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Shark Chokes on Sea Lion

Sharks are not the indestructible creatures many think they are. There is a myth surrounding sharks that they are virtually made of steel. They can bite through anything and withstand great hardship.

A strong four-meter long white pointer was washed up dead on a Western Australian beach. It certainly did bite off more than it could chew. The cause of death was choking on a sea lion.

There was no sign of any major injury to its body, just a large sea lion lodged in its throat. It was observed jostling around in the shallows shortly before being washed up on a Coronation Beach, apparently trying to dislodge the sea lion.

A man walking his dog first saw the shark and thought it was a diver. There was an attempt to save the shark by towing it out to sea. It was not known then what was the cause of its distress. However, it later washed up dead on the beach.

Biology by Ty Buchanan

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Australian Refugee Policy is Seen as Ruthless by the World

Lieutenant-General Angus Campbell, military commander of Australia's People-smuggling operation believes that "Australia is seen as reasonable and generous in its treatment of refugees." How stupid and out of touch can you be. The world knows that Australia couldn't care less about the welfare of refugees.

Don't get me wrong here: I was the first person in Australia to suggest sending those seeking asylum home, on this very blog. However, I said economic migrants should be flown home, not turned around in Indonesian waters and send into imminent danger in a small (provided) orange boat.

Agreements should have been reached with the countries of origin of the disenchanted people to safely transport them home. Australia is in the top three nations resettling refugees, but we are falling fast from this position because our actions are draconian. They are ruthlessly too effective. No other country has taken such harsh measures.

The real problem is that Australia is charging and sentencing people smugglers when such behavior is not illegal internationally. It is not a crime. First the Lieutenant General fully supported the government then he promptly distanced himself by saying, "I think the question of appropriateness is something both for the government of the day, the parliament and the people, it's not for me to comment," It certainly isn't for you to comment, at all!

Politics by Ty Buchanan

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Australia's Marine Resource

As fertile land becomes "all used up" with increasing demand for food we will rely more on the sea for nourishment, after we experiment with eating insects of course. Marine-based industries care little about the consequences of their actions at the moment. This has to change to make the oceans a renewable resource.

Australia has the third largest controlled ocean territory in the world. This country has more responsibility than most countries. We allow nations to fish our waters but foreign fishing fleets seldom stay within the rules that are set. Overfishing is common.

The Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo are World Heritage Areas. We will have to protect and regulate more region around the coast of this vast continent. This may be selfish as we have a low population that enjoys to swim, dive, surf, sail and fish on an individual basis. However, with control comes responsibility.

Australia's marine industry will rise from about A$40 billion to A$100 billion or more by 2025, just a decade away. Although there is a lot of land here, much of it is not fertile enough for crops. The oceans are just "sitting there" waiting to be exploited. As more pressure comes upon it the health of the planet must be considered. The sea has soaked up a third of the carbon dioxide we have produced since the 18th century and 90 per cent of the extra heat from human activity in the last 50 years.

Conservation by Ty Buchanan

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Eastern Antarctic a New Danger Area to Raise Sea Level

There is a lot of research on climate change. However, countries are doing very little to reduce pollution. They are not reacting at all to the clear data pointing to damage caused to the planet by humans.

In the Antarctic the latest evidence shows some movement in the ice "plug" holding massive amounts of ice back from the ocean. If this plug fails, ice will slide into the sea raising the planet's water level by many meters, permanently. Cities on the coast around the world will be flooded.

It was thought that only the western side of the Antarctic was in danger of raising sea level. It now appears that the eastern side where the plug is situated is also at risk.

The weather in the US has been extremely erratic over the last ten years. The cost to the nation is in the billions of dollars. Insurance companies will react as they have done in Australia. Premiums have more than doubled in recent years. Some areas of Australia cannot get insurance cover at all for their homes because they are seen as low-lying or at high risk in bush fires.

Climate change is ongoing and people are at risk of losing everything in a chain of catastrophes. The world economic system will be affected. It cannot be avoided. We ignore it now at our own peril.

Conservation by Ty Buchanan

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Climate Change is Inevitable

Australia is one the world's major producers of wheat. If climate change reduces national output there will be widespread consequences. The economy will suffer with the need to import wheat. Internationally, a wheat shortage will put prices up and many poor people will have to go without.

On the positive side some regions of Australia will get more rain. People will still be able to "fatten up" on sugar and rice, despite research showing that sugar contains no nourishment whatsoever for the human body. Two centuries ago a group of British sailors was shipwrecked on the west coast of Africa. The ship was beached. Even though the ship had a full load of West Indian sugar they all died of malnutrition.

Getting back to the main point. There will be competition for arable land pushing land prices up. There is also a link between the land and sea. Climate change will reduce the fish catch. Living in the bush will become impossible with farming failing to prop up local economies.

Potential for farmers to move up into higher areas is limited because Australia is a flat continent. Of course, we could all choose to move south. This would create the need for massive new investment in infrastructure.

These problems will affect the generation of children living today. By 2050, the food bowls in South Australia for sheep and beef will be no more. Man had little impact on the environment in the past, so we do not have the "genes" to change our ways. Pollution will inevitably continue until all the damaging changes above come to fruition. People working today will for the most part be dead. "It isn't our worry is it mate?"

Agriculture by Ty Buchanan

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Climate Change - Buildings Down and the Surf

Australia has always been a harsh place to live. Despite the luxury living on the coast with all the latest modern services, inland there is a desert. Many people who are born in the harsh center remain there all their lives. A fewer number choose to live there moving from coastal cities. Let's face it many prefer the heat over the cold and they have personal reasons for choosing to do this.

We do yet know what lies ahead for us in this vast continent. Climate change is happening at this very moment most definitely. El Niño and La Niña are the major factors influencing the weather on the east coast. Scientists forecast more extremes from these usually opposite climate impacting factors. The intermediate stage between these cycles has lasted for several years now. Weather is very unpredictable ranging from drought inland to too much rain on the coast. It seems we experience one or the other extreme with changeable in between.

The level of the ocean is rising. Coastal buildings will be inundated and lost forever. Oddly, this is bad news for surfers. As the sea rises the surface becomes smoother. This means smaller waves on the beaches. The era of Australia being a surfing nation could come to an end. Storms along the coast will decrease further exacerbating the problem. With more water volume, temperature differences in the ocean even out leading to calmer weather. The few storms that will occur will be very large indeed. High-rise buildings on the Gold Coast in Queensland will fall into the sea. We will lose our tourist mecca.

Climate by Ty Buchanan

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Supermarket Bags Pollute the Ocean

Whether you use an "environmentally friendly" shopping bag or a standard one you are damaging the environment. They both take time to break down. Furthermore, the so called "safe" bags cause pollution during manufacture.

Australia's oceanic waters carry countless pieces of plastic bags, Marine creatures eat this debris and die. When plastic breaks down in sea water it becomes very tiny and is virtually invisible. These pieces gather up pollutants and become mobile destructors. The tinier the particles the more absorbent it becomes.

Researchers scooped up surface water from the ocean in coastal water all the way from Perth to Fiji and New Zealand. By observing the area of the net covered in plastic fragments they were able to codify amounts across a vast area. The average number of microplastic fragments was 4,000 per square kilometers. It went as high as 23,000 in some places. This was near highly populated cities.

Most of the items people use are made of plastic. Supermarket bags are the most prominent, followed by drink bottles. Plastic cups and discarded packaging.

Ocean currents also move the plastic into low populated sectors of the ocean. They build up "floating dustbin" regions that become permanent. Marine life is seriously affected. This will ultimately become a major problem for Mankind just as serious as climate change

Conservation by Ty Buchanan

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New Clam in Australia

There are many kinds of clams, some of them very large. The bigger ones are classified as "giant" clams. All were thought to be known. However, a new species has been identified. Examples were found at Ningaloo in Western Australia and near the Solomon Islands.

The reason it has been overlooked for so long is because it is very similar to Tridacna maxima, which is quite common. There are a plethora of colors including yellow, green, brown and blues. They are in many different shades of these main colors.

Clams produce large amounts of edible meat for human consumption. Their shells are also valuable for displays. Many species are under threat. They cannot run away and hide from divers and snorkelers. Two similar species in the same region means numbers for each are lower than first thought.

Conservation by Ty Buchanan

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