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Key West Bans Certain Sunscreen Sales Within City Limits

Featured Image Credit: Gwen Filosa FLKeysNews.com
By: Sarah Sharkey

Coral reefs are suffering everywhere, including the Florida Keys. The warming oceans, intense storms, and constant human activity have left the sensitive coral vulnerable to diseases that are wiping out entire reefs.

Most recently, a new disease called “White Spot” has been sweeping the reef the Florida Keys. The disease was first since in 2015 near Miami Dade County and has quickly made it further South.

Needless to say, everyone that cares about corals is worried. So, the residents of Key West have decided to take one step towards protecting the corals. In a vote last week, the Key West City Commission decided to ban the sale of sunscreen that contains oxybenzone and octinoxate. Both of these chemicals are commonly found in sunscreens that tourists wear as they swim around the reefs. The chemicals leaching into the water and can stress the corals. Researchers have even shown that these chemicals can lead to bleaching and death of corals.

Chief scientist and research officer at the Florida Keys Community College, Patrick Rice, had this to say about the chemicals, “Oxybenzone is an oil and it floats on the surface. These items should be banned as they have no place in our waters in the Florida Keys.”

Hopefully, this step will help reduce stress on corals.

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Elephant Seals Took Over California Beach During Government Shutdown

Featured Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
By: Sarah Sharkey

In California’s Point Reyes National Seashore, the rangers are in a constant battle with elephant seals. These large seals love to take up all the space on the beach right next to the visitor center. Typically, the rangers shoo these seals away by waving a tarp at them, which just temporarily annoys them. The goal is to move them further down the beach so that human visitors can also enjoy the park.

The large seals can weigh up to 8,800 pounds. During the recent government shutdown, the massive seals took over the beach directly in front of the visitor center. The animals were even spotted hanging around a picnic bench.

Over 100 females and the pups, plus a few males made the beach their home. The park rangers have to leave the seals alone for several months because the new pups are too vulnerable to move. Unfortunately, this means that the beach area will be closed to humans for the foreseeable future.

The seals will likely remain in their new beach spot until April. The pups will not be weaned until Late April, so that will keep humans off the beach until then. In most years, the seals stick to a more secluded beach but due to recent storms, they decided to head to this new location.

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Critically Endangered Turtle Freed From Lobster Trap In The Keys

Featured Image Credit: NOAA
By: Kira Krall

Boaters near Marathon, Florida recently saved the life of a critically endangered sea turtle. They reported the leatherback, struggling against rope from a lobster pot, to the nearby Turtle Hospital. The Coast Guard also joined the rescue efforts. See footage from the event below!

According to rescuers, the turtle looked freshly entangled when they arrived to free its neck and front flipper from the lobster trap rope. Because turtles have lungs, it could have drowned or struggled its way to fatal exhaustion without the help of the boaters and the rescuing agencies. A mask, snorkel, and specialized blade designed to cut animals free without harming them were the tools it took to send this leatherback on its way.

As much as 70% of marine debris collected in the Keys is linked to the lobster fishery. Surveys conducted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) revealed that over 1,000 miles of lobster pot line hang beneath the waves That’s over 17,000 football fields of deadly rope scattered throughout the waters of the Florida Keys.

Lobster traps are made of the trap itself, rope, foam floats, concrete, and plastic. Traps made of wood typically degrade after a year, but traps made of plastic or metal continue posing a threat to marine life for a lot longer. After a trap is lost, or “derelict”, it still has the ability to catch any critters that wander into it. This ghost fishing is an issue for fisheries all over the world. Image Credit: NOAA

The shocking numbers can be explained by the immense popularity of lobster fishing. In 2016, this highest-earning Keys fishery generated over $54 million in just dockside harvest. That figure doesn’t include any revenue gained from processing or marketing the wildly coveted marine invertebrate.

To learn more about lobster fishery debris in the Keys, visit the FWC’s Conservation Lobster Trap Debris page.

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Recent Study Found Microplastics In Every Dead Sea Animal

A recent study performed in the U.K. looked at the digestive system of stranded animals along the shore of the U.K.

Samples were taken from 50 animals by two different groups, the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme and the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Program.

Every single animal had microplastics in their system. 84% of the plastic was synthetic fibers. These fibers come from clothing and fishing nets. The rest of the plastic appeared to come from food packaging.

Of the animals that had died from infection, they had a higher level of microplastics inside them. The animals that died from other causes had less plastic in their digestive system.

One of the authors on the study, Brendan Godley had this to say about the study, “It highlights the magnitude of plastic pollution. We expected to find plastics but were somewhat surprised when we found fibers in every single animal of all species.”

“It can be difficult to grasp the magnitude of the plastic problem in our oceans. However, taking steps to reduce plastic waste is extremely important,” Godley stated, “But in time, it is likely that we will need to look very hard at all aspects of our relationship with plastics,” he continued. “With regard to the fibers found in our study animals, what polymers we use in our clothes and how we wash them and minimize environmental spillage would be two questions to address. Plastics are very useful; it is our current way of managing them that is the problem.”

A Rare Bryde’s Whale Was Found Beached On This Small Island

Featured Image Credit: NewsPress

Earlier this week a Bryde’s whale was found beached on a small island in Everglades National Park. Bryde’s whales are extremely rare, so scientists were eager to examine the body. It was sad to see the whale dead, but scientists agreed that it will still be valuable to research efforts.

According to Blair Mase-Guthrie, a spokeswoman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “This animal is a very important specimen. There’s thought to be less than 100 in the Gulf of Mexico, and it’s the only whale that lives year-round in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s that valuable, this specimen. While it’s very sad that it’s dead it’s still a lot of value to us.”

Park officials towed the whale back to Flamingo boat ramp where biologists were waiting to perform a necropsy. After taking samples, the biologists buried the body near the boat ramp. After several months, they will return to the area and dig up the bones. After being cleaned by natural decomposition, the bones will be taken to the Smithsonian for further study.

Bryde’s whales have many information gaps that scientists are hoping to fill. The whales are only found in tropical and subtropical waters. Some live in the Gulf of Mexico year-round, while others migrate further south. The population in the Gulf of Mexico is considered endangered, so any additional information about these animals is priceless.

Two Pygmy Sperm Whales Found On Beach In January

Featured Image Credit: Shore Beach Service Facebook
By: Sarah Sharkey

On a beach in Hilton Head, South Carolina, two sperms whales washed up in January. The first was found earlier in the year and was deceased. The second was found towards the end of the month.

The whale was found by a resident who was walking his dog along the beach just before sunrise. As soon as he found the animal he called 911 for help.

A marine biologist arrived on the scene quickly to assess the situation. Amber Kuehn, the marine biologist, said the whale was alive when she arrived. She said, “ I sat with it a couple hours.” It was apparently too late to do anything but attempt to ease its suffering.

After the whale passed away, Kuehn performed an autopsy. Apparently, there were several bite marks from small sharks that appeared to be the cause of death. However, that remains to be confirmed by the necropsy lab. The lab was shut down due to the federal government shutdown so we may not have an answer for a while.

Kuehn mentioned that “ in this case, I think it was an older female because its teeth were worn down. There’s a possibility that it just died of old age.”

The whale’s body was buried on the beach.

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Researchers Set Sail To Explore The Uncharted Waters Of The Indian Ocean

Featured Image Credit: AP Photo/Stephen Barker
By: Sarah Sharkey

The Indian Ocean is one of the least understood ecosystems on the planet. Although billions of people live in the region, the ocean has been understudied.

This expedition hopes to change that. The importance of understanding the Indian Ocean does not just affect the animals that live within it but also the people that live around it.

The Nekton Mission is an effort with over 40 partner organizations on board. The mission is scheduled to last for three years and the research will be helpful for the planned summit on the Indian Ocean in 2021.

The ship, the Ocean Zephyr, left its home port in Germany this week. The first 7 weeks will be spent mapping and surveying the ocean floor near Seychelles. Researchers in submarines from Britain and Seychelles will join the exploration March through April to provide additional insights.

Ronny Jumeau, the Seychelles ambassador to the UN, expressed how vital this research is. Seychelles has a vast exclusive economic zone around its 115 islands. The nation hopes to build a blue economy and needs this research in order to build the economy sustainably.

Hopefully, the mission will provide vital information about the Indian Ocean before we move into the future.

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This Premature Seal Pup was Rescued and Successfully Rehabilitated

Featured Image Source: The Providence Journal | Bob Briedenbach

Earlier this month, a harbor seal was returned to the wild waves of the ocean. The young harbour seal, Laysan, was rescued last May at a very young age.

The rescuers believed that he was only about one week old at the time of rescue. Apparently, the pup was born prematurely. In the wild, mother seals will abandon their young that have a low chance of survival.

Laysan was rescued in Falmouth, Maine. He was later transported to Mystic Aquarium where he was well taken care of. His treatment included a surgery to stop an infection, careful weaning, swim lessons, and plenty of TLC from the staff.

When it was time to release Laysan, the staff attached a satellite tag so that researchers can track his movements and see what this young seal chooses to do with his freedom.

Although Laysan is a lucky seal, many other prematurely born seals do not survive in the wild. It is difficult for the mother of a premature seal pup to feed and care for the pup in a way that would help it to survive. Many times these pups need specialized medical attention in order to survive. Laysan was very lucky and it is amazing to see the young pup returned to the wild in just a matter of months!

Check out the video below:

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