National News

Us Aquaculture Advocates: Judge’s Ruling on Gulf of Mexico Proves Need for Law. “A lobbying group organized by more than a dozen powerful seafood companies says a ruling this week by a federal judge that the US National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) doesn’t have the authority to oversee fish pens in federal waters is why new legislation is needed. In a 15-page opinion handed down Monday, US district court judge Jane Triche Milazzo, in the Eastern District of Louisiana, granted a motion by the Center for Food Safety (CFS) and a coalition of fishing and public interest groups it represented to grant a summary judgment in its lawsuit against NMFS to block its efforts to establish aquaculture in the Gulf of Mexico. Milazzo has given the plaintiffs 10 days to file a proposed judgment.” [Undercurrent News, 9/27/18 (=)]

Debbie Murcarsel-Powell in New Ad: “We Deserve Clean Water.” “Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, the Democratic candidate in Florida’s 26th Congressional District, is out with a new ad on the state’s water problems. The ad’s release comes on the same day as multiple beaches were closed across South Florida in light of a red tide outbreak. Mucarsel-Powell is attempting to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo. Her new ad, titled ‘We Deserve Clean Water,’ puts the blame on Republicans for not doing enough to protect Florida’s environment.” [Florida Politics, 10/4/18 (+)]

Earth Matters: Researching the Corals of the Monterey Bay Sanctuary. “Few think of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary as the home to beautiful corals, but oceanographic surveys scheduled to begin Oct. 21 will bring these deep-sea soft corals to life for all of us. The peaks of the Davidson Seamount lay 5,000 feet below the ocean surface, approximately 70 miles southwest of the Monterey Peninsula. This underwater mountain is home to large soft corals and sponges as well as crabs, fish and sea stars. The seamount is 8 miles wide and 26 miles long, rises 8,000 feet off the deep ocean floor and is the next destination for the exploration vessel Nautilus. But this is not the first time researchers have explored the Davison Seamount. Chad King, research biologist for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary notes that the Sanctuary and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have conducted a number of research cruises to the seamount. Early cruises in 2000, 2002 and 2006 deployed remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to explore the flora and fauna of this great underwater mountain range. These early expeditions described the wondrous and colorful soft coral and sponge communities that blanket this underwater terrain. These surveys provided valuable data that has helped researchers describe this unique community and policy makers to justify the expansion of the Sanctuary boundaries to include the Seamount. The most recent cruise completed in July studied the values this seamount provide to animals that live at the ocean surface and within the water column above. As the California current moves water south along our coastline, the seamount blocks the flow like clouds against the coastal range, pushing cold nutrient-rich water toward the surface. This upwelling spurs productivity and theoretically benefits pelagic fish, marine mammals, and birds who respond by gathering in larger numbers.” Santa Cruz Sentinel, 10/4/18 (=)]