-

bon and the Firelands Audubon Society Chapter, as well as

the Friends of OWC.

During the project, more than 400 students and teach-

ers from communities in the vicinity of the Reserve and

Sanctuary have communicated by mail and the Internet.

The Friends of OWC have featured products from Belize

in the gift shop at OWC that were purchased from Belize

cooperatives. The most interesting part of this partner-

ship is that it has accomplished so much with no formal

agreements and, other than staff time, with no federal or

state funding.

Other Migratory Bird Projects

Reserves have been active in developing and running mi-

gratory bird projects on both the Pacific and the Atlantic

Coasts. On the Pacific Coast, this effort continues with

the International Brant Monitoring Project, designed to

monitor the migration of a small sea goose through three

countries: the U.S., Canada and Mexico. On the East

Coast, multiple NERRs were involved with the Western

Atlantic Shorebird Association in establishing a multi-

country project stretching from Canada to Argentina.

This effort included developing a database and a website

that allows for multiple education uses. In both of these

projects, the education personnel at the NERRs were the

principal drivers for the projects, along with active par-

ticipation by staff from NOS Estuarine Reserves Division.

Tijuana River NERR (California)

The Tijuana River NERR is a special case of international

activity within the Reserve System. About 75% of the

Tijuana River watershed and 90% of the fresh water flow

into the Tijuana Estuary comes from Mexico. A major por-

tion of the Reserve’s management plan deals with prob -

lems on the Mexican side of the boundary. The Reserve

works with Mexican officials and individual land owners on

NERR System

TCS 29 (3)

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continued from page 4

Grand Bay NERR, Mississippi

two provinces (New Brunswick and Nova Scotia) bordering

on the Gulf of Maine created the Gulf of Maine Council on

the Marine Environment. A regional forum to exchange

information and conduct long term planning, the Coun-

cil’s mission, “…is to maintain and enhance environmen -

tal quality in the Gulf of Maine to allow for sustainable

resource use by existing and future generations. The Re -

search coordinator of the Wells Bay NERR (Maine) serves

as a member of the Habitat Conservation, Habitat Resto-

ration, and Habitat Monitoring Committees of the Council.

Summary

International activities in the NERR system are sometimes

the product of top-down directed programs (sometimes

without the knowledge of those involved), but more often

the result of individuals seizing the moment and mak-

ing programs happen with little or no funding from their

state or federal superiors. Many of these programs have

now been incorporated into individual NERR manage-

ment plans, and I fully expect that more of the NERRs will

become involved in international activities, both because

of interest within the individual NERRs and because the

system represents a coastal resource management re-

source and MPA system model that is not duplicated in the

U.S. or elsewhere, to my knowledge.

Acknowledgements

The following graciously allowed themselves to be interviewed

for this article:

William Reay, Manager, Chesapeake Bay NERR, Virginia; Frank

Lopez, Manager, Old Woman Creek NERR, Ohio; Beth Ebersole,

Manager, Chesapeake Bay NERR, Maryland; Clayton Phillips,

Manager, Tijuana River NERR, California; Gary Lytton, Manager,

Rookery Bay NERR, Florida; Peter Wellenberger, Manager Great

Bay NERR, New Hampshire; Carol Towle, Former Manager Chesa -

peake Bay NERR , Maryland; Gwynne Schultz, Director, Maryland

Coastal Zone Management Division; and Nina Garfield, Program

Specialist, Estuarine Reserve Division, NOS, NOAA. The inter-

pretation of the material they provided me is my own, and any

shortcomings in the paper, be they errors of omission or commis-

sion are mine and not that of any persons interviewed. I have

also borrowed text very freely from a number of web sites that

describe these programs.

Maurice “Mo" Lynch is a Professor Emeritus, Virginia

Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), College of William &

Mary. He retired in 2001 after 31 years with VIMS. Mo is a

charter member of The Coastal Society and has served as

President, and on the Board of Directors. He is presently

completing his second term as Treasurer. He has edited

or co-edited five of the Society’s Conference Proceedings

and organized two TCS conferences.

tal Management Plan, www.wfm.noaa.gov). NOAA also

reports employment trends indicating that 50% of employ-

ees eligible for retirement do leave within three years.

The Department of Commerce reported that in 2004,

the average length of service of retiring individuals was

almost 29.9 years (U.S. Office of Personnel Management,

www.opm.gov). Even using a conservative estimate, it

is therefore possible that by 2010 NOAA could lose more

than 25% of its workforce---and that workforce will take

with it an average of 30 years of institutional history per

person.

According to the Government Performance Project Report

of 2005, conducted by the Pew Center on the States (a

non-partisan independent research entity), the number

of South Carolina state government employees eligible

for retirement in the next 5 years is 23% and in the next

ten years it will be 39.8% (www. results.gpponline.org). A

June 2007 publication from the California State Personnel

Board (www.spb.ca.gov) reports that, of their approxi-

mately 235,000-strong state workforce, 35% (or 80,000

employees) will be eligible to retire by 2012. It’s very

likely that the majority of these retiring employees from

both South Carolina and California will be those with long-

term institutional knowledge and expertise.

The level of predicted retirement is certainly worrisome

in terms of the collective “loss" of institutional history

and intellectual capital; however, these departures across

multiple levels of leadership within agencies do provide

opportunities for young professionals with the interest

and motivation to positively impact coastal resources

through their efforts. Federal and state government

agencies are proactively setting out strategies to address

their upcoming workforce challenges through a variety of

human resources plans. However, even with these new

planning efforts, there continues to be concern that agen-

cies may not have sufficiently considered the replacement

of the retiring Baby-boomer managers (born ~ 1946-1964)

within the context of the changing worker perspectives of

the Generation-X’ers (born ~ 1964-1977) and Generation-

Y’ers (born ~1977-1997) (Young 2005; Green 2000). In

the last issue of this newsletter, TCS President Kristen

Fletcher described a few excellent leadership training

programs that can certainly provide the right suite of

tools for professionals. In addition to these options, I

would recommend that you take a look inside your own

institution to see what offerings might be “closer to

home." For example, NOAA offers a range of opportuni-

ties to expand one’s experience both in programming and

leadership including (but certainly not limited to) NOAA’s

NERR System / Leadership

TCS 29 (3)

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Rotational Assignment Program, Leadership Competencies

Development Program, and the Intergovernmental Person -

nel Agreement (which enables a temporary assignment of

personnel between federal, state and local governments

and academic communities). Now is an ideal time for

young professionals in coastal zone research and manage -

ment to take initiative in searching for the experiences

and mentors that will enable successful transitions into

new leadership positions.

Another approach to preparing for leadership positions

is to become involved in group discussions and activi-

ties that include senior and junior level managers, as

well as young professionals. Experiences with national,

regional, and local professional societies, working groups,

public outreach efforts and community environmental

planning committees all provide new perspectives on a

wide range of leadership opportunities. A recent Coastal

Zone 07 panel, “Practicing Adaptive Management in the

Workplace; Getting Prepared for the Next Generation of

Coastal Management," hosted by Kathleen Leyden of the

Maine Coastal Program, offered brainstorming with cur-

rent leaders and interested young coastal professionals.

Discussion included what characterizes a leader, steps to

take as an individual interested in strengthening leader-

ship capabilities, and the importance of finding a trusted

mentor, both to glean institutional history and to provide

feedback on new ideas. TCS is an additional resource for

this type of open discussion and a strong option for gain-

ing leadership experience and knowledge from a group

that has fostered and supported coastal zone manage -

ment initiatives for over thirty years. Undoubtedly, the

upcoming TCS21 conference in June 2008 will continue to

explore supporting the development of coastal leaders,

succession planning, recruitment and retention of leaders

in the field, as well as providing excellent networking op -

portunities with current leaders in the field. Keep an eye

open for similar discussions during the November 2007

Estuarine Research Federation conference as well as the

2008 Restore America’s Estuaries conference. Consider

joining the Membership Committee by contacting either

Tom Bigford (Chair; Tom.Bigford@noaa.gov) or me (Susan.

White@noaa.gov). We’re looking for more new energy to

support TCS efforts on this issue.

Of course, future leaders in this area are not limited to

the academic, policy and education communities; inter -

disciplinary teamwork continues to be promoted as the

key to success. Keep an eye on this newsletter for up-

coming discussions that I hope will be useful and thought-

(and action-) provoking. Continuing the advancement of

coastal zone management calls for a team of leaders who

bring energetic new skills to the table, but who also have

had the opportunity to learn from the past.

(This information does not represent the opinions or poli-

cies of NOAA or the Department of Commerce.)

__________________________________________________

California State Personnel Board, www.spb.ca.gov

Green, Marnie E. “Beware and Prepare: The Government

Workforce of the Future." Public Personnel Management

29(4). 2000.

Governments Performance Project, www. results.gppon-

line.org

NOAA Strategic Human Capital Management Plan, www.

wfm.noaa.gov

U.S. Office of Personnel Management, www.opm.gov/fed-

data/html.Age_Dist.asp

U.S. Office of Personnel Management, www.opm.gov

Young, Mary B. “Building the Leadership Pipeline in Local,

State, and Federal Government." Independent Research

on Organizations and the Workplace. CPS Human Re -

source Services. 2005.

Susan White is at the Hollings Marine Lab, a NOAA

National Center for Coastal Ocean Science and Center of

Excellence in Oceans and Human Health in Charleston, SC.

She recently relocated from NOAA's Estuarine Reserves Di-

vision in Silver Spring, where she was the national research

coordinator for the National Estuarine Research Reserve

System. At the Hollings Marine Lab, Susan continues to

be committed to supporting integrative and interdisciplin-

ary research in support of improved coastal management.

Susan also serves as a member of the Board of The Coastal

Society.

Leadership

TCS 29 (3)

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continued from page 6

NewsNotes

TCS 29 (3)

GAO Says U.S. Resource Managers Lack Direction on

Global Warming

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported

that agencies managing the nation's parks, forests, oceans

and monuments are unprepared to deal with climate

change. Currently, resource managers within the Agri-

culture, Interior and Commerce departments have "lim-

ited guidance about whether or how" to address climate

change, GAO said in its report. "Without such guidance,

their ability to address climate change and effectively

manage resources is constrained." At the same time,

there is increasing evidence of climate change in the 600

million acres of public lands and 150,000 square miles of

waters managed by federal agencies, ranging from melt-

ing glaciers in Glacier National Park to rising sea levels in

the Florida Keys. Excerpted from CSO Weekly

http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php.rptno=GAO-

07-863

Water Quality at U.S. Beaches

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) recently

released its 17th annual beach water quality report, a

compilation of data on 3,500 U.S. beaches. In the report

the NRDC identified the best ("Beach Buddies") and worst

beaches ("Beach Bums") in terms of contaminated wa-

ter. Pollution at the nation's 3,500 ocean, lake and bay

beaches resulted in more than 25,000 closing or swim-

ming advisory days last year, 28 percent more than in

2005, and the highest number in the 17 years that records

have been kept, according to the report. Excerpted from

CSO Weekly. http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/ttw/

ttw2007bb.pdf

Understanding the Cause of Red Tides

Chemists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

may have discovered the recipe for one major type of red

tide. Their research opens the door to a better under-

standing of an affliction that costs coastal communities

tens of millions of dollars in lost catches, human illness,

and wildlife injuries, such as the manatees who died in

a red tide outbreak near Florida last spring. By combin-

ing a chemical similar to an enzyme in the ocean with

chemicals found in the algae, researchers set off a chain

reaction that created abundant amounts of a type of bre-

vetoxin that is common in Florida.

Red tide researchers praised the MIT results, saying the

ability to create red tide toxins in the lab may help them

better understand the conditions that foster outbreaks,

which could lead them to an antidote to the poisons.

Excerpted from the Boston Globe.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/

articles/2007/08/31/mit_researchers_achieve_break-

through_on_red_tide_toxin/

Coral Worse Off Than Believed

The first large-scale analysis of the world's largest reef

systems indicates that coral destruction is faster and

more widespread than researchers previously thought.

Over the past 2 decades, coral has disappeared at five

times the rate of Earth's rainforests. The Indian and

Pacific oceans are home to 75% of the world's coral reefs.

Recently, John Bruno, a marine biologist at the University

of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and colleagues spent 3

years compiling over 6000 independent surveys. In all, the

data spanned 4 decades and recorded the status of more

than 2600 reefs. Over 3000 square kilometers of living

coral reef are lost each year, the team found, and the

speed of destruction is no less in protected habitats such

as Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Conservationists had pre-

viously believed that accelerated declines started in the

1990s, but the researchers found reports of widespread

loss dating back to the 1960s, when pollution, deforesta-

tion, and over-fishing trends began. Reefs vanished at an

annual rate of 1% during the 1980s, with declines climbing

through the 1990s to the current rate of 2%--nearly five

times the pace of rainforest elimination, say the authors.

Excerpted from an article by Amy Coombs, Science-

NOW. http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/

full/2007/808/2.rss=1. From an article by Bruno J.F., and

Selig E.R (2007). Regional Decline of Coral Cover in the In -

do-Pacific: Timing, Extent, and Subregional Comparisons.

PLoS ONE 2(8): e711. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000711.

http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchArticle.action.articl

eURI=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0000711

Global Warming May be Harming Gray Whales

As many as 118,000 gray whales roamed the Pacific before

humans decimated the population through hunting, and

human-induced climate change may now be depriving

those that remain of the food they need, according to a

study released yesterday. Research, based on a detailed

analysis of DNA taken from gray whales living in the

eastern Pacific, highlights how human behavior has trans-

formed the oceans.

Federal officials took eastern Pacific gray whales off the

endangered species list in the mid-1990s, but a rise in sea

temperatures appears to have limited the whales' avail -

able food. A recent spike in deaths among gray whales

may suggest "this decline was due to shifting climatic con-

ditions on Arctic feeding grounds," researchers wrote in a

continued on page 9

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the issue in the near future. Plaintiffs in Alsea II have

indicated that they will appeal Judge Hogan’s ruling.

Excerpted from an article by Dustin Till in Marten Law

Group Environmental News. http://app.e2ma.net/app/

view:CampaignPublic/id:3171.702428886/rid:a5e734512c

559cdf86ebc8ecc6e2a0d6

On the Legislative Front: Oceans-21

Oceans-21 (H.R. 21) was introduced to the House of

Representatives by Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) at the beginning

of this year, and has collected sixty-two co-sponsors. The

bill was written to address and enact many of the recom-

mendations put forward by the Joint Ocean Commission

Initiative and its predecessors, the U.S. Commission on

Oceans Policy and Pew Ocean Commission. The current

Oceans–21 enjoys broader support in this Congress than a

similar bill introduced in the previous Congress.

Key provisions include:

The creation of a National Ocean Policy. To comport

•

with National Standards, actions funded or carried

out by Federal agencies with potential affect on U.S.

waters, would have to be certified by NOAA to be

“not likely to significantly the health of any marine

ecosystem."

A NOAA Organic Act, which would codify the agency

•

and its mission in law. Currently, NOAA is authorized

solely by executive order.

The creation of a National Oceans Advisor and a per-

•

manent Committee on Oceans Policy in the Executive

Office of the President. The bill would also establish

a Council of Advisors on Oceans Policy, including

representatives from state and local government,

academia, industry, and NGOs.

The establishment of nine Regional Ocean Partner-

•

ships to build on current state, multi-state, and

regional efforts and develop non-binding Regional

Ocean Strategic Plans within three years.

An Ocean Trust Fund. Beginning in 2008, the Treasury

•

would deposit $1.3 billion into the Fund, which would

be disbursed by NOAA to coastal states via a sharing

formula. The funds would be used to implement the

Regional Ocean Strategic Plans.

Excerpted from September 07 Fisheries Focus. http://

www.asmfc.org/publications/fisheriesFocus/2007/sept07.

pdf

NewsNotes

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paper published online in the Proceedings of the National

Academy of Sciences.

"One of the most exciting things" about DNA analysis,

lead author Elizabeth Alter said, is that it gives us "the

opportunity to look back in time and see what the ocean

looked like before human impact." Said co-author

Stephen R. Palumbi, a professor of marine sciences at

Stanford, “…if humans are affecting the ocean's "capac-

ity to support life, it's got to make you worry, it's got to

make your wonder." Excerpted from the Washington

Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/

article/2007/09/10/AR2007091002143.html

U.S. Senator Feingold Calls for Hearings on Great Lakes

Water Levels

A decline in water levels is an ongoing problem in the

Great Lakes region, attributed in part to climate change,

new rainfall patterns and even dredging activities. Ac-

cording to recent reports, Lake Superior is expected to

reach a record low in 2007, while Lake Michigan and Lake

Huron water levels have dropped 3 feet since 1999. The

International Joint Commission (IJC), a bi-national group

whose members are appointed by the U.S. and Canadian

governments to monitor the water quality of the Great

Lakes, launched a new study to evaluate water level

changes and explore potential remediation options. The

study is expected to take five years, which Senator Russ

Feingold says is too long to wait. In letters to the Senate

Environment and Public Works Committee and the IJC,

Sen. Feingold has called for hearings and quicker action

from the IJC study group. Excerpted from CSO Weekly

http://feingold.senate.gov/~feingold/

releases/07/09/20070906.html

Hatchery Salmon Excluded From ESA Endangerment

Analysis

A federal judge in Oregon has upheld a decision by the

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to exclude

hatchery-spawned salmon when assessing species extinc-

tion risks in listing evaluations conducted under the En-

dangered Species Act (ESA). District Court Judge Michael

R. Hogan also agreed with NMFS’ decision to list 16 Pacific

salmon populations as threatened or endangered under

the ESA, Alsea Valley Alliance v. Lautenbacher (Alsea II).

The ruling clarifies a 2001 decision by the same judge and

makes clear that NMFS need not count hatchery-spawned

salmon when determining whether a salmon species is at

risk. The fight over the role of hatchery-spawned salmon

in ESA listings does not appear to be over and the Ninth

Circuit will likely have the opportunity to weigh in on

continued from page 8

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Chapter Voices

TCS 29 (3)

Graduate Scholarships

By Ellen Gordon

In lieu of a student-written article this quarter, I thought I would instead discuss a topic near and dear to most every

graduate student’s heart: support money! The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) offers two

competitive scholarship opportunities for graduate students in marine fields.

The first is the “Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program," which recognizes outstanding scholarship and encourages inde-

pendent graduate level research—particularly by female and minority students—in oceanography, maritime ecology and

marine biology (the lattermost being defined to include resource management of ocean and coastal areas). Congress

authorized the program soon after Dr. Foster’s death in June 2000 as a means of honoring her life’s work. Known for

her science-based conservation of coastal aquatic life, Dr. Foster was well-respected for her personal support of men-

toring as well as her championing of diversity.

The program is funded annually with one percent of the amount appropriated each fiscal year to carry out the National

Marine Sanctuaries Act. The scholarships carry a 12 month stipend of $20,000 and an annual cost-of-education allow-

ance of up to $12,000 and up to $20,000 support for research collaboration at a NOAA facility. Master’s degree students

may be supported for up to two years and doctoral students for up to four years. About four scholarships are awarded

each year. The 2008/2009 application process will open on December 1, 2007 and close on February 8, 2008. http://

fosterscholars.noaa.gov/aboutscholarship.html

The Graduate Sciences Program (GSP), another NOAA scholarship offer, is aimed at increasing opportunities for stu -

dents—particularly from underrepresented groups--in NOAA-related fields, including biology, engineering, law, social

science, economics, geography, mathematics, chemistry, physics, physical science, computer science, geography and

geology. Qualified candidates must have a 3.0 GPA minimum. The program provides for formal periods of work, study

and classroom training. The GSP pays for tuition, books, lab fees, and a housing allowance at the selected university,

travel expenses and salary during 16 weeks of NOAA work experience per year at a NOAA facility. A NOAA mentor is as-

signed to each student. The application process should be opening this year in October and closing in January of 2008.

Specific dates will be posted on the website in the near future. http://epp.noaa.gov/grad_science/welcome.html

NOAA offers other student opportunities on occasion, at undergrad, graduate and post-grad levels. For additional in-

formation, periodically check NOAA’s Office of Education, Student Opportunities website. http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/

noaa_student_opps.html

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