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In This Section... Introduction History of the Islands Development in the Channel Preservation of the Islands Mariculture Dangers Next we will take a look at some of the dangers mariculturists must avoid or overcome : Disease, Pollution, Disasters, Over Fishing. Disease - and how it has affected Abalone Farming There is currently no abalone being harvested in the Channel due to a disease effecting some of the wild abalone called Withering Syndrome. Particularly hard hit have been the black abalone and from San Diego to Cayucos where the black abalone population has declined up to 99% compared to populations ten years ago. Scientists from across the country are studying this fatal disease to find a cure so they can help the abalone in the Channel area recover. But up the coast a-ways in Davenport, south of San Francisco, there is an active solution to the closure of the Channel as an abalone resource. Beside sand dunes along the central California Pacific coast, abalone farming is being put into practice by the U.S. Abalone Company. This group of scientists have become businessmen raising abalone for the domestic ( United States ) and foreign ( primarily Asian ) food markets. The Camp has provided a sample of one of their abalone shells in the Expedition Crate sent to each classroom. These abalone do not grow to the massive 10" or more sizes that they do in the wild. They are harvested at a 3-4" size as a food product for restaurants. The abalone are carefully grown from eggs into hard-shelled creatures using a variety of different tanks to help them grow a the different stages of their lives. The scientists have had to ingeniously discover and then recreate the life cycle of the abalone, and have then built a young company using their discoveries. The abalone shell provided in the Camp Expedition crate as a reminder of Native American lifeways, is also a sample of a mariculture product. The shells you may have been sent are the by-product of the abalone farming process. Pollution - why it is important to save our seas ! All around the world there is a growing awareness that harmful chemicals and bacteria from urban cities, and industrial factory run off, are poisoning our seas. These pollutants released untreated into the ocean -as if it were simply another garbage dump - are destroying wildlife in bot the plant and animal kingdom. And when these plants and animals become contaminated, anyone who eats or uses them can also become very ill or die. The health of the sea is directly tied to the health of those who live upon the land. Seaweed cultivation is an excellent example of the inter-relation of the ocean’s health to human health. There are areas in Japan where seaweed had long been relied upon as a food - most commonly in the United States as the wrapper for sushi, but also in soups, and as a thickener. Pollution from cities has so contaminated the waters that it is no longer safe to harvest wild or cultivated seaweed. Around the Channel, especially as a result of inland waste washing into the sea during El Nino storm years, beaches are regularly closed to swimmers, and pollutes the sea life that rely on the waters surrounding the mouths of streams and rivers that are pouring toxic wastes into the sea. Camp Internet is working with the American Oceans campaign on raising public awareness of these coastal issues, and is part of a nationwide effort to protect and conserve the resources the sea offers. Oil Spills and Shipping Disasters The giant tankers that ferry oil around the world’s oceans have become a well known symbol of the dangers facing life in the sea. Thousands to millions of gallons of oil can be accidentally dumped into the sea, destroying life of all kinds that rely on clean ocean water. In fact, the Great Oil Spill of 1969 that happened in the Channel, and washed wounded animals ashore along Santa Barbara, ignited the national environmental movement, and was the inspiration for the annual Earth Day Celebrations now taking place around the world each April. Other shipping disasters take place in the sea. Any ship that is carrying a toxic cargo could potentially face a tragic disaster that would see its dangerous cargo sunk into the sea. It could be carrying lethal pesticides, or it could be carrying toxic industrial metals. Any type of toxic material that would be lost at sea has the potential to threaten the plants, animals - and humans - who rely on the ocean for life. Over-fishing - protecting the ocean’s balance Over-fishing - meaning harvesting so many fish that they can not reproduce and repopulate the seas - is a danger to the ocean in several ways. The loss of species diversity - which is important to keep a wide range of sea life alive as part of the natural ocean balance - is a serious problem with entire fisheries being forced to close to allow the fish to recover. American fisheries are being closed up a down the coasts to protect the many species of fish and crustaceans that have become an important source of food for Americans, and an export to other countries. If the fisheries were not closed, the fish would disappear, and the ecosystem that their life and death is a natural part of would also be severely damaged. Over-fishing is also fostering something positive. It is making the people in the world who design and control food sources look very seriously at Mariculture. The intentional raising of food from the sea - and monitoring it to make certain it is healthy - is a solution to the problems of disease, pollution and over fishing. If we cease to take the bounty of the ocean for granted, and begin to take responsibility for what we harvest from the sea, then we can make an effort to remain in balance - taking as much as we are giving.

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