So what do light bulbs and tuna have in common? Mercury. I really did not want to believe when I was informed that most "top of the food chain" seafoods are loaded with critical amounts of mercury in their system. So much so that grocery stores all over post signs warning pregnant women and children of the effects of eating too much seafood. Thats a big deal! It took personal research to prove to myself that it wasn't a myth at all. The higher on the food chain the fish is, the higher the concentration generally is. The FDA has published quite a few reports on the subject, and so have many independant researchers. One I found very enlightening is on Oceanas website.
Mercury is a well known neurotoxin and causes some serious physical damage to the human body. Yet, we can't seem to get away from it. Most recently after being enlightened with reports of how much mercury we find in fish, I learned that the eco-friendly, green, sustainable, whatcha-ma-call-um, CLF lightbulbs, also contain mercury gas in significant levels. Immediately the question raised is "why are we marketing them as eco-friendly and green then?". I figured this was just another case of Greenwashing. There is an interesting twist to this story though. The average CLF is supposed to last 5 years, after which it can possibly be recycled, and it will use about 75% less energy than a normal light bulb. Most likely it will break during it's disposal, and release its mercury gasses into the atmosphere doing damage and reversing the good done by purchasing the bulb in the first place. Yet, even if this happens, the amount of mercury released into the atmosphere will probably (if all goes according to plan) be less than what a typical coal powered electrical plant would produce while powering a standard lightbulb for the same period of time. To me it is a case of the lesser of the two evils still, but the evil is slowly being reduced.
14,000 ft Above Sea Level
Much of the time my efforts to document, film and photograph are restricted to the undersea environment. Recently due to unforeseen circumstances I have found myself well above sea level. And this past weekend put me up in the 14,000 ft above sea level range in Colorado. It was an extremely valuable experience, providing a few days of solitary freedom in the Rocky Mountains and a chance to explore some new territory in some of the more dramatic scenery the U.S.A has to offer.
The weather turned bad before I even set out, and turned worse as I started up the approach to Mount Wilson and its adjacent peak El Diente. About ten minutes into the hike I put on my parka to protect myself from the rain, and it stayed on throughout the day, only coming off to add extra layers as I got higher on the mountain. Rain, mist, fog, sleet, and finally snow were all encountered. As the trail dissipated, reappeared, and then finally ended in a cliff face at 13,000 ft, route finding became critical. Cairns were a Godsend. A map and compass became more than the usual excess baggage, and vital to a safe ascent. Wet rocks, a steepening couloir, and the sound of distant and not so distant rockslides brought some apprehension to the ascent. Every so often a break would appear in the clouds and the views would take away your breath, displaying the rewards of the task at hand, as well as its enormity.
Shortly before reaching the 14,000 ft mark the weather took another turn. For the worse that is. The wind started to whip instead of simply blow, and hiking became scrambling, then climbing. Then suddenly as is so often the case the top was in site. An attainable goal only a few hundred feet away, across a knife edge ridge that was wet, windy, and at that moment one of the most lonely places in the world. It was so close, close enough to almost claim the peak anyway, but not quite. The conditions had suddenly escalated to a point where the pain, time and effort spent to get this close, did not outweigh the benefits of coming back another day. It was a decision made and not questioned, never second guessed. The descent proved as challenging as the ascent. More often than not all fours were on the ground all at once, never less than two. A slip and fall would definitely be the fastest way down to the snowfield two thousand feet below. To avoid that outcome care was taken at each movement to ensure good contact with the rocks and boulders. Only one thing could change that safe, slow methodical descent down the mountain. Flying rocks. Rocks bouncing down the mountain at random intervals in random places speed up a descent with amazing efficiency. Never have I descended a mountain with such care and speed at the same time. It is like picking a safe route up an avalanche slope, except the opposite. You hide, run, jump and seek shelter. All the way to the bottom. Then you look back, and think, that wasn't so bad.........
The trip up Mount Wilson was truly memorable. Something that was unsurprising though was what else I found on the mountain. On the way up discarded water bottles. On the way down socks and pieces of energy bar wrappers. The most interesting was a object at the very top of the mountain that I noticed while the weather was at it's worst - a Victoria's Secret clothing tag. One can only imagine what the look on my face was as I contemplated such a simple object so out of place. In all, it was much like exploring deep areas below sea level. Plastic bottles, trash in general, and the occasional discarded piece of underwear.
Sea Food on the Prairie
Tulsa Oklahoma is a long long way from any ocean. It is actually more noted for its rolling prairies where buffalo used to roam, than it is for seafood. But as one drives thru town, it is nearly impossible to ignore the myriads of strip malls, chain restaurants, and flashing signs advertising food from every corner of the planet. Seafood is probably second in this town only to Chinese food, neither being expected to be so proficiently abundant here in the middle of America. But what type of seafood is found here? The answer to that question is not always as easily answered as one would expect.
In one restaurant we enquired if the waitress new what type of fish "whitefish" was. The menu offered a deep fried fillet of the Whitefish. After consulting with the kitchen and wait staff the answer was that no one knew. A quick call and a google search later, and whitefish turns out to be more of a term than a fish. By catch of other specifically targeted species, (usually undesirable fish) and shark are renamed somewhere between the ocean and the kitchen in order to give them a more desirable "character appearance". The waitress was shocked to say the least. It is amazing how many people have no idea what they are eating.
This morning a discussion with a professional in the medical profession displayed this. The woman involved taught science classes for 20 years, yet seemed to have no feelings against eating fish that live to be 150 years old. When enlightened about "orange roughy" and the issues facing these ancient fish, she simply commented on their taste.... It really is a sad state of affairs that our fisheries are in. Advertising can change a commercially ugly looking and sounding fish into dollars. Slimefish turns into Orange Roughy. Patagonian Toothfish turns into Chilean Sea Bass. Shark, Cod, Hake, Pollock and others become white fish. Knowing what you are eating is a vitally important part of being environmentally conscious. It doesn't mean don't eat fish. But these fish can't take much more of the sustained fishing pressure they are facing. Just know what your fish is, and where your fish comes from.
Aquanautas
Life changes fast. We know it will, we plan for it to, but when it does, we never seem to be quite ready for it. Three weeks ago I was getting myself prepared to go to Cocos Island and explore a seamount never before seen with human eyes, trying to get the logistics worked out involving, scientists, submarines, cameramen, and my little brother (who’s Emerging Young Explorer status with National Geographic does not make him so little anymore). Fast forward to two days ago and I found myself behind a camera in the ghetto of Johannesburg, South Africa called Soweto, in a small smoke filled tin shack drinking home made beer around a wood “fire barrel” with twenty far from sober men. No, the submarine is not here in Africa with us. What has happened is that Rogue Studios has joined with Groupo Magento of Brazil to film a show called Aquanautas (Aquanauts). In the show the three characters (Tony, Ana Paula and myself) travel the world diving, sampling along the way all that we can of the local culture, food and natural environment. Hoping to show more than just how to travel and dive, the show has already focused several times on the environmental issues facing our worlds seas, and seems to be a great opportunity to simply teach people about the sites being visited. For now, the Cocos Island trip has been cancelled due to logistics. So to pick up the slack I have embarked on a new adventure that will lay before me the waters and coastlines of South Africa, Tahiti, Fiji, Tonga, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Mexico, Galapagos Islands, Brazil, Egypt, Dijibuti, and who knows where else........ We will keep you updated. In the mean time here are a couple pictures of freediving Cocos last week.
Being busy doesn't quite describe how occupied I have been lately. I have been able to take some great shots lately and wanted to share them. Hopefully I will get the time to add some comments later. I have a good excuse though. I live in the jungle with no phone line, and thus no internet connection. To post I have to go to town which is quite a trek at the moment since the river I have to cross is flooded. It's kind of fun actually....... Enjoy the pictures.
Mobulars and Murexes
When you dive in a submarine all the time you can forget that going beyond 150 ft is still considered real diving. You don’t get wet for starters. Conventional diving limits are around 130 ft for the recreational diver. Beyond that diving gets technical, and experience is key to a safe dive. I learned a while ago to respect such diving after an experience I had with what is called nitrogen narcosis. Basically it is when you have a buildup of nitrogen in your system from the extreme pressures, and you become stupid, paranoid, and unable to preform basic tasks without extreme difficulty. It is a condition that is common at depth, and only can be avoided by experience and caution. I have never experienced anything like it, as it completely disables your mind, as opposed to your body. I don’t mind not being able to not move a bodily appendage, but when you can’t even think straight, things get scary.
So with all this in mind the captain, the other sub pilot and myself headed off this trip to dive a new seamount we found a few trips ago while diving in the submarine. The top of the seamount is 170 ft, and is full of all kinds of life. Everything from tiny seashells new to science, to a giant 14 ft ragged tooth shark who’s curiosity we seemed to spark. With the build of a great white and the apparent temperament of a grazing bull, it is an awesome creature to observe cautiously. The Captain got some great shots of the encounter, the first of its kind on Cocos island with a diver. In the submarine most encounters with this shark are extremely docile. We have seen them down near the 300 m mark though, and they seem to be a different animal all together. Swimming fast and with a purpose, they look more like a voracious hunter.
This trip was able to produce a bit of good footage as well. Cocos Island is inundated constantly with long lines that get caught on the reefs around the island. Cleaning these lines up is time consuming and often difficult work. Some good shots of this process were captured that help show how bad this problem is for the reef environment. These are stories that are seldom shown or given much consideration. It is the part of being “environmentally friendly” that gets left behind. Its easy to say “don’t do that”. But to stop, walk back a few steps and pick up that piece of trash is different. It shows more insight into the solution than into the problem.
The deep scuba dives this trip also helped produce two specimens of Murex shells. Currently there is only one of this particular species available to science. We found one specimen at around 150 ft, and another juvenile specimen at 170 ft. It is really amazing how much we don't know is out there. The pictures here are of Mobular rays at around 200 m / 650 ft. They are extremely elegant creatures and seem to glide along effortlessly at these extreme depths.
Cocos Island Update 02-28-08
Costa Rica, Texas, Washington D.C., Colorado, Cocos Island. A few of the places visited during the past three weeks. Meetings, family visits, and lots of work mixed with pleasure. The recent trip to Cocos produced lots of footage and Pictures. Some amazing experiences were captured, and some good friends made with people that are trying to do their part in helping the worlds oceans. Right now Cocos Island is full of life. It is currently a La Nina year which means that the ocean is slightly colder than normal, and this is bringing unusually large numbers of life to cocos island for this time of the year. This video contains a few clips from this past trip to Cocos and is a sample video of Rogue Studios underwater footage shark bank.
Most of these shots are from Cocos and Mal Pelo Island. They are alone in the quantities of large pelagic life that they attract. This is partially due to the fact that they are well out of range of most fishing boats. The boats that do make it to the islands to fish, do have a huge impact though. We see it in the amount of lost fishing line we see, and the occasional victims that are still attached to the long lines. Recently a large Tuna boat was documented and apprehended while fishing inside the park. The evidence against the boat was overwhelming, yet it has since been released and it looks like the $5,000,000.00 fine they were given will be waved. The politics that have to be dealt with in order to simply keep the law upheld are frustrating. Rogue Studios is currently helping produce a "shock" video though that hopefully will help either scare or embarrass some large sea food wholesalers and restaurants into being more selective and careful when they choose who to buy their seafood from. One step at a time...... Here are some more pictures.
Sea Hunter Captain Christiano Paoli took this picture of a Silver Tip shark just as I was entering the water above.
As the different sea birds hunt at sea, they regularly fight over their catch. Here a Boobie (far right) has just vomited its catch after being ruthlessly pursued by the much larger Frigates. The Frigates snatched the fish out f the air immediately and then moved on to harass the next Boobie. The Frigates cannot dive to hunt, so they rely on the Boobies to hunt for them. It is a regular event of hunting and survival at sea.
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