http://www.sharksanctuary.com/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 25, 2009 
LATE BREAKING NEWS!

PALAU DECLARES EEZ A SHARK SANCTUARY! 

On Friday, September 25, 2009, H.E. Johnson Toribiong, President of the Republic of Palau, a tiny Pacific Island nation, declared the waters of Palau's Exclusive Economic Zone (230, 000 Sq. Miles / 620,000 Sq. Kms.), as the worlds first officially recognized SHARK SANCTUARY, during a meeting of the General Assembly of the United Nations, in New York.
President Toribiong also called for a global ban on shark-finning and for other nations to follow suit. Through his actions, President Toribiong has placed Palau at the very forefront of worldwide efforts to protect sharks.  
This is a tremendous day for Palau and for worldwide efforts to protect sharks from absolute and unsustainable destruction!
 
Palau Shark Sanctuary deeply commends President Toribiong for his international leadership in world efforts to protect sharks.
 
We are very proud of President Toribiong and of Palau on this momentous occasion.
 
Well done Mr. President!
 
Thank You!
 
Dermot Keane
Palau Shark Sanctuary

Breaking News and a breakthrough in Conservation
from Palau Micronesia! Palau Does Care!


© Gunther Deichmann - aerial over the famous 70 islands in Palau.
for more images on Palau please visit the PhotoShelter Gallery at:
Marine Life and other Palau images

Palau President Toribiong has announced only a few hours ago at the UN in New York that Palau is the first WORLD SHARK SANCTUARY ! This is a milestone in the conservation and preservation of Sharks in Palau, setting an example for the rest of the World. More information and updates as they become available soon.

The original message:
Just been advised that Palau President Johnson Toribiong will announce in 30 minutes at the UN Conference in New York that Palau is the first WORLD SHARK SANCTUARY !!!!!!!!!!! 

© Gunther Deichmann - aerial over the famous 70 islands in Palau, for more
images on Palau please visit the PhotoShelter Gallery at:
Marine Life and other Palau images

Excerpts from the announcement by President Johnson Toribiong;
As many as 100 million sharks are killed each year around the world."These creatures are being slaughtered and are perhaps at the brink of extinction unless we take positive action to protect them," said President Toribiong.
Other related LINKS:

http://www.palautours.com/

http://www.palautours.com/blog.html

http://www.sharksanctuary.com/index.html

http://sharksanctuary.blogspot.com/

http://www.samstours.com/

Our oceans are more than
fish and ships...

The oceans are suffering.
The main source of food for two billion people, a key element in climate control and a largely untapped reserve of vital resources, they deserve to be managed better.

This is why the United Nations this month celebrated the first ever World Ocean Day, read the complete article @

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Opinion
%20&%20Analysis/-/539548/611562/-/u1r1yyz/-/

Must read and see...

It has been described as one of the most spectacular wildlife sights anywhere in the world - let alone Britain.In the last week the first basking sharks of the summer have been spotted off the Cornish coast.
As part of their annual migration they are now arriving in their hundreds.But do not be fooled - actually catching more than a fleeting glimpse of these elusive creatures is far harder than you imagine.

Trying to find a basking shark is to go in search of a mystery. We know very little about them, except that at this time of year, and without fail, they come to Cornwall in their hundreds... complete story and Photos @
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8090553.stm

Rare Megamouth Shark Caught In Philippines

Author: Jason Heller / April 07, 2009 12:00AM CDT Category: Marine Conservation
Megamouth, rare, Shark, Philippines, Donsol
So rare are these sharks that each of them is designated with a number.

Fishermen based in Donsol were trawling for mackerel along the eastern coast of Burias Isle on the morning of 30 March when they caught a strange-looking shark from a depth of approximately 200 meters. WWF’s satellite tagging initiatives have already shown that pelagic filter feeders such as whale sharks and manta rays regularly prowl through the region. It was only a matter of time before something else was discovered.

Megamouth SharkThe shark was brought to Barangay Dancalan in Donsol, Sorsogon for assessment. WWF Donsol Project Manager Elson Aca immediately arrived to assess the haul – and promptly identified it as a megamouth shark... MORE

© Gunther Deichmann - next time you come across an Octopus remember that they have been around for million of years. This image was taken in the Sabang Bay area during a night dive in Puerto Galera Philippines. Check with our Partner Asia Diver to take you out for a night dive, the best time to spot these amazing creatures.

Knowing and understanding Fossils this discovery really amazes me, very rare indeed since Octopuses don’t have any hard shell like Ammonites, Belemnites and other species in the this family group.
Read below excerpts from the science report, for the complete story and Photos go to the LINK below.


Rare Fossil Octopuses Found
By Live Science Staff
posted: 18 March 2009 10:32 am ET

It's hard enough to find fossils of hard things like dinosaur bones. Now scientists have found evidence of 95 million-year-old octopuses, among the rarest and unlikeliest of fossils, complete with ink and suckers.
The body of an octopus is composed almost entirely of muscle and skin. When an octopus dies, it quickly decays and liquefies into a slimy blob. After just a few days there will be nothing left at all. And that assumes that the fresh carcass is not consumed almost immediately by scavengers.
The result is that preservation of an octopus as a fossil is about as unlikely as finding a fossil sneeze, and none of the 200 to 300 species of octopus known today had ever been found in fossilized form, said Dirk Fuchs of the Freie University Berlin, lead author of the report.
Fuchs and his colleagues now have identified three new species of octopuses (Styletoctopus annae, Keuppia hyperbolaris and Keuppia levante) based on five specimens discovered in Cretaceous Period rocks in Lebanon. The specimens, described in the January 2009 issue of the journal Palaeontology, preserve the octopuses' eight arms with traces of muscles and rows of suckers. Even traces of the ink and internal gills are present in some specimens.
"The luck was that the corpse landed untouched on the sea floor," Fuchs told LiveScience. "The sea floor was free of oxygen and therefore free of scavengers. Both the anoxy [absence of oxygen] and a rapid sedimentation rate prevented decay."
Prior to this discovery only a single fossil species was known, and from fewer specimens than octopuses have legs, Fuchs said...
More @ http://www.livescience.com/animals/090318-fossil-octopus.html

Trilobites... a view into our past.


© Gunther Deichmann from his personal collection.
A fossilized Trilobite

Trilobites are remarkable, hard-shelled, segmented creatures that existed over 300 million years ago in the Earth's ancient seas. They went extinct before dinosaurs even came into existence, and are one of the key signature creatures of the Paleozoic Era, the first era to exhibit a proliferation of the complex life-forms that established the foundation of life as it is today.
These are amongst the oldest arthropods. They were abundant during the Paleozoic era, but died out at the end of it. They are easy identified with their three part bodies. Typically very ornate and very collectable fossils.

Trilobites appear to have been exclusively marine organisms, since the fossilized remains of trilobites are always found in rocks containing fossils of other salt-water animals such as brachiopods, crinoids, and corals. Within the marine paleoenvironment, trilobites were found in a broad range from extremely shallow water to very deep water. Trilobites, like brachiopods, crinoids, and corals, are found on all modern continents, and occupied every ancient ocean from which Paleozoic fossils have been collected. The remnants of trilobites can range from the preserved body to pieces of the exoskeleton, which it sheds in the process known as ecdysis. In addition, the tracks left behind by trilobites living on the sea floor are often preserved as trace fossils.
Like to find out more about these ancient marine creatures go to the LINKS below:
http://www.trilobites.info/trilobite.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trilobite

Another Alien afternoon...

I have picked up this Blog Post from our good friend and top Underwater Photographer Tony Wu, I personally have never seen or encounter this one, if any larger it will send shiver down your spine. Now I know where Hollywood gets all those Alien Movie Ideas from, of course from our so precious and little explored oceans.
You have to check this one out… on purpose I have not included the image, I like to keep you in suspense, he, he. See the LINK below.
GD
Excerpts from Tony Wu’s Blog post:
Incidentally, a few nights ago on another night dive, we found and played with a couple of bobbit worms (Eunice aphroditois)…
a nocturnal, predatory polychaete worm.
I first sought out and photographed these scary animals about a decade ago in Secret Bay, Bali. We stayed up most of the night, diving in dark, cold waters to observe bobbit behaviour…read more and view the Bobbit Worm @

http://www.tonywublog.com/20090319/fright-night.html

“Dracula” fish shows baby teeth

By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News

Scientists have discovered a highly unusual fish with fangs made of bone. Dubbed the "Dracula" fish, the creature is about 17mm (0.7 inches) long and has been found in only one Burmese stream.

The researchers, from London's Natural History Museum (NHM), believe the fish lost its teeth over evolutionary time, but later evolved the bone fangs.
Writing in the Royal Society's journal Proceedings B, they say the males use the fangs to jostle each other - but do not appear to draw blood.

"When you watch them in captivity you can see the males sparring," said NHM's Ralf Britz. I thought 'my God, what is this, they can't be teeth'
Ralf Britz "They display with their lower jaws open incredibly widely, then they nudge each other; but we don't see any wounds."

Dr Britz, who has worked with Burmese wildlife for more than a decade, named the species Danionella dracula in honour of mythology's most eminent fanged predator...read the complete article and check out the photos @

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7935482.stm

A BBC film crew captured some amazing Video footage...
thousands of sharks, dolphins and gannets feast on the sardines.


© Gunther Deichmann - a frisky shark at
Blue Corner in Palau, Micronesia

Fish feast frenzy caught on film
By Rebecca Morelle
Science reporter, BBC News

A sardine feeding frenzy has been captured on camera in remarkable detail. A BBC crew filmed thousands of sharks and dolphins, as well as elusive Bryde's whales, feasting on shoals.
The footage also revealed gannets' deft underwater hunting skills as they dived to catch sardines.
Each winter, cool ocean currents drive millions of the small fish northwards along the eastern coast of South Africa.
These immense shoals, squeezed into this narrow cold-water corridor, provide an incredible feeding opportunity for the predators that live in and around these waters, watch the Video and read more at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7921119.stm

© Gunther Deichmann - A Painted and Giant Frog fish from Puerto
Galera, Philippnes, but check out the newly discovered
one from Indonesia, he looks so very cool.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7914121.stm

It belongs to the frogfish family, but its looks are unique even among its peers, the journal reported. The question with this new discovery is how it went unnoticed for so long.
The new psychedelica frogfish is completely covered in swirling concentric stripes - white and blue on a peach background - radiating out from its aqua-coloured eyes...read more and check out the cool Photo of this new species at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7914121.stm

How the turtle's shell evolved...

Odontochelys semitestacea was probably aquatic
The turtle only had a shell covering its underside
A newly discovered fossil from China has shed light on how the turtle's shell evolved.
The 220 million-year-old find, described in Nature journal, shows that the turtle's breast plate developed earlier than the rest of its shell.

The breast plate of this fossil was an extension of its ribs, but only hardened skin covered its back.
Researchers say the breast plate may have protected it while swimming.

The turtle fossil, found near Guangling in south-west China, is thought to be the ancestor of all modern turtles, although it differs markedly; it has teeth rather than a bony plate, the shell only covers its underside and it has a long tail.
The fossil find helps to answer key questions about the evolution of turtles, Dr Xiao-Chun Wu from the Canadian Museum of Nature was one of the first to examine the fossil...read more and the complete article @
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7748280.stm

THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE SHARK in 2009

… was inspired by the finding that at the current rate, common shark species will be extinct in 10 to 15 years. In large regions, species that were once numerous have fallen to 1% of their original numbers. Studies of open ocean sharks estimate 80 to 90% of heavily fished species are gone. Yet these intelligent animals, also called the “Wolves of the Sea” are still fished intensively, and finned for “shark fin soup.” The oceans have evolved over hundreds of millions of years with sharks as apex predators, so their loss will destroy oceanic health.
HELP SPREAD THE WORD:
SAVE SHARKS FROM EXTINCTION
The LET SHARKS LIVE shark protection network & think tank:
http://groups.google.com.mt/group/let-sharks-live?hl=en

Sharkman's World Organization
(to save & protect sharks)
www.sharkmans-world.org
------------------------------------------
Sharkman's Blog
http://sharkmans-world.blogspot.com/
------------------------------------------
The Shark Group On line List Forum
http://groups.google.com/group/The_Shark_Group?hl=en
------------------------------------------
Let Sharks Live Network
http://groups.google.com.mt/group/let-sharks-live?hl=en
------------------------------------------
Year Of The Shark - 2009
http://www.year-of-the-shark-2009.org

An Octopus from Puerto Galera makes it into a major
105 page science Paper.

I supplied this image for research purpose some time ago and now it is published in a major study on Octopuses.
If you interested in Octopuses or if you are a Marine Biologist and like to read the complete article you find the address below.
To many pages to post here.
Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review, 2008, 46, 105-202
© R. N. Gibson, R. J. A. Atkinson, and J. D. M. Gordon, Editors
Taylor & Francis
Biology of the planktonic stages
of Benthic Octopuses
ROGER VillANUEVA & MARK D. NORMAN
Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la
Barceloneta 37–49, E-08003 Barcelona, Spain
Sciences, Museum Victoria, GPO Box 666, Melbourne, Vic 3001, Australia

Colour Figure 16 (Villanueva & Norman) Adult Octopus cyanea in camouflage display amongst soft corals,Puerto Galera, Philippine Islands. (Photo: Gunther Deichmann.)

Tags: Save our Planet, twilight zone, avoid decompression, sophisticated closed-circuit rebreather, Bishop Museum, basslet, Chromis abyssus , NEW Species, Discovery, DAMSELFISH, HAWKFISH, Butterflyfish, Abyss, Pacific Ocean

Tags: Australia, White Whale, Down Under, MARINE LIFE

Grunting fish have helped scientists to date the origins
of vocal sounds to about 400 million years ago.



Photo: Screenshot Courtesy of the BBC, click on the image
or use the link below for the video and complete article.

Toadfish and midshipman fish use a variety of different sounds to attract mates and scare off rivals. Now US researchers have found that the area of a fish's brain that drives vocalization is extremely primitive. Writing in the journal Science, they say it suggests that the ability to communicate through sound emerged very early in the evolution of vertebrates...read the complete article and watch the Video...
@ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7510443.stm

Tags: IPod, Digital Photo Center, GarageBand, IMac

© Gunther Deichmann

- Alien afternoon in Puerto Galera Philippines, a great dive destination to see these Aliens... or venture to Club Paradise in Palawan and dive with Dugong Dive Center at their house reef you might encounter the yearly mating behavior of these amazing marine creatures.

Cuttlefish spot target prey early...
By Matt Walker
Courtesy BBC

Cuttlefish (Animal Behaviour)
Embryos exposed to crabs preferred them as prey later in life. It's a bit like something out of the famous sci-fi horror movie Alien.

Before they have even hatched, cuttlefish embryos can peer out of their eggs and spot potential prey. It is the first time any animal has been shown to learn visual images before they are born.

Ludovic Dickel and his colleagues at the University of Caen Basse-Normandy, France, made the discovery by placing crabs alongside cuttlefish eggs in a series of laboratory tanks.
Those embryos exposed to crabs preferred them as prey later in life, the scientists report in the journal Animal Behaviour.
The young embryos must be able to see through their translucent egg case, the scientists believe, and learn which animals are worth hunting even before they have hatched.

"This is the first time there is evidence of visual learning by embryos," said Dr Dickel.

Visual cues

Embryos are known to able to pick up chemical and auditory cues - unborn gulls, for example, learn to recognise the alarm calls of their parents whilst still in the egg, while salmon and frog embryos can learn the chemical signatures of the surrounding water before they hatch.

But until now, no one has looked at whether unborn animals can also learn visual images. Dickel and his team decided to study embryos of the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis, a relatively advanced ocean-going mollusc closely related to squid and octopus.
Cuttlefish (SPL)
Majestic but deadly: Cuttlefish are efficient killers

They harvested wild eggs, and placed them in tanks filled with sea water. Crabs, a common prey of adult cuttlefish, were also placed into the tanks, but enclosed in separate compartments. Crucially, the compartment sides were made of clear glass, so the crabs were in plain view of the eggs.

But the embryos could not smell or hear the crabs. Once the cuttlefish embryos hatched, they were instantly moved, to ensure they could not glimpse the crabs, and were not exposed to any other prey until they were seven days old.

They were then set free in a lab tank full crabs and shrimp, another cuttlefish delicacy…read the complete story and some photos @
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7435757.stm

Tags: Alien, Cuttle Fish, Sci-Fi movie

Tags: Conservation, PALAU, NATURE, Protect, Environment

DUGONGS at THE HOUSE REEF ...

CLUB PARADISE PALAWAN.


© Courtesy of Dugong Dive Center in Palawan, Philippines
click the image or the link below to visit the website @
http://www.dugongdivecenter.com/

I have just received this report from Dirk Fahrenbach, yes three (3) DUGONGS right at the House reef at Club Paradise grazing the seaweed bed.
This is the only place in the Philippines where you can observe these amazing and gentle creatures in the wild, the area is well protected by a conservation Park.

Another article but not related to our Dugong sighting is that of a Auction where some fossilized Dinosaurs dung has been sold for some US$ 1000.00 very interesting reading...
GD

Dino dung snapped up at auction

Jurassic-era coprolite, or fossilised dinosaur dung

Two pieces of dinosaur dung have been sold at auction for $960 (£486) at an auction house in New York.
The fossilised dung, which resembles rock on the outside, and a colourful mineral inside, is 130 million years old, from the Jurassic period.
Auctioneers Bonhams of New York said it sold for twice the expected price.

The buyer is reported to be Steve Tsengas, the 71-year-old owner of a company that sells products to treat pet animal waste in Ohio.

Marketing tool... for the full story click the link below...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7377982.stm

Tags: Unerwater, DIVING,SCUBA DIVING, Science,, DUGONGS,, PHILIPPINES,, NATURE,, Island hopping,, Dive Center,, PALAWAN, HOUSE REEF,, Tauchen,, Exploring,, Inselhuepfen,

DID YOU KNOW? Is brought to you by the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, the Divers Choice.
We care about our Environment!

Like an ALIEN from a different WORLD...very cool…the image below is nothing in comparison from what this article has in store for you… Thanks to Walter Ty again.

Monster warning to protect oceans... about twice the size of a London Bus...& be careful when diving in NEW ZEALAND...YOU never know.

The landing of a colossal squid by New Zealand fishermen earlier this year offered a rare glimpse into the mysterious world deep beneath the waves. Scientist Mark Norman uses this week's Green Room to argue that it also shows how marine life is being destroyed before it is understood.

You be amazed to see this one…WOW!

© Gunther Deichmann - just like Aliens...
Squid under a Boat in Micronesia,
for more images from the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance
destinations click on the Image above or this link.
http://www.alliancediving.com/blog/page2/page2.html

Colossal squid comes out of ice…
By Richard Black
Environment correspondent
Courtesy of the BBC

Colossal squid. Image: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
( go to the link below and view the image)
Dr Kubodera examines the eye of the smaller, partial colossal squid specimen
Technicians in New Zealand have begun to thaw a rare colossal squid specimen.

The operation to defrost the 10-metre (34 feet) long, half-tonne squid began on Monday afternoon in Wellington following a postponement of 24 hours.
The animal is now sitting in a bath of salt water. Once it is thawed, scientists will begin to dissect it.

Very little is known about colossal squid, which appear to live largely in the cold Antarctic waters and can grow up to 15 metres (50 feet) long.
"They're incredibly rare - this is probably one of maybe six specimens ever brought up," said Carol Diebel, director of natural environment at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa centre.

"It's certainly the one that we're being really careful about, completely intact and in really fantastic condition."
The Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni specimen was caught in February 2007 in the Ross Sea.

Big unknown

The colossal squid is remarkable for its size, but also for how rarely it has been sighted.
It was identified first in 1925 from two tentacles found in a sperm whale's stomach…
You have to read on...more images and text @
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7367774.stm

DID YOU KNOW? Is brought to you by the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, the Divers Choice.
We care about our Environment!

My very special thanks go to Walter Ty for bringing this to my attention…
Sorry no Photos today but if you go to:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/
edinburgh_and_east/7360770.stm
There you find a cool Pod cast and a photo of this amazing little fish from the Amazon, discovery been made everyday and we are learning so much about our environment except how to take care of it…lets start now.
GD


No sex for all-girl fish species
Amazon Molly (Credit: Dunja K Lamatsch)
Courtesy of BBC

A fish species, which is all female, has survived for 70,000 years without reproducing sexually, experts believe.
Scientists from the University of Edinburgh think the Amazon Molly may be employing special genetic survival "tricks" to avoid becoming extinct.

The species, found in Texas and Mexico, interacts with males of other species to trigger its reproduction process.
The offspring are clones of their mother and do not inherit any of the male's DNA.

Typically, when creatures reproduce asexually, harmful changes creep into their genes over many generations.
The species will eventually have problems reproducing and can often fall victim to extinction.

Scientists at Edinburgh University have been studying complex mathematical models on a highly powerful computing system to look at the case of the Amazon Molly.
Researchers calculated the time to extinction for the fish based on modelling genetic changes over many thousands of generations.

They are now able to say conclusively, for the first time, the fish ought to have become extinct within the past 70,000 years, based on the current simple models.
Scientists believe the fish, which are still thriving in rivers in south-east Texas and north-east Mexico, are using special genetic survival "tricks" to help them stay alive.

One theory is that the fish may occasionally be taking some of the DNA from the males that trigger reproduction, in order to refresh their gene pool.

Species tricks

Dr Laurence Loewe, of the university's School of Biological Sciences, said: "What we have shown now is that this fish really has something special going on and that some special tricks exist to help this fish survive.
"Maybe there is still occasional sex with strangers that keeps the species alive. Future research may give us some answers."
He added that their findings could also help them understand more about how other creatures operate.
"I think one of the interesting things is that we are learning more about how other species might use these tricks as well," he said.

"It might have a more general importance."
The Edinburgh-led study was carried out in collaboration with Dr Dunja Lamatsch at the University of Wuerzburg, now at the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
The research is published in the journal BMC Evolutionary Biology.
More info and Photos @
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/
edinburgh_and_east/7360770.stm



Species loss 'bad for our health'
The physiology of bears could lead to a better understanding of some diseases

A new generation of medical treatments could be lost forever unless the current rate of biodiversity loss is reversed, conservationists have warned.
They say species are being lost before researchers have had the chance to examine and understand their potential health benefits.
The findings appear in Sustaining Life, a book involving more than 100 experts.

It is being published ahead of a global summit in May that will look at ways to stem biodiversity loss by 2010.
"While extinction is alarming in its own right, the book demonstrates that many species can help human lives," said co-author Jeffrey McNeely, chief scientist at IUCN (formerly known as the World Conservation Union).


Societies depend on nature for treating diseases
Achim Steiner,
Unep executive director

"If we needed more justification for action to conserve species, it offers dozens of dramatic examples of both why and how citizens can act in ways that will conserve, rather than destroy, the species that enrich our lives."

Killing the cure
One creature whose potential benefits have been lost to science is the southern gastric brooding frog (Rheobatrachus silus), say the authors…more info and Photos at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7361539.stm

© Gunther Deichmann - Is this what it looked like in Palau???
For some real images go to the link provided below...
this is only an artist impression.

The annual mass spawning of corals on the Palau archipelago in the western Pacific has occurred right on cue. With Sunday night's full moon, coral polyps let forth a huge swathe of sperm and egg, to seed the next generation.

The event was short-lived - only about 30 minutes - but so vast in its scale that it turned the sea water pink. Scientists from Palau, Australia and the UK are studying the practicality of collecting coral larvae to help restore damaged reefs elsewhere.

See what a mass spawning at Palau looks like (Reefvid.org)
As we got into the boat for our trip to Luke's reef, I admit I was not really expecting to see the mass spawning on the exact night of the full Moon. All the visiting scientists here thought it was more likely the reproductive extravaganza would happen the next evening or the following one - based on what had happened the last two years. The only person who seemed sure it would happen on cue was Steven Victor, the Palauan director of the Palau International Coral Reef Center. Local knowledge was spot on, as it turned out.
Almost as soon as the boat engine switched off, we got a sense that something might be brewing... you have to see and read the whole story...and images
@ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7358423.stm

© Gunther Deichmann - a Turtle is cruising over
the reef in Palau Micronesia

Catching corals' spectacular moment
Courtesy of BBC
By Andrew Luck-Baker
BBC Radio 4, Palau

Luke's reef (BBC)
Luke's reef: Reared larvae will come here once they are ready to settle
The coral reefs in the tropical western Pacific are at the brink of one of the most spectacular and significant nights in their annual life cycle.
By the light of April's full moon on Sunday or, quite likely a night or two after, corals will be mating en masse.

Click the image above and go to Sam's Tours in Palau

Along the length of the island archipelago that makes up the Republic of Palau, millions of coral colonies will simultaneously release billion upon billion of eggs and sperm into the dark waters.
An hour or so after sunset, each spawning coral will discharge showers of sex cells, packaged in orange and pink blobs.
They will rise to the surface in such huge numbers that they may form oily slicks metres long.
If the sea conditions are right, spawn slicks can coalesce to be large enough to be visible from space.

Depressing need
Once on the surface, the packages burst open, liberating eggs and sperm for fertilisation.
Countless free-swimming coral larvae then develop and three or four days later, a few will have survived long enough to make it to the sea bed.

There they attach to a suitable hard surface and develop into single baby coral polyps. The next generation of corals on the reefs will be launched.
A team of marine biologists from Australia, Britain and the Philippines has come to Palau to take advantage of this wonder of nature in the cause of coral reef restoration.
The scientists are here to investigate the potential of an experimental technique known as coral seeding - in other words, collecting some of the spawn from mass mating events and using it to promote the growth of new corals on reefs in need of rescue.
The reefs around Palau are in good shape but elsewhere throughout the tropical world, many coral ecosystems are in a parlous state.

Plenty spare
Pollution, over-fishing and coral bleaching events, which are caused by marine heat waves, have reduced the amount of coral to the point where these naturally bio-diverse habitats are at varying degrees of degradation.
Many are nearing ecological collapse - some have gone forever, already.

Collection of Acropora corals (BBC)
Acropora is an important reef-builder and is common here

However, many reefs might be salvageable if they are first protected from pollution and overexploitation, and then are seeded with some surplus spawn from more vibrant reefs.
Most of the eggs and larvae from a mass spawning event are eaten or die before they get an anchor hold on the sea bed, so there is plenty of spawn to share around.
In the coming experiment on Palau, the scientists will not be using coral spawn produced on the open reefs.
Partly for practical reasons, they will harvest their spawn under more controllable conditions at the laboratory of the Palau International Coral Reef Center.

In the lab
On Saturday, I joined them on a trip to collect 10 dinner-plate-sized coral colonies from Luke's reef about 20 minutes speed-boat-ride from the Reef Center.
James Guest, from the University of Newcastle, UK, and Maria Vanessa Baria from the University of the Philippines dived to the sea bed, armed with hammers and chisels.

They were after a particular species of branching coral which forms large tables or shelves as it grows. It is this type which is one of the most abundant and most important reef builders.
It takes a few taps at the stony stalk base of each colony to break them free. Waiting on the boat to receive the corals was Andrew Heyward of the Australian Institute for Marine Science - one of the first biologists to describe the phenomenon of coral mass spawning in the 1980s.
The colonies were put straight into tubs of sea water, and once the tenth was on board, we headed back at a high rate of knots to the Reef Center.
Back at the Center, the coral were transferred with speed to larger tanks, filled with constantly refreshed seawater.

Setting up home
Now there's a lull before the spawn. The main event could happen Sunday or Monday or Tuesday night (Palau time). And some species will synchronously spawn the day after others.
When the captive corals in the lab release their eggs and sperm, the contained spawn will be transferred to children's paddling pools floating in the sea next to the lab.

Putting corals in a lab tank (BBC)
The spawning for these corals will occur in laboratory tanks

Over the following few days, the researchers will check the developing larvae to see how many are mature enough to settle down and become fixed baby coral polyps.
When sufficient numbers are good to go, the team will take the batch of larvae back to the reef and pump them over areas of potential colonisation.
The new homes for the larvae are artificial reef balls placed there specially for the purpose. They are domes of limestone concrete about a one metre wide and high.

Before the larva can be introduced, the reef balls will have to be covered so the larvae don't just float away.

Big question

So the team will dive the five metres to the sea bed and erect two-man camping tents made of fine mesh over each artificial reef structure.
The baby corals will travel from the boat through the zipped door of the tent via a hose pipe. Andrew Heyward says the aim of this experiment is to be "low tech or no tech".

He feels this approach is vital if the technique of coral seeding is ever to be used on any scale in developing countries.

Making up a coral nursery (BBC)
The approach has to be low-tech to succeed, the scientists believe
Twenty-four-hours later, the team will check to see how many of their "seeds" have settled by removing small tiles they've placed on the reef balls. They will do that again in a few months and after a year.

Each time they will compare the number of young corals with those on tiles from control balls which would have been settled by larvae born in the mass spawning on the reef.
Andrew Heyward points out that loading the dice in the larvae's favour before they settle is only part of the issue over whether coral seeding will work to restore reefs.
"If you boost the number of larval corals settling on a coral reef, so what? Does it make any difference to the longer term compared to an area where you did nothing?"
The answer will emerge in the next 12 months following this week's frenzy of mass reproduction on the reefs of Palau.

For the photos and the story go to:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7357121.stm

See below the latest NEWS from Fins Magazine...
MacDive Matchmaker

This information has been provided by Fins Magazine... click the link above for more information...

Saturday, 19th April 2008, 12:48 pm by FiNS Team

Realising that his beloved Suunto D9 and Mac computer were having communication issues, Singapore-based Kiwi Nick Shore created MacDive, a free application to help the two get along.
Nick says: “There wasn’t an application that had the functionality I wanted or the look and feel of a Mac application, and I thought it would be easiest to just start from scratch and make the exact app I wanted. Plus, this way I could make it free. I worked on MacDive in my spare time after work. It’s been a real labour of love. I know there are many divers who are also Mac users and who, like me, have been frustrated with the lack of options available for Macs. I hope MacDive will help make them happy.”
While developing MacDive, a number of divers in Singapore loaned him their Suuntos for testing. As a result, the application is currently compatible with the D9, D6, D3, Cobra, Cobra 2, Vyper, Vyper 2, Gekko, Vytec and Mosquito.
Nick plans to continue developing MacDive, adding support for more dive computer brands as well as additional functionality, and he’s keen to receive user feedback on where to take the application next.
At the same time, Nick is working on a project with two programmers and divers from Belgium and Canada to make it easier to develop applications for the majority of dive computers on the market.”First things first, though. I’ve got to get in the water and do some testing of my own!”
MacDive is available for free download at: http://thedoorisajar.org/macdive

DID YOU KNOW? Is brought to you by the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, the Divers Choice.
We care about our Environment!

Sharks could protect us from Typhoons and other bad storms…real amazing stuff from a researcher…and thanks again to Walter Ty for bringing this to my attention...
Super interesting article and one more reason why we should take care of our sharks and environment.
GD

STOP the killing of our Sharks,
slurping of this tasteless soup must STOP!

"They could protect us from disaster."

© Gunther Deichmann - a storm over the Pacific...
...can sharks give us some warning signs?

Sharks 'may predict the storms'
Lauren Smith Courtesy of the BBC

Lauren Smith studied dogfish, a type of small shark Sharks could be used to predict storms following research by a marine biology student.

Lauren Smith, 24, is close to completing her PhD studies into the pressure-sensing abilities of sharks.
If her studies prove the theory, scientists in future could monitor the behavior of sharks to anticipate severe weather fronts.
Research was partly carried out in an altitude chamber at the National Hyperbaric Centre in Aberdeen.
Miss Smith, originally from West Bromwich, had previously investigated the behavior of lemon sharks in the Bahamas. She then used their near relations, the lesser spotted dogfish, for further research at Aberdeen University's altitude chamber at the National Hyperbaric Centre.

© Gunther Deichmann, Shark and Photographer,
that is how it should be...

Who can say if this could lead to sharks predicting weather fronts... but it certainly opens the way to more research, Lauren Smith. It is thought her work is the first of its kind to attempt to test the pressure theory.
It was prompted by an earlier shark habitat study in Florida, which coincided with the arrival of Hurricane Gabrielle in 2001, when observations suggested that juvenile blacktop sharks moved into deeper water in association with the approaching storm.

Miss Smith said: "I've always been keen on traveling and diving and this led me to an interest in sharks.
"I was delighted to have been able to explore this area for my PhD, particularly as it's the first time it's really been explored fully.
"How many other students get the chance to put a shark in a chamber to study its behavior?
"Who can say if this could lead to sharks predicting weather fronts, there's so much more we need to understand. But it certainly opens the way to more research."

The chamber's changes in pressure mimic the pressure changes experienced in and around the ocean, caused by weather fronts, and the protocol was approved by the Home Office.

Sharks were found to head for deeper water ahead of bad weather.
Miss Smith, who completed her first degree in marine biology and coastal ecology at Plymouth University, studied shark behavior in the wild at the Bimini Biological Field Station in the Bahamas.
It has been established that a shark senses pressure using hair cells in its balance system.
Work at the Bimini Shark Lab enabled her to observe shark behavior by placing data-logging tags to record pressure and temperature on juvenile lemon sharks, while also tracking them using acoustic tags and GPS technology.
In Aberdeen, she was able to study the effects of tidal and temperature changes on dogfish, none of which were harmed, in the aquarium.

She also tested the pressure theory by recreating weather conditions at the chamber at the National Hyperbaric Centre.
She is due to complete her PhD and prepare papers for publication later this year and will be looking for a job which will give her the chance to expand her experience of shark research.

David Smith, of the National Hyperbaric Centre, described the student's research as "ground-breaking".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/7311847.stm

© Gunther Deichmann - Spiny sea horse from the Sabang area,
Puerto Galera, Philippines

Sea Horse Courtship
by Anthony May

The Sea-horse is unique due to the fact that it is the male that gives birth to the young.

Male sea-horses impress females with a courtship dance. This dance involves young males pumping their specialized brooding pouches with water. It is usually the male with the biggest pouch that wins the girl.
Once a mate has been found the pair will meet at the same spot at dusk and dawn every day. This allows the male to prepare his pouch for the arrival of the female’s eggs.

When the egg is ready the pair will align themselves opposite each other and entwine their tails. Nose to nose they gently spiral up in to the water column and the egg is exchanged from the female to the males pouch. This has to occur at a depth at least six times their body length or the egg transfer will fail.

© Gunther Deichmann - Spiny sea horse from the Sabang area,
Puerto Galera, Philippines

The male then fertilizes the egg internally and around four weeks later the fry are ready to be born.

The male then pumps his pouch and hundreds of tiny sea-horses are forced out. A healthy pair will be able to repeat the process all over again in a couple of days.
Special thanks to Anthony May (The Sea horse Expert)

DID YOU KNOW? Is brought to you by the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, the Divers Choice.
We care about our Environment!

Thanks again to Walter Ty for bringing this story about the Parrotfish to my attention, within the next day or so we have a major announcement coming your way, real cool news, so please stay tuned or subscribe to our Alliance Blog.
A reminder for those folks who read our Blogs in Europe, if you travel to the World Travel Market Show in London, check out our Alliance Team from Blue Horizons, Jeremy and Alex will be around, real cool Guys who can answer all your questions regarding diving in the tropics in the Philippines and Micronesia, they understand island hopping and can help you to choose your ultimate dive vacation.

Parrotfish to aid reef repair
By Rebecca Morelle
Courtesy of BBC News

A vividly coloured fish could be the key to saving the Caribbean's coral reefs from plummeting into terminal decline, scientists claim.
Their research forecasts that reefs risk being damaged beyond repair by the influx of seaweed.
But urgent action such as protecting parrotfish, which graze upon the floral invaders, may prevent the ecosystems from reaching this tipping point.
The research is published in the journal Nature.
You can push a reef so far and then it becomes extremely difficult for a reef to recover Professor Peter Mumby, a marine ecologist from Exeter University
and lead author of the paper, said: "We are seeing more and more coral reefs becoming just overgrown with seaweed."
Reefs in the Caribbean are among some of the most heavily affected. They are rapidly transforming from coral-dominated domains into algal-flooded havens.
The seaweed growth is boosted by human activity, such as fertilizers washing off from agricultural land into the coastal waters, and over-fishing, Professor Mumby explained.
"Then to compound these problems you have the climate stresses that are more and more inevitable now, which cause major problems with warming waters and hurricanes," he added......
.....read the whole story with photos at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7069933.stm

__________________________________

DID YOU KNOW? Is brought to you by the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, the Divers Choice.
We care about our Environment!

I am leaving this evening for Palau to be part of the big celebration at Sam's Tours New Grand Opening, please see my previous Blog "Congratulations to Sam's Tours" I give you a full report upon my return next week, hopefully with some fun images from the event, so just stay tuned, please read on below our latest story on Did You know... about Galleons, shipwrecks....
GD

Big business of deep-sea treasure hunters
By Kathryn Westcott
BBC News

The interception of the treasure-hunt ship off the coast of Gibraltar is the latest broadside in a tense battle between a US-based salvage company and the Kingdom of Spain over an unidentified shipwreck and the ownership of its rich haul of gold and silver coins.

Odyssey Explorer. Copyright Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc.
Odyssey says Spain had blockaded its Explorer salvage vessel
On Tuesday, patrol boats from Spain's maritime police intercepted the 76m Odyssey Explorer, owned by underwater salvage firm Odyssey Marine International, three miles off the coast of Gibraltar. It was escorted to the Spanish port of Algeciras.

Spain's Civil Guard has been keeping a close eye on the company's vessel since a Spanish judge ordered that it be detained and searched if it left port in Gibraltar.
The company says its recovery vessel has been effectively blockaded since the ruling in June. Spain believes it could provide clues to the identity and location of the wreck that yielded half-a-million colonial era silver and gold coins.
It suspects that a Spanish galleon is being secretly plundered - or that the wreck lies in Spanish waters.
Odyssey Marine Explorations - which became the most famous deep water treasure hunting company when it announced the discovery last May - says it is keeping the location of the wreck secret, to protect the site from looters.
All it is saying is that the wreck - codenamed Black Swan - is somewhere in the Atlantic.

Photo: © Gunther Deichmann, not a Galleon, but a divers dream to discover and
explore the ships from our past, this image was taken deep inside a wreck in
Truk Lagoon, note the skull, dive with the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance and you
might discover your Galleon or just explore the past.
A reminder, please do not remove any parts or artifacts from any
wrecks in Truk or Palau, there are heavy fines for removing anything for
souvenirs, lets keep it there for other to enjoy too.
GD

Galleon graveyard

The haul, which has an estimated value of $500m, is now at a secret location in Florida, where Odyssey is based.

The 'Black Swan' haul: Copyright Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc
Greg Stemm with the Black Swan haul at a secret location in the US
A court in the state is currently considering motions filed by the company and by Spain concerning the ownership of the booty.
Treasure hunters have long dreamed of discovering hauls of gold and silver in the western Mediterranean. The area, is a graveyard of French, Spanish and British galleons and warships sunk by storms and pirates during Spain's long dominance of the sea.
Once the domain of schoolboy fantasies, the hunt for treasure on the deep ocean floor has become big business for companies like Odyssey. And the company's recent listing on the Nasdaq indicates that it is a business that investors are prepared to take seriously.
Odyssey has several shipwreck projects in various stages of development around the world, but its involvement with the Spanish goes back almost a decade.

RULES OF THE WAVES
Seas and oceans governed by UN Laws of the Sea
Ownership of sunken property in international waters governed by the law of salvage and the law of finds
Law of salvage: If property is owned, those finding it are entitled to compensation for their salvage efforts
Law of finds: Salvor is entitled to all reclaimed property if it is proved to be abandoned
Spain insists it retains rights to all its sunken treasure
Odyssey intends its haul to be dealt with under US federal law, where previous judgements have sometimes granted exclusive rights to salvors
"Odyssey has had an excellent working relationship with the Spanish Government for many years," Greg Stemm, co-founder of Odyssey Marine Exploration told the BBC News website.

"We have always respected Spain's interest in its maritime heritage and have therefore consistently communicated our activities to Spain."
The relationship has soured over the past few months. In July, another of Odyssey's vessels was stopped and forcibly boarded as it tried to leave Gibraltar. A computer was confiscated.
The company told the BBC News website that it intends to seek compensation from Spain for revenues lost because of the kingdom's intervention in its activities.

British warship

The battle over the Black Swan treasure is now jeopardising another more lucrative project: the salvage of a British warship that Odyssey believes it has discovered in the western Mediterranean.
The British Government is collaborating with Odyssey to recover the warship, thought to be the HMS Sussex, which went down in a storm off Gibraltar in the Mediterranean Sea in 1694.

According to the Council for British Archaeology, it was on its way to provide British financial support to the Duke of Savoy during the war against Louis XIV. The council says she was believed to have been carrying bullion, which is estimated by some experts to be worth some £2.5bn today.
The warship apparently lies in waters that Britain and Gibraltar claim are international but that Spain claims as its own.
Diplomatic talks resulted in an agreement being reached with Spain earlier this year but the project appears is on hold.
A spokeswoman from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office told the BBC News website that the "on-going court case between Spain and Odyssey should be resolved first."
It is anyone's guess how long this will take.
This will no doubt please archaeologists - including the Council for British Archaeology - who were enraged by the deal.
Experts describe such activities as commercial treasure hunting under the guise of archaeology, arguing that a dangerous precedent would be set allowing private firms to profit from historic wrecks.

Technology

And in Spain, Odyssey's activities have been painted as modern-day piracy.
The company acknowledges that its primary concerns are commercial but it also has a mission statement that sets out how it also wants to do good archaeology.
It maintains that it works to the highest of standards, employing experts and archaeologists.
Zeus Neil Dobson/Odyssey Marine Exploration
The eight-tonne robot Zeus can reach depths of up to 2,500 metres
"Our contract with the United Kingdom sets an excellent example of how such a collaboration between the public and private sector can produce excellent archaeological work," says Mr Stemm.
And he says that the model - the first of its kind with a government - could be extended to other countries, including Spain.
Odyssey undertakes multi-million-dollar operations, deploying sophisticated deep-sea technology and robotics to scour the ocean beds.
On board the Marine Explorer, for example, is a $4m underwater robot Zeus, which deploys an array of brilliant strobe lights and cameras as it carefully picks through debris at depths of up to 2,500m.
The company's first major salvage venture was in 2003 when it discovered the SS Republic, a Civil War side-wheel steamer that sank off the Florida coast in 1865 and some $75m (£37m) worth of coins.

Odyssey has now filed finders-keepers' claims with a court in Tampa, Florida US on the Black Swan and two other shipwrecks.
But Spain is challenging these arguing that the company is withholding crucial information. It is also claiming a right to share the treasure.

Jim Goold, a maritime lawyer in Washington representing the Spanish government, told the BBC News website that the implications of the case are huge in a era when cutting -edge technology is bringing new gravesites to light.
"Here you have a situation in which a US company is apparently systematically working in the Mediterranean, the English Channel and off the coast of Spain, taking cultural heritage without authorisation and then whisking it to the US and steadfastly refusing to reveal to the concerned governments what it has been doing," he said.

Odyssey says the Black Swan recovery was conducted in conformity with Salvage Law and the Law of the Sea Convention, beyond the territorial waters of legal jurisdiction of any country.
It expects to reap a substantial salvage award regardless of who claims the treasure.

RULES OF THE WAVES
Seas and oceans governed by UN Laws of the Sea
Ownership of sunken property in international waters governed by the law of salvage and the law of finds
Law of salvage: If property is owned, those finding it are entitled to compensation for their salvage efforts
Law of finds: Salvor is entitled to all reclaimed property if it is proved to be abandoned
Spain insists it retains rights to all its sunken treasure
Odyssey intends its haul to be dealt with under US federal law, where previous judgements have sometimes granted exclusive rights to salvors

Courtesy of the BBC for more information and images please go to:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7037192.stm

DID YOU KNOW? Is brought to you by the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, the Divers Choice.
We care about our Environment!

Some real facts about Sharks. Do they have a chance at all? Maybe if we start doing something NOW and not tomorrow.
They have been around for million of years, but for how much longer, please read below some interesting facts about these amazing animals,
yet again another "Living fossil". Why are they on the extinction list? Please read on...You be really surprised to know...

© Gunther Deichmann, www.deichmann-photo.com
A fossilized shark tooth, from my old collection

Animals on the Edge - Sharks - Survivors of our Oceans?

By catch
Sharks are frequently caught in trawler nets or on longline hooks that are set for tuna or swordfish. Sharks are highly migratory and they often swim in groups that are the same size and age. This can mean that a key part of the population (mature females for example) can be wiped out in one fell swoop. Estimates vary, but bycatch (unwanted catch) accounts for a significant proportion of shark fatalities.
Shark fin soup
Around 100 shark species are deliberately targeted by the fishing industry. Shark fins are highly prized for use in shark fin soup, a high status dish that can sell for £65 a bowl, especially in Asian countries where growing wealth has increased demand. As demand is met, sharks become overfished, fins are harder to come by and the soup is therefore even more of a status symbol.

Conservationists estimate that about 100 million sharks are caught each year, many of them purely for use in shark fin soup. Hong Kong alone imported the fins of more than 28 million sharks in 1999. The sharks are caught, their fins are cut off and they are then thrown back into the sea where they either bleed to death or drown. Using DNA, it is now possible to identify shark species from their fins, a development which may be significant in monitoring the impact of this trade.
Shark meat
Demand for shark meat is booming. It is now possible to buy it in supermarkets in Europe, South America and the USA. The shortfin mako which is said to provide the best shark meat is classified as lower risk, but vulnerable species such as the porbeagle shark, are also taken. This trend may be indicative of the fact that so many other fish species are declining and that people have been encouraged to eat fish as a healthy alternative to meat. The Food Standards Agency, however, has advised against giving children shark meat to eat because of high levels of methylmercury that can damage the nervous system.
Shark skin and oil
Shark skins can be tanned and used as an alternative to leather (for belts, boots, bags, etc). In theory and on a small scale, this could be a useful by-product of a sustainable and managed fishery. In practice, the impact on shark populations has yet to be assessed or monitored.
Sharks have traditionally been fished for oil. Squalene is extracted from shark livers and used as a lubricant and in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. It can take up to 3,000 shark livers to produce one tonne of squalene.
Shark cartilage
Sharks are cartilaginous - they have cartilage instead of bone. The cartilage is used in traditional medicines and is sold in powder or capsule form as a cancer treatment. There is no scientific evidence to suggest that it is in any way effective against the disease and the 'medicine' can be very expensive. There may, however, be other benefits in maintaining shark bio-diversity, for example, shark cartilage has also been used in the development of a synthetic skin for burn victims.
Breeding age
Sharks have evolved over 450 million years to be among the ocean's top predators. They can take many years to reach sexual maturity, almost 30 years in the case of the sand bank shark. Larger sharks may only produce two young in a breeding cycle and only one of those is likely to survive. Shark species often only breed every other year and some have a long gestation period (up to two years). This low reproductive rate means that depleted shark populations can take a very long time to recover, if they recover at all.
Pollution
The health of the ocean environment is important for all marine species (see Eco Top Ten - Marine). Pollution from human activity often ends up in the sea. Sharks are at the top of the food chain so they are likely to have a higher concentration of the toxins that build up in the body fat of their prey. Because human development and subsequent pollution often occurs in coastal areas, important shark nursery areas are also at risk.
Hunting
Although most sharks are indifferent to humans and pose no threat, shark hunting is still a widespread trophy sport.

Courtesy of the BBC, for more information please go to:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/conservation/sharks/

DID YOU KNOW? Is brought to you by the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, the Divers Choice.
We care about our Environment!


© Concept and Photo Gunther Deichmann

Ice melt raises passage tension
By David Shukman
BBC science and environment correspondent, Canadian Arctic

Less ice makes it easier to get at the Arctic's resources
In another sign of potential friction in the warming Arctic, Canada has warned that it will step up patrols of the Northwest Passage.
Record summer melting of sea-ice has made the passage fully navigable; and immediately escalated a dispute over who controls the route.
Canada maintains the waterway that connects the Atlantic with the Pacific lies within its territorial waters.
It has backed that up with plans for a new military base in the Arctic.
However, the United States, and other countries claim international rights to use the route for shipping.
Big melt
In an interview with BBC News, the head of the Canadian Coast Guard, George Da Pont, said: "Our view is that it's our territorial waters and that we govern it accordingly. Obviously the Americans and some European countries have different views.
"I assume at some point in time they'll get settled but we're pretty confident that they're Canadian territorial waters and that we should be regulating and asserting our control over them as we would over any other part of our territorial water.
"It's critical, it's part of our history; like any country it's important to assert your control over your country and your territorial waters."
His statement comes as polar experts are still reeling from the dramatic loss of Arctic ice this summer.
The Canadian Ice Service was among the organisations monitoring the retreat and its director, Doug Bancroft, told the BBC that he was "stunned" that this extent of melting had not been expected for decades.
"It just seemed as if it wasn't going to stop. Normally, towards the end of August, the beginning of September, the melting slows down and stops and we get ready for the coming fall and the refreezing during the winter. But it just kept on going and the concern was, 'Well when is it going to stop this year?' - and ultimately when it did stop, it shattered all previous records."
Research cruise
On Monday, the Canadian Coast Guard is preparing to send one its research vessels, the Amundsen, through the Northwest Passage with about 40 scientists on board.
Equipped with a remotely operated robot submarine and a sonar system, the ship will undertake a detailed survey of the sea-bed - essential if the waterway is to become more open to commercial shipping.

'Northwest Passage opens'
Sailing the passage
Researchers on board also hope to study the changing patterns of the ice - not only the ice that grows and retreats with the seasons but also the far thicker multi-year ice which drifts with the Arctic currents and poses the most serious threat to any vessels.

A British team on board will study the sediment on the sea-bed to hunt for a chemical record of changes in the ice stretching back for the past thousand years - a vital task to help understand the likely rate of change in the future.
BBC News will join the ship for its journey through the Northwest Passage. The route is at - or beyond - the limits of satellite coverage but the plan is to provide regular updates wherever possible. For more information please check out the link below:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7033498.stm
Courtesy BBC

My final note, congratulations to Al Gore for receiving the
Nobel Peace Prize, at least there is someone out there with
influence who cares and can make the difference.

GD

DID YOU KNOW? Is brought to you by the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, the Divers Choice.
We care about our Environment!

Million of years later... 

Here is a very interesting article from our good friend and supporter Tony Wu (Fins Magazine), I guess you going to wonder what these fossils have to do with the digital age, actually NOTHING but this is the general idea, we like to bring you all sorts of different information now and then, of course some how marine related.
Today for our underwater photographers cool info from Tony, please read on below and check out the link for the whole story, for information on the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance please click here: http://www.alliancediving.com The Divers Choice


© Tony Wu

Going digital definitely has a lot of merits. Immediate feedback, being able to shoot more than 36 frames at a time, being able to make duplicate/ back-up copies immediately, and having the ability to edit work on-the-spot rank at the top of my list.
Nothing in life, however, comes for free.
If there’s been one major drawback of going digital for me, it has to be the fact that in addition to being a good photographer, you’ve got to become a software and image-processing expert too. Back in the film days, basically a slide was either good or bad. I kept the good ones, threw away the bad ones. End of story.
Over the past few years, with the switch to digital format, I’ve had to experiment with all sorts of software…some good, some bad…and I think I’ve finally begun to reach the point where I have a workflow that I’m comfortable with. Before I spell out the software I use, please read on at: http://www.tonywublog.com/20071009/digital-workflow.html

A Green Turtle resting on a beach in the Philippines,
Photo © Gunther Deichmann, for the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance

DID YOU KNOW? Is brought to you by the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, the Divers Choice.
We care about our Environment!

We dont like to talk always how good our dive operation and resorts are, we try to keep you also up to date with some interesting stories and the latest news. Things which happen million of years ago and still effect us today, environment and conservation issues not only from our partner destinations but from around the world. Local and special events from the Pacific and Philippine region including the latest from Micronesia. We have started recently with stories about fossils - "living fossils" and we will continue with the sea's past, millions of years ago, please read on below and check out the links about this huge Turtle from our past.


Archelon

This giant turtle could live to 100 years old, possibly thanks to taking long sleeps on the seabed
For more on sea monsters and our living past please check out the link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/prehistoric_life/dinosaurs/seamonsters/

Type: Reptile
Size: 4.6m
Diet: Omnivorous
Predators: Mosasaurs and sharks
Lived: Late Cretaceous, 75-65 million years ago

Archelon was a slow mover and found most of its food drifting near the sea surface. It had little need to dive deep except when hibernating on the seabed. It was an omnivorous grazer, sweeping up drifting fish, jellyfish and dead carrion as well as plants. Its sharp, powerful beak could break open shelled animals such as ammonites.

Archelon's huge flippers suggest it was a long distance swimmer happiest in the open ocean. It would never be alone, as its huge size attracted a squadron of hangers-on such as juvenile fish as well as barnacles and parasites. Archelon couldn't withdraw its head or flippers inside its bony shell for protection so, despite its size, it was an easy target for large predators.

Like modern turtles, it laid eggs by burying them in sandy beaches under cover of darkness. Its nearest living relative is the world's largest turtle, the leatherback.

Courtesy of the BBC

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