Our Whale Resource

What whales are telling us about the Earth
By reese halter

Posted: 12/02/2010 11:27:31 PM PST
Updated: 12/02/2010 11:27:34 PM PST


Last year, Iceland and Norway killed 688 whales while Japan, under the guise of "scientific research," slaughtered 1,000 whales. In the 20th century humans decimated the whale populations around the globe by 1.5 million animals.

Interestingly, the message from "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" -- that to save the Earth, whales must be protected -- seems more valid now than ever before.

Reports from the last couple of months clearly showed that the whales are helping researchers determine atmospheric science, Arctic oceanography, the extent of global warming, marine food-web nutrition and record-breaking migration patterns. Incidentally, all of these fascinating discoveries are taking place on frugal scientific budgets.

Workers from the Zoological Society of London and Queen Mary University recently examined 156 blue, fin and sperm whales swimming in the Gulf of California -- a United Nations World Heritage site. The whales are showing the scientists that the hole in the ozone layer is getting worse, allowing lethal UV radiation to penetrate Earth's protective ozone shield and cause skin cancers and cataracts.

From high-resolution photographs and studying whale skin samples, they have concluded that the whales are becoming sunburned during the time they are spending at the surface.

Blue whales, which have fairer skin than most whales, suffered significantly more than the much darker fin whales. And sperm whales, which spend a


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considerable amount of time on the surface breathing and socializing for hours at a time, were also vulnerable to sun damage.

The study found that the lesions and sunburnt cells on blue whales had worsened considerably from an earlier survey in 2007.

Since the hole in the Antarctic ozone layer was first discovered in the 1970s, ozone levels have shrunk by up to 70 percent in the worst seasons. Although the CFCs, which damage the ozone level, were banned in 1987, ozone levels are not expected to recover until about 2050.

In fact, UV radiation is expected to increase by 4 percent in the tropics and 20 percent in the poles over the next few decades. At this point in time scientists are not clear whether various life-threatening cancers will develop on whales exposed to high levels of UV radiation.

One thing is for certain: People spending time outdoors must wear sunscreen and protective eyewear.

Researchers from Harvard University and the University of Vermont have found that humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine carry massive quantities of nitrogen from the deep sea, where they feed, to the surface, and release it in their liquid-like feces. Essentially, humpbacks function as an "upward biological pump."

It turns out that humpbacks contribute more nitrogen to the Gulf of Maine than all the local rivers combined, an estimated 25,000 tons, annually.

In turn, these nutrients allow more phytoplankton to grow, which increases the food supply at the base of the marine food web, therefore promoting bigger fisheries and higher abundance where whales occur in greater densities.

Clearly, it is erroneous to claim, as the three whaling countries tout, that whales compete with their commercial fisheries; rather, they enhance them.

Last month, scientists from the College of the Atlantic in Maine, browsing the photo-sharing site Flickr, found identification markings on a humpback tail or fluke in a photo taken by a Norwegian tourist whale-watching at the breeding grounds near Ile Sainte Marie off the east coast of Madagascar, in the Indian Ocean, in 2001.

Two years previous, that female was pictured in the breeding grounds off Abrolhos, an area of small volcanic islands along the southern Brazilian coast in the Atlantic Ocean.

The female humpback whale swam at least 6,125 miles, or nearly a quarter of the globe; it was the longest documented movement by a mammal ever recorded.

Until now, humpback migration patterns were believed to be north/south rather than east/west. Was she responding to a distant complex song, following prey, exploring new breeding habitats? Or was she simply wandering as whales are so perfectly engineered for? We have a lot to learn from our cetacean friends.

The iconic, spiraled tooth (or tusk) narwhals, permanent residents of the high Arctic, possess brain-to-body sizes just slightly smaller than humans. These extraordinary beauties of a beast dive greater than one mile in pitch-dark icy Arctic water, relying upon echolocation or sonar to hunt Greenland halibut during the winter. They spend up to three hours a day at least a half a mile from the surface, exquisitely adapted to over 80 atmospheres of pressure.

Oceanographers from the University of Washington and Greenland's Institute of Natural Resources tagged 14 adult narwhals with sensors and determined that the temperature of the Arctic Ocean was almost 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than previously thought.

The Arctic is warming at an unprecedented rate. In the 1980s, the Arctic contained about 386,000 square miles of ice that was at least five years old. At the end of September 2010, only 22,000 square miles of such older, thicker ice remains. The Arctic has lost 97 percent of the thicker year-round ice that existed just three decades ago.

Not only are the whales helping us determine how quickly global warming is occurring, they're also helping to determine the extent of the hole in the ozone layer. In addition, since 40 percent of the ocean's phytoplankton is missing from warming ocean temperatures and ocean acidification, the whales are crucial in their role to fertilize the oceans and replenish phytoplankton -- the base of the entire marine food web.

In 2008, 13 million people from 119 countries paid $2.1 billion to see the whales. Around the globe, whale-watching tourism is growing at 10 percent per annum. It's time now to end the whale hunt and grant amnesty to magnificent creatures that are helping us survive on our blue planet.

Reese Halter is a conservation biologist at Cal Lutheran University, public speaker and founder of the international conservation institute Global Forest Science. Follow him at twitter.com/DrReeseHalter

Craft Fair

Digby Neck fire hall Dec. 11, 9 am to 3pm Come one come all! Get your Christmas shopping done!

Communications Technology

Telecom companies look to profit in 2011
By Staff, The Canadian Press

Source: The Canadian Press - Decemer 2, 2010

[OTTAWA, ONT] - The introduction of new consumer technology and cost cutting will lead Canada’s telecom industry to a profitable 2010 but earnings are expected to stagnate in 2011 as competition heats up, according to a report by the Conference Board of Canada.Industry profit is expected to increase 11.6 per cent this year to $7.5 billion, but more competition will limit the ability of wireless providers to raise their prices, the report released Thursday said.

“All in all, telecom providers are benefiting from strong demand from both consumers and businesses but their pricing power is growing steadily weaker as competition increases,” conference board economist Maxim Armstrong said in his report.

The sluggish economic recovery made it harder for telecom providers to attract new clients or convince existing customers to expand their service, he said.

But lower costs and continued demand for products like digital TV and smartphones helped to keep the telecom industry growing when most other industries were in recession, Armstrong said.

The report noted that four new wireless players - Wind Mobile, Mobilicity, Public Mobile and Quebecor’s Videotron - entered the wireless market.

“The result for the industry as a whole is that increased competition will bring prices and profit margins down,” the report said. “In reaction to the new entrants’ arrival, most companies have eliminated network fees and made new types of packages available.”

The report also noted the influence of the Internet and improved networks with traditional telecom providers trying to adapt by adding content and more flexibility to their on-demand services.

“In the coming years, demand for telecom services is expected to continue to increase at a solid pace.”

Mink on the South Shore

NS: Land use committee raises stink over mink farm
By Greg Bennett, Transcontinental Media

Source: The Coast Guard, December 2, 2010

[CLYDE RIVER, NS] — A controversial mink ranch in Clyde River is again on the radar of the Municipality of Barrington in the wake of a recent presentation.

Lee Keating, a spokesperson for the Clyde River Land Use Committee, told council that despite monitoring and inspections by the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and the Department of Environment, the mink facility operated by Maranatha Fur Farms Ltd. continues to be a major irritant to many citizens of Clyde River, noting that residents in the area of Brown’s Pit Road were particularly affected.

Keating told council that residents in the area have complained about odors from the mink farm, describing them as so noxious that homeowners at that vicinity are unable to enjoy their property, hang laundry, or open their windows.

After much discussion, and one defeated motion, three motions were made and accepted; including that letters be written to the Minister of Environment, the Minister of Agriculture and the Premier, requesting them to appear before council to explain why Maranatha Fur Farms Ltd. was instructed to install a lagoon system to deal with waste, a system they believe does not work, and to explain their plan to correct the problem.

A motion, pending legal advice, to provide Clyde River Land Use Committee $287.50 to cover an application for its complaint to the Farm Practices Board, was also approved.

An earlier motion by councillor Shaun Hatfield that the Municipality of Barrington file the complaint directly to the board was voted down.

After the meeting Hatfield expressed his frustration with the decision.

“It seems like a strange way for us to lead, resisting an acquisition of knowledge and a clear determination by the Farm Practices Board with which to help the farm, the citizens and the municipality all move forward on this issue,” he said.

Wind Farm Open House

Industry and art meet on Digby neck
Posted on December 1, 2010 by admin
Artist Poppy Balser, from Digby, was invited to do a commissioned watercolour with the local windfarm as the subject. She created Winds of Change; Leaving a Legacy of Cleaner Energy, a 14 x 21″, watercolour.


There will be an open house of the windfarm complete with bus tour of the site on Saturday December 4 from 12 to 2 pm. Poppy will be there signing postcards of the completed commissioned painting of the windfarm. Because of the logistics of accessing the windfarm, it is necessary to register in advance. Please read the text of the invite from Nova Scotia Power below:

“Nova Scotia Power is proud to be part of your community as we work to provide more clean energy across the province. To celebrate this commitment, please join us at the Digby Neck Wind Farm for an open house event on Saturday, December 4 from 12:00pm to 2:00pm. There will be a bus tour of the site, and refreshments will be provided. Because of limited parking space at the wind farm site, bus transportation will be provided to and from the open house. To reserve your seat, please register by emailing stacey.pineau@nspower.ca or call 1-855-545-9463 (WIND) or 428-9463 (WIND) by December 2.”

To see more of Poppy’s work visit: www.poppybalser.com/blog

Meet the Pros

Meet the ProsTuesday December 7th1:30pm-4pmDigby Legion

Local Professionals Providing Guidance:Andrew Stoddart:Acker Wealth ManagementTopics: Estate Planning, Minimize Taxation on Investments, Stable investments for Seniors.Jeremy Sanford:Jeremy Sanford Chartered Accountant Inc.

Topics: Income Splitting, Medical Expenses, Charitable donations and capital gains tax.Brian McConnell:Law office of Brian McConnellTopics: Power of Attornies, Deed Transfers and Estates and WillsRichard Deveau:Government Outreach OfficerTopics: Understanding the Canada Pension and Old Age SecurityPlansPresented by:Dawn Thomas,Senior Safety Co-ordinator, Digby Senior Safety ProgramAndrew Stoddart,Acker Wealth ManagementFor More information call Andrew Stoddart at 1-877-317-4511

Aquaculture

via Don Hayden

AVR News 2010-11-29 , 12:16:29

This will probably be in the HCH in the morning.

 

By Robb Lepper.

Environment Canada are investigating aquaculture company, Cooke Aquaculture, for a large number of dead lobster collected in Grand Manan and Deer Island in November 2009. On November 18th of this year, members of Environment Canada's enforcement team exercised search warrants at 8 offices and facilities in New Brunswick. Robert Robichaud, District Manager for the Environmental Enforcement Division, announced today they are focusing their investigation on Cooke Aquaculture. Cooke Aquaculture are the largest independent aquaculture company in North America and recently proposed building a 208 acre salmon farm in St. Mary's Bay. A company spokes person was unavailable for comment