Rising levels of fish contaminants linked to climate change

Scientists studying aquatic life in Canada’s Mackenzie River have found that levels of toxic substances such as mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the damaging insecticide DDT have risen dramatically in recent years.

Over just the past decade, the mercury levels of certain fish have increased by 160%, while PCBs have jumped to being six times higher and DDT has tripled.

Their rise is attributed to Arctic melt, with air-borne pollutant particles that were deposited over time in the pristine environment now being released as temperatures warm and the ice continues to melt.

The researchers believe that this has also led to a growth in the algae, zooplankton and other life forms that absorb the pollutants from the water and are in turn consumed by the fish.

Canadian scientists, our appreciation for your work that again highlights the delicate interconnections of life on our planet.

May we show our deep respect for environmental balance by adopting the organic, vegan diet. Supreme Master Ching Hai, who has frequently addressed the importance of every being’s existence on Earth, spoke once more of our need to be good environmental stewards during a May 2009 videoconference in Togo.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: The marine ecosystem is in big trouble right now from global warming already. Further fishing will only make matters worse. Also, mercury poisoning causes problems to aquatic life even before it gets to the humans. These are things we need to address in trying to save our planet, not to talk about our health also. Eating fish will definitely not help this.

The coastal ecosystems will also be affected greatly by diseases and algae blooms that release toxins. The ocean is a wonderful recycler that normally can purify the water and create nutrients and turn carbon dioxide into oxygen, etc. The ocean is a miracle. But if we ruin the ecosystems , this will spell disaster for us.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: It’s better for our body, for our conscience, for our mind, and for the planet to stay away from fish. We should be vegan.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/mackenzie-rivers-fish-contaminated-with-dangerous-toxins-scientists/article1462248/

Fish-based oil and animal feed from dwindling species.

Menhaden, a fish that plays a vital role in maintaining Atlantic Coast ecosystems, is suffering from decades of depletion through overfishing and global warming. Hundreds of millions of pounds of menhaden are ground into feed for hogs, chickens, pets and salmon, while also being used in omega-3 oils and in lipstick, paint, and other items.

As described by New York Times journalist Paul Greenberg and US author H. Bruce Franklin, the menhaden is an herbivorous fish whose algae consumption actually purifies tremendous amounts of water.
However, due to population losses, places such as Chesapeake Bay in the USA are now muddy-brown and contain a growing number of dead zones. In addition, the waste of commercial pig and chicken operations flowing into the Neuse River of North Carolina, USA, has caused vast algal blooms. As millions of menhaden try at once to consume the massive amounts of algae, the insufficient oxygen in the warm water has caused them to suffocate en masse. In the summer of 2009 alone, up to 50 million menhaden were killed and washed ashore along the Neuse River.

Of note is the fact that according to nutritional experts at the US-based Mayo Clinic, substitutes for oil obtained from menhaden readily exist in the form of plant-based oils such as flax seed.

Our appreciation Mr. Greenberg, Mr. Franklin, and Mayo Clinic scientists. We pray that humans quickly cease to consume fish and meat, which are at the root of climate change and environmental imbalance. May all of us strive to develop compassion and live in harmony with our animal co-inhabitants. At a March 2009 climate change conference in Xalapa City, Mexico, joined by Mexican dignitaries and the public, honored guest Supreme Master Ching Hai spoke, as in other occasions, about the preciousness of every species to all life on the planet.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: It’s not only oil but other of our actions as well, such as overfishing and chemical run-off from farms and factories. These all cause harm, because they do not consider the impact of our actions on other beings.

Every being on Earth and in the sea has value, no matter how small they might look, and something unique to do on this planet. It is our ignoring of this balance and the preciousness of all lives that has contributed to our global danger right now.

The way to solve this problem is through greater consideration for all lives. This means we should respect all lives, and in action. If everyone is vegan, having an animal-free diet, then there is a different outlook, different conception for development of all kinds. In our case, it will proceed with compassion and care, which is what we need to restore the wonders of our marine life.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/16/opinion/16greenberg.html?_r=1
http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A407465
http://www.ethicurean.com/2009/03/23/menhaden/
http://www.newbernsj.com/news/top-54224-economy-journal.html
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/environment/2009/dec/Dwindling-Population-of-Crucial-Fish-Could-Require-Federal-Attention.html

Toxic algae creates plague for marine life

In oceans across the globe, warming temperatures and pollution, especially from livestock manure and related agriculture, are often responsible for the growth of harmful forms of algae such as the red tide that is now spreading through waters off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.

This algae impairs other organisms’ ability to absorb oxygen, leading to suffocation, and is thus devastating for coral, fish and other marine life. Both Iran and the United Arab Emirates report the death of many tens of tons of fish, marine mammals and coral thus far. Although cooler winter weather is expected to alleviate the situation, patches of the algae currently remain, meaning that it could continue to spread.

Meanwhile, possibly hundreds of thousands of seabirds are in peril in the Northwest USA as a toxic algae bloom has contaminated hundreds of miles of coastline. As this algal bloom decays, it emits a substance that removes the birds’ waterproofing from their feathers, leaving them vulnerable to starvation, dehydration and hypothermia. Rescue efforts are underway but the unprecedented number of birds affected has left local centers overwhelmed.

It saddens us deeply to know of such distress to our marine and avian co-inhabitants.
Let us all act with urgency to tread more gently and protect our shared Earthly home. Expressing concern once more about humans’ pollution of waterway ecosystems, Supreme Master Ching Hai reminded of the importance of preserving nature during a July 2008 videoconference in Formosa (Taiwan).

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Wild species suffer similar fates because we also drain our chemical substances, insecticides, pesticides into the rivers, into the lakes, into the oceans. So we lost many of these precious species, we lost many of us, because they are us. And we also lose ourselves, many of us humans, because of these poisonous substances – even from the farm industry - and we still did not wake up yet.

We should have more rules, more guidelines, to protect natural habitats. Above all, enlightenment is really what’s needed to govern. That’s number one. And vegan diet with right motive, number two, will offer more compassion and insight, also will help preserve precious natural habitats for the wild and protect the resources for humans.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=110812§ionid=3510212
http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_102209_animal_long_beach_algae_birds.240db632c.html

Overfishing linked to harmful algal blooms

A new study by Swedish researchers found that, along with nitrogenous runoff from livestock raising and agriculture, algal blooms in the Baltic Sea are linked to the decline of certain species of large fish.

Specifically, the research showed that if perch and pike fish populations were healthy and no nitrogen pollution existed, the surrounding waters had only a 10% chance of being afflicted by an algal bloom.

However, in areas where fishing had caused their populations to be substantially reduced, the chances of an algal bloom went up to 50%. The researchers believe that the increase is related to a disruption of the food chain, which in turn affects the ecosystem. Swedish scientists, we appreciate your work that sheds new light on our oceanic environments.

Let us act on such knowledge to protect marine life for a vibrant planet. Supreme Master Ching Hai has often urged for an end to consuming fish and other animal products, to preserve the biosphere and our own peace of mind, as during a May 2009 videoconference in Togo.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: If those fish are all gone, we will see a catastrophic loss of other marine species as well. The coastal ecosystems will also be affected greatly by diseases and algae blooms that release toxins. The ocean is a wonderful recycler that normally can purify the water and create nutrients and turn carbon dioxide into oxygen, etc.

The ocean is a miracle. But if we ruin the ecosystems through overfishing, this will spell disaster for us. SM: It’s better for our body, for our conscience, for our mind, and for the planet to stay away from fish.
We should be vegan.

http://www.nature.com/news/2009/091201/full/news.2009.1116.html?s=news_rss
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Algal-Blooms-May-Be-Caused-by-Overfishing-128552.shtml

Toxin in algal blooms sink to ocean floor to poison marine life

Harmful algae blooms poison marine animals and birds. Researchers at the University of South Carolina in the USA have determined that harmful algae blooms (HABs) often end up on the ocean’s floor, where the neurotoxin domoic acid poisons other species in the marine ecosystem, including sea birds and shellfish. Harmful algal blooms are caused by agricultural runoff containing nitrates and phosphates from chemical fertilizers and livestock production. Although domoic acid easily dissolves in sunlight and seawater, when the HABs bind together and sink, the toxin stays on the ocean floor for weeks, where it is consumed by shellfish, crustaceans or other fish. It has also been linked to seizures in marine mammals such as sea lions.

Our gratitude, University of South Carolina researchers, for alerting us to this additional human-caused threat to the marine ecosystem. May we be inspired toward avoiding the consumption of our marine co-inhabitants as we also work to restore the environmental balance in which they can thrive.

In a videoconference for the Heart-Touch Tour of the Supreme Master Ching Hai: Eden on Earth Arts Gallery Exhibition, Supreme Master Ching Hai called on all people to be better stewards of the Earth for the protection of our marine co-inhabitants.

Videoconference with Supreme Master Ching Hai
Heart-Touch Tour of the Supreme Master Ching Hai: Eden on Earth Arts Gallery Exhibition
Formosa - July 5, 2008


Supreme Master Ching Hai: Wild species suffer similar fates because we also drain our chemical substances, insecticides, pesticides into the rivers, into the lakes, into the oceans. So we lost many of these precious species, we lost many, many of us, because they are us. And we also lose ourselves, many of us humans, because of these substances, the poisonous substances - even from the farm industry -and we still did not wake up yet.

So we must protect the environment. And the wild, they can take care of themselves. If the environments are friendly and conducive to a healthy lifestyle, then the wild will never get sick. The wild will have no problem.