Last column, I claimed Sunflower Sea Stars to be the world’s fastest sea star. These creatures, that many suppose are permanently attached to the ocean floor, can scoot along at a smooth clip of a meter a minute.
Then I flew to Belize, where I watched Brittle Sea Stars scamper like jumping spiders on the Mesoamerican Reef, the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere. They take the prize in the short sprint and high jump categories.
There is so much to learn about oceans!
June 8 was World Ocean Day, serving as the kickoff for a season of celebrating and studying our oceans. It’s also a desperate call to support the vital roles of our seas – and their vulnerability.
Not only are the oceans the original source of life on our planet, they are earth’s life support system. They generate oxygen, regulate weather and climate, and absorb atmospheric heat and carbon.
As Santa Barbarans, we can’t help but know that our ocean is in trouble. The California Coastkeeper Alliance (CCA), including our local Channelkeeper, is supporting legislation to address one of the marine wildlife crises caused by our increasingly common algal blooms.
“Every day, California’s coastal wastewater treatment facilities discharge partially treated human sewage into the ocean,” according to Sean Bothwell, CCA’s executive director.
“Those nutrient-rich discharges feed algal blooms that produce domoic acid, a neurotoxin that moves up the food chain from anchovies and crabs to sea lions and seabirds, causing seizures and death, as well as fishing closures due to toxic conditions,” he said.
These “red tides,” as they were once called, are considered naturally occurring, but their frequency and potency have increased with ocean warming. At risk not only is our coastal ecology but our livelihoods.
California’s coastal economy generates $44 billion annually and sustains thousands of jobs in fishing, tourism and recreation.
The CCA is urging the State Water Resources Control Board to establish enforceable limits on nutrient discharges from coastal treatment facilities this year. Your calls and letters in support of protections would be a patriotic way to honor the 250th birthday of our nation.
The recent ocean buoy system rollback demonstrates the persistent power possible with public pressure.
In late May, the National Science Foundation decided to cancel the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), a set of 900 instruments, which continuously collect real-time data on the ocean.
Each $1.5 million floating observatory allows scientists to monitor the ocean’s heath. The data, gathered since 2016 and intended for a three-decade lifespan, help scientists understand climate disruption’s effect on fisheries, flooding, and much more.
A month after scrapping it, the NSF announced the reversal of its earlier plan, saying it appreciated the concerns raised by stakeholders. That’s all of us!
They promised to restore the buoys that had already been decommissioned. Stay tuned for whether they follow through.
Besides letter-writing and phone calls, these overcast days can usher in a summer of ocean learning and action, courtesy of the Ocean Love Scavenger Hunt.
The games, adventures and prizes run June 20 through the end of August, for the purpose of learning, creativity, and action to protect our ocean and coast.
The hunt is a collaboration of local ocean-loving organizations including Santa Barbara Channelkeeper (on whose board I serve), Community Environmental Council, 805Action, The Surf League, and Save Our Shores.
The ocean buoys have a reprieve to continue sending vital data. As a result, we are understanding more daily about the critical importance of protecting our seas.
Witness our sunflower sea star populations, which have a chance, thanks to Sunflower Star Lab, to inch back from near extinction.
Check out the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Sea Center on Stearns Wharf, where I’m told a couple of healthy specimens reside.