The lack of fish paints a gloomy picture for pelagic bird species. http://www.grenfellrecord.com.au/story/1848433/the-ocean-is-broken/?cs=2452 =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) to: birding-aus-request@vicnet.net.au http://birding-aus.org ===============================
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4 comments to The ocean is dead; a yachtsman’s tale |
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The world’s ocean are indeed awash with plastics (ahem) as well as ‘nurdles’, the pea-sized microparticles that are precursors of plastics production. Surprisingly, we can do something practical about them. If you live in Melbourne, the Port Phillip EcoCentre would love your help with its nurdle monitoring project. http://www.ecocentre.com/ Otherwise, this is a pretty good website to inform yourself of the problem: http://nurdle.org/ https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1383702_1015162494371 7676_729923782_n.jpg Another initiative to combat litter on Melbourne’s beaches is ‘Beach Patrol’. Once a month, each beach is cleaned for one hour by volunteers. Each group has a different beach and postcode to clean so St Kilda is Beach Patrol 3182, for instance. When you consider how much the sea life, the little penguins, and the entire ecosystem has to gain from this, it really makes sense. One hour a month – who doesn’t watch more telly than that in a day? Since February, Beach Patrol 3182 has collected over 700kg of rubbish. Other parts of the Bay have similar groups. http://www.beachpatrol.com.au https://www.facebook.com/events/562168023832499/ This link is to an event by the EcoCentre on November 4, featuring the premiere of a documentary on marine plastics. It’s on their website. =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) http://birding-aus.org ===============================
Just yesterday one of my colleagues, prof. Geir Wing Gabrielsen of the Norwegian Polar Institute here in Tromsø was on TV and told about his newest research, where they found that in 65% of Northern Fulmars studied, there was plastic in the stomach; the percentage was even higher in immature birds. The birds were collected in Svalbard waters. Wim Vader, Tromsø Museum 9037 Tromsø, Norway wim.vader@uit.no —–Original Message—– Sent: 21. oktober 2013 09:16 Cc: Birding-Aus Aus Hi all, It’s not just the Pacific either, unfortunately. My husband and I visited Svalbard in the Arctic on a trip last year, and I was saddened to see plastic on some of the beaches there. Someone in the group also saw plastic in a polar bear scat, so it can also be an added hazard for an animal under pressure already from the warmer climate. Many sea birds also nest there, so it’s possible they could also be involved with dangers from the plastic rubbish. Sonja On 21/10/2013, at 6:03 PM, “Prof Michael Tarburton” < tarburton.m@optusnet.com.au> wrote: =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) http://birding-aus.org =============================== =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) http://birding-aus.org ===============================
Hi all, It’s not just the Pacific either, unfortunately. My husband and I visited Svalbard in the Arctic on a trip last year, and I was saddened to see plastic on some of the beaches there. Someone in the group also saw plastic in a polar bear scat, so it can also be an added hazard for an animal under pressure already from the warmer climate. Many sea birds also nest there, so it’s possible they could also be involved with dangers from the plastic rubbish. Sonja On 21/10/2013, at 6:03 PM, “Prof Michael Tarburton” < tarburton.m@optusnet.com.au> wrote: =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) http://birding-aus.org ===============================
Thanks Carl for drawing our attention to this article. At first I thought it might just be the time of the year that gave him lean pickings, but then it appears he is experienced and observant and is on to something serious. If you want to see some of the plastic junk in an even more remote part of the Pacific. Go into Google Earth, turn photos on and do a goto for -24.349154 -128.305751 Zero in until you see only one photo symbol. Click on it to see three photos entitled: “Trash on the east Beach, impressive amounts” This is on Henderson Island east of the remote Pitcairn Island. A couple of months ago I saw 7-10 photos of trash – I thought it was on Ducie or Oeno island, and I estimated one 10 tonne truck load per 10 metres of beach. Unfortunately I cannot find that link tonight. & I thought the amount of plastic on Chilli Beach on Cape York was something to worry about! Happy birding Mike Mike Tarburton ————————- Email sent using Optus Webmail =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) http://birding-aus.org ===============================