YOUR WEEKLY BRIEFING FROM PARLEY

KELP FORESTS

Across Maine’s fast-warming waters, more people in the lobster business are searching for alternatives as climate change threatens to collapse the state’s billion dollar fishery. 2019 was the fourth most profitable year for the industry, but scientists anticipate that ocean heating will soon cause the state’s lobsters to move north in search of colder habitat. Maine’s lobster industry also faces increased pressure from conservations advocating for the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale. If the commercial fishery fails, kelp farming could become a new, reliable market for lobsterman, or at least a form of insurance. Kelp provide habitat, store CO2, protect coastlines – and an average-sized kelp farm can generate between $20,000-to-60,000 at harvest. As one new kelp farmer said, “This year, not knowing what will happen to the lobster market, it’s nice to know I have something coming in.”

WHALES

A team of economists have released a new study that estimates Brazil’s whale population is worth $82 billion – alive. Every winter, southern right whales and humpbacks congregate along the country’s coastline to feed on krill and give birth to calves. While there, the whales support a seasonal tourism industry, but they also help to stimulate phytoplankton, which, in turn, produces oxygen and stores carbon dioxide. Using an innovative model, the researchers attempted to quantify the value of these natural processes: “We’re trying to impress people with the value of the market services alone, so that we can say, ‘Gosh, whales already do so much for us. If you think whales have intrinsic value on top of that, then we have even more reason to protect them.’” In a previous study, the same researchers showed that the value of all our planet’s whales could be over $1 trillion.

ANTARCTICA

Microscopic algae have colonized parts of the southernmost continent, turning its icy white landscape a distinct green. After six years of on-site observation and satellite imagery analysis, researchers produced a detailed map, which shows 1,679 separate algae blooms stretching across nearly 2km of the Antarctic peninsula. As global heating intensifies, the study’s authors believe the algae will expand its range as more of the continent begins to resemble the slushy, melted conditions the algae need to thrive. These microscopic plants could create new habitats, produce oxygen, and maybe even help to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, reducing the global heating effect that made their survival possible. In the words of one author, “This could potentially form new habitats. In some places, it would be the beginning of a new ecosystem.”

AQUACULTURE

Today, most seafood comes from fish farming—but climate change, antibiotic use, and a reliance on wild stocks could be the end of the $230 billion industry. This finding comes from a new report by the Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return (FAIRR), which sheds light on aquaculture’s growing list of problems. In some of the industry’s most important regions, ocean warming and acidification could reduce production by 30%. Globally, fish farms must find new sources of feed as wild stocks continue to decline and governments crack down on antibiotic use. And from price-fixing to mis-reporting chemical use, the industry faces an increasing number of scandals and legal battles. As the director of FAIRR said, “From effluents to emissions, this sector must address significant environmental and public health challenges.”

MARINE CONSERVATION

A new study from Madagascar finds that Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMA) could effectively safeguard sea life. While government-run Marine Protected Areas (MPA) focus on ocean conservation, LMMAs are community-run and prioritize sustainable fishing. After six years in Madagascar’s Velondriake LMMA, fish biomass - a proxy for abundance - was 2x greater in no-take zones than it was in waters where fishing is permitted. While critics point out that Velondriake’s exploited fish populations have not yet recovered, the authors say their research shows the potential of LMMAs: “Because of the community-managed nature of these no-take zones, they are recognized as closed throughout the region. It’s not very likely that poaching would happen because there’s a sense of ownership over these areas.”

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