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Making Waves: Episode 4 (Nov. 21, 2008)

(INTRO)
… THE HEAD OF THE OCEAN SERVICE TRAVELS TO FLORIDA FOR THE FIRST-EVER COASTAL CITIES SUMMIT
… RED TIDES DECLARED A DISASTER IN NEW ENGLAND
… AND MARINE FORENSIC EXPERTS AT WORK

THOSE STORIES ARE COMING UP. THIS IS MAKING WAVES FROM NOAA'S NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE...

(COASTAL CITIES SUMMIT)
NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR JACK DUNNIGAN WAS AT THE FIRST-EVER COASTAL CITIES SUMMIT IN ST. PETE BEACH, FLORIDA, THIS WEEK.

THE EVENT WAS HOSTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL OCEAN INSTITUTE. AT THE EVENT, DUNNIGAN TALKED ABOUT WHAT NOAA IS DOING TO KEEP OUR COASTS SAFE, HEALTHY, AND PRODUCTIVE.

SO WHAT ARE WE DOING? HERE ARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS OVER THE PAST YEAR.

HERE’S AN AMAZING FACT: THE COASTS MAKE UP ONLY SEVENTEEN PERCENT OF OUR NATION’S LAND, BUT OVER FIFTY-FIVE PERCENT OF AMERICANS LIVE THERE. AND MORE PEOPLE ARE MOVING TO THE COAST EVERY YEAR.

WITH ALL OF THESE PEOPLE SQUEEZED INTO SUCH A SMALL AREA, THERE IS INTENSE PRESSURE FROM POLLUTION AS COASTAL URBAN AREAS GROW LARGER AND LARGER.

IN RESPONSE TO THIS, OCEAN SERVICE MEMBERS WERE INVOLVED IN RESEARCH OVER THE PAST YEAR TO MANAGE THE GROWING PROBLEM OF BACTERIA AND DISEASE IN COASTAL AREAS.

ON RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH WAS THE PREDICTION OF LARGER-THAN-NORMAL HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM IN THE GULF OF MAINE AND THE LARGEST “DEAD ZONE” IN THE GULF OF MEXICO OVER THE SUMMER. THESE PREDICTIONS HELPED LOCAL COMMUNITIES PREPARE FOR THESE EVENTS.

NOAA RESEARCH LIKE THIS IS PRODUCING THE SCIENCE TO HELP US BETTER MANAGE EVENTS LIKE THESE IN THE FUTURE. THE GOAL IS TO HELP REDUCE ECONOMIC LOSS AND PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH.

AND DON’T FORGET THAT THE COASTS ARE ALSO WHERE THE PORTS ARE ... THE PLACES WHERE ALL OF THE SHIPS COME AND GO THAT KEEP OUR ECONOMY MOVING ALONG.

FROM SURVEYING WORK, TO INSTALLING CURRENT METERS, TO KEEPING THE NATION’S NAUTICAL CHARTS UP-TO-DATE, A LOT OF WORK AT THE OCEAN SERVICE GOES INTO KEEPING THIS TRAFFIC FLOWING SMOOTHLY.

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL. OUR COASTS ARE ALSO ON THE FRONT LINE FOR THREATS LIKE HURRICANES, FLOODING, AND INVASIVE SPECIES.

ONE PROJECT HIGH ON THE NOAA AGENDA IS TO DEVELOP A NATIONAL OCEAN MONITORING SYSTEM TO HELP US BETTER UNDERSTAND AND FORECAST OCEAN AND COASTAL CHANGES LIKE SEA-LEVEL RISE AND HABITAT LOSS.

THIS YEAR, MORE OF THAT SYSTEM FELL INTO PLACE. THE OCEAN SERVICE INSTALLED FOUR HURRICANE-HARDENED STRUCTURES AT SEA TO MEASURE AND MONITOR THE EFFECTS OF EXTREME COASTAL STORM EVENTS. THESE DEVICES WERE INSTALLED IN THE GULF COAST REGION OF THE U.S., WHICH WE ALL KNOW IS AN AREA UNDER THREAT FROM POWERFUL HURRICANES.

(RED TIDE DECLARED A NATURAL DISASTER IN NEW ENGLAND)
AND SPEAKING OF THREATS TO OUR COASTAL COMMUNITIES, THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK THAT HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS IN NEW ENGLAND OVER THE PAST YEAR HAVE LED TO A COMMERCIAL FISHERY FAILURE. THIS PAVES THE WAY FOR FEDERAL ASSISTANCE.

MOST SHELLFISH HAVE BEEN CLOSED OFF TO HARVESTING AFTER TESTS SHOWED THE PRESENCE OF THE BLOOMS, COMMONLY CALLED ‘RED TIDES.’ WHILE SOME CLOSURES HAVE BEEN LIFTED, MANY AREAS ARE STILL CLOSED.

THE NATURAL DISASTER BEGAN IN THE WATERS OFF MASSACHUSETTS IN MAY, AND SPREAD NORTH INTO THE WATERS OFF NEW HAMPSHIRE AND MAINE.

AS I MENTIONED EARLIER IN THE PROGRAM, THE OCEAN SERVICE PREDICTED THAT THE NEW ENGLAND BLOOM WOULD BE A BAD ONE THIS YEAR. SCIENTISTS AT N-O-S HAVE BEEN TRACKING AND STUDYING THESE BLOOMS FOR YEARS. THE GOAL IS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DETECT AND FORECAST RED TIDES AHEAD OF TIME SO COMMUNITIES CAN PLAN FOR THEM.

HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS - OR HABS - OCCUR WHEN COLONIES OF ALGAE GROW OUT OF CONTROL WHILE PRODUCING HARMFUL TOXINS. THESE TOXINS CAN HARM PEOPLE, FISH, SHELLFISH, MARINE MAMMALS, AND EVEN BIRDS. FOR PEOPLE, EATING CONTAMINATED SHELLFISH CAN CAUSE SERIOUS ILLNESS AND CAN EVEN BE FATAL.

BUT NOT ALL ALGAL BLOOMS ARE HARMFUL. MOST, IN FACT, ARE BENEFICIAL BECAUSE ALGAE ARE TINY PLANTS THAT FEED ANIMALS IN THE OCEAN. IN FACT, THEY ARE THE MAJOR SOURCE OF ENERGY THAT FUELS THE OCEAN FOOD WEB.

SOMETIMES, THOUGH, EVEN THE BLOOMS THAT DON’T PRODUCE TOXINS CAN HARM MARINE LIFE. THIS PROBLEM CAN OCCUR WHEN NON-TOXIC ALGAE GROW OUT OF CONTROL IN VERY LARGE QUANTITIES. WHEN THESE MASSES OF ALGAE DIE AND DECOMPOSE, THE DECAYING PROCESS CAN EAT UP ALL OF THE OXYGEN IN THE WATER. AND THAT CAUSES THE WATER TO BECOME SO LOW IN OXYGEN THAT ANIMALS IN THE AREA EITHER LEAVE OR DIE.

HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN ALMOST EVERY U.S. COASTAL STATE, AND THEY MAY BE ON THE RISE.

(MARINE FORENSICS)
FINALLY TODAY, WE’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT A LITTLE-KNOWN PART OF THE NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE - THE MARINE FORENSICS PROGRAM.
THE FORENSIC EXPERTS IN THIS UNUSUAL PROGRAM JUST FINISHED UP THEIR LATEST CASE. THEY USED DNA ANALYSIS TO FIND THAT FOUR SMALL CARVINGS WERE MADE OF MOOSE BONE.

THEY GOT THE CARVINGS FROM A NOAA FISHERIES AGENT BECAUSE IT WAS SUSPECTED THAT THE SMALL WORKS OF ART MIGHT BE WHALE BONE.
IF THE CARVINGS WERE MADE OF WHALE, THAT WOULD VIOLATE FEDERAL LAWS CREATED TO REDUCE HARVESTING OF MARINE MAMMALS LIKE WHALES AND WALRUSES.

IN THIS CASE, THE FORENSIC TEAM AVOIDED NEEDLESS PROSECUTION, AND THAT SAVED TIME AND MONEY FOR NOAA FIELD AGENTS, ATTORNEYS, AND THE DEFENDANT IN THE CASE.

THE FORENSIC GROUP’S MISSION BEGAN IN THE 1970S WHEN CONGRESS PASSED A SERIES OF ACTS THAT PROTECT FISHERIES, MARINE MAMMALS, AND ENDANGERED SPECIES.

THE PROBLEM THEN AROSE OF HOW TO ENFORCE THESE NEW LAWS. WITHOUT THE FINS, SCALES, AND HEADS ATTACHED, IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR NOAA AGENTS TO TELL IF THE SAMPLES THEY CAME ACROSS WERE FROM REGULATED SPECIES.

THE MARINE FORENSICS PROGRAM TODAY IS CALLED UPON TO ANALYZE EVIDENCE IN 85 PERCENT OF NOAA FISHERIES CASES WHEN SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS IS NEEDED.

IT’S THE ONLY LABORATORY IN THE COUNTRY DEDICATED TO THE FORENSICS ANALYSIS OF MARINE SPECIES.

(TAKING A CLOSER LOOK)
NOW LET’S TAKER A CLOSER LOOK AT THE MARINE FORENSICS PROGRAM.
SINCE THE 1970S, THE PROGRAM HAS CHANGED A LOT. IN THE BEGINNING, THE LAB ONLY PERFORMED SIMPLE PROTEIN-BASED ANALYSIS OF FRESH SEA TURTLE MEAT. TODAY, THEY USE CUTTING-EDGE DNA AND LIPID ANALYSES TO TEST TISSUES AND TRACE EVIDENCE FROM A WIDE VARIETY OF ANIMALS.

WHEN BITS AND PIECES OF ANIMAL TISSUE ARE BROUGHT TO THE LAB FOR TESTING, THE EXPERTS IN THE LAB DRAW UPON AN IN-HOUSE ARCHIVE OF OVER 10,000 SAMPLES. THESE SAMPLES COME FROM HUNDREDS OF SPECIES COLLECTED OVER A 30-YEAR PERIOD TO AID IN IDENTIFICATION.

BUT THE FORENSIC EXPERTS IN THE LAB DON’T JUST DO THE SCIENCE; THEY ALSO SPEND A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT ENSURING THAT THE EVIDENCE THEY PRODUCE WILL STAND UP IN COURT. THE EVIDENCE THAT COMES TO THE LAB IS HANDLED IN THE SAME WAY THAT EVIDENCE IS HANDLED FOR CRIMINAL CASES LIKE YOU SEE ON TELEVISION SHOWS LIKE C-S-I. THEY ARE ALSO TRAINED TO TESTIFY IN COURT, WHERE THEY MAY OFTEN APPEAR AS EXPERT WITNESSES.

(OUTRO)
ONE LAST NOTE ABOUT THE MARINE FORENSICS PROGRAM: NOT ALL OF THE CASES HANDLED IN THEIR LAB INVOLVE ENDANGERED SPECIES. THEY ARE ALSO CALLED UPON TO INVESTIGATE SEAFOOD SUBSTITUTION CASES. FOR EXAMPLE, THEY MAY TEST A FISH FILLET LABELED AS ‘GROUPER’ WHEN IT’S SUSPECTED THAT IT MIGHT ACTUALLY BE VIETNAMESE CATFISH. WHY WOULD SOMEONE MISLABEL A FISH FILLET? IT ALL HAS TO DO WITH MONEY, OF COURSE.

FOR OUR GROUPER EXAMPLE, VIETNAMESE CATFISH ARE SUBJECT TO IMPORT TARIFFS IN THE U.S. TO KEEP PRODUCERS FROM OVERLOADING THE U.S. MARKET WITH THESE LOW-COST FISH. SO SOMETIMES THESE FISH ARE MISLABELED AS GROUPER BECAUSE THERE ARE NO GROUPER TARIFFS, AND GROUPER FETCH A HIGHER MARKET PRICE.

ILLEGAL SEAFOOD SUBSTITUTIONS LIKE THIS ARE SERIOUS CRIMINAL VIOLATIONS AND CAN RESULT IN LARGE FINES AND JAIL TIME.

BUT THERE ARE NO PENALTIES FOR VISITING OUR WEB SITE. WE’RE AT OCEANSERVICE.NOAA.GOV. NEXT WEEK IS THANKSGIVING, SO A LOT OF OCEAN SERVICE EMPLOYEES WILL BE HEADING OFF TO SPEND TIME WITH THEIR FAMILIES AND LOVED ONES. INSTEAD OF YOUR REGULAR WEEKLY NEWS, WE’RE GOING TO BRING YOU A SPECIAL SEGMENT ABOUT OUR NATION’S MARINE HIGHWAYS. SO AS YOU HEAD TO THE STORE TO BUY YOUR HOLIDAY SUPPLIES, WE’LL GIVE YOU SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT ABOUT THE ROLE THE MARINE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM PLAYS IN GETTING THOSE SUPPLIES TO THE STORE SHELVES.

THAT’S ALL FOR THIS WEEK. LET’S BRING IN THE OCEAN ... THIS IS MAKING WAVES FROM NOAA'S NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE. SEE YOU NEXT TIME.

-END-

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