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SeaSpan--Marine Conservation News from the Pew Institute for Ocean Science June - A 2007, volume 1-30
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CONTENTS:
A) FEATURE
1) CITES Focuses on Sturgeon/CITES Ocean Winners and Losers
B) NEWS AND VIEWS
2) Trade Banned for Endangered Sawfish
3) Sea Lions Hit by High Levels of Acid Poison in California
4) Fishing 'Destabilises Black Sea'
5) Japanese Whale Request Rejected
6) A Fight About Fish Farms
C) PEW INSTITUTE AND PEW FELLOWS
7) Mee Presents ELME Report: Europe's seas face 'bleak future'
8) Biodiversity Loss in the Ocean: How Bad Is It?
9) Smith and Fujita’s Work Cited in Deep Seas Article
10) Norse Interviewed on National Public Radios Marketplace on CITIES Decisions on Species Protection and Trade
11) Broad And Eckert Present New Report On Caribbean Sea Turtles
D) OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS
12) Marine Affairs Research and Education: Ecosystem-Based Management Editor
13) National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration: National Partnership Coordinator
E) GENERAL INFORMATION AND SUBSCRIPTION INSTRUCTIONS
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A) FEATURE
1) CITES FOCUSES ON STURGEON
The global wildlife trade watchdog has agreed to beef up its scrutiny of caviar quotas and make the system more transparent - steps aimed at saving sturgeon from extinction. Conservationists expressed disappointment the trade was not reined in further by the 171-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES, which recently held its triennial meeting to review its lists of regulated plants and animals. "Many scientists had hoped for a stronger set of restrictions on the wild caviar trade, especially for beluga sturgeon, which will not survive the rampant overfishing occurring in the Caspian Sea," said Ellen Pikitch, executive director of the Pew Institute for Ocean Science and lead scientist for Caviar Emptor, a nonprofit campaign to protect and restore wild sturgeons. "The good news is that a system has finally been established that will lift the veil of secrecy off the caviar trade," she said. Caviar, one of the world's most prized delicacies, is the roe or eggs of sturgeon or paddlefish. Beluga caviar can cost upward of 8,250 euros per kilogram ($5,000 a pound) depending on taste and quality. High profits have led to a flourishing black market.
Source: Mike Corder, Forbes, 14 June 2007
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/14/ap3821900.html
RELATED CITES STORY
CITES OCEAN WINNERS AND LOSERS
A list of the (ocean) winners and losers at the two-week meeting of the 171-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in The Hague---edited for marine conservation priorities.
WINNERS:
Sawfish: Trade regulated in the shark-like ray with its distinctive tooth-studded snout, which is coveted by collectors.
European eels: Trade regulated in this European delicacy.
Sturgeon: More transparency and scientific scrutiny in the process of granting export quotas for caviar.
LOSERS:
Sharks: The spiny dogfish and porbeagle, fished for fast food and gourmet shark fin soup, rejected for CITES protection.
Red coral: Decision to regulate trade in the coral prized by jewelry makers is adopted but later overturned.
Source: International Herald Tribune, 15 June 2007
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/15/europe/EU-GEN-Netherlands-Endangered-Species-Winners-and-Losers.php
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B) NEWS AND VIEWS
2) TRADE BANNED FOR ENDANGERED SAWFISH
This week a committee at the triennial meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) supported a proposal to ban commercial trade of six species of the seven species of sawfish and to allow the sale of one species that populates Australian waters. Sawfish are overfished because of their highly valued fins, meat, and snouts known as rostra. A final decision on the ban is expected by end of the conference. "We are relieved that international trade pressure will be lifted for these critically endangered species," said Steven Broad, director of TRAFFIC, a group monitoring the trade in wildlife. "Trade, along with fishing pressure, was pushing them towards extinction."
Source: Mike Corder, Associated Press, 11 June 2007
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/11/ap3808367.html
3) SEA LIONS HIT BY HIGH LEVELS OF ACID POISON IN CALIFORNIA
High levels of domoic acid have been poisoning sea lions off the coast of Southern California. Domoic acid, a toxin released by large blooms of algae that causes seizures in sea lions, has killed
hundreds of the animals across Southern California this spring. Levels of the toxin have reached record highs. According to Astrid Schnetzer, a research professor at the Caron Lab for Marine
Environmental Biology at the University of Southern California, in April, the levels in plankton were twice the previous recorded highs.
Source: Monica Almeida, New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/us/06sealions.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Registration is required to read the article.
4) FISHING 'DESTABILISES BLACK SEA'
A long-term study by Georgi Daskalov, from the United Kingdom's Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), and colleagues found that because there had been excessive fishing in the Black Sea, the sea's ecosystem had shifted over the past 50 years.
"Ecosystems exist in a dynamic balance of predator and prey," explained Dr. Daskalov. "Changing relationships within the food web, such as removing top predators through fishing, can tip the scales and lead to large-scale changes in ecosystem make-up, scientifically referred to as regime shifts." By reviewing the population trends of the sea's fish and plankton, the scientists identified two major shifts: overfishing before the 1970s effectively removed top predators - including dolphins, mackerel, and bluefin tuna and an invasive comb jellyfish (Mnemiopsis leidyi) was able to thrive in the fish-scarce waters. The resulting adjustment left fish stocks low. Dr. Daskalov warns that the strategy of limiting catches is not enough. "Given the current situation worldwide of largely overfished stocks and degraded environments, management must aim to restore ecosystems into balanced states including reducing human impacts, increasing biodiversity, and improving the quality of the environment.”
Source: BBC News, 5 June 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6719965.stm
Citation:
Georgi M. Daskalov, Alexander N. Grishin, Sergei Rodionov, and Vesselina Mihneva. 2007. Trophic Cascades Triggered by Overfishing Reveal Possible Mechanisms of Ecosystem Regime Shifts. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 10.1073/pnas.0701100104
Abstract available at: http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0701100104v1?
A subscription is required to read the entire study.
5) JAPANESE WHALE REQUEST REJECTED
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) rejected Japan’s motion to review whale stocks. This rejection eliminates the possibility of Japan resuming its legal trade of whale meat. Because the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has had a 21-year moratorium on commercial hunting, Japan saw CITES as another option. They are frustrated because when the moratorium was established, a review of whale stocks was supposed to be completed. To date, it has not. According to Mark Simmonds of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, it is not a simple matter to assess. "I can assure delegates that the scientific review is indeed comprehensive," he said. "But it's not a simple matter to assess species which spend so much time in the water, sometimes far offshore; and where individuals are often virtually indistinguishable from each other." With these factors in mind, it is unreasonable and unfair to suggest that CITES could produce something more thorough than the IWC scientific advice."
A similar proposal on fin whales by Iceland was also defeated.
Source: Richard Black, BBC News, 6 June 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6728919.stm
6) A FIGHT ABOUT FISH FARMS
The Bush administration is proposing new legislation that would make it easier to develop industrial-scale aquaculture in ocean waters. The bill would make it easier to farm fish in U.S. marine waters, which generally extend from three to 200 miles offshore. It would streamline the permit process, giving primary responsibility to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This legislation is a result of the fact that global fish consumption has doubled in the last 40 years, and most ocean fisheries are fully exploited or overfished. Many environmental groups are worried though. Food & Water Watch, an anti-corporate activist group, worries about harmful chemicals will be used; whereas Alaskan fisherman worry that farmed fish will take away their state’s most important industry.
Source: Marc Gunther, CNN Money, 8 June 2007
http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/08/news/pluggedin_Gunther_fishfarms.fortune/index.htm
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C) PEW INSTITUTE AND PEW FELLOWS NEWS
7) MEE PRESENTS ELME REPORT: EUROPE'S SEAS FACE 'BLEAK FUTURE'
A three-year project, European Lifestyles and Marine Ecosystems (ELME), has examined the relationship between human activities and the impact on the region's marine ecosystems. The report's conclusions warn that Europe's seas are in a "serious state of decline" as a result of coastal development, overfishing and pollution from agriculture. Project coordinator, Laurence Mee, a Pew Fellow and director of the Marine Institute at the University of Plymouth, UK, states, "In every sea, we found serious damage related to the accelerated pace of coastal development, transport and the way we produce our food." The study focused on the continent's four regional seas: the North-East Atlantic Ocean, and the Black, Baltic and Mediterranean seas. "In every sea, we found serious damage related to the accelerated pace of coastal development, transport and the way we produce our food," stated Mee.
Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6730045.stm
Related link:
ELME Project
http://www.elme-eu.org/public/home.aspx
8) BIODIVERSITY LOSS IN THE OCEAN: HOW BAD IS IT?
Last year, Pew Fellows Carl Folke, Director Stockholm University Centre for Research on Natural Resources and the Environment, Stephen R. Palumbi, Professor of Biological Sciences, Stanford University Hopkins Marine Station, and Enric Sala, Professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, joined Boris Worm, Professor at Dalhousie University and others as co-authors on a research article titled “Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosytem Services” which was published in Science. When it appeared, it received significant coverage. This article was recently the subject of commentary in the Letters section of the July 1 edition of the magazine. Steven Murawski, Richard Methot, Galen Tromble, Ray W. Hilborn and other scientists questioned how Worm et al. defined “collapse.” According to their letters, they believe that “the authors should have conducted a calibration of their stock collapse metric with more complete stock abundance data available from the many world wide sources where such data exist.” Ray W. Hilborn, professor at the school of Aquatic and Fisheries Science at the University of Washington, states in the second letter that “the use of their catch data to indicate stock status is misleading.” He contends that Worm et al. should have “demonstrated that their index of collapse corresponded to stock abundance-based indicies.” The third letter, written by John C. Briggs from the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Oregon State University, questions how biodiversity is defined and also the reference to the extinctions of some species. Worm et al. responded to these letters defending their study and explaining each point made by the letters. For example, they write. "The definition of "collapse" we used refers to a loss in catches of 90% below the historic maximum. According to this metric, the Georges Bank haddock stock, or more precisely the ecosystem service it supplied, collapsed from 1970 to 1977 and 1983 to 2003. Using stock assessment data from NMFS, we find that stock biomass similarly collapsed from 1970 to 1977 and from 1982 to 1997."
Source: Etta Kavanagh (Ed.) Biodiversity Loss in the Ocean: How Bad Is It? 2007. Science Vol. 316 no 5829, pp. 1281-1284.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sci;316/5829/1281b
Citation:
Boris Worm, Edward B. Barbier, Nicola Beaumont, J. Emmett Duffy, Carl Folke, Benjamin S. Halpern et al.. 2007. Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services. Science Vol. 314 no. 5800, pp. 787 – 790.
Abstract available at: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5800/787
A subscription is required to read both articles.
9) SMITH AND FUJITA’S WORK CITED IN DEEP SEAS ARTICLE
Pew Fellows Rodney Fujita, senior scientist at Environmental Defense, and Craig Smith, professor of oceanography at the University of Hawaii, are featured in an article appearing in The Sydney Morning Herald about an area of the deep ocean near Australia that will be opened to the public. The growing understanding that the deep ocean is not a barren world but rather a richly diverse ecosystem has led some scientists to be concerned. The article refers to the May issue of Science, where Fujita and his colleague Jochen Halfar of University of Toronto at Mississauga, write, "Over the past few months, the possibility of mineral exploitation in the deep sea has moved closer to reality with the completion of the first underwater exploration for massive sulphide deposits." They say underwater hot vents have been found that contain gold, copper, zinc, and silver in far higher concentrations than in land deposits. Yet mining could damage their "unique and diverse ecosystems." Regulations to minimize the environmental impact of mining are needed now, say Halfar and Fujita, before it starts. "Large capital investments and generation of revenues by underwater mining
operations are likely to make regulations after onset of commercial operations even more difficult."
Smith is working on a Pew Fellowship project that will help protect a large underwater area of the Pacific from damage from commercial fishing and other activities, including manganese nodule mining. His colleague working on this project, Dr. Tony Koslow from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, was also quoted in this article. He is optimistic about the situation because recently an agreement was signed by nations fishing in the South Pacific that will protect up to 25 percent of the high seas.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 May 2007
http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/life-in-the-last-frontier/2007/05/23/1179601492739.html
Citation:
Jochen Halfar and Rodney M. Fujita. 2007. Danger of Deep-Sea Mining. Science Vol. 316, no.5827, p. 987.
Abstract available at: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/316/5827/987
A subscription is required to read the entire article.
10) NORSE INTERVIEWED ON NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO’S MARKETPLACE ON CITES DECISIONS ON SPECIES PROTECTION AND TRADE
Elliott Norse, Pew Fellow and president of Marine Conservation Biology Institute, was interviewed on National Public Radio’s Marketplace, discussing CITES decisions regarding species protection and trade. When asked about regulating the trade of coral, Norse says it used to be much harder to collect: “Now we have trawlers and sonar that allows us to pinpoint them and rip them off the sea floor and turn them into jewelry-and as a result, they're disappearing.”
Source: Ashley Milne-Tyte, National Public Radio’s Marketplace, 11 June 2007
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2007/06/11/AM200706116.html?
11) BROAD AND ECKERT PRESENT NEW CITES REPORT ON CARIBBEAN SEA TURTLES
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, has announced a new report indicating that high levels of exploitation in legal fisheries, and through illegal take and trade, continue to pose a threat to the marine turtles of the Wider Caribbean region. The report was commissioned by the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and released at the CITES Conference of Parties in The Hague. While documenting major advancements in marine turtle research and conservation in recent years, the report finds that legal but largely unmanaged marine turtle exploitation persists in over half of the 26 Wider Caribbean countries and territories surveyed for the report – the Lesser Antilles, Central America, Colombia and Venezuela. TRAFFIC Executive Director and Pew Fellows Advisor Steven Broad said the report documents the movement of turtles from jurisdictions where they are fully protected by law to others elsewhere in the Caribbean where they continue to be exploited in both legal and illegal fisheries. “This illustrates that mechanisms, such as regional management plans, must be developed and implemented to ensure that countries cooperate and coordinate their efforts to manage and conserve such a vital shared resource,” Broad said. Pew Fellow and Executive Director of Director of the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST), Dr Karen L. Eckert, a co-author of the report, said that the report will show some optimism in the many innovative and pioneering efforts to address threats to marine turtles in the region. "This includes the growing contribution and beneficial involvement of rural communities and partnerships between governmental and non-governmental entities. When local people have opportunities to help monitor and safeguard turtles, the investment in turtle conservation is also an investment in people and their future livelihoods," she said.
To read the report, go to:
http://www.traffic.org/RenderPage.action?CategoryId=1947
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D) OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS
12) MARINE AFFAIRS RESEARCH AND EDUCATION: EDITOR FOR NEW GLOBAL NEWSLETTER ON ECOSYSTEM-BASED MANAGEMENT
DEADLINE: 27 JUNE
LOCATION: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
Marine Affairs Research and Education (MARE), a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving marine resource managers worldwide, seeks an Editor for a new global newsletter on coastal and marine ecosystem-based management (EBM). The newsletter, produced by MARE in association with the University of Washington School of Marine Affairs, will take an objective view on EBM implementation, aiming to serve the broad international coastal/marine EBM community of resource managers and stakeholders (e.g., government agencies, NGOs, fishing industry, oil/gas sector, academia, and others). The Editor will manage all production aspects of a quarterly newsletter; produce and post additional, value-added content for the project website on a monthly or more frequent basis; capture and report on developments in the EBM field; and advance EBM through promotion of information exchange, including conducting interviews with leading EBM practitioners, policymakers, and researchers and soliciting essays and editorials by experts.
For a full position description, go to:
http://www.marineprotectedareas.org/EBM_ad.pdf
Qualifications: The candidate must have exceptional and proven skills in writing and news-gathering; strong familiarity with the issue of coastal/marine EBM, including terminology, principles, and techniques; experience in meeting regular deadlines; familiarity with HTML and Adobe InDesign; and foreign-language competency preferred (French and/or Spanish).
To apply, by e-mail or regular mail, submit a resume and three samples of published writing (news reportage preferred) to:
John Davis, President
Marine Affairs Research and Education
20227 NE 163rd St.
Woodinville, WA 98077 USA
E-mail: jdavis@marineaffairs.org
13) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION: NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP COORDINATOR
DEADLINE: 30 JUNE
LOCATION: NARRAGANSETT, RI
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is looking for applicants for their National Partnership Coordinator position. The Coordinator would oversee activities related to a National Partnership between The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and NOAA's Community-based Restoration Program (CRP). The Coordinator will also provide technical support and advice to TNC field staff working on restoration projects, as well as external partners supported through the National Partnership; manage annual Request for Proposals (RFP); and assist with private fundraising activities by assembling information for TNC's Philanthropy and Global Marine Initiative staff.
For a full position description, go to: http://www.nature.org/careers/dynamic/natureorg/20070605200833.html
Qualifications: The candidate must have a graduate degree in marine science, marine affairs, natural resources, environmental studies or a related field. He or she must also have 1-2 years of experience in managing field projects or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
The candidate must also be willing to travel overnight to off-site meetings, nature preserves, or other locations related to management and promotion of National Partnership. Travel will occasionally occur on weekends.
Interested parties should e-mail letters of application and a current resume by 30 June 2007 to: marine@tnc.org
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E) GENERAL INFORMATION AND SUBSCRIPTION INSTRUCTIONS
SeaSpan welcomes comments, as well as submissions of general interest to the international marine conservation community. Please send email to the editor at:
pewoceanscience@miami.edu
To subscribe, email LISTSERV@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU with no subject, and type the following as the only text in the message:
SUBSCRIBE SEASPAN Your Name
To unsubscribe, email LISTSERV@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU with no subject, and type the following as the only text in the message:
UNSUBSCRIBE SEASPAN
To read or search past issues of SeaSpan, go to: http://listserv.miami.edu/archives/seaspan.html
© 2007. Sections of SeaSpan not attributed to other sources may be reproduced at no charge, with proper acknowledgment and citation as follows:
Source: SeaSpan, from the Pew Institute for Ocean Science
http://www.pewoceanscience.org.
CONTENTS:
A) FEATURE
1) CITES Focuses on Sturgeon/CITES Ocean Winners and Losers
B) NEWS AND VIEWS
2) Trade Banned for Endangered Sawfish
3) Sea Lions Hit by High Levels of Acid Poison in California
4) Fishing 'Destabilises Black Sea'
5) Japanese Whale Request Rejected
6) A Fight About Fish Farms
C) PEW INSTITUTE AND PEW FELLOWS
7) Mee Presents ELME Report: Europe's seas face 'bleak future'
8) Biodiversity Loss in the Ocean: How Bad Is It?
9) Smith and Fujita’s Work Cited in Deep Seas Article
10) Norse Interviewed on National Public Radios Marketplace on CITIES Decisions on Species Protection and Trade
11) Broad And Eckert Present New Report On Caribbean Sea Turtles
D) OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS
12) Marine Affairs Research and Education: Ecosystem-Based Management Editor
13) National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration: National Partnership Coordinator
E) GENERAL INFORMATION AND SUBSCRIPTION INSTRUCTIONS
****************************************
A) FEATURE
1) CITES FOCUSES ON STURGEON
The global wildlife trade watchdog has agreed to beef up its scrutiny of caviar quotas and make the system more transparent - steps aimed at saving sturgeon from extinction. Conservationists expressed disappointment the trade was not reined in further by the 171-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES, which recently held its triennial meeting to review its lists of regulated plants and animals. "Many scientists had hoped for a stronger set of restrictions on the wild caviar trade, especially for beluga sturgeon, which will not survive the rampant overfishing occurring in the Caspian Sea," said Ellen Pikitch, executive director of the Pew Institute for Ocean Science and lead scientist for Caviar Emptor, a nonprofit campaign to protect and restore wild sturgeons. "The good news is that a system has finally been established that will lift the veil of secrecy off the caviar trade," she said. Caviar, one of the world's most prized delicacies, is the roe or eggs of sturgeon or paddlefish. Beluga caviar can cost upward of 8,250 euros per kilogram ($5,000 a pound) depending on taste and quality. High profits have led to a flourishing black market.
Source: Mike Corder, Forbes, 14 June 2007
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/14/ap3821900.html
RELATED CITES STORY
CITES OCEAN WINNERS AND LOSERS
A list of the (ocean) winners and losers at the two-week meeting of the 171-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in The Hague---edited for marine conservation priorities.
WINNERS:
Sawfish: Trade regulated in the shark-like ray with its distinctive tooth-studded snout, which is coveted by collectors.
European eels: Trade regulated in this European delicacy.
Sturgeon: More transparency and scientific scrutiny in the process of granting export quotas for caviar.
LOSERS:
Sharks: The spiny dogfish and porbeagle, fished for fast food and gourmet shark fin soup, rejected for CITES protection.
Red coral: Decision to regulate trade in the coral prized by jewelry makers is adopted but later overturned.
Source: International Herald Tribune, 15 June 2007
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/15/europe/EU-GEN-Netherlands-Endangered-Species-Winners-and-Losers.php
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B) NEWS AND VIEWS
2) TRADE BANNED FOR ENDANGERED SAWFISH
This week a committee at the triennial meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) supported a proposal to ban commercial trade of six species of the seven species of sawfish and to allow the sale of one species that populates Australian waters. Sawfish are overfished because of their highly valued fins, meat, and snouts known as rostra. A final decision on the ban is expected by end of the conference. "We are relieved that international trade pressure will be lifted for these critically endangered species," said Steven Broad, director of TRAFFIC, a group monitoring the trade in wildlife. "Trade, along with fishing pressure, was pushing them towards extinction."
Source: Mike Corder, Associated Press, 11 June 2007
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/11/ap3808367.html
3) SEA LIONS HIT BY HIGH LEVELS OF ACID POISON IN CALIFORNIA
High levels of domoic acid have been poisoning sea lions off the coast of Southern California. Domoic acid, a toxin released by large blooms of algae that causes seizures in sea lions, has killed
hundreds of the animals across Southern California this spring. Levels of the toxin have reached record highs. According to Astrid Schnetzer, a research professor at the Caron Lab for Marine
Environmental Biology at the University of Southern California, in April, the levels in plankton were twice the previous recorded highs.
Source: Monica Almeida, New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/us/06sealions.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Registration is required to read the article.
4) FISHING 'DESTABILISES BLACK SEA'
A long-term study by Georgi Daskalov, from the United Kingdom's Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), and colleagues found that because there had been excessive fishing in the Black Sea, the sea's ecosystem had shifted over the past 50 years.
"Ecosystems exist in a dynamic balance of predator and prey," explained Dr. Daskalov. "Changing relationships within the food web, such as removing top predators through fishing, can tip the scales and lead to large-scale changes in ecosystem make-up, scientifically referred to as regime shifts." By reviewing the population trends of the sea's fish and plankton, the scientists identified two major shifts: overfishing before the 1970s effectively removed top predators - including dolphins, mackerel, and bluefin tuna and an invasive comb jellyfish (Mnemiopsis leidyi) was able to thrive in the fish-scarce waters. The resulting adjustment left fish stocks low. Dr. Daskalov warns that the strategy of limiting catches is not enough. "Given the current situation worldwide of largely overfished stocks and degraded environments, management must aim to restore ecosystems into balanced states including reducing human impacts, increasing biodiversity, and improving the quality of the environment.”
Source: BBC News, 5 June 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6719965.stm
Citation:
Georgi M. Daskalov, Alexander N. Grishin, Sergei Rodionov, and Vesselina Mihneva. 2007. Trophic Cascades Triggered by Overfishing Reveal Possible Mechanisms of Ecosystem Regime Shifts. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 10.1073/pnas.0701100104
Abstract available at: http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0701100104v1?
A subscription is required to read the entire study.
5) JAPANESE WHALE REQUEST REJECTED
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) rejected Japan’s motion to review whale stocks. This rejection eliminates the possibility of Japan resuming its legal trade of whale meat. Because the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has had a 21-year moratorium on commercial hunting, Japan saw CITES as another option. They are frustrated because when the moratorium was established, a review of whale stocks was supposed to be completed. To date, it has not. According to Mark Simmonds of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, it is not a simple matter to assess. "I can assure delegates that the scientific review is indeed comprehensive," he said. "But it's not a simple matter to assess species which spend so much time in the water, sometimes far offshore; and where individuals are often virtually indistinguishable from each other." With these factors in mind, it is unreasonable and unfair to suggest that CITES could produce something more thorough than the IWC scientific advice."
A similar proposal on fin whales by Iceland was also defeated.
Source: Richard Black, BBC News, 6 June 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6728919.stm
6) A FIGHT ABOUT FISH FARMS
The Bush administration is proposing new legislation that would make it easier to develop industrial-scale aquaculture in ocean waters. The bill would make it easier to farm fish in U.S. marine waters, which generally extend from three to 200 miles offshore. It would streamline the permit process, giving primary responsibility to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This legislation is a result of the fact that global fish consumption has doubled in the last 40 years, and most ocean fisheries are fully exploited or overfished. Many environmental groups are worried though. Food & Water Watch, an anti-corporate activist group, worries about harmful chemicals will be used; whereas Alaskan fisherman worry that farmed fish will take away their state’s most important industry.
Source: Marc Gunther, CNN Money, 8 June 2007
http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/08/news/pluggedin_Gunther_fishfarms.fortune/index.htm
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C) PEW INSTITUTE AND PEW FELLOWS NEWS
7) MEE PRESENTS ELME REPORT: EUROPE'S SEAS FACE 'BLEAK FUTURE'
A three-year project, European Lifestyles and Marine Ecosystems (ELME), has examined the relationship between human activities and the impact on the region's marine ecosystems. The report's conclusions warn that Europe's seas are in a "serious state of decline" as a result of coastal development, overfishing and pollution from agriculture. Project coordinator, Laurence Mee, a Pew Fellow and director of the Marine Institute at the University of Plymouth, UK, states, "In every sea, we found serious damage related to the accelerated pace of coastal development, transport and the way we produce our food." The study focused on the continent's four regional seas: the North-East Atlantic Ocean, and the Black, Baltic and Mediterranean seas. "In every sea, we found serious damage related to the accelerated pace of coastal development, transport and the way we produce our food," stated Mee.
Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6730045.stm
Related link:
ELME Project
http://www.elme-eu.org/public/home.aspx
8) BIODIVERSITY LOSS IN THE OCEAN: HOW BAD IS IT?
Last year, Pew Fellows Carl Folke, Director Stockholm University Centre for Research on Natural Resources and the Environment, Stephen R. Palumbi, Professor of Biological Sciences, Stanford University Hopkins Marine Station, and Enric Sala, Professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, joined Boris Worm, Professor at Dalhousie University and others as co-authors on a research article titled “Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosytem Services” which was published in Science. When it appeared, it received significant coverage. This article was recently the subject of commentary in the Letters section of the July 1 edition of the magazine. Steven Murawski, Richard Methot, Galen Tromble, Ray W. Hilborn and other scientists questioned how Worm et al. defined “collapse.” According to their letters, they believe that “the authors should have conducted a calibration of their stock collapse metric with more complete stock abundance data available from the many world wide sources where such data exist.” Ray W. Hilborn, professor at the school of Aquatic and Fisheries Science at the University of Washington, states in the second letter that “the use of their catch data to indicate stock status is misleading.” He contends that Worm et al. should have “demonstrated that their index of collapse corresponded to stock abundance-based indicies.” The third letter, written by John C. Briggs from the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Oregon State University, questions how biodiversity is defined and also the reference to the extinctions of some species. Worm et al. responded to these letters defending their study and explaining each point made by the letters. For example, they write. "The definition of "collapse" we used refers to a loss in catches of 90% below the historic maximum. According to this metric, the Georges Bank haddock stock, or more precisely the ecosystem service it supplied, collapsed from 1970 to 1977 and 1983 to 2003. Using stock assessment data from NMFS, we find that stock biomass similarly collapsed from 1970 to 1977 and from 1982 to 1997."
Source: Etta Kavanagh (Ed.) Biodiversity Loss in the Ocean: How Bad Is It? 2007. Science Vol. 316 no 5829, pp. 1281-1284.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sci;316/5829/1281b
Citation:
Boris Worm, Edward B. Barbier, Nicola Beaumont, J. Emmett Duffy, Carl Folke, Benjamin S. Halpern et al.. 2007. Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services. Science Vol. 314 no. 5800, pp. 787 – 790.
Abstract available at: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5800/787
A subscription is required to read both articles.
9) SMITH AND FUJITA’S WORK CITED IN DEEP SEAS ARTICLE
Pew Fellows Rodney Fujita, senior scientist at Environmental Defense, and Craig Smith, professor of oceanography at the University of Hawaii, are featured in an article appearing in The Sydney Morning Herald about an area of the deep ocean near Australia that will be opened to the public. The growing understanding that the deep ocean is not a barren world but rather a richly diverse ecosystem has led some scientists to be concerned. The article refers to the May issue of Science, where Fujita and his colleague Jochen Halfar of University of Toronto at Mississauga, write, "Over the past few months, the possibility of mineral exploitation in the deep sea has moved closer to reality with the completion of the first underwater exploration for massive sulphide deposits." They say underwater hot vents have been found that contain gold, copper, zinc, and silver in far higher concentrations than in land deposits. Yet mining could damage their "unique and diverse ecosystems." Regulations to minimize the environmental impact of mining are needed now, say Halfar and Fujita, before it starts. "Large capital investments and generation of revenues by underwater mining
operations are likely to make regulations after onset of commercial operations even more difficult."
Smith is working on a Pew Fellowship project that will help protect a large underwater area of the Pacific from damage from commercial fishing and other activities, including manganese nodule mining. His colleague working on this project, Dr. Tony Koslow from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, was also quoted in this article. He is optimistic about the situation because recently an agreement was signed by nations fishing in the South Pacific that will protect up to 25 percent of the high seas.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 May 2007
http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/life-in-the-last-frontier/2007/05/23/1179601492739.html
Citation:
Jochen Halfar and Rodney M. Fujita. 2007. Danger of Deep-Sea Mining. Science Vol. 316, no.5827, p. 987.
Abstract available at: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/316/5827/987
A subscription is required to read the entire article.
10) NORSE INTERVIEWED ON NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO’S MARKETPLACE ON CITES DECISIONS ON SPECIES PROTECTION AND TRADE
Elliott Norse, Pew Fellow and president of Marine Conservation Biology Institute, was interviewed on National Public Radio’s Marketplace, discussing CITES decisions regarding species protection and trade. When asked about regulating the trade of coral, Norse says it used to be much harder to collect: “Now we have trawlers and sonar that allows us to pinpoint them and rip them off the sea floor and turn them into jewelry-and as a result, they're disappearing.”
Source: Ashley Milne-Tyte, National Public Radio’s Marketplace, 11 June 2007
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2007/06/11/AM200706116.html?
11) BROAD AND ECKERT PRESENT NEW CITES REPORT ON CARIBBEAN SEA TURTLES
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, has announced a new report indicating that high levels of exploitation in legal fisheries, and through illegal take and trade, continue to pose a threat to the marine turtles of the Wider Caribbean region. The report was commissioned by the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and released at the CITES Conference of Parties in The Hague. While documenting major advancements in marine turtle research and conservation in recent years, the report finds that legal but largely unmanaged marine turtle exploitation persists in over half of the 26 Wider Caribbean countries and territories surveyed for the report – the Lesser Antilles, Central America, Colombia and Venezuela. TRAFFIC Executive Director and Pew Fellows Advisor Steven Broad said the report documents the movement of turtles from jurisdictions where they are fully protected by law to others elsewhere in the Caribbean where they continue to be exploited in both legal and illegal fisheries. “This illustrates that mechanisms, such as regional management plans, must be developed and implemented to ensure that countries cooperate and coordinate their efforts to manage and conserve such a vital shared resource,” Broad said. Pew Fellow and Executive Director of Director of the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST), Dr Karen L. Eckert, a co-author of the report, said that the report will show some optimism in the many innovative and pioneering efforts to address threats to marine turtles in the region. "This includes the growing contribution and beneficial involvement of rural communities and partnerships between governmental and non-governmental entities. When local people have opportunities to help monitor and safeguard turtles, the investment in turtle conservation is also an investment in people and their future livelihoods," she said.
To read the report, go to:
http://www.traffic.org/RenderPage.action?CategoryId=1947
*********************************************
D) OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS
12) MARINE AFFAIRS RESEARCH AND EDUCATION: EDITOR FOR NEW GLOBAL NEWSLETTER ON ECOSYSTEM-BASED MANAGEMENT
DEADLINE: 27 JUNE
LOCATION: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
Marine Affairs Research and Education (MARE), a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving marine resource managers worldwide, seeks an Editor for a new global newsletter on coastal and marine ecosystem-based management (EBM). The newsletter, produced by MARE in association with the University of Washington School of Marine Affairs, will take an objective view on EBM implementation, aiming to serve the broad international coastal/marine EBM community of resource managers and stakeholders (e.g., government agencies, NGOs, fishing industry, oil/gas sector, academia, and others). The Editor will manage all production aspects of a quarterly newsletter; produce and post additional, value-added content for the project website on a monthly or more frequent basis; capture and report on developments in the EBM field; and advance EBM through promotion of information exchange, including conducting interviews with leading EBM practitioners, policymakers, and researchers and soliciting essays and editorials by experts.
For a full position description, go to:
http://www.marineprotectedareas.org/EBM_ad.pdf
Qualifications: The candidate must have exceptional and proven skills in writing and news-gathering; strong familiarity with the issue of coastal/marine EBM, including terminology, principles, and techniques; experience in meeting regular deadlines; familiarity with HTML and Adobe InDesign; and foreign-language competency preferred (French and/or Spanish).
To apply, by e-mail or regular mail, submit a resume and three samples of published writing (news reportage preferred) to:
John Davis, President
Marine Affairs Research and Education
20227 NE 163rd St.
Woodinville, WA 98077 USA
E-mail: jdavis@marineaffairs.org
13) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION: NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP COORDINATOR
DEADLINE: 30 JUNE
LOCATION: NARRAGANSETT, RI
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is looking for applicants for their National Partnership Coordinator position. The Coordinator would oversee activities related to a National Partnership between The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and NOAA's Community-based Restoration Program (CRP). The Coordinator will also provide technical support and advice to TNC field staff working on restoration projects, as well as external partners supported through the National Partnership; manage annual Request for Proposals (RFP); and assist with private fundraising activities by assembling information for TNC's Philanthropy and Global Marine Initiative staff.
For a full position description, go to: http://www.nature.org/careers/dynamic/natureorg/20070605200833.html
Qualifications: The candidate must have a graduate degree in marine science, marine affairs, natural resources, environmental studies or a related field. He or she must also have 1-2 years of experience in managing field projects or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
The candidate must also be willing to travel overnight to off-site meetings, nature preserves, or other locations related to management and promotion of National Partnership. Travel will occasionally occur on weekends.
Interested parties should e-mail letters of application and a current resume by 30 June 2007 to: marine@tnc.org
******************************************
E) GENERAL INFORMATION AND SUBSCRIPTION INSTRUCTIONS
SeaSpan welcomes comments, as well as submissions of general interest to the international marine conservation community. Please send email to the editor at:
pewoceanscience@miami.edu
To subscribe, email LISTSERV@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU with no subject, and type the following as the only text in the message:
SUBSCRIBE SEASPAN Your Name
To unsubscribe, email LISTSERV@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU with no subject, and type the following as the only text in the message:
UNSUBSCRIBE SEASPAN
To read or search past issues of SeaSpan, go to: http://listserv.miami.edu/archives/seaspan.html
© 2007. Sections of SeaSpan not attributed to other sources may be reproduced at no charge, with proper acknowledgment and citation as follows:
Source: SeaSpan, from the Pew Institute for Ocean Science
http://www.pewoceanscience.org.
Programme-making and special events: future spectrum access | Ofcom
Programme-making and special events: future spectrum access | Ofcom
Ofcom is holding a consultation on the spectrum used by Program-making and special events users - they currently have access to about 2.5GHz of spectrum (compared say to 3G which has about 140MHz).
Some of the frequencies will clash when the digital switchover occurs, and though PMSE generally has second use of the frequencies, there are likely to be issues as the analogue spectrum will be auctioned off.
Ofcom want opinions on how the transition should take place.
Ofcom is holding a consultation on the spectrum used by Program-making and special events users - they currently have access to about 2.5GHz of spectrum (compared say to 3G which has about 140MHz).
Some of the frequencies will clash when the digital switchover occurs, and though PMSE generally has second use of the frequencies, there are likely to be issues as the analogue spectrum will be auctioned off.
Ofcom want opinions on how the transition should take place.
18 Haziran 2007 Pazartesi
UK Broadband application for licence variation | Ofcom
UK Broadband application for licence variation | Ofcom
UK Broadband has applied to Ofcom to modify their 3.5GHz license to allow them
* technology and application neutrality.
* to increase the permitted power limits.
The first would put them in-line with existing policy which has come about since the Communications Act came into force, and Ofcom would like to move forward with this. What this really means is that UK Broadband can offer mobile WiMAX services as the existing license is only for FWA (fixed wireless access) services.
Ofcom would also like to allow UK Broadband to increase the power limits on fixed sites to +29 dBW/MHz and -5 dBW/MHz for mobile stations.
Whether UK Broadband has the resources necessary to roll-out a national network is debatable, however having the ability to offer fixed and mobile WiMAX services will increase the value of their license substationaly.
BT have indicated they are looking to purchase spectrum (2.5GHz when Ofcom hold an auction), but if it's cheaper to buy an existing network that's a commercially sensible route.
UK Broadband has applied to Ofcom to modify their 3.5GHz license to allow them
* technology and application neutrality.
* to increase the permitted power limits.
The first would put them in-line with existing policy which has come about since the Communications Act came into force, and Ofcom would like to move forward with this. What this really means is that UK Broadband can offer mobile WiMAX services as the existing license is only for FWA (fixed wireless access) services.
Ofcom would also like to allow UK Broadband to increase the power limits on fixed sites to +29 dBW/MHz and -5 dBW/MHz for mobile stations.
Whether UK Broadband has the resources necessary to roll-out a national network is debatable, however having the ability to offer fixed and mobile WiMAX services will increase the value of their license substationaly.
BT have indicated they are looking to purchase spectrum (2.5GHz when Ofcom hold an auction), but if it's cheaper to buy an existing network that's a commercially sensible route.
15 Haziran 2007 Cuma
SonyEricsson debut new phones
Yesterday SonyEricsson announced several new phones, including the W960 which is a walkman phone with 8GB of memory. It seems to improve on the W950 as it also has a camera.
The P1 is now also available on the SonyEricsson store which is their P990 replacement (it's actually phone sized rather than brick sized).
SonyEricsson are definately giving Nokia a run for their money and are up there with good styling and functionality.
The P1 is now also available on the SonyEricsson store which is their P990 replacement (it's actually phone sized rather than brick sized).
SonyEricsson are definately giving Nokia a run for their money and are up there with good styling and functionality.
13 Haziran 2007 Çarşamba
Sonos BU130 bundle
I should have written about this a long time ago, but now is the time for the Sonos kit to go.
The bundle consists of two ZP80 players and a controller, Sonos also threw in a controller cradle. The kit is very well built and feels very solid. Power supplies are built into the units, but are not auto-sensing, so ensure they're set to the right voltage or smoke will follow.
The Sonos software is relatively easy to install (it's a shame they don't support other streaming software like iTunes or Slimdevices Slimserver as they were already installed), however the software will pick-up iTunes playlists that have been created under iTunes.
The players work well, though they're not as good as the Slimdevices Transporter (but then they cost a lot less), however saying that, the Sonos controller is fantastic with a lovely display (that displays cover art) and "feels" like using an iPod.
The ZP80's need to be connected to amplifiers (they have analogue and digital outs - both optical and co-ax), there's also an analogue in that converts to digital formats (compressed and uncompressed).
Sonos also sent a ZP100 which has a built-in amplifier, it's very heavy!!! Again it feels like a quality unit and has four solid speaker posts to connect to speakers (Sonos supplied their SP100's which are very solid bookshelf type speakers). They are a bit on the high end and could do with a sub-woofer if heavy bass is required (the ZP100 has a sub-woofer output).
Various music services are directly supported by the controller (Rhapsody, Emusic and others) and it can also mount music stored on a NAS (network attached storage) using Microsoft file sharing (CIFS). Again it's a shame it doesn't directly support other streaming formats such as Slimserver, iTunes, UPaP etc as the NAS could directly output these and as the NAS was in a MS domain, mounting shares wasn't as easy as it could have been.
Altogether though the Sonos kit is recommended (though I still prefer the Slimdevices kit), though the controller beats the pants off the Slimdevices stuff. The BU130 bundle now retails for £699 (or $999 in the US) and would make a nice edition to any home.
The bundle consists of two ZP80 players and a controller, Sonos also threw in a controller cradle. The kit is very well built and feels very solid. Power supplies are built into the units, but are not auto-sensing, so ensure they're set to the right voltage or smoke will follow.
The Sonos software is relatively easy to install (it's a shame they don't support other streaming software like iTunes or Slimdevices Slimserver as they were already installed), however the software will pick-up iTunes playlists that have been created under iTunes.
The players work well, though they're not as good as the Slimdevices Transporter (but then they cost a lot less), however saying that, the Sonos controller is fantastic with a lovely display (that displays cover art) and "feels" like using an iPod.
The ZP80's need to be connected to amplifiers (they have analogue and digital outs - both optical and co-ax), there's also an analogue in that converts to digital formats (compressed and uncompressed).
Sonos also sent a ZP100 which has a built-in amplifier, it's very heavy!!! Again it feels like a quality unit and has four solid speaker posts to connect to speakers (Sonos supplied their SP100's which are very solid bookshelf type speakers). They are a bit on the high end and could do with a sub-woofer if heavy bass is required (the ZP100 has a sub-woofer output).
Various music services are directly supported by the controller (Rhapsody, Emusic and others) and it can also mount music stored on a NAS (network attached storage) using Microsoft file sharing (CIFS). Again it's a shame it doesn't directly support other streaming formats such as Slimserver, iTunes, UPaP etc as the NAS could directly output these and as the NAS was in a MS domain, mounting shares wasn't as easy as it could have been.
Altogether though the Sonos kit is recommended (though I still prefer the Slimdevices kit), though the controller beats the pants off the Slimdevices stuff. The BU130 bundle now retails for £699 (or $999 in the US) and would make a nice edition to any home.
SustainLane Government
Advancing Cross-Sector Sustainable Development for State and Local Government
Our open-source knowledge base speeds discovery, research and networking with more than 105 best practice documents and a secure directory of participating government officials from over 400 cities, counties and states.
Our open-source knowledge base speeds discovery, research and networking with more than 105 best practice documents and a secure directory of participating government officials from over 400 cities, counties and states.
What Can One Person Do?
"Climate change, fisheries crashes, toxic pollution, endangered species. Sometimes it's enough to make you throw up you hands in despair. 'I'm just one person, what difference can I make? What could I do?'"
Elizabeth R. Sawin is the Director of Sustainability Institute’s Our Climate Ourselves program.
Elizabeth R. Sawin is the Director of Sustainability Institute’s Our Climate Ourselves program.
12 Haziran 2007 Salı
iPhone supports Web 2.0
Though Apple is not allowing 3rd party developers (yet) to install applications directly on the iPhone, they are fully supporting Web 2.0 so application developers can write server based systems.
This will mean there is interaction over air, but with US carrier pricing adopting unlimited data plans, this will allow highly interactive applications.
If the iPhone really is running MacOS X and the full set of application libraries it should allow developers to relatively easily port Mac application over to it, if Apple then allow them to be stored on the phone itself.
This will mean there is interaction over air, but with US carrier pricing adopting unlimited data plans, this will allow highly interactive applications.
If the iPhone really is running MacOS X and the full set of application libraries it should allow developers to relatively easily port Mac application over to it, if Apple then allow them to be stored on the phone itself.
Apple to release Safari for Windows
Safari 3 has been released as a public beta for MacOS X and Windows. Safari 3 will come with Apple's MacOS X 10.5 known as Leopard.
Apple state Safari is siginificantly faster than other browsers on the Windows platform (2x IE7 and 1.6x Firefox v2), however Windows users may be slow to adopt Safari most people will use IE by default.
It does give developers (who don't use Macs) the opportunity to test their web pages on multiple browsers on Windows though, although that's a tiny market.
This seems more a dig at Microsoft than a real browser competitor.
Apple state Safari is siginificantly faster than other browsers on the Windows platform (2x IE7 and 1.6x Firefox v2), however Windows users may be slow to adopt Safari most people will use IE by default.
It does give developers (who don't use Macs) the opportunity to test their web pages on multiple browsers on Windows though, although that's a tiny market.
This seems more a dig at Microsoft than a real browser competitor.
11 Haziran 2007 Pazartesi
Sun hints at MacOS X Leopard file system
Sun have hinted that zfs (zettabyte file system) will be part of Leopard. Initially they commented that it would be the default file system, but later changed that to being a file system in Leopard.
ZFS was developed by Sun in 2004 and has been part of Solaris and OpenSolaris. However Solaris has only very recently been able to boot off a zfs disk system. MacOS may also be able to boot off a zfs disk system by the time it launches in October.
ZFS is an extremely flexible system using a 128bit pointers (compared to most file systems 64bit), it supports dynamic pools and journaling.
Steve Jobs may well announce something at the worldwide developers conference that opens today in San Francisco.
ZFS was developed by Sun in 2004 and has been part of Solaris and OpenSolaris. However Solaris has only very recently been able to boot off a zfs disk system. MacOS may also be able to boot off a zfs disk system by the time it launches in October.
ZFS is an extremely flexible system using a 128bit pointers (compared to most file systems 64bit), it supports dynamic pools and journaling.
Steve Jobs may well announce something at the worldwide developers conference that opens today in San Francisco.
8 Haziran 2007 Cuma
Notice of Ofcom’s proposal to make (Ultra-Wideband Equipment) (Exemption) Regulations | Ofcom
Notice of Ofcom’s proposal to make (Ultra-Wideband Equipment) (Exemption) Regulations | Ofcom
In line with EU direction, Ofcom is planning on allowing UWB (Ultra-Wideband) Equipment license excempt (as are other bands such as 2.4GHz used for WiFi).
UWB works by spreading data across a very wide section of spectrum, the data is error corrected by duplication and other means. This allows very high data rates to be achieved. As UWB is very low power, it doesn't really cause interference and if another (non UWB) devices "hears" the UWB transmission it can generally be thought of as background noise.
As UWB operators across a large range, if other devices interfere with it, the data can be retrieved from another part of the transmission.
Unfortunately the EU's variant of UWB has slightly different characteristics from the US's already working version so US equipment can not be used in Europe. It will be a while for silicon to become available that meets the EU specification.
Ofcom are consulting on the proposal to make UWB use license excempt.
In line with EU direction, Ofcom is planning on allowing UWB (Ultra-Wideband) Equipment license excempt (as are other bands such as 2.4GHz used for WiFi).
UWB works by spreading data across a very wide section of spectrum, the data is error corrected by duplication and other means. This allows very high data rates to be achieved. As UWB is very low power, it doesn't really cause interference and if another (non UWB) devices "hears" the UWB transmission it can generally be thought of as background noise.
As UWB operators across a large range, if other devices interfere with it, the data can be retrieved from another part of the transmission.
Unfortunately the EU's variant of UWB has slightly different characteristics from the US's already working version so US equipment can not be used in Europe. It will be a while for silicon to become available that meets the EU specification.
Ofcom are consulting on the proposal to make UWB use license excempt.
7 Haziran 2007 Perşembe
This Saturday, World Environment / World Oceans Day Online Panel Discussion June 9 at 7 p.m. Eastern (4 p.m. Pacific, 19:00 GMT-5).
Declines in sea ice, glaciers and other critical bodies of ice and
snow are having a devastating effect on the world's oceanic and polar
ecosystems. How critical is this problem and how can we be better
stewards of the world's oceans?
Dive into a live panel discussion with an impressive group of expert
environmentalists. RSVP today >>
This Saturday at 7 p.m. Eastern (4 p.m. Pacific), an exciting group of
leading environmentalists will come together to answer your questions
and discuss the importance of the world's oceans and the effect that
climate change is having on polar and oceanic ecosystems.
When: 7 p.m. Eastern (4 p.m. Pacific, 19:00 GMT-5), Sat., June 9
Where: Your home computer
How: Login details will be sent via email after you RSVP
The panelist of experts includes:
Edward James Begley, Jr. (Moderator): Emmy Award nominated actor and
environmentalist.
Philippe Cousteau: President of EarthEcho International, son of Jan
and Philippe Cousteau Sr., and the grandson of Captain Jacques-Yves
Cousteau.
Dr. Noel Brown: President of Friends of the United Nations.
Previously, he served as the Director of the United Nations
Environment Program (UNEP), North American regional office.
Dr. Paul Boyle: Founder of The Ocean Project.
Dr. Frank Muller-Karger: Professor of Biological Oceanography in the
College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida and
director of the Institute for Marine Remote Sensing (IMaRS).
Dr. Vladimir Golitsyn: Past Director of the Division for Ocean Affairs
and the Law of the Sea of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs.
After the discussion, Kristin Hoffmann and Robert Anthony Aviles will
delight us with their top-notch musical talent. Robert Aviles is one
of the world's few 7-string electric violinists. Whether performing
solo or in his band, Insight, Aviles' public performances receive rave
reviews from critics. And Kristen will weave her vocals through tales
of life's many journeys over classically-inspired piano and guitar
parts.
Mark your calendar for a free online chat about declining ice and
rising ocean levels >> http://go.care2.com/e/saE7/jyhf/Sbyg
We look forward to chatting with you on June 9!
Truly,
Robyn E.
Care2 and
ThePetitionSite Team
snow are having a devastating effect on the world's oceanic and polar
ecosystems. How critical is this problem and how can we be better
stewards of the world's oceans?
Dive into a live panel discussion with an impressive group of expert
environmentalists. RSVP today >>
This Saturday at 7 p.m. Eastern (4 p.m. Pacific), an exciting group of
leading environmentalists will come together to answer your questions
and discuss the importance of the world's oceans and the effect that
climate change is having on polar and oceanic ecosystems.
When: 7 p.m. Eastern (4 p.m. Pacific, 19:00 GMT-5), Sat., June 9
Where: Your home computer
How: Login details will be sent via email after you RSVP
The panelist of experts includes:
Edward James Begley, Jr. (Moderator): Emmy Award nominated actor and
environmentalist.
Philippe Cousteau: President of EarthEcho International, son of Jan
and Philippe Cousteau Sr., and the grandson of Captain Jacques-Yves
Cousteau.
Dr. Noel Brown: President of Friends of the United Nations.
Previously, he served as the Director of the United Nations
Environment Program (UNEP), North American regional office.
Dr. Paul Boyle: Founder of The Ocean Project.
Dr. Frank Muller-Karger: Professor of Biological Oceanography in the
College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida and
director of the Institute for Marine Remote Sensing (IMaRS).
Dr. Vladimir Golitsyn: Past Director of the Division for Ocean Affairs
and the Law of the Sea of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs.
After the discussion, Kristin Hoffmann and Robert Anthony Aviles will
delight us with their top-notch musical talent. Robert Aviles is one
of the world's few 7-string electric violinists. Whether performing
solo or in his band, Insight, Aviles' public performances receive rave
reviews from critics. And Kristen will weave her vocals through tales
of life's many journeys over classically-inspired piano and guitar
parts.
Mark your calendar for a free online chat about declining ice and
rising ocean levels >> http://go.care2.com/e/saE7/jyhf/Sbyg
We look forward to chatting with you on June 9!
Truly,
Robyn E.
Care2 and
ThePetitionSite Team
4 Haziran 2007 Pazartesi
EMI follows Apple's YouTube lead
EMI is putting up videos of artists on YouTube. This now means there are 4 labels supplying content.
Apple (who seem to be good friends with EMI with the recent announcement of high quality DRM free songs on iTunes) are making YouTube content available through Apple TV.
Viacom is still suing Google (YouTube's owners) for alleged copyright infringment.
Apple (who seem to be good friends with EMI with the recent announcement of high quality DRM free songs on iTunes) are making YouTube content available through Apple TV.
Viacom is still suing Google (YouTube's owners) for alleged copyright infringment.
Adobe supports Google 3D Warehouse
Adobe has launched a plugin for CS3 that allows users to access Google's 3D Warehouse which is the on-line model gallery for Google's Sketchup system.
Though there are limitations, it will allow users to directly utilise a model within CS3 using its 3D capabilities.
Goggle's 3D Warehouse is all about user generated content and there's a lot of it there, not all good ...
Though there are limitations, it will allow users to directly utilise a model within CS3 using its 3D capabilities.
Goggle's 3D Warehouse is all about user generated content and there's a lot of it there, not all good ...
iPhone to go on sale June 29th
Apple's long awaited iPhone is to go on sale on the 29th of June 2007, though demand is likely to be high, there's a good chance that there wont be enough to go around with only around 200,000 expected for launch.
Currently it's not possible to install applications on the iPhone but Steve Jobs has stated it may be possible in the future, though he's not saying when.
AT&T have a 5 year exclusive on the iPhone, so other networks are looking for alternatives and the LG Prada is such an example.
The iPhone isn't expected in Europe until next year, when hopefully there'll be 3G support - though Steve Jobs doesn't expect content (like music downloads) to take place over air, they'll still require syncing with iTunes on a PC or Mac.
Maybe it's worth a trip to the US to buy one.
Currently it's not possible to install applications on the iPhone but Steve Jobs has stated it may be possible in the future, though he's not saying when.
AT&T have a 5 year exclusive on the iPhone, so other networks are looking for alternatives and the LG Prada is such an example.
The iPhone isn't expected in Europe until next year, when hopefully there'll be 3G support - though Steve Jobs doesn't expect content (like music downloads) to take place over air, they'll still require syncing with iTunes on a PC or Mac.
Maybe it's worth a trip to the US to buy one.
Public Call Boxes - Consent for non-uniform charging for geographic tariffing trials | Ofcom
Public Call Boxes - Consent for non-uniform charging for geographic tariffing trials | Ofcom
Ofcom are allowing BT to conduct trials of non-uniform pricing tariffs from BT call boxes (outside of Hull). There will be periodic trials over the next 3 years (until 2010).
BT have a universal service obligation (USO) to provide call boxes, though many of these are unprofitable. This would allow BT to charge more for calls to distant geographic locations (in the UK).
BT would prefer not to run remote call boxes at all and this is a comprimise from Ofcom.
Ofcom are allowing BT to conduct trials of non-uniform pricing tariffs from BT call boxes (outside of Hull). There will be periodic trials over the next 3 years (until 2010).
BT have a universal service obligation (USO) to provide call boxes, though many of these are unprofitable. This would allow BT to charge more for calls to distant geographic locations (in the UK).
BT would prefer not to run remote call boxes at all and this is a comprimise from Ofcom.
1 Haziran 2007 Cuma
Raising confidence in telephone numbers: Amending General Condition 17 | Ofcom
Raising confidence in telephone numbers: Amending General Condition 17 | Ofcom
This document covers the new 03 range and ammends the 070 (personal numbering) range.
From 1st Sept 2007 all 070 calls that are over 20p per minute must provide a pre-answer (and pre-billed) announcement to indicate the rate.
03 numbers will be introduced which are considered local numbers. There will be no revenue sharing allowed on these numbers (to the number provider or end-user service). The main advantage to consumers is that they will be treated as geographic numbers and can be included in call plans (on both fixed and mobile networks) and are subjected to the same discounts too.
Various 03 numbers are reserved for public bodies and not for profit organisations (mainly memorable numbers), though the range will be offered to anyone at a later date.
This is good news for consumers. The 070 pre-announcement will also reduce the chance of the numbers being used fraudulantly (as they look like mobile numbers). Eventually all 070 numbers will be phased away from 070 to a PRS range.
This document covers the new 03 range and ammends the 070 (personal numbering) range.
From 1st Sept 2007 all 070 calls that are over 20p per minute must provide a pre-answer (and pre-billed) announcement to indicate the rate.
03 numbers will be introduced which are considered local numbers. There will be no revenue sharing allowed on these numbers (to the number provider or end-user service). The main advantage to consumers is that they will be treated as geographic numbers and can be included in call plans (on both fixed and mobile networks) and are subjected to the same discounts too.
Various 03 numbers are reserved for public bodies and not for profit organisations (mainly memorable numbers), though the range will be offered to anyone at a later date.
This is good news for consumers. The 070 pre-announcement will also reduce the chance of the numbers being used fraudulantly (as they look like mobile numbers). Eventually all 070 numbers will be phased away from 070 to a PRS range.
Statement on power increase for 5.8 GHz FWA | Ofcom
Statement on power increase for 5.8 GHz FWA | Ofcom
Ofcom has increased the power limits from 2W EIRP to 4W EIRP for Band C in the 5GHz band (5725 - 5850 MHz) in all geographic areas. This doubling of power allowance should significantly increase the distance between radios i.e. users and basestations, which is potentially very good for rural areas.
Ofcom also looked at also increasing power in the 2.4GHz band, but this was rejected.
Ofcom have made changes to IR2007 which covers the 5GHz band to reflect the changes.
Ofcom has increased the power limits from 2W EIRP to 4W EIRP for Band C in the 5GHz band (5725 - 5850 MHz) in all geographic areas. This doubling of power allowance should significantly increase the distance between radios i.e. users and basestations, which is potentially very good for rural areas.
Ofcom also looked at also increasing power in the 2.4GHz band, but this was rejected.
Ofcom have made changes to IR2007 which covers the 5GHz band to reflect the changes.