In this issue...
- Our first Greek Hope Spot is announced!
- A (gorgeous) update from the Balearic Hope Spot
- Shark Conference kicks off soon in La Paz
- In case you missed it...Dr. Earle on the cover of TIME!
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A Big Welcome to the Avlaki Hope Spot!
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| Lesbos is an historical Greek Island, home to important ancient personalities like poet Sappho, a way-station between the Aegean and Black Seas, as well as a modern crossroad used by migratory birds and a focal point of the European humanitarian crisis. On the north coast of Lesbos in the waters off the village of Petra, lies a marine area called Avlaki that boasts magnificent assemblages of aquatic birds, marine mammals and vibrant reefs in an impressive volcanic environment. As in most of the Aegean, fishing and other human impacts over the centuries have degraded the marine environment. Yet, the area still shimmers with life and attracts eco-tourists from around the globe. In concert with the Our Ocean Conference gathering happening now in nearby Malta, Mission Blue is thrilled to announce our newest Hope Spot at Avlaki, Lesbos Island, Greece! |
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| The Avlaki Hope Spot was chosen for its special abundance of migratory species, significant historical values, particular economic importance to the community and because it’s a site with the potential to reverse damage from negative human impacts. We feel it’s important to have a Hope Spot presence in Lesbos, and Greece overall, due to the presence of extensive coastlines and marine ecosystems that exist side by side with a high volume of commercial, fishing and shipping activities. |
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Visions from the Balearic Islands Hope Spot
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| Despite the ability of Posidonia to help combat global warming, these ancient plants are also increasingly victims of it. Posidonia is quite sensitive to warming sea temperatures, and the Mediterranean Sea is warming very quickly. Already scientists are observing notable decreases in the size and health of Posidonia colonies, which are simultaneously impacted by water pollution, anchor damage and other threats. Dr. Marbà is concerned that climate change models predict temperatures that may leave the Mediterranean with “very little Posidoniaduring the second half of the 21st Century.” “However,” she says, “we still have very important Posidonia extensions and meadows in good condition, which is very important to conserve the meadows we have.” |
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| Check out the mesmerizing seagrass of the Balearics! (c) Kip Evans Mission Blue |
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| The high productivity and structure of these plants make them valuable carbon sinks, as they capture carbon dioxide and sequester it in reefs constructed by their rhizomes. A Nature paper co-authored by Dr. Marbà reported that although seagrass in general only covers 0.1% of the seafloor, it accounts for 10-18% of total marine carbon sequestration. This type of carbon capture performed by marine life, known as “blue carbon,” is a crucial part of the global carbon cycle that limits the amount of greenhouse gases accumulating in the atmosphere, thereby mitigating climate change. |
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| Science update on the seagrass and climate change. (c) Kip Evans Mission Blue |
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| At first glance, the cove of Cala Figuera in Mallorca’s Bay of Palma looks like a Mediterranean paradise, with sun-kissed boulders tumbling into glittering turquoise water. Take a closer look at its beach, however, and you will discover that instead of sand, it is comprised of heaps of plastic. In the water, plastic pollution looks to many sea creatures like a source of food. Sea turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish—their prey—and fill their stomachs with them, sometimes to the point of starvation. Fish, invertebrates and seabirds mistake microplastics for fish eggs and suffer similar consequences. Plastic bioaccumulates in the body tissues of predatory fish like the Mediterranean’s endangered bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), and consequently in the humans who eat them. |
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| Plastic pollution is a serious problem in the Balearics. (c) Kip Evans Mission Blue |
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We're Putting on a Shark Conference!
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| Mission Blue is uniting a conference of organizations and individuals motivated to discuss approaches to curbing the overfishing of sharks in the Eastern Pacific and Gulf of California. The conference, which is co-organized by Mission Blue and Pelagios Kakunjá and partially sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts, will take place at the Hotel Catedral in La Paz on October 26th and 27th, 2017. The goal of the conference is to raise awareness among decision makers at local and federal levels about the ecological importance of the Revillagigedo Islands, the Gulf of California, and the migratory corridors that link shark species—especially as they pertain to threatened shark populations, such as the endangered scalloped hammerhead shark. Participation is by invitation only. Please contact conference co-organizer Kip Evans at kevans@mission-blue.org for more information. |
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Wow! Way to go Dr. Earle!
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Mission Blue inspires action to explore and protect the ocean. Will you join us?
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