Zoë's Paradise Blog

OCEANA'S CAMPAIGN TO SAFEGUARD SHARKS

2009-04-07T14:23:58Z

Sharks play a vital role in maintaining the health of marine ecosystems but their stocks are in serious trouble. More than one hundred million sharks are killed by fisheries every year. They are intentionally harvested for their fins, meat or liver oil, and they are incidentally caught as bycatch in fisheries targeting other species.

Sharks are highly migratory and regularly cross national boundaries. However, outside of Antarctica, there are no international limits on shark harvest. With increasing demand for shark fin soup, and little protection, sharks worldwide are at great risk.

Oceana is working in U.S. waters to protect and restore shark populations. Through our policy, science, legal and communications work, Oceana is pushing for true finning bans, species specific shark management and reduced shark bycatch, as well as decreasing the demand for shark products such as shark fin soup and cosmetic products containing squalene. The loss of sharks, many of which are top predators, will have devastating and unpredictable consequences for ocean ecosystems. Immediate action is needed to protect sharks.

Oceana is also working in other parts of the world to protect sharks. Check out what Oceana is doing in Europe and South America.

Source: Oceana.org

"A Walk to Beautiful" the film about Fistula - Campaign to end Fistula

2009-03-24T15:46:00Z

Obstetric fistula is a hole in the birth canal caused by prolonged labour without prompt medical intervention, usually a Caesarean section. The woman is left with chronic incontinence and, in most cases, a stillborn baby.

The smell of leaking urine or faeces, or both, is constant and humiliating, often driving loved ones away. Left untreated, fistula can lead to chronic medical problems, including ulcerations, kidney disease, and nerve damage in the legs.

A simple surgery can normally repair the injury, with success rates as high as 90 per cent for experienced surgeons. The average cost of fistula treatment and post-operative care is just US $300. Sadly, most women with the condition do not know that treatment is available, or they cannot afford it.

Like maternal mortality, fistula is almost entirely preventable. But at least 2 million women in Africa, Asia and the Arab region are living with the condition, and some 50,000 to 100,000 new cases develop each year. The persistence of fistula is a signal that health systems are failing to meet the needs of women.

Obstetric fistula occurs disproportionately among impoverished girls and women, especially those living far from medical services. Affecting the most powerless members of society, it touches on nearly every aspect of UNFPA's mandate, including reproductive health and rights, gender equality, poverty and adolescent reproductive health.

In 2003, UNFPA spearheaded the global Campaign to End Fistula, a collaborative initiative to prevent fistula and restore the health and dignity of those living with its consequences.

Fast Facts

Fistula used to be present in the U.S. and Europe, but was largely eliminated in the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century with improved obstetric care in general and the use of c-sections in particular to relieve obstructed labor.

The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 2 million women have untreated fistula and that approximately 100,000 women develop fistula each year. Fistula is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

In Ethiopia, alone, there are an estimated 100,000 women suffering with untreated fistula, and another 9,000 women who develop fistula each year.

Less than 6 in 10 women in developing countries give birth with any trained professional, such as a midwife or a doctor. In Ethiopia, only 1 in 10 women have a trained attendant. When complications arise, as they do in approximately 15% of all births, there is no one available to treat the woman, leading to disabling injuries like fistula, and even death.

The root causes of fistula are grinding poverty and the low status of women and girls. In Ethiopia, the poverty and malnutrition in children contributes to the condition of stunting, where the girl skeleton, and therefore pelvis as well, do not fully mature. This stunted condition can contribute to obstructed labor, and therefore fistula.

But, fistula is both preventable and treatable. The Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital has treated over 30,000 women over 33 years. Their cure rate is over 90%. Fistula can be prevented if laboring women are provided with adequate emergency obstetric care when complications arise.

For more frequently asked questions

For fistula links

"A Walk to Beautiful" is a feature length film about Fistula. It follows five women in Ethiopia who suffer from devastating childbirth injuries, particularly, obstetric fistula. Shunned by their communities, these women append their lives in loneliness and shame. The film follows them on their journey to the Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where their lives are transformed. The film weaves their stories into a portrait of grief and courage, compassion and triumph. "A Walk to Beautiful" was named Best Feature Length Documentary of 2007 by the International Documentary Association. The film was produced by Engel Entertainment in New York, and is 85 minutes long.

Director: Mary Olive Smith
Executive Producer: Steven Engel
Co-Director: Amy Bucher
Editor: Andrew Ford
Co-Producer: Allison Shigo

How to help:

Campaign to end fistula - www.endfistula.org

www.fistulafoundation.org

MEMORY BOOK PROJECT - Uganda - books written by AIDS-infected parents for their children

2009-03-24T12:06:00Z

In Uganda, AIDS-infected mothers have begun writing what they call Memory Books for their children.

Classified by the German Film Board as Outstanding: Memory Books is unquestionably one of the best documentaries currently being released. Unlike many of the films so carelessly labeled 'important', this film actually deserves to be called just that: Important.

In front of the small brick house Dennis and Chrissi brush their teeth every evening in the dim glow of the oil lamp. The 10-year-old watches his little sister conscientiously as they get ready for bed. Since their mother died of AIDS two years ago they are both orphans, two of more than two million of their kind in Uganda. There are few countries in Africa that have more households run by orphaned children and, despite extensive efforts by the government to raise awareness, experts on the subject predict that nearly 35% of Uganda's population is infected with HIV. When the parents die, the children are forced to look after themselves.

A very special project has emerged in Uganda as a result: Memory Books, written by infected parents, mostly mothers, and their children. Aware of the illness, it is a way for the family to come to terms with the inevitable death that it faces. Openly, honestly and compassionately, the books give the children a chance to prepare themselves for life on their own. Values and traditions are passed on in the form of stories, fairytales and songs and the family’s history is recorded with the children's favorite memories or their parent's wishes for the future.

The books not only capture immeasurably valuable memories, but also allow members of the family to process some gruesome realities and prepare for the future. Hopelessness and desperation are confronted through the collaborative effort of remembering and recording, a process that inspires unexpected strength and even solace in the face of death. These books will likely be the most important guidelines that these orphans have to lead them through life.

Dennis is crouching next to Christine the nurse. His eyes are full of sadness and as he cries he explains that since his mother’s passing he has nobody to look after him. Every time I think of her I cry. He speaks very softly and with long pauses. Christine is holding his hand. We used to talk a lot with each other. When she got sick I used to give her her medicine. He tries to pull himself together, wiping the tears from his face. He and Chrissi leaf through their Memory Book on their laps. As we were writing it, Mama always said that the book would help us at some point. Now I know what she meant. It really does help us. It helps us remember all of the good things that she did for us. When I read to Chrissi from the book it’s as if she is talking to us.

Harriet is the mother of three children. She lives with the second wife of her husband and is already writing her third Memory Book. Christine, the nurse, found out four years ago that she herself was infected. Since then she has been teaching other mothers how to write in their Memory Books. Betty, for example, can neither read nor write. She dictates to her oldest son who is writing in the book for little Lucy, the youngest of five. The film guides you through her daily routine. They are individual destinies indicative of the problems in the heart of Africa but, more importantly, they suggest a remedy for the sadness.

Henning Mankell: These Memory Books, these little booklets with pasted in pictures and stories, written by people who hardly know the alphabet, could in many ways be one of the most important documents of our time..

Source: Memory Book

Memory book helps children cope with HIV and AIDS

2009-03-24T11:59:00Z

“If parents die or family members get separated while children are young, important memories fade away,” reads the Memory Book, a concept helping children cope with the effects of HIV and AIDS.

Source: ActionAid

According to Beatrice Were, ActionAid’s HIV and AIDS research and policy analyst, children can no longer learn their family backgrounds from their elders like it used to be in the past, especially because many HIV infected parents usually die when their children are very young.

The Memory Book helps parents, relatives and friends save vital information about their family backgrounds.

She says: “Although the Memory Book was first written for children whose parents had HIV and AIDS, the materials are useful for all vulnerable children such as orphans or those separated from their parents for whatever reasons.”

The first memory books, according to Were, were made in England in the 1990s by African parents who were afraid they would die while their children were very young and lose their origins.

The idea has been used widely in many cultures to support children who are going through any type of loss and bereavement.

In Uganda, it was adapted by the National Community of Women living with HIV and AIDS to help its members and their families cope with the pandemic.

Were has mobilised many women living with HIV to challenge abuses and stigma and has helped many women to open up to their children and families about their HIV status.

After struggling for eight years with the need to reveal to her children that she had HIV, Were started a memory book.

“I have fought AIDs denial, fear and stigma. I have fought so that women will not be afraid to seek HIV testing and discuss AIDS with their families. I have fought so that women will have an easier time revealing their HIV status especially to their children than I did,” said Were.

She said the book addresses the fact that children have a right to know about HIV in their families and that parents with HIV have a duty to tell their children before telling any body else.

Were said the memory book empowers parents with communications skills to talk to their children about AIDS, sexuality and death.

The book also documents important family history into an album with family photographs so that children can remember their childhood memories.

Watch the documentary about the Memory Book Project

Canada's commercial harp seal hunt started today with a quota of 280,000 seals

2009-03-24T07:17:00Z

Canada's commercial harp seal hunt started today with a quota of 280,000 seals,

only days after Russia decided to ban all hunting of harp seals under one year of age.

Baby seals are being killed on the ice in Canada as you read this - observers from The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) confirmed the first seal death just moments ago.

Observers from HSUS and IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) are in the air and on the ice, watching the hunt, recording abuses, and campaigning to end this cruelty once and for all.

You can help end the baby seal hunt. Thanks to a courageous Canadian Senator, there is now a bill in the Canadian Senate that would end this hunt permanently. This is the first time such legislation has been put forward in Canada. Sign the petition to support Senator Harb's bill to end the commercial seal hunt: http://go.care2.com/19752554

You can get real-time updates and on the ground reports from both of these fantastic organizations by following their posts on Twitter:

• Follow IFAW on Twitter with @action4ifaw. Their hash tag for this issue is: #stopthesealhunt.

• Follow HSUS on Twitter with @HumaneSociety. Their hash tag for this issue is: #sealhunt09.

Source: Care2

Is Global Warming A Hoax? The Real Story on Climate Change and the Non-Future of Human Civilization

2009-03-20T11:19:00Z

Is Global Warming A Hoax? The Real Story on Climate Change and the Non-Future of Human Civilization (opinion)

Friday, March 20, 2009 by: Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor

(NaturalNews) Is global warming a hoax? We've received a huge number of reader questions (and even complaints) about this issue. Many are convinced that global warming is just a hoax contrived by the government to grab power and destroy the economy. In my view, that explanation is half right.

Yes, in my opinion global warming and climate change is absolutely being used by Big Government to grab more power, restrict more freedoms and in many ways consolidate power at both the national and global levels. That much is clearly true. At the same time, however, climate change is really happening.

I see convincing evidence that the activities of humankind are, indeed, altering our atmosphere in ways that accelerate normal processes, essentially dominating the cycles and throwing them far out of balance. The recent findings on rising sea levels, for example, truly are cause for concern for long-term "big picture" thinkers. Good studies show sea levels rising at a rate approaching one centimeter per year (http://www.reuters.com/article/late...).

Last week, 2500 scientists gathered in Copenhagen to issue a stark warning about carbon emissions and "irreversible shifts in climate." (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/ne...) And much like an environmental freedom fighter, NASA scientist James Hansen is now spearheading protests aimed at the "do nothing" governments that sit around and ignore the climate change problem while things continue to get worse.

It's important to remember that just because Big Government is exploiting this crisis to grab power doesn't mean the crisis is not real. What's happened here, in my view, is that power-hungry bureaucrats around the world have latched onto this very real development of climate change and found ways to exploit it to their own advantage.

As Hillary Clinton famously said recently, "Never waste a good crisis." And they sure aren't hesitating to leap on this climate change crisis as a way to restrict freedom and grab power.

Why Big Business wants you to believe global warming is a hoax

Do not be fooled into thinking that just because Big Government is grabbing power that CO2 emissions have no impact on the environment. Those who say global warming is a hoax are essentially declaring that mankind can pollute the atmosphere without consequence. This position serves the financial interests of the coal companies and coal-burning power plants, of course, who don't want to have to spend the money to clean up their emissions. It also happens to be the position of Big Business, which wants to pollute the planet without limitation.

The big chemical polluters in modern society are using well-known techniques of disinformation and distraction to try to convince people that polluting the air with CO2 emissions is harmless. This is the same position as the dental industry claiming mercury fillings are harmless, or Big Pharma claiming their pharmaceuticals have no impact on the water supply. Throughout the history of modern civilization, big corporate polluters have always claimed their chemicals are harmless and have no effect on the planet.

Meanwhile, our planet is dying. Biodiversity is plummeting. Species are being lost at an alarming rate. Deforestation is taking its toll. Dead zones are expanding across the oceans. Rainfall and drought patterns are shifting and leading to more "natural" disasters such as Australia's recent firestorm tragedy.

These are side effects of a global ecosystem out of balance, and it is humans who are disrupting this ecosystem more than any other single factor through runaway emissions of pollutants that affect the air, water and land.

Support President Obama's Call for Global Warming Action

2009-03-18T16:08:00Z

Source: Environmental Defense Action Fund

President Barack Obama has made passing legislation to cap America's global warming pollution a top priority.

He is absolutely right to view this as an opportunity to not only address the most serious environmental issue of our time, but to rebuild America, put Americans back to work and free us from our dependence on foreign oil.

The first skirmish in the fight for global warming legislation this year is for Congress to pass budget language that bolsters the call for climate action this year.

Please send your members of Congress an email urging them to support President Obama's budget language.

If you are looking for a reason to contact Washington today to demand action to cap carbon and other greenhouse pollution, here are several:

$450 million: Amount spent on lobbying and political contributions by opponents of global warming action in 2008.

52: public spokespersons engaged by polluters and the ideological right to spread disinformation about global warming online and in the media.

2,340: Number of paid lobbyists working in Washington on climate change in 2008.

7 in 8: Proportion of climate lobbyists advocating against climate action.

$45 million: Amount spent on global warming denial advertising by the coal industry in 2008.

0: Number of retractions and/or corrections published by the Washington Post after running a column by George Will containing demonstrably false claims about global warming.

Just last week, scientists announced that we are experiencing the worst case scenario in terms of global warming's devastating effects.

And yet we are witnessing an unprecedented all-out campaign by polluters and ideologues to prevent meaningful action.

Please take action and tell your elected officials you support President Barack Obama's plan to pass strong legislation this year to cap America's global warming pollution.

In the coming weeks and months we will need your support and advocacy like never before.

We must pass landmark global warming legislation this year. Our economy needs new green jobs. Our planet needs a pollution reprieve. And you and your family need a future not powered by polluting fossil fuels.

Please demand action on capping carbon.

We can't win this without your help.

Yours sincerely,
Sam Parry
Director, Online Membership and Activism

TAKE ACTION

Bioplastics the solution?

2009-03-18T15:52:00Z

Do Bioplastics Deserve a Seat at Your Table?

Source: Greentips at Union of Concerned Scientists

Unlike typical plastics made from crude oil, “bioplastics” are often made from plant matter such as corn starch, potato starch, cane sugar, and soy protein. A potentially renewable alternative to petroleum-based plastics would have the long-term benefits of reducing global warming pollution and our dependence on fossil fuels, but do bioplastics fit the bill? As they become more ubiquitous—in the form of grocery bags and disposable plates, food containers, and cutlery—numerous concerns have been raised about their true value:
   •    Bioplastics are designed to be composted, not recycled. The plant-based material will actually contaminate the recycling process if not separated from conventional plastics such as soda bottles and milk jugs.

   •    Home composting may not be an option. Some bioplastics cannot be broken down by the bacteria in our backyards; polyethylene (PE) made from cane sugar is one example. Only bioplastics that are fully biodegradable will break down in a home compost pile, and it could still take up to two years for certain items (e.g., forks and spoons). The rest require the high heat and humidity of an industrial composting plant—of which there are only about 100 in the country, and not all collect waste.

   •    Plants grown for bioplastics have negative impacts of their own. Bioplastics are often produced from genetically modified food crops such as corn and soybeans, a practice that carries a high risk of contaminating our food supply. Also, corn and soybean producers typically apply large amounts of chemical pesticides and fertilizers that pollute our air and water. To compound matters, the growth of the bioplastics and biofuels industries (both of which currently rely on food crops as their raw material) increases the demand for crops and the impact of agriculture worldwide.

Environmental advocates are calling for bioplastic production based on renewable crops (such as native wild grasses) grown without chemicals. Bioplastics could also be developed from agricultural waste. Until then, what’s a consumer to do?

   •    Look for the “Compostable” logo. The Biodegradable Products Institute identifies products appropriate for municipal and commercial composting facilities. To find facilities in your state, see the Related Resources.

   •    Opt for reusable or recycled instead. When you can’t use metal cutlery or ceramic dishes, look for recycled, dishwasher-safe products that can be recycled once they’re no longer usable.

Ancient trees for toilet paper

2009-03-18T14:22:00Z

A recent AlterNet article revealed an alarming situation surrounding the popularity of 'ultra-soft' toilet paper. In order to obtain the soft, fluffy, quilted texture that has become preferable to many consumers, manufacturers use fiber from standing trees, rather than recycled material. The facts are quite disturbing: toilet paper is made from ancient forests, old growth forests, virgin forests, second growth forests, natural forests, high conservation value forests, temperate forests, tropical and sub-tropical forests and boreal forests.

The New York Times reports: "Although toilet tissue can be made at similar cost from recycled material, it is the fiber taken from standing trees that help give it that plush feel, and most large manufacturers rely on them… Although brands differ, 25 percent to 50 percent of the pulp used to make toilet paper in this country comes from tree farms in South America and the United States. The rest, environmental groups say, comes mostly from old, second-growth forests that serve as important absorbers of carbon dioxide, the main heat-trapping gas linked to global warming. In addition, some of the pulp comes from the last virgin North American forests… Greenpeace, the international conservation organization, contends that Kimberly Clark, the maker of two popular brands, Cottonelle and Scott, has gotten as much as 22 percent of its pulp from producers who cut trees in Canadian boreal forests where some trees are 200 years old."

Personally, I am quite happy to use recycled toilet paper, which I find to be perfectly soft and not at all objectionable. In fact, the recycled paper is so similar to regular paper that I don't understand why any toilet paper is still made of new fiber at all. There are vast stacks of post-consumer paper sitting in warehouses waiting to be recycled, due to the fact that the market for all recyclables has dropped dramatically since the economic downturn. It seems to me that a worthy government program would be to put resources towards turning all of that into useable paper, including toilet paper.

Sure, I've been in homes where they have the luxurious, soft, colored, fluffy toilet paper, and I'll readily admit that using it does make you feel like a member of wealthy society. But frankly, knowing what it requires to make the paper feel that way makes it clear to me that it simply isn't worth it.

In the 1990s, I was a part of an environmental campaign in New Zealand which succeeded in putting an end to government-sponsored logging of ancient, virgin Beech forests. At the time, New Zealanders already opposed the logging of native forests, but the logging company had hired a PR firm to lobby government on their behalf. Many regular New Zealanders didn't even know that the logging was going on, let alone the extent of the damage it was doing to the last remaining forests in a country that was once over 80% covered in forest.

What made this forest massacre even worse in my eyes, was that there wasn't even a market for the timber that came from these trees, which were often 400-600 years old. They weren't using it for furniture or building (not that I would have condoned that either, since these forests are so old they are known by British botanist David Bellamy as 'The Dinosaur Forests'.) No, these beautiful, ancient trees were being milled and sold as woodchips and sawdust, and frequently being turned into toilet paper for the overseas market.

I remember thinking at the time that this was completely obscene, and was such a striking offense against the magnificence of Nature, that created these majestic trees, who were not only a great joy to behold and walk amongst, but they also provided homes to such an extraordinary collection of remarkable creatures, many of whom are threatened or endangered due to the devastation of their habitat.

Destruction of virgin forests for any reason is a great crime against the planet. But to cut down these ancient trees to turn them into toilet paper…? It's really quite difficult to express just how obscene that is. I wonder how the manufacturers of these products defend such a harmful practice. I imagine they don't give it too much thought, as long as people are buying the fluffy TP. But they’ll certainly give it some thought if we stop buying it, and especially if people start voicing their complaints.

I believe that this only goes on because the majority of people don’t know about it. If people knew that ancient trees were being turned into toilet paper, I hope that we would all reject it in favor of more sustainable options. I am sure that with the technology we have available to us today, we are quite capable of making soft toilet paper out of any one of a number of sustainable materials.

What we, as consumers, need to do, is to generate demand for ethically produced goods, by buying only recycled toilet paper and encouraging others to do the same. Greenpeace has a guide for ethical toilet paper options. If you feel incensed or passionate about this issue, then consider channeling your anger into a phone call, e-mail or letter to the companies that are carrying out this massacre of ancient trees. When business realizes that consumers are showing an increased degree of responsibility about their purchases, they will respond with products that are aligned with our values of sustainability.

As a good friend of mine remarked when he heard these facts: "If they can put a man on the moon, they can create soft toilet paper without cutting down trees."

Source: Care2.com

Acidic seas fuel extinction fears

2009-03-11T15:59:00Z

Source: BBC News - Science & Environment

Carbon dioxide emissions from human activities are acidifying the oceans and threaten a mass extinction of sea life, a top ocean scientist warns.

Dr Carol Turley from Plymouth Marine Laboratory says it is impossible to know how marine life will cope, but she fears many species will not survive.

Since the Industrial Revolution, CO2 emissions have already turned the sea about 30% more acidic, say researchers.

It is more acidic now than it has been for at least 500,000 years, they add.

The problem is set to worsen as emissions of the greenhouse gas increase through the 21st Century.

"I am very worried for ocean ecosystems which are currently productive and diverse," Carol Turely told BBC News.

"I believe we may be heading for a mass extinction, as the rate of change in the oceans hasn't been seen since the dinosaurs.

"It may have a major impact on food security. It really is imperative that we cut emissions of CO2."

Dr Turley is chairing a session on ocean acidification at the Copenhagen Climate Change Congress.

Testing times

The problem is most acute for creatures which make calcified shells.

Laboratory tests suggest starfish may be wiped out before the end of the century if current emissions trends continue.

Scientists fear mussels may not be able to cope, either. Oysters may be less vulnerable, and farmed oysters may fare better than wild oysters.

"One thing is certain," says Dr Turley. "Things will change. We just don't know yet exactly how they will change.

"It is not a very wise experiment to be making."

Professor Andy Watson, an ocean biologist from the University of East Anglia, believes climate change and overfishing may ruin the seas before acidification does.

He condemns increases in CO2 from human activities, but points out that ocean acidity also fluctuates naturally.

He also wonders if some creatures might adapt to the changes over time.

"(In) many of the experiments that are being done at the moment, sudden changes are made; the CO2 is quickly raised, for example, or the acidity is quickly raised.

"Of course, that's not really what will happen in the real world," he told BBC News.

"There will be instead a gradual ramping up of CO2 and acidity. And we don't know whether organisms will be able to adapt or how quickly they'll be able to adapt."

Professor Tony Knapp runs the BIOS institute in Bermuda, where some of the key measurements of acidity are taken.

He defends his conclusion that the recent increase in acidity has been caused by CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels.

"It took me a long time to determine that I was convinced... I'm a cynic at heart.

"But if you look at the data, and you're intimate with the data, there's really no other conclusion you could make".

Stormy waters

On the island of Ischia, in the Bay of Naples, Italy, scientists believe they have evidence that many creatures will fail to adapt to increased acidification.

The seawater around a part of the island has been more acidic for thousands of years thanks to volcanic CO2 vents that turn the seabed into a sort of jacuzzi.

If research here presents an accurate picture of future oceans, the prospects for shell-forming organisms are bleak.

Some of the creatures that appear to survive increased levels of acidity in short-term laboratory studies are not present here in the real world at the same levels of pH.

"We are very worried," says Dr Jason Hall-Spencer from Plymouth University, who researches the site with help from the Naples-based Benthic Ecology Laboratory at Stazione Zoologica.

"The changes here have clearly made life impossible for shell-forming creatures.

"When you start messing around with a complex ecosystem it is impossible to tell what will happen."

The Ischia site does not present a perfect experiment for future oceans because levels of acidity shift regularly as the currents change, whereas future oceanic pH levels will be more stable.

But the site does show clear winners and losers: the lush seagrass, hyper-fertilised by CO2, may be the tallest in the world.

The extra acidity will suit some creatures, but Dr Hall-Spencer argues that the diversity of the site is reduced and therefore it is likely that productivity of valuable species will diminish in future acidified oceans.

Ocean acidification is increasingly known as "the other CO2 problem".

It is a new branch of science and researchers were initially uncertain how seriously to take the threat.

"In 2004, I did a Google search for ocean acidification and got 17 hits," says Dr Turley.

"Now you get hundreds of thousands. There is much more evidence to show this will be a problem for the future - indeed it may even be a problem for now."

For many people it will strike a sobering note that humans appear to be changing the chemistry of the mighty oceans.

Facts ocean acidification:

Up to 50% of the CO2 released by burning fossil fuels over the past 200 years has been absorbed by world's oceans
This has lowered the pH value of seawater - the measure of acidity and alkalinity - by 0.1
The vast majority of liquids lie between pH 0 (very acidic) and pH 14 (very alkaline); 7 is neutral
Seawater is mildly alkaline with a "natural" pH of about 8.2
The IPCC forecasts that ocean pH will fall by "between 0.14 and 0.35 units over the 21st Century, adding to the present decrease of 0.1 units since pre-industrial times"

THE pH SCALE

Higher numbers indicate alkalis, lower values signify acidic liquids:

13 - bleach

10 - soap

8.2 - pre-1750 oceans (average)

8.1 - current oceans (average)

7.8 - oceans in 2100 (projected average)

7 - pure water

3 - vinegar

0 - battery acid

(Source: NMEA)

Also see: Acid oceans 'need urgent action'

Obama overturns Bush endangered species rule

2009-03-03T17:05:00Z

Source: CNN.com

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama on Tuesday overturned a last-minute Bush administration regulation that many environmentalists claim weakened the Endangered Species Act.

The regulation, issued a few weeks before George W. Bush left office, made it easier for federal agencies to skip consultations with government scientists before launching projects that could affect endangered wildlife.

By overturning the regulation, Obama said during an enthusiastic reception at the Interior Department, he had restored "the scientific process to its rightful place at the heart of the Endangered Species Act, a process undermined by past administrations."

Under the Bush administration rule, there was no need for a federal agency to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Services if that agency determined that no harm would come to an endangered species as a result of its project.

But the determination of what "no harm" meant rested with agency bureaucrats instead of scientists.

Obama issued a memorandum that effectively suspends the regulation while ordering a review to determine whether it promotes "the purposes of the [Endangered Species Act]."

"The work of scientists and experts in my administration, including right here in the Interior Department, will be respected," Obama said. "For more than three decades, the Endangered Species Act has successfully protected our nation's most threatened wildlife, and we should be looking for ways to improve it, not weaken it."

Environmental groups were quick to praise Obama's action.

"President Obama's announcement will allow [the Endangered Species Act] to do what it was intended: protect our nation's endangered plants and animals," said Andrew Wetzler, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's Endangered Species Program.

"Reversing the Bush administration's midnight action will restore protections for our last wild places and species"

Obama also helped celebrate the 160th anniversary of the Interior Department on Tuesday.

"Throughout our history, there's been a tension between those who've sought to conserve our natural resources for the benefit of future generations and those who have sought to profit from these resources," he told department employees.

"But I'm here to tell you this is a false choice. With smart, sustainable policies, we can grow our economy today and preserve the environment for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren."

eBay Auctions Off Lives

2009-02-11T17:16:00Z

Source: Care2.com

By now we all know you can find just about anything on the infamous auction site eBay. It’s a great site and a wonderful way to turn one man’s trash into another man’s treasure, but did you know that you can buy your way into a trophy hunt?

That’s right. eBay’s actually auctioning off lives. Good thing

Big Wildlife.org,

Raincoast Conservation and Alaska Wildlife Alliance have stepped in to put a stop to it.

"eBay has become an online marketplace peddling the slaughter of wolves, bears and cougars,” said Big Wildlife communications director Brian Vincent.

One auction Big Wildlife found for a timber wolf hunt called it "a real hunting adventure," and said the hunters would "hunt over bait in a heated treestand."

Um, wow. That sounds about as adventurous as dinner and a movie!

eBay should get some credit for banning the sale of ivory last year after International Fund for Animal Welfare stepped in to point out that it was helping the illegal trade of wildlife, so here’s to hoping they step up and stop these sales too.

Predators play an incredibly important role in our ecosystem. They belong in the wild, alive, not on the floor in front of a fireplace.

As if our wildlife doesn’t already have enough to deal with problems like habitat loss, energy development and the likes of Sarah Palin and her cronies on the loose pretending to engage in some sort of bizarre wildlife management…which includes doing things like suing the government for protecting endangered species.

Or as Friends of Animals so eloquently puts it, “ If you shoot wolves to save moose and then you shoot the moose you’re either out of your minds or in Alaska.”

It’s not so much that removing these listings would stop hunting, as it is the glib attitude that you can add a life to your cart with a coffee maker or antique lamp.

Socio Bosque

2008-12-18T10:09:00Z

The government of Ecuador recently announced a pioneering national forest conservation program -- Programa Socio Bosque -- to conserve forests, store climate-changing carbon and provide tangible benefits to local landowners and indigenous communities willing to conserve their land.

December 8, 2008 By Steve Goldstein - Conservation International

On September 17, a dream became a reality in Ecuador. Marcela Aguiñaga, the Minister of the Environment, announced a pioneering national forest conservation program that will benefit landowners and indigenous communities willing to conserve their forests.

The plan, Programa Socio Bosque (‘Forest Partner,” in English), is aiming high, planning to conserve over five million hectares (12.4 million acres) of forest, avoid 13.5 million tons of carbon emissions per year and provide additional income to more than two million poor in Ecuador.

Despite being one of the smallest countries in South America, Ecuador is one of the 12 megadiverse countries in the world, harboring an amazing biodiversity – including forests that provide vital environmental services. For example, Quito gets half of its water from the unique ecosystem atop some of the tallest mountains in the Andes.

Vanishing Biodiversity

Unfortunately, this biodiversity is vanishing very quickly. With one of the highest deforestation rates in Latin America, Ecuador is losing 200,000 hectares (494,000 acres) of forest every year due to illegal logging and deforestation for agricultural expansion.

Although most of the forests of the country are public lands, an important percentage of what is left is in the hands of indigenous people and farmers, among the country’s poorest citizens. These residents hold the power to protect these forests, and to save the great variety of species living there.

To answer the threat, the government of Ecuador has boldly proposed a national program that recognizes the vital role of local indigenous communities and farmers in protecting these forested areas.

The launching of the Programa Socio Bosque represents a national movement to provide income to local farmers and indigenous communities in exchange for their commitment to protect key areas of forest in places where at least 50 percent of the population is below the poverty line and where important ecosystems are not currently included in the National Protected Area System.

Incentives will be provided by the government when farmers and indigenous communities commit to protect their forests. Payments per hectare depend on the size of the area put under conservation with a maximum of $30 per hectare for small areas.

Priority is given to areas with high deforestation threat, high ecosystem services value and high poverty levels. “Funds provided by this program will directly reach indigenous communities and farmers – bridging the gap between conservation and poverty,” said Manuel Bravo, Undersecretary of Natural Capital in the Ministry of the Environment.

Piloting toward Success

The Ministry of the Environment, led by Dr. Aguiñaga, is in charge of the implementation of the program. At the September launch, she said the program “is an incentive for farmers and indigenous communities who want to voluntarily protect their forests and highlands.”

A pilot program is planned targeting threatened coastal humid forests in the Chocó Region – Esmeraldas Province (

Chocó Manabí Conservation Corridor) and the forests of the eastern slopes of the Andes in the Amazon (Abiseo-Condor-Kutukú Conservation Corridor) – both key areas for conservation in Ecuador.

By the fall of 2009, the results of the pilot will guide the implementation of the national program. Monitoring by the National Forestry System and the Remote Sensing Information Center will measure that forests are being conserved and this information will be used to compensate landowners who have qualified their forests for conservation.

This groundbreaking initiative will avoid deforestation, and as such it will have the opportunity to benefit from the growing global carbon market and qualify it as the first national REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) program.

“The Programa Socio Bosque positions the country as a pioneer at the international level with an emission reduction plan based on avoided deforestation,” said Minister Aguiñaga.

The government of Ecuador has already committed significant funding annually from their national budget for the implementation and foresees increasing the fund yearly by selling the carbon sequestered due to avoided deforestation.

Through its program in Ecuador and the Conservation Stewards Program, Conservation International (CI) has provided technical and financial support to the initial design and implementation of the Programa Socio Bosque. In partnership and close coordination with the Ministry of the Environment, CI-Ecuador sees the Programa Socio Bosque as a great opportunity to conserve biodiversity and reduce the impact of climate change while benefiting poor local communities in rural Ecuador.

READ ALSO: CIworks with the Cofán indigenous peoples in Ecuador
LEARN MORE: The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Toxins in Utero

2008-12-16T14:04:00Z

By Terri Hall-Jackson, Care2 contributing writer

Exactly what is the full scope of a mother-to-be’s lifestyle on her unborn child? We’re reminded by our doctors to eat well during pregnancy, avoiding certain food products that, for example, contain mercury or are unpasteurized, in order to protect our babies from potential dangers to their development and health. Women are also encouraged to minimize stress while pregnant in order to keep their babies from marinating in an adrenalin-loaded soup.

The results of a 2004 study by the Environmental Working Group, in collaboration with Commonweal, indicate a need to expand our thinking when it comes to exposures pregnant women introduce to their unborn children. In the report, researchers at two major laboratories found an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in umbilical cord blood taken from 10 babies. A total of 287 industrial chemicals were found. These pollutants include perfluorochemicals (PFCs) found in carpet, furniture, and stain-proof coatings (e.g. the kind used in Teflon and furniture); Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), the fire retardants in TVs, furniture, and computers; and 21 different pesticides, including 14 that had been phased out of use in the U.S.

This study shows that in addition to carrying vital nutrients to babes in utero, the umbilical cord also carries these toxins, a disruption to the belief, previously held by scientists, that the placenta shielded babies from most chemicals and pollutants. We know that of the 287 chemicals found in cord blood, 217 are toxic to the brain and nervous system, 208 cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests, and 180 cause cancer in humans or animals.

What to do? Well, none of us can become the mom in the non-plastic bubble, but we can greatly reduce our exposure to numerous toxins by becoming informed and responsible consumers and world citizens. Read labels, learn what those ingredients are, choose products that are organic or as natural as possible, including home cleaning supplies, cosmetics, personal grooming products, clothing and home furnishings. Reduce the toxic load you ingest by eating food grown locally without pesticides. Learn how to improve the quality of the indoor air you’re breathing.

Green living isn’t about being trendy; it’s about living in a way that supports the health of our own bodies, the planet, and those we love, thereby reducing the toxic “body burden” on all of us.

Obama Pledges New Direction on Climate Change

2008-11-19T11:36:00Z

In a web video produced for the Bi-Partisan Governors Global Climate Summit, President-elect Barack Obama pledged new leadership to address global climate change. (Nov. 18)

To see the web video on YouTube

A Special Message from Rodger Schlickeisen - Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund

2008-11-05T19:10:00Z

2008 Election Wrap-Up from DefendersActionFund on Vimeo.

With Gratitude,

Rodger Schlickeisen
President
Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund

Transcript: 'This is your victory,' says Obama

2008-11-05T13:38:00Z

Source: CNN

CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama spoke at a rally in Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois, after winning the race for the White House Tuesday night - 4th November 2008.

The following is an exact transcript of his speech.

Obama:

Hello, Chicago.

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.

We are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

Barack Obama's entire Victory Speech at Grand Park Chicago IL

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.

A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Sen. McCain.

Sen. McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.

I congratulate him; I congratulate Gov. Palin for all that they've achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady Michelle Obama.

Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the new White House.

And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me. I am grateful to them.

And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best -- the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.

To my chief strategist David Axelrod who's been a partner with me every step of the way.

To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.

It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.

It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.

This is your victory.

And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me.

You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime -- two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.

Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.

There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.

There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.

I promise you, we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem.

But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years -- block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.

This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.

It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.

Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.

In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.

Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.

Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.

As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

To those -- to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

That's the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America -- the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.

And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.

Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves -- if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

Seaweed farms 'could fuel future'

2008-10-28T15:58:00Z

Source: BBC NEWS

Pilot seaweed and algae farms are needed to assess Scotland's marine biomass potential, experts have urged.

The recommendation comes in a report on using biomass for heating and fuel while avoiding the use of valuable agricultural land.

Scientists want to see pilot farms and research into the most energy-rich types of seaweed.

The report was carried out by the Scottish Association for Marine Science for The Crown Estate.

Prof Mike Cowling, science and research manager at The Crown Estate, said: "Given Scotland's rugged western coastline and island groups, and relatively clean seas, it is sensible to examine the farming of seaweeds and sustainable harvesting of natural supplies as a source of energy, to heat our homes and fuel our vehicles.

"Heating and transport make up around three quarters of our energy use so it's vital that we find new ways of meeting that demand.

"Extracting energy from seaweed is a particularly efficient and reliable method of producing green energy, and the growing of seaweed could have positive impact on local marine biodiversity."

One key advantage of using seaweed is that it avoids the problems associated with agricultural crop biofuels such as pressure on arable land and fresh water.

Dundee University professor of microbiology Geoffrey Codd has also been promoting the idea of using seaweed and other algae as fuel.

He feels the practice could help revive traditional UK industries such as harvesting seaweed and create viable and sustainable biofuel sources.

The Crown Estate owns almost all of the seabed out to 12 nautical miles and has rights on energy development out to 200 nautical miles.

It recently opened up the Pentland Firth seabed for leasing to developers, with interest shown in creating a massive underwater tidal farm.

Seaweed has already been suggested as a sustainable biofuel source

"Extracting energy from seaweed is a particularly efficient and reliable method of producing green energy"

U.S. ships to brake for whales

2008-10-26T09:32:00Z

Source: CNN

Story Highlights

North Atlantic right whale protected as an endangered species since 1970
Officials: Ship strikes killed one to two whales per year from 1997 to 2001
Authorities issued a 11.5 mph speed limit for ships 65 feet or longer
Limit could cost the shipping industry millions of dollars in lost revenue

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government is telling ships to slow down to save a slow-moving species of whale that lives along the Atlantic coast.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Wednesday issued a 11.5-mph speed limit for ships 65 feet or longer that travel within 23 miles of major mid-Atlantic ports. It extends to areas where the North Atlantic right whale breeds, feeds and migrates. The regulation will go into effect in December.

Government marine scientists had initially proposed a 34-mile-wide coastal speed zone around the ports. That recommendation was scaled back after the White House questioned the science linking ship speed to whale deaths.

The North Atlantic right whale has been protected as an endangered species since 1970. Despite warning systems and aerial surveys to locate whales in shipping lanes, only 300-400 whales remain in the wild. The major remaining threat to the species is ship strikes, which from 1997 to 2001 killed about one to two right whales per year, according to federal officials.

The speed limit will be the first put in place to protect a species along the Atlantic coast. A federal analysis issued earlier this year said that the limit could cost the shipping industry millions of dollars in lost revenue. It would affect most commercial ships, including ferries, cruise liners and even whale-watching vessels.

SO WHAT? We CAN NOT afford to be only chasing $$$. I believe we have arrived at a point that we need to protect and respect the little beauty we have left on our planet! This is a good start...

Scientists dismayed by vanishing of 7 whales

2008-10-26T09:22:00Z

Source: CNN

SEATTLE, Washington (AP) -- Seven Puget Sound killer whales are missing and feared dead in what could be the biggest decline among the sound's orcas in nearly a decade, say scientists who carefully track the endangered animals.

"This is a disaster," Ken Balcomb, a senior scientist at the Center for Whale Research on San Juan Island, said Friday. "The population drop is worse than the stock market."

While the official census won't be completed until December, the number of live "southern resident" orcas now stands at 83.

Among those missing since last year's count are the nearly century-old leader of one of the three southern resident pods, and two young females who recently bore calves.

The loss of the seven whales, Balcomb said, would be the biggest decline among the Puget Sound orcas since 1999, when the center also tracked a decline of seven whales.

Low numbers of chinook salmon, a prime food for these whales, may be a factor in the unusual number of deaths this year, Balcomb said.

"It was a bad salmon year and that's not good for the whales," he said. "Everybody considers these wonderful creatures, but we really have to pay attention to the food supply."

The three pods, or families, that frequent western Washington's inland marine waters -- the J, K, and L pods -- are genetically and behaviorally distinct from other killer whales. The sounds they make are considered a unique dialect, they mate only among themselves, eat salmon rather than marine mammals and show a unique attachment to the region.

The population reached 140 or more in the last century, but their numbers have fluctuated in recent decades. They were listed as endangered in 2005.

"We may be in the beginning of another decline in the population," said Howard Garrett, director of the Orca Network, a nonprofit education and advocacy group.

He said the whales seem to be having a harder time finding chinook salmon.

The whales recently have been traveling over greater distances than usual, suggesting they may be ranging farther for food, said Brad Hanson, a wildlife biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Lack of food may be a concern, but it's too early to know the reason for the unusual number of presumed deaths, he said.

Pollution and a decline in prey are believed to be the whales' biggest threats, although stress from whale-watching tour boats and underwater sonar tests by the Navy also have been concerns. In the late 1960s and early '70s, the population fell as dozens were captured for marine parks.

The whales were making an apparent comeback in recent years, reaching 90 in number in 2005, "but it's been a downhill trend now for three years," Balcomb said.

Among those missing are two female whales of reproductive age, both of which recently produced calves. One of those calves, L-111, is missing, while the other, J-39, is not.

It's not unusual to lose older or younger whales, but losing two females in reproductive prime is "a bit of a concern" since they typically have a high survival rate, Hanson said.

One female whale, known to scientists as L-67, had the potential for two or three more calves, Hanson said.

She was the mother of "Luna," a juvenile killer whale from Washington waters that made headlines in 2001 when he became separated from his pod and turned up in Nootka Sound, off the west coast of Canada's Vancouver Island. A killer whale believed to be Luna died in Nootka Sound in 2006 when it was hit by the propeller of a large tugboat.

L-67 showed clear signs of emaciation -- a depression behind her blow hole -- before she disappeared in September, Hanson said.

"It definitely shows that she was not eating," he said, but it's unclear why. Researchers are performing tests on samples they collected from her weeks before she disappeared.

Others missing, according to the center, include K-7, the 98-year-old matriarch of K-pod, and L-101, a 6-year-old male who is a brother of "Luna."

The count also includes a calf, J-43, that was born in November but is believed to have not survived the winter.

The whale census may increase if baby orcas are born this fall. And there's a slim chance the whales may reappear elsewhere, as "Luna" did, Hanson said.

But Balcomb said: "We've been monitoring. They're just gone."