AltaSea: Trending – June 9, 2021

A monthly round-up of news and trends important to the AltaSea community.

ONLINE EVENTS

Blue + Green Session 5: Aquaculture and California (AltaSea) – Tuesday, June 29^th, 4:00 PM

OCEAN OF INCLUSION

The Blue Hour: Ocean of Inclusion (AltaSea)

Save the Date! On October 9, 2021 from 7:00pm – 9:00pm at the Korean Bell of Friendship, Angel’s Gate Park, San Pedro, AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles is proud to host our annual fundraiser The Blue Hour: Ocean of Inclusion.

For 2021, the Blue Hour theme is Ocean of Inclusion. Our community will come together in support of the ocean to celebrate both education and the diversity of our port community. We are proud to be partnering with Angels Gate Cultural Center on this event as well as The Korean Friendship Bell Preservation Committee.

San Pedro is a melting pot of cultures and ethnicities, all who have benefitted from the nearby sea. This community is intertwined with the beauty of our ocean and the economic impact it has on us. The Korean Friendship Bell was presented to the United States as a symbol of friendship and, as the world opens in recovery, we see no better place to celebrate the friends and community we have missed than the Friendship Bell in Angel’s Gate Park.

More information coming soon, including tickets.

2021 Project Blue: Ocean of Inclusion Art Contest (AltaSea)

AltaSea hopes to inspire the next generation by introducing a contest celebrating both Juneteenth and World Ocean Day. All students 18 and younger are asked to create art to the theme, Ocean of Inclusion. Acceptable art submissions may include but are not limited to drawing, painting, sketching, dance, song, poetry, creative writing, blogging, videography, and sculpture.

Art entries should be emailed as a pdf, jpeg or photographed and emailed to Robin Aube raube@altasea.org no later than Wednesday, June 30th at 5:00 pm.

Winners of AltaSea’s art contest will receive:

• 1st Place Winner $100 and to be honored at The Blue Hour: Ocean of Inclusion event on October 9th
• 2nd Place Winner $50
• 3rd Place Winner $50

For more information, click here!　

HERE’S THE BLUE DEAL

Artificial Intelligence in the Ocean: What it is and How it Facilitates Ocean Conservation (AltaSea)

Earth is 70 percent ocean, yet many aspects of it remain a mystery. We have better maps of the surface of Mars than we do of our own planet’s ocean floor, and an estimated 91 percent of ocean species have not been classified. Faced with the need to increase understanding of the ocean in order to better protect it, scientists are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up knowledge-gathering and improve data collection.

Avoiding Food Scarcity on an Overpopulated Planet – Aquaculture’s Role in the Solution (AltaSea)

The future of food is fraught. By 2050, human population growth will increase the demand for food by 60 percent, while climate change, soil degradation, and urban expansion simultaneously reduce our ability to produce crops. According to the United Nations Foundation, crop yield could decline up to 30 percent over the next three decades.

MARINE SCIENCE

Humpback whale’s ‘unthinkably’ high breach captured in photos (yahoo!sports)

“It is a day that I won’t soon forget. The media was full of talk of the coronavirus and the unsure times ahead. Living in Hawaii, there is a sort of disconnect from the news and things that are happening worldwide. All I knew is that whales were in abundance in Maui and that I needed to get out and capture as much as I could before the season had ended or lockdowns were put in place.

Struggling Seabirds Are Red Flag for Ocean Health (Scientific America)

Seabirds are “sentinels” of ocean health. If marine ecosystems are suffering, the birds will be among the first to show it.

Now a major study finds that seabirds in the Northern Hemisphere are already struggling. And without extra precautions, those in the Southern Hemisphere might be next.

The findings point to broader patterns of environmental change across the world’s oceans. Climate change, combined with pollution, overfishing and other human activities, is steadily altering marine food webs. Food sources are shifting. Some fish populations are dwindling or migrating to new areas.

Lost and far from home, these whales are emblems for our times (The Guardian)

With the weekend’s arrival of a young minke whale stuck in the River Thames – not far from where a seal pup was recently savaged by a dog – it seems marine mammals are appearing everywhere they shouldn’t be.

Since the beginning of April, an exotic visitor has been spotted off the coast of southern Europe. A lone grey whale, measuring eight metres long – and 7,000 miles from its fellow Pacific grey whales on the other side of the world – was seen off Rabat, Morocco, at the start of March. It wandered through the strait of Gibraltar – and into an enormous trap, the Mediterranean. Since then its progress has been charted from the north African coast to southern Italy and the south of France, from Naples to the Côte d’Azur. Unable to find its usual source of food, it is growing thinner and weaker in its search for a way out.

SUSTAINABLE AND INNOVATIVE BUSINESS

A Sustainable Seafood Sampler from Coast to Coast (NOAA)

The United States has sustainable seafood choices for every occasion. Learn more about some regional favorites and find a new recipe for your next summer celebration.

Towards a “blue” recovery: what does the blue economy offer to emerging markets? (Oxford Business Group)

Around the world, emerging nations with significant maritime resources are advancing plans to develop their respective blue economies, with a view to boosting short-term recoveries from the coronavirus pandemic as well as longer-term economic diversification.

While the concept of the blue economy has been around for some time, it has attracted increasing attention in recent months.

In essence, the blue economy concerns the sustainable management of ocean resources. A blanket term, it encompasses fields ranging from fisheries, to waste management and pollution, as well as maritime transport, tourism and renewable energy.

A sticky subject: Studying shellfish for advanced adhesives (Phys.org)

Don’t look now, but you’re surrounded. Really. Within arm’s reach—probably even touching you—are troublesome, sticky, potentially even toxic, substances. Bad for the planet, permanent, maybe even bad for your health. They’re in your shoes, in your phone, in your laptop, lurking in the folds of envelopes, on books, in the chair you’re sitting in, the flooring beneath your feet, and in uncountable other objects in your house, office and everyday world.

They are adhesives. Vital to daily life, nearly unnoticeable, but also deeply problematic. They can be toxic and are usually permanent.

EDUCATION

This is how we empower a generation of young people to protect the ocean (World Economic Forum)

The coming years will define a pivotal crossroads for humanity. The health of the ocean – and the planet at large – lies in our hands. If critical change is not made expeditiously in regards to the climate crisis, the damage we have done will be irreparable. Of course, we have heard this warning before: climate change is the number one issue facing our planet today and over the coming decades. However, when thinking of the enormous size and scope of our planet and its ocean, along with the repetitive and macabre nature of all the risks surrounding the climate crisis, it seems to be a difficult warning for society to truly embrace.

Snapshot Cal Coast (California Academy of Sciences)

Snapshot Cal Coast 2021 is June 11th-30th!

Snapshot Cal Coast is an annual California statewide community science effort that encourages people to make and share observations of plants, animals, and seaweeds along the California coast using the iNaturalist app. Led by the California Academy of Sciences with support from the California Ocean Protection Council, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the MPA (Marine Protected Area) Collaborative Network, and an array of other partners, we are creating a valuable snapshot in time of where species are located along our coast.

USC Sea Grant program helps L.A. kids become young scientists and engineers (USC)

When his classes went remote last spring, fifth grader Benjamin Santos felt like learning had lost its spark. But after attending a Zoom session about the perseverance of the Super Soaker’s inventor, he feels the spark has returned.

The meeting was part of USC Sea Grant’s monthly “Storytime with a Scientist” virtual learning series that allows students in the Los Angeles Unified School District to engage with scientists remotely. So far, the program has hosted several experts, including Miguel Ordenena of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County to discuss a biologist-tracked mountain lion that lives in Los Angeles, as well as Melody Aleman, a doctoral candidate in microbiology at USC who spoke with the children about the world of microbes.

Transformative Research for the Decade (U.S. National Committee for the Ocean Decade)

The U.S. National Committee for the Ocean Decade has issued a call for submission of “Ocean-Shots”, defined as an ambitious, transformational research concept that draws inspiration and expertise from multiple disciplines and fundamentally advances ocean science for sustainable development. The goal is to spark transformative research for potentially “disruptive” advances that will open avenues for progress toward Decade goals. The second call for submissions is due July 1, 2021. Apply today using this online form, or email oceandecadeus@nas.edu with questions.

COMMUNITY

First Look SoCal 2021 (Alliance for SoCal Innovation and Los Angeles Venture Association)

Join the Alliance for SoCal Innovation and the Los Angeles Venture Association at the First Look SoCal Innovation Showcase 2021 to see the best early stage teams commercializing breakthroughs from SoCal’s top research institutions. Experience two days of startup presentations, VC panels, and workshops on June 16 and 17.　 Learn more at: http://bit.ly/FirstLookSoCal2021

Launching the 2021 Nautilus Expedition! (Nautilus Live)

Join Ocean Exploration Trust for their 2021 E/V Nautilus expedition as they embark on six months of scientific exploration in the waters along the North American West Coast from British Columbia to Southern California, and west to the Hawaiian Islands and Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Scientists onboard Nautilus and on shore participating via telepresence will conduct research across the Pacific Ocean with a focus on the geological history of seamount chains, deep-sea coral habitats in national marine protected areas, hydrothermal vent and methane seep ecosystems, and cutting-edge technology demonstrations.