IN THIS ISSUE

OceanFest 2006

The Dish on Sustainable Seafood

In the News: Pollution Leads to Growing Number of Dead Zones in Ocean

Wildlife Spotlight:
Surf Scoter(Melanitta Perspicillata)

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Help Shape Your Ocean’s Future!  Join the JMPR meetings dicussing the future of our National Marine Sanctuaries.

 

Making Waves An evening dedicated to our oceans with a film and expert speakers.

 

Point Reyes Field Seminars

Check out the many Pt. Reyes Field Seminars:

10/28 Halloween Howl

10/28-9 Field Journaling

11/4 All About Mushrooms

11/4 Tule Elk, Tidepool & Full Moon

11/11 Birding Journey to the Esteros

 

Escape on an amazing Kayak adventure in Baja with Sea Trek. Trip from Nov 12-19.  Call (415) 488- 1000.

 

2006 Fall Birding Excursions

See thousands of birds migrating through Elkhorn Slough. October 29, Sunday, 9-11am. Reservations by phone: (831) 633-5555.  $38

 

Join us for our last Whale Watching trip of the year November 11th.

 

Donate to FMSA Now and earn double American Express membership points!

 

OceanFest 2006

October 7 was a gorgeous, sunny day as we celebrated the sixth annual OceanFest on Crissy Field. Thank you to all for coming!

OceanFest celebrates the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and its sister sanctuaries as precious protected marine areas whose health is affected by your daily activities and is inextricably linked to that of the oceans around them and the world at large.

We want to hear about your day at OceanFest.  Take our survey.  A quick two minute response enters you into a raffle for a whale watching trip to the Farallon Islands!

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The Dish on Sustainable Seafood: A Q&A with Tom Worthington of Monterey Fish Market

With sustainable seafood on our plates at OceanFest and a San Francisco Chronicle story touting the benefits of eating fish on the front page last week, FMSA Communications Director Suzanne Samuel sat down with Monterey Fish Market partner Tom Worthington to find out exactly what "sustainable seafood" means, how to shop for it, and what to have for dinner.

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In the News: Pollution Leads to Growing Number of Dead Zones in Ocean

The number of “dead zones” in the world’s oceans may have increased by a third in just two years, threatening fish stocks and the people who depend on them, according to a report released by the United Nations. Fertilizers, sewage, fossil fuel burning and other pollutants have led to a doubling in the number of oxygen-deficient coastal areas every decade since the 1960s.

Scientists have found 200 "dead zones" in the world's oceans. A dead zone is an area of the ocean that doesn’t have enough oxygen to support most marine life. They are caused by the over-enrichment of a water body (by runoff, sewage spills, etc.) with nutrients, resulting in the excessive growth of algae. These algae eventually die and sink to the sea floor where microbes decompose them, consuming oxygen in the process.

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Wildlife Spotlight: Surf Scoter (Melanitta Perspicillata)

The Surf Scoter—aptly named for its tendency to forage in ocean surf and breaking waves—has earned a few other nicknames on the way: Skunk-head, Groggle-nose, and Mussel Bill to name a few.

Every winter these beautiful, white-spotted ducks with large Roman bills migrate to the shallow coastal waters of the Pacific, from Alaska’s Aleutian Chain to Baja California. From October to March, they are often spotted in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.   Continued >>