News

Senator seeks $15 million for tsunami debris

12/8/12

An Alaska senator wants $15 million for tsunami debris cleanup on the West Coast included in a federal disaster relief package for states affected by Superstorm Sandy.

  Sen. Mark Begich said it’s embarrassing that the government of Japan has put more funding toward the debris cleanup than the U.S. government has. He said the impact of debris from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan reaching U.S. shores is as much a natural disaster as a hurricane, drought or wildfire — it’s just unfolding in slow motion. 

 “We have to recognize that it’s different than any other type of disaster because if it’s like Sandy, you see it; it’s right there in your face, everything at once,” he said. “And in this situation it’s kind of like climate change. Things don’t happen overnight, they happen over a period of time, and when it happens and accumulates you look back and say, ‘Why didn’t we do something?’ “We have that option right now to do something,” he said.

  Japan has pledged $5 million for tsunami debris cleanup, more than the entire National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration budget for dealing with marine debris in general in fiscal year 2012. Begich said he considers a three-to-one match of the Japanese funding “the very least” the federal government can do to help cleanup efforts in Alaska, Hawaii, California, Oregon and Washington. 

 It’s not clear just how quickly Congress will take up the aid package, or how big it might be. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, said he hasn’t taken a position yet on how much money may be needed for debris cleanup. “There are significant discussions yet to be had but I agree that there is a need for funds to help mitigate the effects of tsunami debris impacting our shores,” he said in a statement.

Some states haven’t yet used their $50,000 grants provided by NOAA earlier this year. In Washington state, for example, after seeing an increase in debris from May through July, officials say things have quieted down and the state’s plan for dealing with the debris calls for conserving resources where possible. NOAA announced the grants to the five West Coast states in July.

In Alaska, the grant’s gone, having gone toward cleanup along 25 miles out of about 2,500 in the state before the weather turned too nasty for crews to be out. The work was done by Gulf of Alaska Keeper, which is dedicated to cleaning marine debris from the Alaska coastline. Monitoring by the group found a huge jump in the weight of debris found at four sites it regularly visits.

“It’s just devastating, just sick,” said the group’s president, Chris Pallister, who worries about the impact of the debris on fish and wildlife.

Tsunami debris is difficult to monitor, given that debris can break up and winds and ocean currents consistently change. And it’s tough to distinguish it from the everyday debris that has been an ongoing problem for coastal communities for years. At least 16 items from among more than 1,400 reports have been firmly traced to the tsunami, including a 20foot boat, pieces of which were recovered earlier this month in Hawaii.

The Japanese government estimated that 1.5 million tons of debris were floating in the ocean in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami, but it’s not clear how much is still floating nearly two years on or just what will U.S. shores, when.

NOAA estimates the bulk of what is coming either has arrived or will in the next year or so — but that’s a rough guess. The Japanese government last month predicted the most buoyant debris, such as buoys that littered some Alaska beaches earlier this year, has already arrived. Lumber from houses and boats is expected to begin reaching the West Coast around this month, and mostly submerged debris, like driftwood or waterlogged lumber, is expected around June next year.

In Oregon, after a fairly normal year for debris — save for the massive dock that washed ashore from Japan — a recent storm brought foam and other rubbish onto isolated sections of shoreline, said Chris Havel, spokesman for the state’s Department of Parks and Recreation. State response teams were also recently activated to dispose of a gas can that washed up.

Havel shares Pallister’s concerns about the environmental impact of debris as it breaks up. Unlike in Alaska, where beaches are often remote and treacherous during the fall and winter, beaches in Oregon are largely accessible year-round, and Havel was placing orders earlier this week for another 10,000 bags that will be used in cleanup. He placed his last order in July, but anticipates needing more as the winter wears on.

“We do need resources now, people and money now, to deal with it here at the beginning of a two- to three-year effort,” he said.

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Government of Japan gifts NOAA $5 million to address tsunami marine debris

11/30/12

The Government of Japan announced today a gift of $5 million to the United States, through NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, to support efforts in response to marine debris washing ashore in the U.S. from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
The funds will be used to support marine debris response efforts, such as removal of debris, disposal fees, cleanup supplies, detection and monitoring. NOAA anticipates distributing funds to affected regions as the funds are received from Japan and will work to determine immediate needs and plan for future applications.

Since the disaster, NOAA has been leading efforts with federal, state and local partners to coordinate a response, collect data, assess the debris and reduce possible impacts to natural resources and coastal communities.

“We are extremely grateful to Japan for its generous support to the American people. The tragedy set in motion by the earthquake and tsunami continues to be tangible, but it brought our nations together. This gift is a powerful reminder of the goodwill, friendship and spirit of mutual support between our people,” said Jane Lubchenco, PhD., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and administrator of NOAA. “We appreciate this partnership and collaboration with Japan as we work to keep our ocean and coasts healthy.”

Debris from the disaster has drifted across the Pacific and reached shorelines in the U.S. and Canada. In July, NOAA provided $50,000 each to Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon and California to support response efforts.

Items from the tsunami that have drifted to U.S. shores include sports balls, a floating dock, buoys and vessels. Mariners and the public can help report debris by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with information on significant sightings. For the latest information on tsunami debris please visit: Japan Tsunami Marine Debris.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Visit us at www.noaa.gov.

Our Drugs Make Fish Flounder

Contraceptives and antidepressants can reduce fish reaction times and reproductive rates

11/16/12

Scientists have known for years that human medications, from anti-inflammatories to the hormones in birth-control pills, are ending up in waterways and affecting fish and other aquatic organisms. But researchers are only beginning to compile the many effects that those drugs seem to be having. And it isn't good news for the fish.

One such drug, fluoxetine, is the active ingredient in the antidepressant Prozac. Like some other pharmaceuticals, fluoxetine is excreted in the urine of people taking it, and reaches lakes and waterways through sewage-treatment plants that are unequipped to remove it.

To investigate the effects of fluoxetine, researchers have turned to a common US freshwater fish species called the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). Normally, fathead minnows show a complex mating behavior, with males building the nests that females visit to lay their eggs. Once the eggs are laid and fertilized, the males tend to them by cleaning away any fungus or dead eggs.

But when fluoxetine is added to the water, all of this changes, said Rebecca Klaper, an ecologist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Great Lakes Water Institute. Klaper presented her results this week at the 2012 meeting of the North American division of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry in Long Beach, California.

Female fathead minnows seem to be unaffected by the chemical, but at concentrations of fluoxetine that are roughly comparable to the highest levels documented in fresh water, male minnows start to spend more time building their nests. When the dose is increased tenfold, the males "become obsessive, to the point they're ignoring the females", Klaper said.

When fluoxetine concentrations are increased yet again, fathead reproduction completely halts. "The males start killing the females," she said. Klaper also noted that if females are introduced a month after males are exposed to the chemical, the males no longer show this aggressive behavior, but the females still don't lay any eggs. "Something happens in that time," she said.

Easy prey

 Reproductive behavior isn't the only thing that can be affected by trace pharmaceuticals. At the same symposium, Dan Rearick, an aquatic toxicologist from St Cloud State University in Minnesota, reported that a chemical found in birth-control pills, 17-β-estradiol, reduced the ability of fathead minnow larvae to elude predators.

After exposing the larvae to estradiol, Rearick then subjected them to sudden vibrations, similar to those produced by approaching predators. Using high-speed videos, he measured how long it took the minnows to curve their bodies into a C shape — an escape behavior known as a C-start. "They are preparing to dart away," he explained. He found that, even at environmental levels of estradiol (20 or 100 nanograms per liter), the minnows' reaction time was significantly slowed compared to control larvae that had not been exposed to estradiol.

In a second experiment, he raised hundreds of estradiol-exposed and control larvae, and repeatedly put ten larvae from both groups together in a tank with a predator, a bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus). When half of the larvae in each experiment had been eaten, Rearick looked at which types of larvae were left.

The result agreed with the C-start experiments: of the surviving fish, only about 45% were from the estradiol-exposed group, with the majority of survivors coming from the control group (55%).

Population crash

 That difference might not sound like much, but using a multi-generation population biology model, Rearick found that it would be enough to produce a rapid population crash in the estradiol-exposed fish. Even if the fish weren't as badly affected, there would still be a slow, steady decline, he found. "There is probably a need for concern," he said.

Dungeness crab commerical season delayed

Poor test results push Dungeness crab commercial opening to Dec. 16 at the earliest

11/15/12

  Poor test results mean a delayed commercial crab season for local fishermen in Humboldt, Mendocino and Del Norte counties that won’t start until at least Dec. 16.  According to a notification from Department of Fish and Game Director Charlton Bonham, poor crab meat-tosize ratios in recent tests indicate that crabs will not be ready for harvest on Dec. 1, the original opening date for the season.  

Crab fisherman Aaron Newman, Humboldt Fisherman’s Marketing Association president, said he is viewing the decision as a positive.  “It just means we have to sit tight and wait for the crabs to get bigger,” he said. “There have been quality tests indicating that the crabs are way under marketable standards right now. We just need to wait till the numbers get up there.”

Crabs must have a ratio of 25 percent meat recovery to the gross weight of the crab in order to meet harvesting standards.  In Eureka and Crescent City, crab tests showed an average meat recovery of 15.5 percent during the first round of testing in late October. The results improved slightly to 16.1 percent in Crescent City and 16.7 percent in Eureka by the first week of November, but not enough to prevent a delay in the commercial season. Poor results are also causing a delay for fishermen in Oregon and Washington.

DFG environmental scientist Pete Kalvass said a third round of testing is expected to be done in two weeks, at which point, managers will determine if the season should open Dec. 16 or be further delayed. Another option is separate opening dates, depending on individual test results seen in different areas.

Kalvass said local commercial fishermen shouldn’t hold their breath for better results from the next round of testing.

“It’s a high probability the season is going to be delayed beyond those two weeks,” he said.

A number of factors, including competition for food, can contribute to low ratios seen along the North Coast, Kalvass said. Last season, the opening date was pushed back to Jan. 16. Kalvass said that doesn’t mean it will be a problem next year.

“We aren’t seeing a trend on this,”Kalvass said.“At least not yet.”

ON THE WEB:

The most recent commercial crab news, including test results and season start date notifications, can be found on the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission website at www.psmfc.org/crab/.

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Volunteer groups count thousands of salmon coming up Eel River

11/5/12

Chinook salmon are moving up the Eel River in unusually large numbers this fall, according to a series of counts undertaken in September and October by volunteer divers from the Eel River Recovery Project (ERRP) and Humboldt Redwoods Company (HRC).

ERRP volunteers counted a total of approximately 5,000 Chinook salmon, hundreds of steelhead, and over a dozen Coho salmon in the lower reaches of the main stem Eel River on three dives taken on Sept. 28, Oct. 13, and Oct. 27.

On Monday, Oct. 29, a volunteer team organized by HRC counted a total of 2,500 adult Chinook and 500 jacks (immature males) in a deep pool at Holmes, near Redcrest, and at least 400 adult Chinook at the confluence with the South Fork Eel at Scotia.

But it’s still early in the fall run, with November usually the month of "the Charge of the Light Brigade" -- the highest numbers of migrating Chinook -- according to Pat Higgins, consulting fisheries biologist and volunteer coordinator of ERRP.

Chinook and steelhead migration should still be strong in December, and some Chinook are usually seen in January as well, Higgins said.

With this in mind, Higgins estimates a total run of Chinook as high as 50,000.

This large run is occurring in a year in which water levels in the Eel River system are unusually -- and somewhat puzzlingly -- low.

In spite of nearly normal rainfall in the 2011/2012 season the U.S. Geological Survey gauge at Scotia showed the Eel flowing at only 63 cubic feet per second on Sept. 28, the day of ERRP’s first dive. This is only half the long-term average flow for this time of year.

"This likely means that there is increased diversion and changes in basin-wide hydrology causing this depletion," ERRP’s Sept. 28 report states.

Higgins noted that the report is referring to diversions other than the notorious Potter Valley Project, where water from the upper main stem Eel is diverted into the Russian River basin through a tunnel at Van Arsdale Reservoir in Mendocino County. The Potter Valley Project has been diverting water for over a hundred years and its effects on the river are well known and accounted for.

A small amount of rain fell in the area on Oct. 12 and the flow at Scotia increased slightly to 70 cfs by the time of the Oct. 13 dive, ERRP’s second report states. With low barometric pressure and the likelihood of more rain on the way, numbers of salmon also increased in the dive area as the fish sensed a good time to move upriver.

A third count on Oct. 27 has not yet been officially compiled and reported, but Higgins said he personally saw 3,000 fish on an independent dive on the following day, Oct. 28.

When heavy winter rains set in, river conditions will prevent further counts by divers. When water levels drop following storms, redds (clusters of salmon eggs) and carcasses of spawned-out salmon can be seen along the banks, and these are good indicators of how many fish came upriver.

The Wiyot Tribe and the Bear River Tribe of the Rohnerville Rancheria co-sponsored the dives. Volunteer divers included members of the Wiyot Tribe environmental department, students from the Humboldt State University scientific dive class, and staff from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

When Humboldt Redwoods Company became aware of ERRP’s work in the river, the company decided to establish a similar program.

Because their operations include gravel extraction, HRC must monitor the physical habitat in the river, including types and depths of pools, but they are not required to do any biological monitoring, HRC hydrologist Nick Simpson explained.

In order to better understand the condition of fisheries and the river in their area of operations, HRC instituted river monitoring last summer, sending out teams of snorkelers to look for pools and riffles that would be the best places to count salmon in the fall.

After collaborating with ERRP, HRC’s team of volunteer divers got into the water on Monday, Oct. 29, at three spots, one near Scotia, one at Holmes, and one at the confluence of the South Fork and main stem Eel.

The water at the Scotia site was stagnant, with poor visibility. Only four Chinook were seen there, although Simpson reported 28 steelhead "half-pounders," immature fish from 12 to 18 inches long.

Conditions at the confluence were "not great," Simpson said, but divers counted 400 Chinook.

But at Holmes, where even at this year’s low flow the divers entered a pool 37 feet deep, they swam into "a solid wall of fish," estimated at 15 feet in height, 20 feet wide, and 60 feet long. The team counted 2,500 adult Chinook and 500 jacks at this location.

If river conditions permit, HRC will host more dives, but Simpson felt that late October was the optimal time, as rain will cause the fish to spread out too much for accurate counts.

ERRP also held a retreat at Emendal on the main stem Eel east of Willits on Oct. 13. Speakers from many groups throughout the watershed made presentations, as well as Erick Burres from the Regional Water Quality Control Board, who spoke about effective citizen monitoring.

Among others, members of the Wiyot Tribe spoke about the importance of the river and fisheries to their way of life, Scott Greacen of Friends of the Eel River talked about the impacts of water diversions, and Gordon Russell from Phillipsville described the success of Water Day at the Mateel Community Center in creating a community forum for water issues.

ERRP is "a grassroots group dedicated to monitoring the health of the Eel River and fostering its recovery." The Trees Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit corporation, "umbrellas" ERRP and provides fiscal support, so donations can be made by writing a check to "Eel River Recovery Project" and sending or bringing it to The Trees Foundation, P.O. Box 2202, Redway, CA 95560.

The Rose Foundation and the Patagonia Foundation provided funding for the volunteer monitoring program, which was co-sponsored with ERRP by the Wiyot Tribe and the Bear River Tribe of the Rohnerville Rancheria.

Anyone interested in volunteering for the monitoring project should contact Higgins at 223-7200 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. More information is available at ERRP’s website, www.eelriverrecovery.org.