I’ve covered the marine environment as a reporter on the Maine coast, senior editor for SeaFood Business magazine and as a regular contributor for the Global Aquaculture Advocate and Smithsonian’s Zoogoer, the quarterly publication for Friends of the National Zoo.
There are so many stories to tell about the marine environment, particularly in the era of ocean acidification and climate change.
A selection of recent stories.
In Delaware Bay, a delicate balancing act for shellfish farms
~ for the Global Aquaculture Advocate, September 2019.
At low tide on the mudflats of Delaware Bay, oyster grower Lisa Calvo carefully selects a deep-cupped Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) from a mesh bag. She twists her shucking knife beneath its rough, bumpy shell to reveal a creamy, salty, fresh-as-can-be oyster that’s been plumped on the nutrient-rich waters of the tidal Delaware River.
That small, delicious morsel represents the fruit of two years of labor, the time it takes to grow an oyster from seed to market size. Calvo and her fellow farmers here face an increasingly complicated regulatory environment, and in an ecosystem critical to the survival of threatened rufa red knot migratory shorebirds — that fly from one end of the earth to the other — and the ancient horseshoe crabs that fuel their journey.
All of it unfolding in a fast-changing, global climate. Read more.
Lean and Green — What’s Not to Love about Seaweed?
Maine farmers and visionaries have established a new seaweed farming industry for fast-growing, nutritious, carbon-dioxide-absorbing seaweed. According to one estimate, 38 of 54 U.S. commercial seaweed farms are in the state, with increasing interest among new participants.
Will seaweed take off as an ingredient? Some are calling it the ‘new kale.’
Image courtesy of Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, Boothbay Harbor, Maine.
They’re ‘Everywhere’: The pervasiveness of microplastics
for the Global Aquaculture Advocate
Microplastics – small pieces of plastic less than 5 millimeters in size – include all kinds of plastics that were made to be small as well as pieces that have broken down from larger pieces of plastic, often in the marine environment. The term also covers microfibers, which are small bits of synthetic fibers that have been shed from things like ropes used in fisheries and aquaculture as well as synthetic fleeces and other clothing items as they are washed in household machines.
For decades, people have known about plastic trash on beaches and the problem of marine animals becoming entangled in plastic debris. What’s new is an understanding of the extent of the problem, along with well-publicized images and reports of plastic trash found in the stomachs of marine creatures – and microplastics turning up in the human food supply.
Maine Oyster Farmer Stares Down Climate Change
for the Global Aquaculture Advocate
Bill Mook is quickly adapting his shellfish hatchery and farm, Mook Sea Farm, to a new era of more acidic water and more frequent, intense storms as climate change unfolds in the Gulf of Maine.
Modern Ark
for Smithsonian’s Zoogoer
Smithsonian conservation biologist Mary Hagedorn is preserving as much of the world’s coral reef ecosystems as she can in a frozen-but-alive bank, inventing new techniques as she goes.
Washed Ashore
for Smithsonian’s Zoogoer
Every day as she walked her dog on her Oregon beach, Angela Haseltine Pozzi noticed all the plastic trash — until one day she decided to make art from it to help solve the problem. Her larger-than-life sea creatures sculpted of plastic trash tour zoos and aquaria around the country, calling attention to the lethal plastic pollution in the ocean.
Plastics at Sea
for Smithsonian’s Zoogoer
Marine habitats are increasingly polluted with the buildup of our discarded plastic that weathers and breaks down into smaller bits over time, but never really goes away. Every year, we churn out another 20 million tons of plastic, killing marine animals and threatening our food supply. Fishing line, water bottles, toothbrushes, toys, toilet seats, flip-flops — you name it and there’s likely to be a plastic version that turns up in the sea.
Stories for The Global Aquaculture Advocate, which supports the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s mission of advocating, educating and demonstrating responsible aquaculture practices worldwide.
Warming Waters off Atlantic Canada prompt Farmed Salmon Industry Adaptation
Salmon farmers face warmer waters off Atlantic Canada, and are partnering with scientists to understand what that means for growing salmon and how to adapt.
The skinny on oils
A primer on omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and why they matter to our health.
As the aquaculture industry works to use less wild fish to feed farmed fish, it must be mindful of preserving seafood’s healthy halo. Here’s why.
In Sea Lice Fight, Farmers Phasing Out Hydrogen Peroxide
Marine Harvest’s salmon farming operations in Scotland saw some benefits after decreasing its use of hydrogen peroxide.
Two years ago, Marine Harvest used 8 million liters of hydrogen peroxide to treat sea lice and amoebic gill disease at its salmon farms along the coast of Scotland.
The following year, total usage dropped to 6 million liters as the company invested in non-chemical controls like cleaner fish – wrasse and the aptly named lumpsucker fish that swim with the salmon, plucking the sea lice that adhere to the fish’s skin to feed.