Cabo Verde in Ocean Decade Alliance & more– 4th July 2023

Ahoy from Tibidabo! This is Rorshok’s Ocean Update from the 4th of July twenty twenty-three A summary of what's going down in the 70% surface of the Earth covered in salt water

On Tuesday, the 27th of June, the Presidency of the Republic of Cabo Verde hosted the Ocean Decade Conference, as the country joined the Oceans Decade Alliance. The Oceans Decade Alliance aims to raise awareness of the need for investments in ocean science. José Maria Pereira Neves, President of Cabo Verde, has become Patron of the Alliance, reinforcing the country's role in global oceans actions. The Republic of Cabo Verde, a nation strongly connected to the oceans, since is made 99% by sea and only 1% by land, depends on its marine resources for sustainable development. As proof of its commitment to the matter, the Ministry of the Sea is organizing the annual Cabo Verde Ocean Week that will take place in November twenty twenty-three to promote the importance of ocean sustainability.

In other news, in an expedition to the Pacific Ocean, in the north of Papua New Guinea, Harvard physicist Avi Loeb and his team found fragments of a potential interstellar meteor that fell on Earth in twenty fourteen. They found many metallic pearls of about 0.3 millimeters composed of iron, magnesium, and titanium. Loeb stated that the combination of these elements is uncommon, both for human-made objects and meteorites. However, some scientists remain skeptical. For example, Marc Fries, cosmic dust curator at Nasa, said that although certain clues could indicate spatial origins, like the combination of nickel and iron oxide, Loeb’s combinations are common on Earth as well.

From Space to Water-robots. Robot designers admire jellyfish for being the most energy-efficient swimmers in all marine environments. There’s a new jellyfish-inspired model called Jellyfish-Bot. The new robot can both swim and grab objects from the bottom of the oceans with their tentacles or collect them without touching them. The co-designer Hyeong-Joon Joo said the new robot could help biologists study sensitive environments, as it moves quietly, using materials that change shapes and that make the robot fast and efficient. However, it will also be used to clean the ocean bed. There are over 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic in the sea, and the Jellyfish-Bot could be a great asset in the fight for sea protection.

Moving on, the Panama Canal Authority (or PCA) decided to reduce the daily transit to preserve water. Restrictions were supposed to start on Sunday, the 25th of June, but the PCA postponed them due to heavy rain expected during the week. Restrictions aimed at reducing the number from thirty-six to thirty-four crossings per day down to thirty-two to thirty daily transits. The restrictions also foresee a 40% drop in cargo. Even though restrictions are not in place yet, vessels are still 40% lighter in cargo as they were loaded weeks ago, starting their route from Asia, to adhere to imposed limitations.

Since we are talking about important canals, the Suez Canal Authority (or SCA) introduced rebates for chemical and product tankers. Eleven new rebates have been included, alongside the extension of the twenty-four existing rebates for six more months, while four rebates have been modified. The discounts have been introduced and used since nineteen eighty-seven to attract new vessels to use the Suez Canal. Containerships departing from the US East Coast and bound for different destinations in China and South-East Asia are eligible for rebates ranging from 35% to 55% on SCA toll fees until the end of the year.

In health news, the Fish Health Inspectorate (or FHI) has found a disease in fish known as “Koi herpesvirus” (or KHV) in England and Wales. It is a serious viral disease that affects carp species and can lead to a large number of deaths. The most common signs of this disease are: necrotic patches on the gills, usually of white or brown color; rough patches on the skin and sloughing mucous; and hollow eyes. After the outbreak, sites affected by the KHV must undergo an immediate formal monitoring program to limit the spread of the disease. The good news is, humans can’t get infected.

Now, here’s an update about the Fisheries Policy. During the Agriculture and Fisheries Council held on Monday and Tuesday, the 26th and 27th in Luxembourg, the Council presidency released the Commission’s fisheries policy package report. The report aims at encouraging and promoting sustainability, resilience, and competitiveness in the fisheries and aquaculture sector. The package recognizes the efforts made to conciliate between the environmental goals and the economic ones, but it also focuses on the role of fisheries to reach climate neutrality in the EU by twenty fifty. The priorities of the package policy will be safeguarding biodiversity, restoring marine ecosystems, contributing to food security, and creating a viable fishing sector within the EU.

Talking about fisheries, on Monday, the 5th of June, in the Gulf of Guinea and the Indian Ocean, crews from Senegal and Ivory Coast working on tuna vessels went on strike, affecting 80% of the EU fleet. The crews were protesting against low salaries. Unions reported that the wages were significantly lower than the monthly minimum of $658 dollars established by the International Labour Organisation (or ILO). This violates the agreements between the European Commission and African nations, which aim to promote sustainable fishing practices and ensure fair employment conditions. The strike lasted four days, ending on the 8th of June, after having arrested and imprisoned some protesting fishermen. The protest ended because Senegalese and Ivory Coast authorities called for the release of the fishermen and offered to pay the monthly equivalent of $495 dollars to the crew, plus bonuses, reaching a temporary six-month agreement.

In other news, on Saturday, the 24th of June, a section of the Turkish port of Zonguldak was evacuated because a Russian cargoship Azov-Forward apparently had a mine attached to its stern. However, the Turkish Coast Guard found no mines in the Russian cargo. The situation brought up a state of emergency due to an accident that took place in November twenty twenty-two, when a drifting mine detonated a fishing boat off the coast of Turkey in the Black Sea. The explosion damaged the bow of the boat, and the ship sank. However, afterward, the boat was towed to the port of Igneada and secured with a rope to prevent it from sinking further. No injuries were reported.

Now, moving to watersports, a unique event took place on the weekend of 24th and 25th of June; the Irish Sailing’s Watersports Inclusion Games at Wexford Harbour Boat and Tennis Club. More than 400 people with different abilities and disabilities participated in the Games. The activities included SUPing, water skiing, dragon boating, and dinghy sailing. Approximately 125 volunteers assisted the participants across three sites on or near the river Slaney, in the southeast of Ireland.

From sports to weather. The ocean waters around Europe are experiencing an unprecedented heat wave due to climate change. Scientists are worried as warm water could threaten marine life significantly. Sea surface temperatures are reaching five degrees Celsius (or forty-one Fahrenheit) above normal, marking the highest temperatures observed in over 170 years.

Let’s close this update with an amazing discovery. Marine biologists have found three new species of Carnivorous Sponges in the Great Barrier Reef, in Queensland, Australia. The three newly discovered sponges belong to deep-sea environments that can be found worldwide. These sponges have distinctive feeding structures and predatory behavior. They anchor themselves to the seafloor and extend their feeding appendages into the water column to capture prey, like small crustaceans, and other passing organisms.

That’s it for this week! Thanks for joining us!

Last week we have also launched the Rorshok Multilateral Update, covering the world's major multilateral institutions. Coming soon, we'll be lauching the Rorshok Arctic Update. You can look for them in your podcast listening app of choice or follow the links in the show notes! Tell your friends!

See you next week!