AGREEMENT NOT REACHED ON PROTECTING THE ROSS SEA

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE 
Results of the Special Meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
July 16, 2013

I regret that the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) was not able to reach agreement on establishing marine protected areas, including in the Ross Sea Region, but we’ll soon get another bite at the apple and a formulation for protecting the Ross Sea can and will be found, period.

There's simply no comprehensive effort to protect earth's most critical resource that doesn't include an equally comprehensive effort to create marine protected areas (MPAs). That’s why the United States and New Zealand proposed the creation of these areas in the Ross Sea Region. A tremendous amount of work has gone into developing the science that underpins our joint proposal, and to leverage action, we'll be doubling down on sharing the findings of our scientists who spend those critical months in the dead of winter at McMurdo Station researching and understanding the realties that face all of us.

This is a longtime passion of mine and it's an imperative for me as Secretary of State. I’ve seen firsthand how acidification, pollution, and sea level rise tear at the fabric of our economies, our communities, even our security. But this isn’t just a personal priority. The Ross Sea is a natural laboratory. Its ecosystem is as diverse as it is productive, and we have a responsibility to protect it as environmental stewards—just as we do the rest of the ocean.

President Obama has put climate change and environmental conservation on the front burner where it belongs, and we have a responsibility to keep it there. Yes, the road has been harder than we hoped. But I am pleased that so many countries were willing to work together towards this crucial objective. While they were not able to reach full agreement at this meeting to designate MPAs for Antarctica, they came close. The majority of CCAMLR members were able to find common ground. We didn't agree on all of the specifics, but there's an emerging consensus that the Antarctic region requires protection.

OYSTERS AND OCEAN ACIDIFICATION

FROM:  NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Ocean Acidification Linked With Larval Oyster Failure in Hatcheries
Increase in ocean acidification led to collapse of oyster seed production at Oregon hatchery
April 11, 2012
Marine researchers have definitively linked the collapse of oyster seed production at a commercial oyster hatchery in Oregon to an increase in ocean acidification.
Larval growth at the hatchery declined to a level considered by the owners to be "non-economically viable."

A study by the scientists found that increased seawater carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, resulting in more corrosive ocean water, inhibited the larval oysters from developing their shells and growing at a pace that would make commercial production cost-effective.
As atmospheric CO2 levels continue to rise, this may serve as the proverbial canary in the coal mine for other ocean acidification impacts on shellfish.
Results of the research are published this week in the journalLimnology and Oceanography, published by the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO).

The research was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability (SEES) Ocean Acidification solicitation.

"Studies funded by NSF's SEES Ocean Acidification solicitation are well-positioned to determine the specific mechanisms responsible for larval mortality in Pacific Northwest oyster hatcheries," said David Garrison, program director in NSF's Division of Ocean Sciences.

"This is one of the first times that we have been able to show how ocean acidification affects oyster larval development at a critical life stage," said Burke Hales, an Oregon State University (OSU) chemical oceanographer and co-author of the paper.
"The predicted rise of atmospheric CO2 in the next two to three decades may push oyster larval growth past the break-even point in terms of production."

The owners of Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery at Oregon's Netarts Bay experienced a decline in oyster seed production several years ago and looked at potential causes, including low oxygen and pathogenic bacteria.

Alan Barton, who works at the hatchery and is a co-author of the journal article, was able to eliminate those potential causes and shifted his focus to ocean acidification.
Barton sent samples to OSU and to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory for analysis.

The results clearly linked the production failures to the CO2levels in the water in which the larval oysters were spawned and spent the first 24 hours of their lives. That first day is a critical time when the oysters develop from fertilized eggs to swimming larvae and build their initial shells.

"The early growth stage for oysters is particularly sensitive to the carbonate chemistry of the water," said George Waldbusser, a benthic ecologist at OSU.
"As the water becomes more acidified, it affects the formation of calcium carbonate, the mineral in shells. As the CO2 goes up, the mineral stability goes down, ultimately leading to reduced growth or to mortality."

Commercial oyster production on the West Coast of North America is a 273-million-dollar industry each year. It has depended since the 1970s on oyster hatcheries for a steady supply of the seed used by growers.

In recent years, the hatcheries that provide most of the seed for West Coast growers have suffered persistent production problems.

At the same time, non-hatchery wild stocks of these oysters also have shown low recruitment, putting additional strain on a limited seed supply.
Hales said that Netarts Bay, where the Whiskey Creek hatchery is located, experiences a wide range of chemistry fluctuations.

The researchers believe that hatchery operators may be able to adapt to take advantage of periods when water quality is at its highest.

"In addition to the impact of seasonal upwelling, the water chemistry changes with the tidal cycle and with the time of day," Hales said. "Afternoon sunlight, for example, promotes photosynthesis in the bay. That production can absorb some of the carbon dioxide and lower the corrosiveness of the water."

The researchers also found that larval oysters showed a delayed response to the water chemistry, which may cast new light on other experiments looking at the impacts of ocean acidification on shellfish.

In the study, they found that larval oysters raised in water that was acidic, but non-lethal, had significantly less growth in later stages of their life.
"The takeaway message here is that the response to poor water quality isn't always immediate," said Waldbusser.

"In some cases, it took until three weeks after fertilization for effects from the acidic water to become apparent. Short-term experiments of just a few days may not detect the damage."

The research was also supported by NOAA and the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association.
Other authors of the journal article include Chris Langdon of OSU's Hatfield Marine Science Center and Richard Feely of NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory.
-NSF-


The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2012, its budget is $7.0 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and other institutions. Each year, NSF receives over 50,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes about 11,000 new funding awards. NSF also awards nearly $420 million in professional and service contracts yearly.