Blame Canada
November 17, 2006
June 09, 2006
How to save the ocean while you eat dinner and do your laundry
 Soft Coral - Maldives (my best underwater pic!) |
Yesterday was World Ocean Day. I'd have taken part in whatever community thing that was planned here but sadly nothing happened (and don't give me that "you should have organised it yourself" crap - I have organised beach clean ups in the past and this year I was hoping someone else would do something). I checked out Greenpeace to see what they had going on. They've done a funny football movie against bottom trawling that is simply genius and also have a list of 10 things you can do for the oceans. The Nature Conservancy also did a cool page dedicated to the special day but I couldn't find many other Ocean Day things online.
I didn't know that this day is not yet officially recognised by the UN even though it was created in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. So... I asked the United Nations to officially designate World Ocean Day as June 8th each year through a simple petition that only took a few seconds.
Continue reading "How to save the ocean while you eat dinner and do your laundry" »
May 19, 2006
Not enough sustainable seafood on offer
 Many fish are caught by dragging nets, the size of football fields, over seamounts that are home to many deep sea species. |
On my way home from work today I saw some men sitting out in the sun on the side of the road. A sign next to them told me what they were selling but I already knew what it was because they were sitting on top of two big white coolers - well that can only mean one thing! FRESH LOCAL FISH FOR SALE! I love these guys that go out with their little boats and fishing rods and come back with fresh fish for us landlubbers. Apart from catching too many black groupers in the past most of the local fishermen here are pretty good with regards to the environment. Bermuda banned the use of fish pots a while ago and now there are strict regulations on which fish and how many fish can be caught and what size they are allowed to catch. We need better fisheries law enforcement here but compared to other countries our fish stocks are doing well. Mahi mahi, wahoo, yellow fin tuna, amber jack and bonita are just some of the fish species that are still abundant in our waters and caught by local fishermen.
I feel so lucky to be able to have fresh locally caught fish in Bermuda yet every time I go out to eat or walk into a supermarket I am appalled by the amount of imported seafood on offer.
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May 15, 2006
Britain will ban seal pelts
 I am suddenly feeling patriotic |
Today I am very proud to be British. I just heard from Captain Paul Watson of the "Sea Shepherd Conservation Society that Britain is pushing ahead with a ban on the sale of seal pelts and intends to encourage the rest of Europe to do the same. This is great news! I am going to celebrate by drinking a cup of British tea in my Union Jack mug and may even start humming the national anthem soon (I have to hum it since I don't know the words!).
May 07, 2006
Think globally and act globally
 Canis domesticus- a species not thought to go extinct anytime soon thanks to the huge amount of global funding spent on it! |
The IUCN recently released the 2006 Red List of Threatened Species. The ongoing decline of global biodiversity is shocking. We know that climate change, habitat destruction and invasive species are the top three causes of biodiversity loss but we are not doing enough in the places that need help the most.
It is impossible to preserve everything and the importance of biodiversity hotspots has been recognised yet many environmentalists tend to focus effort mainly on their own small corners of the world. In Bermuda for example, all of our environmental charities and NGOs are only concerned with the limited amount of local biodiversity here yet we are the third richest country in the world.
April 28, 2006
Fighting with Sparrows
 Bermuda bluebird |
I've got a bluebird box in my garden and every year around April bluebirds come and start sitting on the top and suddenly my back yard becomes just as exciting as any wildlife documentary. I kneel on top of my toilet seat and peer out my window hoping to catch a glimpse of the beautiful bluebirds as they begin to claim the box and build their nest. These birds are native to Bermuda and rely on bird boxes that people put up in their gardens since their original homes, endemic cedar trees, were attacked by an invasive insect and were almost wiped out. They are a joy to watch and I adore looking after their nest and making sure that nothing bad happens to it while the chicks hatch and fledge. However, putting up a box doesn't always result in a happy pair of nesting bluebirds. This year, I put my box up and noticed bluebirds there the next day but they were not alone. The sparrows, an introduced species, were flitting about and trying to claim the box themselves. The bluebirds put up a good fight but by the end of the day the sparrows had won and my little blue friends were nowhere to be seen.