Ask the President for a National Marine Monument in the Atlantic Ocean.

New England Coral Canyons and Seamounts map, NRDC Ask the President for a National Marine Monument in the Atlantic Ocean. Off the eastern shore of Cape Cod, 120 miles, carved into the continental slope beyond Georges Bank is Oceanographer Canyon.  Further east by north plunge four more canyons, Gilbert, Lydonia, Nygren, and Heezen Canyons.  Off the continental shelf, four seamounts in American waters rise about 7,000 feet from the abyssal seafloor, yet remain way too deep for sunlight to reach them - Bear, Physalia, Mytilus, and Retriever Seamounts.  Our Deepwater Backyard: Exploring Atlantic Canyons and Seamounts 2014 Expedition successfully dove NOAA's Okeanos Explore to Physalia Seamount landing at a depth of 2,579 meters.  A jet-propelled squat lobster is just one of the remarkable animals discovered on seamounts seen in the dive video.  The dive video on Retriever Seamount finds completely different habitats, yet again demonstrating how little we know about the ocean.  We know more about the surface of the moon than we know about the ocean floor.  Cashes Ledge is in the middle of the Gulf of Maine about 80 miles off Gloucester and 100 miles south of Portland.  This is a lush oasis with the largest area of healthy kelp forests in America's Atlantic waters.  All four seafloor habitats are here - deep mud basins, sandy dales, gravel beds and rocky outcroppings complete with wolfish.  An indigenous cod lives on Cashes Ledge that is uniquely red in color.  The mix of all four essential fish habitats with lots of edges makes this New England's finest ocean wildlife area for not just fish, also whales and seabirds.  Urge the President to create a national marine monument for the Atlantic Ocean that celebrates these unique ocean places - sign our letter. This redfish and other fish benefit from deep-sea coral reefs in the North Atlantic. Photo: Science AAAS      Are these the oldest animals on earth?  In January the Ocean River Institute delivered to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council a letter signed by 3,388 individuals.  We successfully urged the Council to protect deep sea corals and to practice responsible ocean stewardship by approving Alternative 1B to protect corals at and below 200 meters. Rob Moir attended the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council's presentation by Dr Nizinski on deep sea corals.  Deep sea coral communities are called biodiversity hotspots. They are considered essential habitats for commercially valuable fish stocks. Yet, only redfish were frequently seen with specific deep sea corals. It was, therefore, big news to learn from Dr. Nizinski that deep sea corals were observed with skate and hake. That these two relatively abundant commercially valuable fish were seen with corals below 500 feet gives hope for the importance of deep sea coral communities for the less numerous ground fish populations, pollock, haddock, and cod.  Across the Atlantic Ocean, Science AAAS reports marine biologist Jason Hall-Spencer of the University of Glasgow, United Kingdom, and two colleagues found large chunks of deep sea coral in the catch hauled up by two French vessels fishing off West Ireland. Radiocarbon dating of these fragments indicates the reefs are at least 4,500 years old. Although only five of 229 hauls included substantial amounts of coral, Hall-Spencer says the extremely slow-growing coral can not recover from frequent trawling. For more information on saving deep sea corals click here. Osprey with fish, photo R Moir Menhaden Help Osprey Population Rise Greenwich CT Osprey Stewards estimate a local population of 80 ospreys, reports the Greenwich Sentinel.  The increase has been fueled by a new abundance of menhaden.  The two bald eagles that summered by the river at Cos Cob Harbor were observed eating menhaden.  The Herring Alliance, a coalition of fish advocacy groups including us, worked hard with the Fisheries Council for sensible limits to the catch.  In December 2013 the Council reduced the menhaden catch by about one quarter. This significant decrease has apparently benefited other wildlife, including more robust striped bass. Take a Minute to Earn $2 for Saving Oceans Opinions 4 Good (Op4G) is an online market research company that provides funding for nonprofits. Since partnering with Op4G, ORI has received a total of $1,177 in donated survey incentives from our panel members. For each new member that joins this month, Op4G will donate $2 to Ocean River Institute. Long-term participation will provide additional donations throughout the year, with the average survey paying $3.50 for about 10 minutes of your time. Click here to sign up. Every $2 helps us get more people involved in saving fish, sharks, and our oceans.  After you sign up, please share this opportunity with friends on facebook or twitter. Pathways To a Bluer and Greener Planet Earth  Moir's Environmental Dialogues, Ocean River Shields of Achilles.Choose from ninety-seven podcast episodes, also available free on iTunes. Join ORI's Fan page on Facebook.  Help us reach 2,000 likes. See what others are saying about ORI and why we are a five-star nonprofit on Greatnonprofits.org. Earn money for ORI when you shop at Amazon Smile and for yourself by joining Opinions 4Good (www.Op4G.com) . Consider donating 100% of your earnings.  Save our oceans and rivers with ORI logo items. Visit our "Ocean River Ducks and Paddlers Store". Twitter OceanRiverRob for wave breaking news and updates. Become a Blue Green Sustainer - Give $5 monthly Stay connected with ORI

The TRUTH will set you FREE.

Stop Killing Striped Bass with Excessive Lawn Fertilizer

Little Pond by the Falmouth Enterprise Stop Killing Striped Bass with Excessive Lawn Fertilizer Green lawns can coexist with healthy fish and you can save money while cleaning our shores of rotting algae. On a hot July day, sixteen striped bass, a horseshoe crab, and an unidentified crab were found dead on the shore of Little Pond, a salt pond in Falmouth.  Fish swam into a harmful algal bloom and died quickly from the lack of oxygen.  The town responded swiftly with a bylaw to reduce lawn fertilizing by 80 percent, from five pounds to one pound nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of healthy lawn. The fertilizer industry went to the state. Falmouth people were mandated by the state to apply five pounds of fertilizer if they wanted their lawns to stay green. Fortunately for the marine life of Falmouth, the local state senator was at the time President of the Senate.  She amended a budget bill to exempt Falmouth from the state rule, restoring the town's right to home rule when it came to lawn care. Act with the Ocean River Institute for responsible lawn stewardship without the toxic runoff into our waterways. We ask for your voice; we ask for your stories and we ask for your support. Tell Beacon Hill the 350 other municipalities in Massachusetts, "the Bay State," also have rights to clean water, healthy fish, rivers not clogged by green slime, and algae-free summer beaches. They also would not mind saving time, effort and money on unneeded lawn fertilizer that pollutes.  Please start by signing and commenting on our petition. Black Sea Bass Something is Rotten in The State of Our Waterways "An Algal Bloom of Epic Proportions" headlines the Santa Cruz Waves (June 29, 2015).  Gary Griggs writes:  "The entire west coast is experiencing a harmful algal bloom of unprecedented size that extends from Central California to Washington State ... Massive blooms of phytoplankton, or microscopic floating algae such as diatoms, are common along the central coast of California in the late spring and summer. Just like the weeds emerging in your garden in the spring, when the weather warms and nutrients are provided ... the plants in the coastal ocean bloom like a huge garden." Tune in to Rob's podcast with K. C. Armstrong on Women's Radio Network on striped bass and dogfish.  Rob talks about his work with the Massachusetts Striped Bass Association (recreational) and Massachusetts Commercial Striped Bass Association to successfully sue the U.S. Government for not taking an ecosystem-based management approach to management of herring, the primary forage fish of striped bass.  Rob also talks with K.C. about dogfish and how one can save both fish and local fishing communities by eating more dogfish, a fish that can be mistaken for cod and haddock when deep-fried. Black Sea Bass and Green crabs moving north are the topics of the program with K.C. Armstrong that preceded the striped bass episode.  As cod and lobster are moving north to cooler waters, the black sea bass has been expanding its range and preying on green crab, also an invasive species from warmer climates. Rob then comments on the article published by Rebecca Kessler about how fish and marine animals are responding to environmental changes in the supposedly warming Gulf of Maine, and explains the "barn door open" "barn door closed" phenomenon. Rob closes with an explanation and history about estimating fish populations and how eating seafood and eating local can help us reduce our carbon footprint.       Patagonia Store Boston Staff hosted                     Plight of the Torpedo People at an event with photographer/filmmaker Chris Burkard to benefit the Ocean River Institute. Talkin' Striped Bass, Stoppin' Algal Blooms at Patagonia Boston Saturday, August 8th, Harper and Michela will be tabling at the Patagonia Boston store at 346 Newbury Street. Come by and talk with us about protecting striped bass and cleaning our beaches by changing our lawn care practices. One can have a green lawn and healthy waters while saving money.  We spent Saturday at Patagonia two weeks ago and had a great time talking with people. We thank Patagonia for hosting us, and thanks to everyone that stopped by.  Come on by Saturday Aug 8.  Let's talk about what's in your ocean. Tell us your fish tales. Together, we're growing a vocal coalition for clean beaches and healthy fish in Massachusetts.  Hey, Beacon Hill, can you hear us now?  Where'd you get that rain jacket with good quality zipper, seams sealed inside and pit zips?  Algae covered Cape Cod beach, photo by USGS If not the Striped Bass, Give for the Halibut, Clear Waters and Clean Beaches We want clean beaches and clear water with plenty of healthy marine life.  If you want this too, please make a donation today. Your financial participation will help us achieve needed resources to stop nitrogen pollution off of lawns that feeds toxic algal blooms. Together with other donors, we are gaining every town the freedom enjoyed by Falmouth to save money by fertilizing only when the lawn is in need of nitrogen and not whenever the industry is in need of a sale. Let's clean up our shores.  Will you make a gift of $20 today? Consider making your support go the furthest by making a monthly $9 contribution. It's the greenest and easiest way to give.Click here to donate now. Take a Minute to Earn $2 for Saving Oceans Opinions 4 Good (Op4G) is an online market research company that provides funding for nonprofits. Since partnering with Op4G, ORI has received a total of $1,177 in donated survey incentives from our panel members. For each new member that joins this month, Op4G will donate $2 to Ocean River Institute. Long-term participation will provide additional donations throughout the year, with the average survey paying $3.50 for about 10 minutes of your time. Click here to sign up. Every $2 helps us get more people involved in saving fish, sharks, and our oceans.  After you sign up, please share this opportunity with friends on facebook or twitter. Pathways To a Bluer and Greener Planet Earth Shop for a Cause - August 28 and 29 Once again Macy's is saving oceans and rivers by partnering with the Ocean River Institute.  Donate $5 to ORI and we'll mail you a card for 25% off your total purchase at Macy's Stores. Simply write "Shop for a Cause" in the Additional Comments field at the bottom of the online donation form and ORI will send you the card. Click for more info.  Moir's Environmental Dialogues, Ocean River Shields of Achilles.Choose from ninety-seven podcast episodes, also available free on iTunes. Join ORI's Fan page on Facebook.  Help us reach 2,000 likes. See what others are saying about ORI and why we are a five-star nonprofit on Greatnonprofits.org. Earn money for ORI when you shop at Amazon Smile and for yourself by joining Opinions 4Good (www.Op4G.com) . Consider donating 100% of your earnings.  Save our oceans and rivers with ORI logo items. Visit our "Ocean River Ducks and Paddlers Store". Twitter OceanRiverRob for wave breaking news and updates. Become a Blue Green Sustainer - Give $5 monthly Stay connected with ORI

The TRUTH will set you FREE.

Stop Killing Striped Bass with Excessive Lawn Fertilizer

Little Pond by the Falmouth Enterprise Stop Killing Striped Bass with Excessive Lawn Fertilizer  Discover how green lawns can coexist with healthy fish. On a hot July day, sixteen striped bass, a horseshoe crab, and an unidentified crab were found dead on the shore of Little Pond, a salt pond in Falmouth.  There had been a harmful algal bloom.  All of the dissolved oxygen had been consumed by algae. Fish swam in and died quickly from the lack of oxygen.  The town responded swiftly with a bylaw to reduce fertilizing by 80 percent to one pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.  The fertilizer industry went to the state and the state ruled that their regs trump town rights. Falmouth people were instructed to apply five pounds of fertilizer. Fortunately for the marine life of Falmouth, the local state senator was at the time President of the Senate.  She amended a bill that exempted Falmouth, restoring the town's right to home rule when it came to lawn care. The remaining 350 municipalities in Massachusetts also have rights to clean water, fewer algal blooms, no ocean dead zones, healthy fish and algae-free summer beaches.  Join with the Ocean River Institute's call for responsible stewardship of our lawns without the toxic runoff into our waterways with three steps to responsible lawn care.  We ask for your voice; we ask for your stories and we ask for your support. Please start by signing and commenting on our petition.

Protect Corals with Biscayne Marine Reserve Biscayne National Park is the largest marine park in the National Park System. The Park manages a portion of the only living coral reef in the continental U.S. This is the third largest barrier reef tract in the world. The coral reef is suffering from warming waters, sedimentation, and nitrogen (nutrient) pollution. Boat strikes, anchoring and overfishing also harm coral reefs. Recognizing the dire condition of coral reefs, the NPS has completed the General Management Plan that calls for creation of Biscayne Marine Reserve to protect 30% of the coral reef within the park.  The Biscayne Marine Reserve would close only 6% of the entire park to fishing while providing more spectacular coral reef experiences for everyone else. "Although the marine reserve only covers a small portion of the park, it will have a big impact on the health of Biscayne," said Caroline McLaughlin, Biscayne program analyst for the National Parks Conservation Association. Please sign our petition for a Marine Reserve in Biscayne National Park. ORI tabling in Boston Donors Needed to Save Striped Bass Please make a donation to save Cape Cod marine life and for cleaner beaches by reducing nitrogen pollution. Every gift we receive will help us reach out to more Cape Cod communities to educate about responsible lawn care practices to save fish and beaches.   With your support, we'll design and distribute take-away cards on the three responsible lawn care practices.   Every $15 contributed will enable us to spend an hour talking with people. Every $100 will enable us to table at one more beach.  Make a donation today! Your dollars will go further as a Blue Green Sustainer. Join the community by making a monthly or quarterly gift. Become a Guardian of Scotland's Wester Ross! Make a donation to be a Guardian of the Wester Ross Marine Protected Area.  It is not the Westeros, but the Hound will appreciate it because Rory McCann keeps his sailboat in the Wester Ross.  Donations made via Love Animals dot org will be matched by the Ocean Foundation through July 10th! Ali Hughson, a scallop diver, offers his account of a recent dive: We found that the boulder ridges had been dredged heavily in the recent past. With smashed Crab and Sea Urchin still containing their meat and innards. I saw two heavily mangled balls of Crab creels during a dive here. The ridges had been physically altered since my last visit, four years ago. They were lower and the boulders which comprised them had been extensively scattered. The Kelp which had been on top of the ridges was lying, torn and limp on the seabed around the boulders. Scallops were in some cases fatally injured with chunks of shell and skirt torn out and in others completely smashed. It was heartbreaking. Please make a donation. Every $20 will add an hour; time for an individual, like Ali, to share observations, insights, and tales of stewardship. Beware the Brotherhood Without Banners. Take a Minute to Earn $2 for Saving Oceans Opinions 4 Good (Op4G) is an online market research company that provides funding for nonprofits across the country. Since partnering with Op4G, ORI has received a total of $1,177 in donated survey incentives from our panel members. For each new member that joins this month, Op4G will donate $2 to Ocean River Institute. Long-term participation will provide additional donations throughout the year, with the average survey paying $3.50 for about 10 minutes of your time. Click here to sign up. Every $2 helps us get more people involved in saving fish, sharks, and our oceans.  After you sign up, please share this opportunity with friends on facebook or twitter. Pathways To a Bluer and Greener Planet Earth Shop for a Cause - August 28 and 29 Once again Macy's is saving oceans and rivers by partnering with the Ocean River Institute.  Donate $5 to ORI and we'll mail you a card for 25% off your total purchase at Macy's Stores. Simply write "Shop for a Cause" in the Additional Comments field at the bottom of the online donation form and ORI will send you the card. Click for more info.  Moir's Environmental Dialogues, Ocean River Shields of Achilles.Choose from ninety-seven podcast episodes, also available free on iTunes. Join ORI's Fan page on Facebook.  Help us reach 2,000 likes. See what others are saying about ORI and why we are a five-star nonprofit on Greatnonprofits.org. Earn money for ORI when you shop at Amazon Smile and for yourself by joining Opinions 4Good (www.Op4G.com) . Consider donating 100% of your earnings.  Save our oceans and rivers with ORI logo items. Visit our "Ocean River Ducks and Paddlers Store". Twitter OceanRiverRob for wave breaking news and updates. Become a Blue Green Sustainer - Give $5 monthly

Stay connected with ORI

The TRUTH will set you FREE.