California Watch - Environment

Coral-killing seaweed has medicinal benefits, researchers say

Susanne Rust — Fri, 25 May 2012 07:05:03 +0000

Susanne Rust

Jennifer Smith/Scripps Institution of Oceanography The properties that allow this cyanobacteria to kill coral also make it a potentially powerful medicine.

California researchers have discovered that there may be a silver lining to an invasive and toxic seaweed that is killing some of Hawaii's coral reefs: It seems the seaweed contains compounds that could treat human diseases.

"I think this finding is a nice illustration of how we need to look more deeply in our environment, because even nuisance pests, as it turns out, are not just pests," said William Gerwick, a researcher at UC San Diego and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. "It's a long road to go from this early-stage discovery to application in the clinic, but it's the only road if we want new and more efficacious medicines."

The study appears in today's issue of the journal Chemistry & Biology.

The seaweed, a tiny photosynthetic organism known as a cyanobacterium, was identified in 2008 on coral reefs near the Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, off Hawaii’s Kona coast.

Researchers say it is native to Hawaii and generally inconspicuous. Indeed, they think a little of it is always around Kona's reefs.

It was first noticed during a routine survey of the coral, said Jennifer Smith, a co-author of the study and researcher at Scripps. “It was clearly smothering the corals at one of the most popular dive sites in Hawaii.”

Research on marine cyanobacteria shows that climate change can accelerate the organism's growth. It thrives in environmentally stressful conditions, such as UV exposure, high solar radiation and temperatures, and scarce or overly rich nutrients.

And on the reefs of Kona, the cyanobacteria was thriving. According to the researchers, the bloom was growing and suffocating the coral below.

Lena Gerwick, another co-author, said she and her team were unsure of the exact reason for the recent blooms, but they suspect runoff from nearby coffee plantations could be a factor.

In any case, the scientists took some of it home to find out more about it in their lab.

Lena Gerwick said the fact that it was overtaking the coral indicated that it had ecological advantages over the coral. And there were two theories put forward. The first was that the cyanobacteria was killing a beneficial film of bacteria that usually covers the coral and protects it from disease and pathogens. The second theory was that cyanobacteria was inhibiting the coral's immune system, making it susceptible to attack.

When they got into their La Jolla lab, they found the cyanobacteria generates compounds known as honaucins, which have both the bacteria-killing and anti-inflammation properties they had predicted.

Lena Gerwick said the researchers have now shown that the cyanobacteria can be used as an effective topical anti-inflammatory ointment for mice. And they hope that the combined activity – anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties – can be used to fight diseases such as cystic fibrosis.

"It's a long shot, but that's just the kind of thing we work for," she said.

SF 3rd-graders fight against sea lion killings

Monterey Bay Aquarium exempted from ban on wastewater dumping

SF 3rd-graders fight against sea lion killings

Susanne Rust — Thu, 10 May 2012 07:05:02 +0000

Susanne Rust

Courtesy of Angela Casey A third-grade class in San Francisco has launched a campaign to save California sea lions, who are being euthanized by Northwest officials to protect salmon.

One third-grade class at San Francisco’s Lafayette Elementary School wasn’t going to let another California sea lion get shot without its voice being heard.

In the past two weeks, students in Angela Casey’s class have created and launched a political campaign to stop the governors of Oregon and Washington from allowing any more sea lion deaths at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River.

Over the past several weeks, Oregon and Washington state officials have captured and euthanized California sea lions seen eating salmon at the Columbia River dam.

The two states, along with Idaho, have been granted exemption from the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, allowing officials to kill the sea lions. The officials argue that the animals are having a “significant negative impact” on wild, endangered salmon populations.

Since May 4, 10 California sea lions have been trapped, nine killed and one shipped to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

The Lafayette Elementary students have caught the attention of activists up and down the coast, who have arranged an Oregon tour for Casey.

The activist groups, which include the Washington-based Sea Shepherd and the Portland, Ore.-based Sea Lion Defense Brigade, will join her as she tries to hand deliver her students’ letters today to Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber.

Casey said the Oregon governor will not meet her in person to receive the students' letters, such as one that says: "The sea lions of Bonneville Dam have more of a right to eat salmon than you do. Why can't you just fish a different kind of fish?!"

Kitzhaber’s office had no comment.

Casey became interested in the sea lions after seeing Facebook links from friends and marine animal advocacy groups to news stories and blog posts, including several from California Watch.

Already working on a marine-environment curriculum with her class, Casey decided to use the Bonneville sea lions as an example of a complex environmental situation, where management of one species – salmon – can interfere with another.

“The kids seemed pretty concerned about it,” she said. "They wanted to find out more about the sea lions’ impact on salmon.”

So the class started investigating. They looked to see how many salmon the sea lions ate and how big of an impact they were having on the fish. They then started researching other factors that threaten salmon, including commercial fishing, hydroelectric dams and invasive species.

The kids, she said, concluded the killings were wrong. But they weren’t content to leave it at that.

Coincidentally, another area her class was supposed to cover this year was letter writing, Casey said. So she suggested the students write letters to the politicians involved, including the governors of Oregon and Washington and even President Barack Obama.

The kids also wrote to state Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, whom they hoped would sympathize with the cause.

He did.

"My office received 15 letters from Lafayette Elementary students,” Leno said in a statement. “I applaud these young people and their teacher for taking a stand on this animal protection issue and thank them for their advocacy and passion.”

Others took notice, too.

Other classes at the school invited Casey's third-graders in to do presentations on the sea lions. Some of those students started writing letters. Casey started a Facebook page to feature the students' letters, drawings and paintings.

“And then the parents got involved,” said Casey. And before she knew it, she was being contacted by organizations interested in the topic, including Sea Shepherd.

“The ripple effect has been amazing,” she said, adding that she hopes the students are learning a valuable lesson about democracy and civil engagement.

“They made an effort to have their voices heard,” she said. “And they are being heard.”

Indeed, the one sea lion spared from euthanasia by Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium was named “Casey” after the third-grade teacher.

Casey leaves today for her trip to Oregon. And although she’ll be alone, without her third-graders, she’ll keep in mind the saying she has spread across her Facebook page:

“Alone we are a drop, together we are an ocean.”

State spars with EPA on air quality standards

Bernice Yeung — Tue, 08 May 2012 07:05:02 +0000

Bernice Yeung

Jeff Kubina

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is not protecting public health and has violated federal law by failing to review air quality standards, according to a lawsuit filed by the American Lung Association, the state air board and a consortium of states.

A brief filed late last week by the EPA in federal court in Washington, D.C., states that it does not plan to complete the mandatory review until Aug. 15, 2013 – about 22 months after the legal deadline.

The EPA "does not dispute that it has missed the statutory deadline," the agency wrote in court documents.

But, it said, the delay is "due in part to the abundance of new scientific evidence concerning the potential health and welfare effects of PM (particulate matter) pollution" and the complexity of the issues involved.

The agency is required by the Clean Air Act to review every five years the federal standards for various pollutants in light of the most recent science. The agency’s review of fine particulate matter, a pollutant that has been linked to a number of health problems, was supposed to be completed by October 2011. The plaintiffs sued the following February.

The fine particulate matter standards that the plaintiffs want reviewed may not be adequate to protect public health. According to a 2009 federal court decision, the EPA has not reasonably demonstrated that the existing standards would protect public health with an ample margin of safety. As a result of that decision, the EPA is under court order to revisit the national fine particulate matter standards so that they conform to scientific research on the pollutant’s health impacts.

Lawsuits demanding that the EPA meet its standards review deadlines are not unusual. But Paul Cort, an attorney representing the American Lung Association, said the overdue review, coupled with the 2009 court decision, gives the case urgency.

“From a legal point of view, this case is about enforcing the deadline, but the reason that enforcing that deadline is so important is because the standards that are in place right now are known not to be adequate to protect public health,” he said.

Janice Nolen, assistant vice president for national policy and advocacy for the American Lung Association, said that fine particulates, which can lodge in the lungs and potentially enter the bloodstream, are “probably one of the most dangerous outdoor air pollutants.”

Research has associated fine particulates with premature deaths, heart attacks, strokes and asthma attacks. A 2012 EPA study estimated that based on 2005 air quality levels, between 130,000 and 360,000 Americans would die prematurely due to fine particulate matter exposure.

Fine particulates are a byproduct of combustion. They are emitted from sources such as diesel trucks and power plants, and during residential wood burning.

The California Air Resources Board joined the litigation "because we believe it's important that the EPA meet its deadline and that it regularly reviews the stringency of the pollutant standards to protect public health," said agency spokesman Stanley Young.

Industry organizations like the American Petroleum Institute and the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers did not return requests for comment. But in prior litigation, these and other industry groups have argued that fine particulate matter standards do not need to be further tightened because when it comes to health risks, the “approaches EPA used in the 2005 risk assessment virtually ensured that assessment overstated the risks.”

In response to a California Watch inquiry about the lawsuit, the EPA said that it “will review” the case.

Regina McCarthy, assistant administrator for the office of air and radiation at the EPA, said the amount of time that the agency has taken to conduct a review is reasonable because of the “importance and complexity of the issues involved,” according to a declaration filed with the court.

“EPA had earlier indicated publicly that EPA planned to propose and take final action … on a more aggressive schedule,” the declaration said. “Notwithstanding these plans, EPA was unable to do so due chiefly to the time needed for the preparation of the complex and comprehensive supporting documents.”

But Cort, an attorney with Earthjustice in San Francisco who also represents the National Parks Conservation Association in this case, said that the agency is “dragging its feet.”

“It's really disappointing because they have said publicly that fine particulate pollution is one of their top priorities,” he said.

The American Lung Association’s 2012 State of the Air report gave 18 California counties an “F” grade for particulate pollution.

State rewrites textbook chapter influenced by plastics industry

Susanne Rust — Fri, 04 May 2012 22:54:49 +0000

Susanne Rust

alejandrophotography/istockphoto.com

Under pressure from politicians and environmental groups, California’s environmental agency has rewritten a chapter in a statewide K-12 curriculum on plastic bags that was influenced by the chemical and plastics industry.

The new chapter, which was posted today for review, no longer includes a section titled, “The Advantages of Plastic Shopping Bags,” and it incorporates more recent and relevant recycling statistics.

The public can weigh in during the next 30 days on the revised chapter [PDF] by visiting the website for the state Environmental Protection Agency's "education and the environment initiative."

"We continue to support Cal/EPA's ongoing efforts to transparently enhance the state's education and environment initiative, including through this most recent public-comment process," said Steve Russell, vice president of plastics for the American Chemistry Council.

Last summer, a California Watch investigation showed whole sections of the 11th-grade teachers’ edition guide for the new curriculum had been lifted almost verbatim from comments submitted by the American Chemistry Council.

After the investigation was published, state schools chief Tom Torlakson issued a statement saying his office would work with Cal/EPA to examine the material and identify areas “where further review may be warranted.”

State Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, also called for an investigation, and Cal/EPA issued a statement saying they would review the chapter.

"I am grateful for CalEPA's work and allowing a public process for review," Pavley said in a statement today. "I am pleased to see the EEI curriculum is staying true to the mission of providing educational materials that are factual, unbiased, academically appropriate and rigorous."

A Santa Cruz school librarian started a petition to have the chemical industry's influence removed from the curriculum. To date, she has garnered more than 30,000 signatures.

"Our concern always with the curriculum was to ensure integrity and accuracy," said Bryan Ehlers, Cal/EPA's assistant secretary for education and quality programs. "We went back and looked at the whole unit and really picked through it with a fine-tooth comb."

The revised chapter incorporates 33 changes, including deletions, additions and changes in the text.

For instance, a question in the teachers’ guide that was originally phrased: “What are the advantages of using plastic shopping bags?” now reads: “What factors have contributed to the consumption of plastic shopping bags?”

In another section, in which the original text had used recycling statistics offered by the American Chemistry Council, indicating a 12 percent rate of recycling for plastic shopping bags, the new text notes recycling rates of plastic shopping bags are largely unknown. It also shows state estimates, which hover closer to 3 percent.

"You can see from what we've released – particularly given that so much of it was written years ago – that we've updated a few statistics and made a few tweaks to make certain there is no bias. That certainly was never our intent," Ehlers said.

He said that while reviewing the text, his office made sure not to begin biasing it in "the other direction."

Mark Murray, executive director of the Sacramento-based Californians Against Waste, said he was "pleased with the changes."

"They are more evenhanded and honest with regards to plastic bag waste," he said.

Stricter seafood labeling sought for restaurants

Susanne Rust — Thu, 03 May 2012 07:05:03 +0000

Susanne Rust

dasilvafa/istockphoto.com Sushi bars were the worst offenders in a Southern California study that looked at mislabeling of fish.

If you’re in LA or Orange counties, odds are you’re not eating the fish you thought you were.

A report released last week by the environmental advocacy group Oceana showed that 55 percent of the seafood it tested in the two counties was mislabeled. Nearly 120 samples were collected from seafood restaurants, grocery stores, sushi bars and restaurant chains.

The report is just part of Oceana's ongoing nationwide investigation of seafood mislabeling.

"Be on the look out for seafood sleuths in the Bay Area," said Geoff Shester, Oceana's California program director. He said the organization has volunteers and staff actively testing fish in restaurants, grocery stores and fish markets from Monterey to Marin.

Shester said the most common types of fish to be mislabeled in the Los Angeles region were salmon, sole, tuna and snapper.

“Of the samples we tested that were labeled Pacific red snapper, none were actually red snapper,” he said.

A Senate bill sponsored by Sen. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, would address the problem by requiring big restaurant chains to provide more information to customers about the origins of the fish they serve.

Shester said sushi bars were the worst offenders, with 87 percent of those samples mislabeled. Grocery stores had the least mislabeling.

One of the most concerning findings, he said, was that escolar, a deep-sea fish with oily flesh, was being substituted for white tuna.

“Escolar is known as the ex-lax of fish,” said Shester, adding that many countries have banned its sale and the FDA suggests that seafood manufacturers and processors warn consumers of the “purgative effect” associated with eating it.

Indeed, in 2011, there was an outbreak of gastro-intestinal illness in New South Wales, Australia, where attendees at a lunch conference ate escolar.

“A distinct symptom reported by many ill persons was the presence of oily diarrhea,” wrote health officials examining the outbreak.

Concerned about these kinds of safety issues, as well as the basic issue of mislabeling and fraud, Lieu penned a bill requiring all restaurant chains that own more than 19 in-state restaurants to inform customers of the species of the fish on the menu and where it was caught.

Lieu said the bill, SB 1486, piggybacks on another that was passed in 2011 requiring restaurant chains to provide calorie information.

He said he’d like to see a bill that included smaller venues as well, but is hopeful local jurisdictions, such as LA County, will tackle that front.

LA County supervisors have already voted to direct the local Department of Public Health to look into the matter.

The state Senate bill has passed through the Senate Health Committee, and is now sitting in the Rules Committee, where a vote will take place later by next week, Lieu said.

But not everyone thinks the bill is necessary.

“Obviously, we’re in the business of serving the public,” said Matt Sutton, senior legislative director for the California Restaurant Association. “And the last thing we want to do is upset a customer, or make them so disgruntled they do not return.”

But, he said, this bill won’t solve that.

He said the bill points fingers at restaurants without considering the numerous steps along the supply chain – from harvesting to processing to distribution and supply.

He said it would also be an economical and logistical nightmare for restaurants, who'd have to constantly update menus, brochures and other informational literature about fish that can change on a seasonal, weekly and often daily basis.

Lieu said he’d like to keep working with the trade group to hopefully “come to a happy place” with the bill.

Plastic pollution in ocean likely underestimated, researchers say

Susanne Rust — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 07:05:03 +0000

Susanne Rust

Fabi Fliervoet/Flickr Scientists likely have underestimated the amount of plastic floating in the ocean.

The cause célèbre of plastic litter in the ocean is the Texas-sized, swirling island of plastic debris thousands of miles off the coast of California in the Pacific Ocean.

But researchers from the Universities of Washington and Delaware and the Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, Mass., say the story is much bigger, and scarier, than that. They say scientists have only skimmed the surface on the devastating pollution caused by plastic debris in the ocean, and the research community is likely underestimating the amount of plastic in the ocean.

According to new research, natural ocean processes such as wind, drag, turbulence and wave height can push the plastic deep down, where it floats along, suspended underwater and unobserved by people examining the ocean's surface.

The research is published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Giora Proskurowski, the University of Washington researcher, said his eureka moment happened while working on a research sailboat 2,000 miles off the West Coast.

Looking overboard, as the wind died down, he saw little white particles littered over the surface.

"It was like a photograph coming into focus," he said. As the rippled waves on the surface died, the white specks appeared.

But half an hour later, as the wind picked it up, they all disappeared.

He decided to take samples from below the surface, at a depth of 16 feet. And there, he discovered plastic moving through the water column, even though he couldn't see it on the surface.

Taking the experiment a step further, Proskurowski looked at data that had been collected by the Sea Education Association from the 1990s and early 2000s. He also collected more samples from the North Atlantic at different depths, going down as far as 100 feet.

“Almost every tow we did contained plastic, regardless of the depth,” he said.

Using that data with wind measurements that had been collected, Proskurowski and his team were able to devise a simple model that can potentially be used by others, including non-scientists, to match wind data with surface plastic collections to estimate how much was missed by only skimming the surface.

"In order to make an accurate estimate, you need to consider the wind conditions under which that sample was taken," he said.

The team is hoping others will use this model – which is available upon request – to evaluate current investigations of plastic pollution in the ocean.

"I think what this research really shows is that I can go out in the middle of the ocean – five days away from land – into one of the remotest parts of the planet, and scoop up plastic," he said. "I think it's a stark reminder of the impact our society has on the planet."

"And it should make us realize that any systematic cleanup approach we might make is going to be difficult," he said.

The American Chemistry Council, the chemical and plastics industry trade group, could not be reached for comment.

Capt. Charles Moore of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation in Long Beach said the research supports the work his own organization has done, which also has found that plastic sinks in the water column and its presence is underestimated.

"I'd suggest they start analyzing the sediments of the mouths of urban rivers," where plastics heavier than water get mixed in with soils, Moore said.

Moore said the presence of plastic in the ocean is concerning for a variety of reasons. His foundation has discovered that reef-like structures are forming on the plastic, with crabs, sea anemones, barnacles and even coral heads living on the plastic jetsam floating in the ocean. These reefs alter the deep ocean by blocking sunlight and alter the ocean's chemistry.

He said the plastics also are toxic, and as animals feed on them, these pollutants enter the food chain, carrying and amplifying them as animal after animal is exposed.

"Then there's just the straight ingestion issue," he said, with evidence that whales, turtles and fish are filled with these plastics.

"I wish there were a simple answer to fixing this," he said. "But our economy is based on throwaway, packaged items."

Chicago aquarium offers to take salmon-eating sea lion

Susanne Rust — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:05:03 +0000

Susanne Rust

Nick Chill/Flickr

As the tally of sea lion deaths at the Bonneville Dam in Washington state grows to four, happier news comes from Chicago, where the Shedd Aquarium has pledged to take the next sea lion caught eating salmon.

"It's what we all would prefer see happen," said Craig Bartlett, a Washington state wildlife official. "We'd rather see them find new homes."

Over the past several weeks, Oregon and Washington state officials have captured and euthanized California sea lions seen eating salmon at the Columbia River dam.

Bartlett said the Shedd is seeking to replace a sea lion that died after developing genital cancer.

The Shedd Aquarium did not respond to requests for comment.

Bartlett said precancerous genital herpes has been found in many of the sea lions trapped at the dam. He added that the Shedd has certain conditions that must be met for the aquarium to accept a sea lion, including the animal's general health and size.

Bartlett said the salmon have been slow to move up the river this year, though state wildlife officials are expecting record-high runs.

A spokeswoman for the Humane Society of the United States said that since the federal government cleared the way for states to kill the sea lions in 2008, 10 have been taken off the “hit list” and transferred to aquariums or zoos.

In 2008, three went to SeaWorld San Antonio and three to SeaWorld Orlando. In 2009, two went to the Shedd (including the one that is now being replaced) and two to the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas.

Sharon Young, the Humane Society's marine issues field director, said about 35 have been killed.

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the largest number of sea lions seen any one day this year at the dam was 10, the lowest count since 2002. Combined, the sea lions have eaten 116 salmon – 75 Chinook and 41 steelhead – and 14 unknown fish species from Jan. 1 to April 18.

“Again, the lowest of any year since they have been observing,” Young said.

According to the Army Corps, which tracks the salmon at the dam, 6,322 salmon have been counted since the beginning of the month, which means the sea lions have eaten about 2 percent of the run.

The Humane Society filed a lawsuit last month against the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which authorized the states to kill the protected mammals. The society argued that the killings violate the Marine Mammal Protection Act and that the government has failed to show that sea lions, which are natural salmon predators, kill a significantly large number of salmon.

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Ore. officials 'haze' Calif. salmon-eating sea lions

Tribe travels across Pacific to recover lost salmon species

Citing contamination, FDA aims to shut down 2 state fish processors

Susanne Rust — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 07:05:04 +0000

Susanne Rust

Podknox/Flickr

Government health and food safety officials are seeking to close down two fish processing plants in California, citing concerns over the spread of bacteria and toxins in contaminated products.

So far, there have been no illnesses associated with the two plants. However, government inspectors detected the toxins that cause botulism and listeriosis on products tested at the plants.

The Food and Drug Administration is looking to close down the Fujino Enterprises-owned Blue Ocean Smokehouse in Half Moon Bay and has temporarily halted operations and distribution out of the Yamaya processing plant in Torrance.

A Yamaya spokesman said the company had no comment, and a call to Blue Ocean Smokehouse was not returned.

According to the FDA, Yamaya has agreed to the agency’s request to stop manufacturing and distributing fish products until it corrects conditions at its processing plant.

The concern at the Torrance-based plant is Listeria monocytogenes, which causes listeriosis. That disease, while harmless to most people, poses a serious threat to pregnant women, newborns and people with compromised immune systems.

According to an April 11 consent decree, the company also has promised to destroy all products currently at the plant.

In the case of the Half Moon Bay processing plant, the government is seeking to shut down the plant entirely. Blue Ocean Smokehouse processes fresh and smoked fish, including salmon, cod, halibut, tuna, sturgeon and hot-smoked cream cheese spreads.

“The company has ignored warnings by the FDA and the California Department of Public Health by continuing to sell seafood that puts consumers’ health at risk,” said Dara Corrigan, associate commissioner for regulatory affairs.

An FDA inspection in October found poor employee sanitation practices and showed the company’s facility was not maintained in a manner that protected against food contamination.

Of particular concern to the agency is the smokehouse’s vacuum-packed hot and cold smoked fish products. Inspectors claim the products pose a risk for the development of the Clostridium botulinum toxin, which can cause botulism.

Botulism is a rare but serious illness that may result in paralysis, respiratory problems or death.

Long-vilified swordfish industry finds support in environmental group

Officials warn of high mercury, PCB levels in some SF Bay fish

State officials perplexed by sea lion killings

Susanne Rust — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 07:05:04 +0000

Susanne Rust

Mike Baird/Flickr

A third salmon-eating California sea lion was captured and killed yesterday at the Bonneville Dam in Washington.

Two sea lions were captured and chemically euthanized at the Columbia River dam by Washington state officials last week.

And while Oregon, Washington and federal wildlife officials say the killings are necessary to preserve endangered salmon populations, California officials expressed skepticism.

Citing predictions for record-high numbers of Chinook salmon this year along the Pacific coast, Andrew Hughan, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Game, said his agency was "perplexed" by the killings.

“We know salmon is a huge part of the Oregon economy, but is eliminating a couple of sea lions really going to make a difference?” Hughan said.

Officials estimate that a California sea lion eats about seven salmon a day. According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the two California sea lions were captured and then chemically euthanized last week after ignoring repeated hazing techniques, such as fireworks and non-lethal explosives.

A federal law requires that sea lions targeted for death must be individually identifiable, have been observed eating salmon for five days (even if those days occurred over several years) and have not responded to hazing.

Craig Bartlett, a spokesman for Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, said his agency and Oregon’s Department of Fish and Wildlife sought permission to kill the protected marine mammals because of the states’ overriding concern for salmon.

“Yes, there are predictions that we will have record numbers of salmon this year, but that hasn’t happened yet,” he said.

The peak salmon run generally occurs toward the end of April and beginning of May. But because of recent rain, the rivers are swollen, and the salmon migration has been slow to start, Bartlett said.

“Our chief concern is the wild salmon,” he said, which tend to migrate far up the river, to the Bonneville Dam. He said hatchery fish tend to split off onto tributaries further down the river.

According to Bartlett, 30 percent of the fish below the dam are wild.

The Humane Society of the United States filed a lawsuit last month against the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which authorized the states to kill the protected mammals. The society argued that the killings violate the Marine Mammal Protection Act and that the government has failed to show that sea lions, which are natural salmon predators, kill a significantly large number of salmon.

"Especially when you compare them to other sources of mortality," said Sharon Young, Humane Society marine issues field director. Young said sea lions have been documented to take anywhere between 0.4 percent and 4.2 percent of the salmon run, while commercial fishing is closer to 17 percent, and the dam takes about 10 percent.

Young added that the states' stocking of non-wild fish, such as bass and walleye, in the river has had a significant impact on the survival of salmon. The non-wild fish eat small or juvenile salmon.

And in any case, she added, the salmon run has been stable or growing over the past several years.

"There is just no justification for killing the sea lions," she said. "It's just a red herring. It looks like something easy to solve, but they should really be addressing the bigger issues, like non-native fish."

The society also sought a temporary restraining order to prevent the killings, but that order was rejected by a federal judge. Currently, the states are authorized to kill up to 92 sea lions per year for the next five years. However, in response to the Humane Society’s suit, a judge ruled that only 30 could be killed this year.

Monterey Bay Aquarium exempted from ban on wastewater dumping

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Ore. officials 'haze' Calif. salmon-eating sea lions

Long-lost frog found by Calif. researchers

Susanne Rust — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 07:05:02 +0000

Susanne Rust

David Blackburn/California Academy of SciencesThe Bururi long-fingered frog hadn't been seen or documented since 1949.

The long-lost Bururi long-fingered frog has been found.

Feared extinct, a team of researchers from the California Academy of Sciences announced last week that they have discovered a single long-fingered frog living in the southwestern forests of Burundi, in East Africa.

The species hasn’t been seen or documented since 1949.

The researchers who found it took it home, and it now resides in the academy’s herpetology collection.

The researchers say it wasn’t the only frog in the vicinity; others could be heard chirping the species’ distinctive call.

But David Blackburn, a co-leader of the expedition and biologist at the academy, said the discovery of the frog in December was fortuitous.

"I thought I heard the call and walked toward it, then waited," Blackburn said. "In a tremendous stroke of luck, I casually moved aside some grass, and the frog was just sitting there on a log."

The frog is about 1½ inches long, grayish blue and covered with black splotches.

The researchers knew the frog they found was a male because of its distinctively long and spine-covered fourth toe. It’s this toe that gives the frog its name.

Burundi’s geological and ecological characteristics make it a fascinating area for biologists. It is bordered by the Congo River Basin, Great Rift Valley and Lake Tanganyika, the world’s second-largest freshwater lake. It has been relatively closed off to scientists for years due to civil war and political unrest. It is densely populated, with about 10 million people living in an area the size of Massachusetts.

Blackburn and his team – which included researchers from the University of Texas at El Paso; the Centre de Recherche en Sciences Naturelles in Lwiro, Democratic Republic of Congo; and the Institut National pour l'Environnement et la Conservation de la Nature of Burundi – say they documented dozens of other amphibians that had never been identified in the country.

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