As optimistic as I am about the power of innovation to curb the destruction of our oceans, there are those days when ridiculous politicking does indeed make me wish I could just hurl a friggin’ polar bear into the middle of the room… Alas, I shall stick to the power of the pen and creative force of the human mind to spread and invent more solutions.  Here’s to the superheros in ink that inspire us to become heroic in reality.  Stay tuned and continue to share…

While it may seem like a giant leap, this approach has worked before for Patagonia.  After discovering the extremely negative environmental impact of traditionally grown cotton (massive pesticide and chemical use, huge water footprint, horrible processing pollutants to name a few), the company at first debated whether to just eliminate cotton from its clothing. But, after realizing that this wouldn’t change the industry (there were so many other companies willing to accept the cotton as it was manufactured), they decided to work closely with a few willing cotton growers to help them change their practice.  By 1996, this commitment helped open the door to more readily available organic cotton, something now in high demand.

For Chouinard, the approach to helping save salmon is no different. They are using their market power and environmental ethics to help create a product and grow a demand for a more sustainable salmon jerky–an evidently pretty popular food item. Patagonia’s hope is that by supporting more sustainable fisheries and producing a high-quality jerky, they can help shift the salmon industry in the same way they helped shift the cotton industry.

While the salmon jerky is not yet available, keep an eye out for it in the next few months. It may be just the thing to top off the shopping list for that next camping trip.  At $12.50 a pack, it is not cheap, but when you consider these little dried up fish bits may be helping to save the last of the truly wild salmon, it sure seems a price worth paying.  And I’m a vegetarian.

Photo Credit: US Fish and Wildlife

On Oct. 7th, California joined Hawaii, Washington, Oregon and Guam in banning the trade of shark fins, effectively blocking all trade from the western seaboard. Last week, the largest city in Canada, Toronto, also passed such a ban.

Shark finning is truly one of the most grotesque and wasteful fishing practices in existence, with the bodies of sharks tossed overboard (still alive) to maximize room on deck for storing just the fins.  The fins, which provide no nutritional value whatsoever, are used to make the Asian delicacy of shark fin soup—an extravagantly priced dish that serves as a sign of wealth and status at Chinese wedding banquets.

By closing the trade on shark fins, cities and states are taking critical steps to address an international fishing crisis that is notoriously difficult to control. Many sharks are caught on the high seas—which remains the wild west of fisheries management. Today, sharks are some of the most endangered species on the planet, but only three species (Great white, whale shark and basking shark) are protected on IUCN Red List.  These bans represent the triumph of a small group of individuals thinking creatively to push for big change in what appeared to be an insurmountable task. Besides the fact that there are no regulatory structures in place that would allow for enforcement of finning bans on the high seas, it is nearly impossible to police.  Even where the fishery is illegal, poaching remains a huge problem—such is the case in the Galapagos Marine Reserve. So instead, this grassroots effort, starting at the city-council level in many cases, targets the trade, rather than the fishery—something we can police.  And now we’ve got a major seaboard blockade…with the ripple effects continuing to spiral outwards.

Without a market for shark fins, shark fisheries will hopefully start taking the dive, instead of the sharks.

For another innovative tactic on fighting shark finning, see this cool story here.

Photo credit: USFWS

Sound idealistic? Perhaps. But as chef Dan Barber describes in his Ted talk, it is possible.  And the results are not only environmentally beneficial, but evidently pleasing to the palette, too.

Imagine a beautiful wetland, tall grasses stretching for miles in the early morning sun. The fields are natural scrub brushes, pulling pollutants and debris out of the water that snakes it way in glistening silver streams among the copper stems.  Water birds delicately pick their way between the rushes. They are still as statues one moment, lightening fast the next as they spear fishes and shrimp with their elongate beaks.  The bright pink of flamingos mixes with the dulled hues of the marsh.  Below the surface of shimmering ponds swim hundreds of fish, feasting on the rich shrimp which in turn feed upon the abundant microalgae.

Welcome, to Veta La Palma, a restored wetland that combines aquaculture, agriculture and livestock production while serving as one of the largest bird sanctuaries in Europe.  It’s a place where people’s harvests are shared with resident and migrating birds in a relationship that is viewed as beneficial–you’ll find no scarecrows here.  Instead, bountiful, delicious fish, crops, and meat are produced while preserving (and even creating) habitat for threatened species.  Meanwhile, the water is cleaner than ever before.

It’s ironic, in some ways, that this operation is located in Spain, a country historically notorious for poor fisheries policy and practice.  But I’m not going to let the irony dull my enthusiasm for the system that has been created here. Something our degraded US wetlands might greatly benefit from.  (I wonder if anyone involved in the restoration of the Gulf is considering this as a model?)

When considering how to help alleviate hunger, and contemplating where our food comes from in general, it brings me comfort to know that one option is to source from a farm such as this— place where nature and people both appear to benefit from increased food production.

Is it perfect? Probably not. I am sure there are some flaws. But still, it’s pretty darn close to ideal. Then again, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise—Nature’s had a long, long time to figure out how to maintain herself.  It’s about time we started to simply copy her ways.

It is a great way to get people thinking about alternative species, especially those that are more sustainably caught or are typically wasted as bycatch.  Often, perfectly good fish are chucked over the gunnels because they are considered low value, and there is no market. By having large grocery stores willing to expand their selection, and encouraging consumers to do the same, bycatch turns into profits. Less waste for the ocean and the fisher.

There is no doubt that we need to take pressure off some of the most popular, and least sustainable species, such as tuna and shrimp. However, there is a risk in this kind of campaign: it is critical that people don’t simply add MORE fish to their diet. Instead, it truly requires a “switch”, so that overall demand for seafood does not increase.  Sometimes, the media blitz surrounding such efforts winds up increasing purchases of fish in general, and that does nothing to help the seas.

So, as with every campaign, education and specific targets are key. The alternative species need to indeed be more sustainable (and in this instance, they appear to be) and consumers need to understand that eating more fish is bad—no matter the type. But, if you are going to eat seafood, it’s not a bad idea to “switch the fish,” and getting a free trial for a foreign-looking fish seems like a great way to encourage that behavioral shift.

And, the more retailors get in on this action, the easier the education becomes for the consumer. It’s far more effective to leverage one retail chain than to try and education thousands of individual shoppers. It’s another way that businesses can take a big bold step forward in helping to secure their own future fish supplies, while helping to save seafood and the seas.

So, if a similar campaign were to kick off here in the U.S., who should we target? What grocery store do you think would go for it?

Photo credit: Ell Brown

Tube Sponge on Jamaican Coral Reef

“Save the coral reefs” has become a major call to action in the conservation community. But did you know that coral reefs may save you right back?  I’m not talking about how reefs provide 1 billion people with their primary protein, or the tens of thousands of miles of shoreline they stabilize, or the jobs they create through tourism.  I’m talking about real-life medical miracle stuff. All that flashy color and bustling of activity that makes coral reefs one of the most vibrant and diverse ecosystems on the planet has also made them some of richest sources of chemical compounds that help fight disease.  Biodiversity is the result of fierce competition and millions of years of specialization, as each species evolves to occupy (and dominate) its own unique niche. And in the process of doing so, some animals—especially the funkier invertebrates and microscopic lifeforms we may not even notice—develop some pretty unbelievable techniques for staving off predation, finding mates, or fighting their own disease threats.

This video by The Nature Conservancy provides just a brief glimpse of the vast medicinal resource that reefs provide, and the real life-saving benefits coral ecosystems provide to us all.

So the next time you wonder how you are connected to the sea, think about all those you know who have had to battle life threatening disease and the wonder of modern medicine in helping them win those battles. And then, take a moment and a give a nod to coral reefs (and the many other marine ecosystems) that provide the raw materials for the drugs that have saved those lives.

Here’s to the brilliant biochemists—those in the white lab coats, sure, but especially those that live amongst the nooks and crannies of the reefs.

Earth's mighty oceans—photo by NASA Goddard Photo and Video

It feels appropriate that the Ocean Lorax is back up and running near the celebration of World’s Ocean Day. Amidst the doom and gloom, here is a place where the brilliant, innovative, and creative success stories are told. Stay tuned for encouraging, inspiring tales that highlight all that still remains and is worth saving…and the unlikely (and sometimes expected ) heroes who are helping to make waves for a sustainable ocean.

And who needs a little love these days more than sharks?

That’s right. Sharks. Those fishy, toothy beauties that for over 450 million years have ruled (and thereby balanced) the ocean deep only to now face the risk of annihilation by those who value their fins not for flavor but for the clout they bring bathed in a bowl of broth.

Bowls of Shark Fin Soup--Photo by Digital DI

What was once the delicacy of the super rich has now become an expected tradition at Chinese wedding banquets, and with increased demand for shark fin soup, has come increased slaughter of sharks. Over 100 million are estimated to be killed EVERY YEAR for their fins. Besides the cruel and agonizing death for sharks (who cannot swim without their fins and sink to the bottom and bleed to death), the practice is also egregious for its incredible waste—there is no nutritional value (nor taste) to the fins and all the meat is left at the bottom of the sea.

This is a story about how one woman has decided to take a chance on love, and turn the traditional Chinese wedding trip down the aisle into a crusade to save these threatened and mighty predators—and the species (including us) that depend upon them.

Shark fins—photo by blamethepeople

An MBA grad student at Simon Frasier University in Canada, Claudia Li was not inherently a shark fan. She grew up, like many others in traditional Chinese households, eating shark fin soup at special occasion dinners. In fact, she only recently learned about the horrors of shark finning when a classmate in her sustainability course introduced her to the movie Sharkwater. She recalls that “When it was over, I couldn’t sleep. I was stunned by my own ignorance about sharks. I hadn’t known about the integral role they play as a top predator in the oceans… I hadn’t known about the cruelty and wastefulness of the shark fin industry… Beyond that, I was unsettled because I realized my culture was driving these majestic and misunderstood animals toward extinction, all for soup. I realized that if we want to save face for our people, we must take responsibility and stop the consumption of shark fin soup while we still can. It’s up to us to take a stand because the shark fin issue relies, almost exclusively, on the actions of the Chinese people.”

Inspired to act, Claudia then brought her business acumen and creativity to the table, founding the organization Shark Truth and designing a campaign to educate and incentivize newly engaged Chinese couples to take a stand against this tradition and pledge to not serve shark fin soup at their wedding. Called Happy Hearts Love Sharks, in the campaign’s first year (last year) over 3000 bowls of soup were not served, saving somewhere between 200-400 sharks. This year, the contest is generating even more attention and will likely divert even more soup from banquet halls.

The idea is simple: a specific audience and the attraction of a competition. And a great mascot named Harry, who rides around with a bandaged fin and single tear drop, asking for a little love.

Harry the mascot of Shark Truth

It’s an inspiration to all of us who want to make a difference, but are not sure how. Find your cause, pick your target, and get creative.  And while you’re working on that, head on over to Shark Truth and vote for your favorite couple who are standing up to do what is right.  They are often overcoming some significant obstacles, including deeply held traditions that say “if there is no shark fin soup at the wedding banquet, the bride is marrying into a poor family.” Shark Truth notes that such folklore “has been so deeply engrained in consumers that it is seen as distasteful, cheap and sometimes disrespectful to not serve one’s guests shark fin soup. Shark fin is also expresses a Chinese tradition to share one’s fortune with your friends and family.”

So hurry up and cast your vote and spread the word. Besides showing your love for sharks, you can show a little love for those courageous lovebirds that are pledging to stop the soup. They could use our love too.

Explorer. Inventor. Genius Communicator. For Jacques Cousteau, seeing was believing, or, in his own words: “”Il faut aller voir (We must go and see for ourselves).” And so he did. Logging more hours on the Calypso and other boats than anyone could count, this tireless adventurer sailed the seven seas and inspired generations of ocean explorers, including myself, to don a mask and enter that shimmering blue world. And for those unable, or perhaps unwilling to take that plunge, he met them in their living rooms.  And through his charm, endless enthusiasm, and skilled storytelling, he lifted the veil on the largest living space on our planet.

Friday marked what would have been the 100th birthday of Mr. Cousteau, who passed away at the age of 87 in 1997. He left behind three great gifts, which continue to benefit the oceans to this day.

The first, is his work. A tremendous body of books, movies, and TV shows that bring to life not only the mysterious world beneath the waves, but capture the spirit of discovery. As Mr. Cousteau once said: “We are not documentary. We are adventure films.”

This unique combination of spectacular footage and the frenchman’s charisma has left a lasting mark on popular audiences around the world to this day.  As one recent article noted:” John Denver wrote a song about him. So did Plastic Bertrand. Wes Anderson referenced him in one of his movies, and paid quirky homage to him in the form of another. Phoebe dreamed about him. Bart Simpson imagined being him, to make bath time more bearable.”  Even Google paid a tribute.

Sure Captain Cousteau benefited from being the first to show the frolicking life among the kelp fronds—people were of course, captivated by their first glimpse of this alien world. But that’s the point. He was the one who made it possible not just because he was good on camera, but because he literally invented the way to dive.

That was his second gift: the Aqua Lung, better known as SCUBA. His experiments with companions Philippe Tailliez and Frederic Dumas laid the foundation for all subsequent non-submersible-dependent exploration of the sea. His technology turned back evolution and restored our gills so we could once again swim freely through the sea.

This gift in turn has supported the development of countless fields of marine science and industry: from coral reef ecology to microbial diversity, to open ocean aquaculture—even to deep sea oil exploration.  By giving us the AquaLung, Mr. Cousteau gave us eyes with which to see, and study, and ultimately work in the sea.

As time pressed on, so did the threats to the ocean.  As one of the first to ever see the thriving psychadelic metropolis that is a coral reef, or swirling masses of schools of fish over a rocky bottom, Captain Cousteau was also in a unique position to start noticing the changes happening beneath the waves.

And that led to his third gift: a passion for promoting the protection of this watery realm.This mission manifested in his own recordings, in his Cousteau Society, and in his children and grandchildren who continue his work through their own creative projects and organizations.

It is impossible to pay tribute to this ocean legend without wondering what he would do today, witnessing the declining health of our seas, and especially the horrific footage of the Gulf oil spill. And I cannot help but wonder how his voice might help turn the tide on the practices that continue to threaten his beloved ocean.

And then I remember, we know what he thought. He told us:

‘The happiness of the bee and the dolphin is to exist. For man it is to know that and to wonder at it.’

Our job now is to help make sure we use his gifts to continue his most important mission of all.

Here’s to you Captain Cousteau.

Photo credit: jayhem adn wikimedia