UN states agree 'historic' deal to protect high seas

Yahoo – AFP, Amélie BOTTOLLIER-DEPOIS,  5 March 2023 

UN member states finally agreed Saturday to a text on the first international treaty after years of negotiations to protect the high seas, a fragile and vital treasure that covers nearly half the planet. 

"The ship has reached the shore," conference chair Rena Lee announced at the UN headquarters in New York shortly before 9:30 pm (0230 GMT Sunday), to loud and lengthy applause from delegates.

The exact wording of the text was not immediately released but activists hailed it as a breakthrough moment for the protection of biodiversity after more than 15 years of discussions. 

The treaty is seen as essential to conserving 30 percent of the world's land and ocean by 2030, as agreed by world governments in a historic accord signed in Montreal in December. 

"This is a historic day for conservation and a sign that in a divided world, protecting nature and people can triumph over geopolitics," said Greenpeace's Laura Meller. 

EU environment commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius on Sunday called the treaty "a crucial step forward to preserve the marine life and biodiversity that are essential for us and the generations to come." 

Following two weeks of intense talks, including a marathon overnight session Friday into Saturday, delegates finalized a text that now cannot be significantly altered. 

"There will be no reopening or discussions of substance," Lee told negotiators. 

The agreement will be formally adopted at a later date once it has been vetted by lawyers and translated into the United Nations' six official languages, she announced. 

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres commended the delegates, according to a spokesperson who said the agreement was a "victory for multilateralism and for global efforts to counter the destructive trends facing ocean health, now and for generations to come." 

'Critical role' 

The high seas begin at the border of countries' exclusive economic zones, which extend up to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from coastlines. They thus fall under the jurisdiction of no country. 

Even though the high seas comprise more than 60 percent of the world's oceans and nearly half the planet's surface, they have long drawn far less attention than coastal waters and a few iconic species.

 Ocean ecosystems create half the oxygen humans breathe and limit global warming by absorbing much of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities. 

But they are threatened by climate change, pollution and overfishing. 

Only about one percent of the high seas are currently protected. 

When the new treaty comes into force it will allow the creation of marine protected areas in these international waters. 

"High seas marine protected areas can play a critical role in building resilience to the impact of climate change," said Liz Karan of The Pew Charitable Trusts, which called the agreement a "momentous achievement." 

The treaty will also oblige countries to conduct environmental impact assessments of proposed activities on the high seas. 

A highly sensitive chapter on the sharing of potential benefits of newly discovered marine resources was one of the focal points of tensions before it was finally overcome as the scheduled talks, due to end Friday, overran by a day. 

'Profits' 

Developing countries, without the means to afford costly research, had fought not to be excluded from the expected windfall from the commercialization of potential substances discovered in the international waters. 

Eventual profits are likely from the pharmaceutical, chemical or cosmetic use of newly discovered marine substances that belong to no one. 

As in other international forums, notably climate negotiations, the debate ended up being a question of ensuring equity between the poorer global South and richer North, observers noted. 

In a move seen as an attempt to build trust between rich and poor countries, the European Union pledged 40 million euros ($42 million) in New York to facilitate the ratification of the treaty and its early implementation. 

The EU also announced $860 million for research, monitoring and conservation of oceans in 2023 at the Our Ocean conference in Panama that ended Friday. Panama said a total of $19 billion was pledged by countries. 

In 2017, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on nations to establish a high seas treaty. 

It originally planned four negotiating sessions but had to pass two resolutions to ensure two additional sessions. 

"We can now finally move from talk to real change at sea," said Greenpeace's Meller.

A shocking find: new high-voltage electric eels revealed

Yahoo – AFP, Sara HUSSEIN, September 10, 2019

DNA research has revealed two entirely new species of electric eel in the Amazon basin,
including one capable of delivering a record-breaking jolt (AFP Photo/Leandro SOUSA)

Tokyo (AFP) - Call it a shock discovery: DNA research has revealed two entirely new species of electric eel in the Amazon basin, including one capable of delivering a record-breaking jolt.

The findings are evidence, researchers say, of the incredible diversity in the Amazon rainforest -- much of it still unknown to science -- and illustrate why it is so important to protect a habitat at risk from deforestation, logging and fires.

"In spite of all human impact on the Amazon rainforest in the last 50 years, we can still discover giant fishes like the two new species of electric eels," said lead researcher C. David de Santana, a zoologist working with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

The research "indicates that an enormous amount of species are waiting to be discovered in the Amazon rainforest, many of which may harbour cures for diseases or inspire technological innovations," he told AFP.

The electric eel, in fact a kind of fish rather than an eel, inspired the design of the first electric battery.

For centuries, it was believed that a single species existed throughout the region known as Greater Amazonia, encompassing parts of countries including Brazil, Suriname and Guyana.

But as part of a project to better understand electric eels and map wildlife in remote parts of South America, de Santana and his team decided to test that conventional wisdom.

At first glance, they found little visible difference between creatures collected from different parts of the Amazon basin, suggesting the fish were indeed part of a single species.

But further analysis, including of DNA from 107 samples they collected, upended centuries of assumptions and revealed three different species: the previously known Electrophorus electricus, along with Electrophorus voltai and Electrophorus varii.

And their research also uncovered another stunning result: E. voltai is capable of delivering a jolt of 860 volts -- much more than the 650 volts previously recorded from electric eels -- "making it the strongest bioelectricity generator known."

'Hidden' functions

The findings, published Tuesday in the Nature Communications journal, theorise that the three species evolved from a shared ancestor millions of years ago.

The researchers found each of the three species has a clearly defined habitat, with E. electricus living in the Guiana Shield region, E. voltai in the Brazilian Shield, a highland further south, and E. varii inhabiting slow-flowing lowland Amazon basin waters.

And they suggest that the particularly strong electric shock that E. voltai can produce could be an adaptation to life in highland waters, where conductivity is less effective.

Electric eels use their shock tactics for a variety of reasons, including hunting prey, self-defence, and navigation.

They generate electricity from three specialised electric organs that can emit charges of varying strengths for different purposes.

But the discovery of the new species raises the possibility that different types of eels may have evolved different ways of generating electricity, perhaps better suited to their diverse environments.

De Santana hopes to compare the genomes of the three species, searching for clues that could offer insights useful to a variety of fields.

"Electric eel physiology inspired the design of Volta's first electric battery, provided a basis... for treating neurodegenerative diseases and recently promoted the advance of hydrogel batteries that could be used to power medical implants," he said.

The newly discovered species may reveal a "hidden variety" of functions "of interest to the broader scientific community."

'Urgent steps' needed to save Australia's biggest river system

Yahoo – AFP, 18 February 2019

This decades-old Murray cod was among millions of fish which died in mass
kills in December and January in the Darling river

The viability of a key river that feeds into Australia's biggest water system is under threat if poor conditions that killed millions of fish are not improved within six months, scientists warned Monday.

The management of the Murray-Darling River system, which stretches thousands of kilometres across several states and supplies Australia's food bowl, has been under close scrutiny following three mass fish deaths in December and January.

Authorities said millions of fish died in the Darling River events, blamed on low water flow and oxygen levels in the river as well as possibly toxic algae.

Leading scientists who studied the three bouts of kills said that while a severe drought plaguing inland eastern Australia contributed to the deaths, there were also "serious deficiencies in governance and management" of the river network.

"Our review of the fish kills found there isn't enough water in the Darling system to avoid catastrophic outcomes," said Craig Moritz, chair of the independent expert panel commissioned by the opposition Labor Party to investigate the deaths.

He said an analysis of rainfall and river flow data over recent decades points to "excess water extraction upstream" in the agricultural regions of Queensland and New South Wales (NSW) states.

If urgent steps are not taken within six months to increase the flow of water, the expert report said, the "viability of the Darling" as well as the communities that depend on it for their livelihoods would be under threat.

Authorities in 2014 launched a vast Murray–Darling Basin Plan to manage water sharing and usage along the length of the system, which runs through five states and territories.

Last month a Royal Commission launched by South Australia state accused officials of "maladministration", "negligence" and "unlawful" actions in implementing the plan.

Environmental activists and many residents living along the lower reaches of the Murray-Darling system have put much of the blame on abusive water extraction for irrigation by agribusinesses, including major cotton farms in Queensland and NSW.

But officials of Australia's conservative federal government have focused on the impacts of prolonged drought and an unprecedented heat wave during this southern summer as the primary causes of low water flow in the Darling River.

Federal Environment Minister Melissa Price said Monday that "significant rainfall" was needed to alleviate the poor water quality and that release of more water into the system from upstream dams would not improve the conditions.

Protected Chilean sea lions are the 'enemy' of fishermen

Yahoo – AFP, Miguel SANCHEZ, December 22, 2018

Chilean fishermen have branded sea lions "a plague" because of the competition
they provide in catching fish (AFP Photo/Martin BERNETTI)

Valparaíso (Chile) (AFP) - Off the coast of Chile, fisherman face competition from a cunning carnivorous hunter that has decimated their industry due to its voracious appetite.

For Chile's fishermen, sea lions are a "plague."

"They're an enemy!" complained Mario Rojas to AFP. "We try to make them go away but it's impossible!"

Part of the wider seal family that was once hunted mercilessly all over the world, leaving some populations close to extinction, the South American sea lion in Chile has been protected for the last 28 years.

Hunting them for their richly prized fur is illegal.

Liberated from their most dangerous predator -- they are still prey for sharks and orcas -- the sea mammal's population has been on the rise, helped in no small part by the abundant fodder they manage to steal from fisherman.

Sea lions hang around on the beach or under the wharf at San Antonio port waiting for 

fishermen to discard the scraps and entrails from their catches (AFP Photo/

MARTIN BERNETTI)

They have learnt to distinguish the sound of the fishing boats' motors, allowing them to follow the vessels as they head out to sea.

"The sea lions don't hunt anymore. They hear the noise of a boat and they know that the food is there," said Rojas.

With their sharp teeth and the enormous power in bodies that can weigh around 650 pounds (300 kilograms), they manage to destroy the fishing nets and gobble up the treats inside.

And they have some appetite, consuming 90 pounds of fish each a day.

Rojas says more than 80 percent of the boats working in his area, around the port of Valparaiso, return from a day's work empty, with their nets shredded.

There, sea lions hang around on the beach or beneath the wharf, waiting for the scraps and entrails thrown back into the water by fishermen.

Around 40 percent of the world's sea lion population, some 200,000 animals, live off the coast of Chile and pose a serious threat to the fishing industry.

Local fishermen want to be able to cull their numbers.

Not everyone is as angered by sea lions as Chile's fishermen, and the country's

 fisheries under-secretary Eduardo Riquelme says humans must learn to live 

with the eared seals (AFP Photo/MARTIN BERNETTI)

'A crisis'

A decade ago, at the Portales cove at Valparaiso, where Rojas is the fishermen's leader, around 1,300 pounds of fish were caught daily, but that is now down to just 110 pounds.

It's a similar situation all along the coast.

"We're going through a crisis specifically because of sea lions, but we also have fishing quotas. People are desperate," said Jose Alvarado, leader of the fishermen at Hualaihue, around 700 miles (1,000 kilometers) to the south of the capital Santiago.

Fishermen want the ban on sea lion hunting lifted so they can control the numbers.

"The only viable solution for the fishermen is to eliminate the sea lions and this won't happen," fisheries under-secretary Eduardo Riquelme told AFP.

He admits that sea lions are creating problems for the fishing industry but the first step in addressing the issue will come in February with a census to establish the size of the Chilean population of these eared seals.

The government has also agreed with fishermen to convene a commission of experts to study the problem, while also eradicating some of the fishermen's bad habits, such as throwing fish entrails, which sea lions feed on, back into the sea.

With a ban on hunting them, the South American sea lions have almost no 

predators now and compete with humans for fish (AFP Photo/Martin BERNETTI)

They've agreed to begin tests on boats fitted with ultrasound equipment to scare away sea lions, and machines that will reel in nets quicker.

'Catastrophic problems'

The hunting ban was imposed to preserve the South American sea lion, after two closely related fur seal species were almost driven extinct during the 20th century.

Chile has signed international accords to protect the sea lion and any violation would engender serious penalties, such as the suspension of salmon imports from the United States, an industry that generates almost $4 billion a year.

The predator's presence is necessary "to balance food chains," Jose Luis Brito, director at San Antonio's natural history museum, told AFP.

Hunting by humans "can produce catastrophic problems with huge consequences, because they are the ones that control life," said Brito.

But, "since they don't have any rivals, and not enough predators," their numbers are on the rise, "provoking them to compete with another predator, which is us."

For Riquelme, there's only one solution: "We have to learn to live with the sea lions."

Smiling at danger, China’s finless porpoise fights to survive

Yahoo – AFP, Kelly WANG, December 20, 2018

Pollution, overfishing, hydroelectric dams and shipping traffic have rendered the
Yangtze finless porpoise critically endangered, worse off even than China's
best-known symbol of animal conservation, the panda (AFP Photo/Johannes EISELE)

In an oxbow lake along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, a breathy sigh pierces the surface stillness as one of China’s most endangered animals comes up for a gulp of hazy air.

A slick black back with no dorsal fin arches briefly above the water line before plunging back down.

Such glimpses of the shy Yangtze finless porpoise, the only aquatic mammal left in China's longest river and known in Chinese as the "smiling angel" for its perma-grin, are increasingly rare.

Pollution, overfishing, hydroelectric dams and shipping traffic have rendered them critically endangered, worse off even than China's best-known symbol of animal conservation, the panda.

China's government estimates there were 1,012 wild Yangtze finless porpoises in 2017, compared to more than 1,800 giant pandas, which is no longer endangered.

But researchers see signs of hope.

Porpoise numbers fell by nearly half from 2006-2012 to an estimated 1,040. But the rate of decline has slowed markedly since then, suggesting that conservation may be making a dent.

A central component of the rescue effort is the introduction of porpoises to several conservation areas off the busy river, where researchers say numbers have been actually increasing.

One of the world's few freshwater porpoise subspecies, the Yangtze finless 

porpoise is considered a natural barometer of the overall health of China's 

most important river (AFP Photo/Johannes EISELE)id.

Encouraging signs

At the Tianezhou Oxbow Nature Reserve in central China's Hubei province, a curving lake linked to the Yangtze by a stream, around 30-40 porpoises were brought in beginning in the 1990s. There are now around 80.

"We found out animals can not only survive but also reproduce naturally and successfully at Tianezhou. That's very encouraging," said Wang Ding, 60, a porpoise expert with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Researchers also credit official clampdowns on polluting activities and fish overharvesting, artificial reproduction projects, and growing environmental awareness among China's emerging middle class.

"The voice and supervision of the public has played an important role," said Zhang Xinqiao, the species' project manager at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Chinese officials are keen to avoid a repeat of the "baiji", or Yangtze dolphin, the river's only other aquatic mammal, which since 2006 has been considered extinct in a huge conservation setback for China.

Losing the "smiling angel" would be a further tragedy, conservationists say.

One of the world's few freshwater porpoise subspecies, it is considered a natural barometer of the overall health of China's most important river.

Factfile on the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise. (AFP 

Photo/Gal ROMA)

'River pig'

The finless porpoise is mentioned in ancient Chinese poems and has been considered a harbinger of rain. Some locals call it the "river pig" for its plump body and rounded headed.

Adults can reach two metres (six feet) long and were sometimes eaten, despite not being considered particularly tasty. Their livers were used in traditional medicines.

Since China re-opened to the world four decades ago, living standards have soared, but so have air and water pollution.

The Yangtze contributes more to ocean pollution than any other world river, according to Dutch NGO Ocean Cleanup.

Hydroelectric dams built on the river to satisfy soaring energy demand have also been disastrous for biodiversity.

But in January 2016, President Xi Jinping called for a river protection push. Steps have included curbs on development, stricter fishing rules and other protection projects.

Later that year, a formal porpoise action plan was launched, including increased relocations away from the river, more reserve sites, and research on artificial breeding.

The Tianezhou reserve, established in 1992, claims to be the world's first and only example of cetaceans -- which include dolphins and porpoises -- surviving and reproducing after relocation.

Local fishermen near the lake were encouraged to change professions and Wang Hesong, 46, became a patrolman at the reserve.

"Look over there, a mother and a baby," Wang said, as his pilot cut their patrol boat's engine at the sight of two arched backs breaking the silvery surface. The shy mammals quickly submerged.

"They only come up for a couple of seconds to breathe... We go out patrolling every day and we see them every day," Wang said.

A Yangtze finless porpoise in a pool at the Baiji dolphinarium in Wuhan (AFP 

Photo/Johannes EISELE)

The 21-kilometre-long (13-mile) lake offers sanctuary, but porpoises within the river face intense pressure.

The WWF's Zhang said the species' days in the river may be numbered.

"They have nowhere to hide in the river," he said.

"As long as danger exists, such as a further deterioration of natural habitat, it's very likely their numbers could drastically decrease again."

Clock is ticking

With the clock ticking, a research facility in the nearby industrial city of Wuhan hosts six finless porpoises for research, breeding, and to engage the public.

Two gracefully circled by an observation window that looks into their huge tank, playfully tilting their bodies to glimpse the human visitors.

"They are saying 'hi' to us," said Liu Hanhui, a volunteer. "I think they understand human feelings."

The WWF says adult Yangtze finless porpoises have the intelligence of a three-to-five-year-old child.

Just before feeding, they are coaxed to open their mouths on cue, show off their smiles, and shake hands by extending a flipper.

Yet they are difficult to breed in captivity.

A calf born in June at the dolphinarium -- founded in 1980 -- is just the second produced there to survive more than 100 days, while wild calves often die before adulthood due to human impact on the environment.

Liu, an aquaculture student at a nearby university, and 40 other volunteers help feed them on weekends and holidays, and take part in various activities to promote awareness.

Conservation programmes and events in the region have proliferated in recent years, backed by scores of businesses and NGOs aiming to instruct the public and encourage greater government protection efforts.

"Our development has caused a species to rapidly disappear. I feel like I'm atoning for mankind's crimes," Liu said.

Ray of hope: scientist use contraceptive to curtail ‘highly fertile’ fish

DutchNews, December 17, 2018

An eagle ray. Photo: Steve Jurvetson via Wikimedia Commons.

Researchers at a Dutch zoo have used a contraceptive method to control the breeding habits of a highly fertile species of ray for the first time. 

The breakthrough by biologist Max Janse and vet Henk Luten at Burgers’ Zoo in Arnhem was announced in the Journal of Fish Biology. The pair used an implant to interrupt a female speckled eagle ray’s hormone cycle and stop her reproducing. 

The zoo was involved in a breeding programme for the eagle ray (aetobatus ocellatus) which is a protected species, but after producing 58 offspring since 2009 it had run out of partner zoos who were willing to take the young rays. 

Previous specimens born in Arnhem have been sent to aquaria in Valencia, Tenerife and Denmark, but the scientists said that trying to rehouse the mother was too difficult. ‘You need a lorry to move a ray that size. And in the meantime she kept on reproducing.’ 

The large number of offspring also risked causing other problems in a confined space, wrote the researchers: ‘We found that 21 young originated from one female ray. If all the fish are from the same specimen, they become too genetically similar, which can lead to complications.’ 

The researchers said the long-term effects of the contraceptive implant were unknown. ‘It will probably stop emitting hormones at some point, but we don’t know that for sure. It could also be that the hormonal balance is permanently affected so that the fish can no longer produce young.’

3 'hardcore' fish species discovered on Pacific floor

MSN – AFP, 14 September 2018

A rendering of the bone structure of a 'hardcore' Atacama snailfish (AFP)

Scientists have discovered three new species of "hardcore" fish living in one of the deepest parts of the ocean, the see-through, scale-free creatures perfectly adapted to conditions that would instantly kill most life on Earth.

An international team of researchers used state-of-the-art underwater cameras to find the new fish at the bottom of the Atacama Trench in the eastern Pacific Ocean at a depth of 7,500 metres (24,600 feet) -- and were surprised at their abundance in such an inhospitable environment.

"These things are right on the limit of what all fish can take so you might expect at that depth you'd maybe be lucky to see one or two eking out an existence," Alan Jamieson, senior lecturer in marine ecology at Newcastle University told AFP on Friday.

"But there's a whole heap of them sitting there."

Temporarily named the pink, blue and purple Atacama snailfish, the previously unknown creatures are 20-25 centimetres (8-10 inches) long, translucent and have no scales.

They appear to be uniquely adapted to conditions four-and-a-half miles beneath the ocean surface, where the days are permanently pitch black and water temperatures barely top two degrees Celsius (36 Farenheit).

At such depths, the pressure is so great that larger animals would be crushed under their own mass.

"It's the equivalent of having an 800-kilogramme weight placed on your little finger," Jamieson said.

Gel-like

Researchers believe the fish may have evolved to live on the sea floor to avoid larger prey.

Researchers were surprised to find that 'there's a whole heap of them (AFP)'

"The hardest structures in their bodies are the bones in their inner ear, which give them balance, and their teeth," said Thomas Linley, a Newcastle research associate who went on the expedition.

In fact, being made almost entirely of a gel-like substance, the fish would die without the crushing pressure holding them together.

"Their bodies are extremely fragile and melt rapidly when brought to the surface," Linley said.

Crushing pressure, little food

The Atacama Trench runs almost 6,000 kilometres along the west coast of South America and bottoms out at 8,000 metres.

Jamieson said the team's discovery should give hope to researchers working to uncover new species in some of the least-explored corners of our planet.

"The finding of new species is not limited to small stuff in the mud or tiny jellyfish, here there are three species of fish about 20-25 cm long," he said.

"The Atacama Trench is the same size as the Andes mountain range. If we can put a camera down and pick out three new species within a matter of days... these things are not rare -- they are just out of reach."

With over 300 known varieties of snailfish, Jamieson said it has adapted to a wide variety of conditions, some extremely tough to survive in.

"Most of them live at shallow levels -- we even get them up the Tyne River in Newcastle. They're an amazing family that has sort of evolved to fit every niche, every corner of the planet," he said.

He nevertheless admitted to being impressed with the newly discovered varieties and their ability to thrive in some of the harshest environments on Earth.

"The water temperatures in these trenches are always less than 2C -- that in itself is pretty hardcore, let alone slamming 800-bar pressure on it and hardly any food," he said.

Hot weather brings surprise guests, dolphins spotted in the North Sea

DutchNews, July 31, 2018

The recent spate of unusually hot water has brought some unexpected guests to the North Sea. A Dutch fisherman spotted a group of about ten dolphins in waters between the Netherlands and the coast of England and filmed the group. 

The animals have been feeding in the area for weeks near a big sandbank where there is plenty of food. 

According to Jessica Meerbeek of SOS Dolfijn the animals are definitely dolphins, ‘What we don’t know is the exact species. We think they may be bottlenose dolphins or perhaps white-beaked dolphins. They are definitely not porpoise,’ she told broadcaster NOS. 

Experts say the hot weather has made food in the North Sea more plentiful and that has attracted the dolphins.

Related Article:

"A Summary" – Apr 2, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll)

(Subjects: Religion, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Intelligent/Benevolent Design, EU, South America, 5 Currencies, Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Middle East, Internet, Israel, Dictators, Palestine, US, Japan (Quake/Tsunami Disasters , People, Society ...), Nuclear Power Revealed, Hydro Power, Geothermal Power, Moon, Financial Institutes (Recession, Realign integrity values ..) , China, North Korea, Global Unity,..... etc.) - (Text version)

“… The Weather

Let's talk about the weather. We retreat to exactly what we told you before in this very chair. The water cycle is a cooling cycle, not a heating cycle. You're going to have more severe winters and storms. It's going to get colder. But it gets warmer before it gets colder. That is the cycle, and it has always been the cycle. You can see it in the rings of the trees and the cores of the ice. Don't let your scientists pull the political wool over your eyes for their own purposes. Start seeing these things for what they are. It's a recurring cycle based on four Earth alignment attributes, including the wobble (the precession). You're in this cycle. Prepare.

The beginnings of it will be with you from now at least until the end of the 2012 36-year window, and you can watch it work. The first thing that happens is that the ice melts at the poles, but not completely. It's the way it has happened before. As the redistribution of weight from the poles to the oceans of the earth takes place, the weight is redistributed to the crust, and that creates earthquakes. And the earthquakes that will be the most powerful are the ones that are closest to the poles. We told you that some time ago. So it's not a mystery that suddenly you have some of the most powerful earthquakes that you've ever had. Not only that, but a cooling ocean creates larger storms.

What do the conspiracists do with all this? "See? We're doomed. Here it comes," they say. "Here it comes! The end is here!" Twenty-two years ago, we gave you the information that is happening today. We told you about the weather. We told you to get ready for it, but we still haven't told you why the water cycle is needed. We've hinted at it since it is very controversial, and we'll lose many readers right here and now. Here's the prediction: The scientists are going to laugh and biologists are going to scratch their heads and roll their eyes.

The Refreshing of the Cycle of Life

When you change the temperature of the waters of the planet, it changes the life cycle of the ocean and it eventually renews itself. The life cycle of the planet has a limit to its viability over time. There has to be a refreshing of the very cycle of life, and this is what the water cycle does. Are there any places you've seen too many fish lately? Yes. Millions of salmon in the north. Odd that it was in Alaska, isn't it? Alaska is very close to the poles where the water temperature is being felt first. Oh, again the experts will tell you that this is not the reason. It's about hatcheries and rivers. But nobody predicted this, did they? Science is fast to give you reasons, but slow to give you logic in advance. They always seem to be surprised.

We are saying things we haven't said before. Again, watch for this, an actual change in the life cycle of the planet's oceans because of the water temperature shift. Biologists are going to have to start redesigning the paradigm of how everything works, including reefs, ocean bottoms, and how plankton survive and reproduce. Listen, this is not the first time that the life cycle has been refreshed! But again, this may take generations of humanity to complete. In the process, you may again lose species. This is normal. Gaia is slow, and Humans are impatient. Your textbooks may someday tell of how naive humanity was back in 2011 when they tried to blame weather changes on everything but a natural cycle. Now you know why there is a water cycle.

So what does that tell you about Gaia? Gaia is beginning the cycle of refreshing life on over-fished oceans. It tells you that in the cracks, there is love and caring about the Humans who live on the earth. There's a reason you're here. There's a plan here, and a benevolent Universe and quantum energy with intelligent design. All is there for you, precious, sacred Human Being. …”

More than 100 rarely seen fish species were hauled up from a deep and cold abyss off Australia during a scientific voyage, including a cousin of the "world's ugliest animal" Mr Blobby

More than 100 rarely seen fish species were hauled up from a deep and cold abyss off Australia during a scientific voyage, including a cousin of the "world's ugliest animal" Mr Blobby pic.twitter.com/veFyihUfu3

— AFP news agency (@AFP) February 21, 2018

EU parliament calls for ban on electric pulse fishing

France24 –AFP, 16 Jnauary 2018

Philippe Lamberts and Ska Keller, who head the Greens bloc in the European
Parliament, display a placard against pulse fishing which involves dragging
electrically-charged lines just above the seabed to shock low-lying marine life
 into trawling nets

STRASBOURG (FRANCE) (AFP) – The European Parliament called Tuesday for a ban on electric pulse fishing in the European Union, defying Brussels which wants the experimental practice in the North Sea done on a larger scale.

The parliament, the EU's only directly-elected body, will now try to strike a compromise with the European Commission, the bloc's executive, and the European Council, which groups the 28 member states.

MEPs voted by 402 members to 232 in favour of the ban, while 40 abstained.

"It is a wonderful victory against a terribly harmful kind of fishing," said Yannick Jadot, a French member of the Greens party, who took part in the campaign against the practice.

Pulse fishing involves dragging electrically-charged lines just above the seafloor that shock marine life up from low-lying positions into trawling nets.

EU rules allow member states to equip up to five percent of their fleets with electrodes, and the method has been adopted in particular by Dutch vessels fishing for sole.

The European Commission wants to maintain the southern part of the North Sea as the venue for pulse fishing but to remove the five-percent limit.

Karmenu Vella, the commissioner for fisheries, argued that pulse fishing is safer for the environment than beam trawling as it reduces carbon emissions and does less damage to the seabed.

Beam trawling involves a large net attached to a heavy metal beam of up to 12 metres in length which is dragged across the seabed, ploughing it up.

Rebecca Hubbard, director for the activist group Our Fish, praised the vote as a "huge win" for European seas, low-impact fishing and the public.

EU parliament calls for ban on electric pulse fishing https://t.co/Ojo4KvvpRt pic.twitter.com/lEXiYidfR6

— AFP news agency (@AFP) January 16, 2018

Related Article:

Top European chefs take electric pulse fishing off the menu

More than 200 top chefs across Europe have pledged to stop sourcing seafood

obtained by electric pulse fishing.

The black clouds hanging over the boats in Dutch ports are not the remnants of wild winter gales, but harbingers of another devastating storm brewing for Dutch fishermen pic.twitter.com/V4khrxhEnY

— AFP news agency (@AFP) January 21, 2018