Posted by Walt on March 16, 2005 at 23:23:04:
In Reply to: Sure thing... posted by seahunt on March 16, 2005 at 19:30:43:
>I cannot figure out why Palos Verdes kelp has not come back.
I believe it may be due to the DDT (and whatever other chemical) runoff from the old plant and/or harbor - White's Point just down the peninsula is likewise pretty barren. Last Fall we ran into better kelp at Long Point than a few years back, so there is hope. Lots of urchins there, so they may be the culprits as well. That's why having an otter there would be a good omen...control or urchins and a promise that teh water may be getting better.
>the Clams at Pismo too
maybe the otters mav have hurt the return, but it was over harvesting (while the otter was almost extinct) and pollution's toll that "did in" Pismo beach. My parents told me of how they'd dig for clams with their feet there - I've tried and havent come up with anything since 1978 (before the otter comeback there).
A Goodnight Thought for Mother Ocean...
The ocean, though it may seem abundant and vast, is much more fragile than we acknowledge. Its a circle of life that is as complex as it is misunderstood. Killing sharks for thier fins throws the system as much off balance as does killing otters for their pelts. Overprotection of a species can be as detrimental as non-protection. Anything or any action to excess yields negative consequences on other variables in the system, a truism.
Dumping waste, overharvesting a species can ruin the ecology or throw it severely out of balance. Where I see no take zones, I see an abundance of life. Not that this is the ideal, as controlled take should be allowed in a healthy ecosystem. But the greedy ruin it for the rest of us; just because the scallop limit is 10 doesn't mean you need to take 10...like Seahunt, take the 2 or 3 that is enough for a nice dinner. When you take a bug, take a medium sized one and leave the 'masters', if they still exist, for others to see and to serve as breeding stock.
Don't use the ocean as a dump, whether you're a cruise ship or someone changing your oil on the street or failing to pick up after your pet...the consequences are a loss of underwater habitat that may take years or lifetimes to recover.
Yes, I'd have like to have seen California in 1910...maybe in 1810 or 1710 as well. We did a lot of damage to the environment this past century and, sadly, many parts of the world are worse off environmentally than is the USA. I hope we have learned, but when I see a report of a poacher or just watching someone carelessly discard trash on the beach, I am disheartened...we're not at the elementary level of understanding or stewardship that we need to be to protect the planet from ourselves.
But we keep trying ... and we keep diving!