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Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative Partner Under The Pole Adds Third Dimension to Marine Protected Areas

The second expedition of Under The Pole’s DEEPLIFE programme, in the Canary Islands, has been a great success. With support from the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, they have been diving deeper than ever before, helping to establish depth as a significant factor in the conservation of species and an essential criterion to be considered in the creation of a marine national park in Gran Canaria. Read more…

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SEVENSEAS Beach Cleanup & Coral Restoration Events in Marine Protected Areas

SEVENSEAS Media conducted two impactful events in Krabi, Thailand. The Monthly Beach Cleanup Event at Ao Sew Beach saw enthusiastic volunteers remove a staggering 150.6 kilograms of trash, underscoring the pressing issue of marine pollution and the significance of sustainable practices like reducing, reusing, and recycling waste. The organization stressed the importance of proper waste management to protect coastal ecosystems.

Meanwhile, in the face of an unexpected storm, SEVENSEAS Media’s Coral Nursery & Restoration team demonstrated unwavering dedication, rescuing and relocating 75 corals to safer locations, bolstering their chances of survival and growth. The team outlined a comprehensive plan for continued coral recovery missions and data collection efforts throughout the year. The recent storm served as a stark reminder of the urgency to safeguard coral reefs from climate change impacts. We would like to express our gratitude for the support received from individuals and communities in this conservation community. We would not be able to do it without your support. You can make a tax-deductible donation here to keep our publications and Thailand Cleanup Project afloat.

You can either make a direct financial contribution to SEVENSEAS Media through The Ocean Foundation website or connect us with potential donors by sending an email to  Giacomo Abrusci, our Editor-in-Chief.

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The FREE Weekly Conservation Post and Jobs List

Signing up for the free Weekly Newsletter & Jobs List will get you a round-up of upcoming events, webinars, meetings, reports, funding opportunities, photos of the week, and recent postings to the jobs list.

To sign up for our free subscription, please Click Here or email us Here. 

Since 2004, SEVENSEAS Media has fostered an informal and non-partisan platform to promote understanding of key issues and challenges while building partnerships across an increasingly diverse group of marine conservation professionals and students.

Our mission is to promote communication and build partnerships across the global marine community and to identify and address gaps in the community’s work. SEVENSEAS Media achieves this through multimedia promotion and partnerships. The community consists of a diverse and growing group of participants, including non-governmental organizations, government agencies, foundations, bilateral and multilateral agencies, fellowship programs, independent consultants, and academia/students.

If you are interested in contributing or getting involved, email us Here. 

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By: Brittany Hook

Collaborative paper documents extreme water conditions that led to fish die-offs

In the spring of 2020, a historic red tide event occurred in waters off Southern California. Driven by a bloom of the dinoflagellate Lingulodinium polyedra, this event brought nighttime displays of bioluminescence to beaches along the coast, from Baja California to Santa Barbara. While the bloom gained international attention for its stunning visual displays, it also had significant negative impacts, including mass mortality among fish and other marine organisms.

Marine scientists from UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and other organizations seized the opportunity to study the unprecedented event and its impacts on marine life, both in the wild and in aquariums. In a recent study, this multi-institutional team of 34 researchers identified deteriorating water quality — notably prolonged low oxygen conditions — as a significant factor in the mass mortality event. Their findings were published in the journal Elementa, and featured in a special issue focused on the 2020 red tide.

“Red tides are notoriously difficult to predict and study, so the 2020 event presented a unique opportunity for the marine science community to collaborate and use existing infrastructure to figure out what was causing these die-offs,” said lead author Zachary Skelton, a marine biologist under contract at NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) and recent graduate of Scripps Oceanography. “Our paper provides valuable insights into how low- or no-oxygen conditions can harm certain marine species, particularly those inhabiting estuaries and shallow coastal areas.”

The study was informed by data from existing long-term observation programs, alongside reports from community members, field surveys, and case studies from local aquariums that use local seawater to sustain their systems. The researchers found a correlation between extreme changes in water conditions, notably dissolved oxygen and pH levels, and the dynamics of the red tide bloom. 

Sensor data along the coastline revealed extreme hypoxic (low oxygen) and hyperoxic (excess oxygen) conditions, especially in estuaries and near-shore coastal environments. These conditions impacted the health of numerous marine species, leading to the documented deaths of thousands of fishes and invertebrates, as well as several seabirds. Case studies from four local aquariums — including Birch Aquarium at Scripps, as well as two experimental aquariums at Scripps Oceanography and one at NOAA SWFSC — indicated that factors beyond large changes in oxygen and pH levels might have contributed to the observed mortality. 

Since the red tide coincided with the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the team had to obtain special permission from UC San Diego and other local institutions and authorities to conduct fieldwork. Once these permissions were secured, Skelton, along with Ben Frable, collection manager of marine vertebrates at Scripps Oceanography, visited multiple beaches and estuaries around San Diego to count, photograph, and measure the dead fish and invertebrates.

Their observations and community reports — shared via social media, email, and the citizen science platform iNaturalist — revealed mass die-offs of fish and invertebrates between late April and mid-May 2020, following sharp drops in oxygen levels. Fish die-offs were disproportionately reported in the La Jolla area (including La Jolla Cove, La Jolla Shores Beach, and Scripps Beach), the Encinitas area, and Agua Hedionda Lagoon in Carlsbad. Many of these locations are enclosed or geographically sheltered areas, which limits mixing and makes it easier for blooms to concentrate.

The red tide harmed many different species, but nearshore and bottom-dwelling species fared the worst. “Many of the species that live on or near the seafloor tend to be less mobile,” said Skelton. “These creatures often stick to their preferred habitats, even while experiencing stressful conditions.”

For instance, the spotted sand bass, usually found in shallow, sandy environments, suffered the highest reported mortality among fish species, with hundreds washing up on Encinitas beaches and at Agua Hedionda Lagoon. Similarly, hundreds of California bubble snails were among the most affected invertebrates. Divers also reported deaths of species like topsmelt, round stingray, sarcastic fringehead, sanddabs, rockfish, and thornback guitarfish, which were observed underwater but did not wash ashore. The authors noted that this red tide event did not seem to harm marine mammals or cause more reported strandings than usual.

Once it was established that a mass mortality event was underway, the team wanted to find out which aspect of the red tide bloom had the biggest impact on marine organisms. Red tides occur when there is a rapid increase or “bloom” in populations of marine algae, typically dinoflagellates or other species of phytoplankton. During the daytime, these organisms photosynthesize by taking up carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. At night, the collective bloom and community respiration draw up the surrounding oxygen while producing carbon dioxide, ultimately causing changes in seawater chemistry across the day/night cycles. At peak bloom, conditions are often hyperoxic for longer periods due to the increased amount of oxygen in the water. As the bloom starts to decline — either due to the natural lifecycle of these organisms or depletion of nearby nutrients — oxygen levels are reduced, often resulting in prolonged hypoxic conditions.

Study co-author and biological oceanographer Lillian McCormick analyzed data from 11 oceanographic sensor packages deployed on moorings off the coast of San Diego. These sensors were deployed at various depths, ranging from 1.5 meters (5 feet) to approximately 100 meters (328 feet), collecting data across estuaries, shallow nearshore environments, and farther offshore.

Shallower waters, particularly within estuaries and lagoons, bore the brunt of the red tide impacts, experiencing prolonged periods of hypoxia. Agua Hedionda Lagoon and Los Peñasquitos Lagoon were the hardest hit, enduring episodes of extreme hypoxia and even anoxia, where there was no oxygen. Construction near Los Peñasquitos Lagoon during the peak bloom led to the complete closure of the lagoon to the open ocean, which likely exacerbated the situation. 

“The bloom was heavily concentrated within those estuaries, and likely worsened at one location by its complete closure for a number of weeks,” said McCormick, a postdoctoral researcher at California Sea Grant and Scripps Oceanography. “These enclosed spaces don’t see as much flushing or movement of the water as we typically see in deeper, open ocean waters.”

The authors were surprised to find that the Scripps Pier sensor, located at a depth of 4 meters (13 feet), recorded intermittent hypoxia between April 30 and May 16, 2020, for a total of 82 hours. “You often see fish die-offs happening in estuaries, or in warm water areas like Florida,” said Skelton. “But open-ocean mortality associated with these hypoxic events is pretty rare in California, so the Scripps sensor provided some unique insight into that event.” 

In addition to field observations, the authors analyzed water quality and mortality rates at four local aquarium facilities, each with different levels of filtration and supplemental oxygenation. As part of this research, members of the Tresguerres Lab at Scripps Oceanography examined the morphological changes in the gills of captive-held Pacific sardines in response to the red tide. Led by marine physiologists Garfield Kwan and Martín Tresguerres, the team employed microscopy and biochemistry techniques to examine the ionocyte, a specialized cell responsible for ion-transport akin to kidneys in mammals. Their findings revealed that sardines increased ion-transport to maintain nominal conditions during red tide exposure.

“This finding is notable because red tide events are difficult to predict and cannot be timed, so experimental data such as ours are very rare,” said Kwan, who is now a postdoctoral fellow at UC Davis. “We were fortunate to have a pre-exposure comparison of sardines due to the long-term sampling nature of the original experiment.”

McCormick and Skelton praised the collaborative efforts of all the authors, emphasizing the significant role each played in making the study possible. “It was a large community effort, with everyone contributing their existing data and working together to deepen our understanding of the issue,” said McCormick, “even when we were limited by the pandemic.”

View the published study to access the full list of 34 co-authors and their affiliated funding sources.

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Just like in Mexico, Lanzarote also boasts magical villages that tell the story of a mythical island where human beings live in a friendly coexistence with the elements: sea, wind, land, volcano…

These are unique places that have preserved their original architecture, traditions, history and culture. Would you like to get to know the origins of the sustainable miracle that is on this island? If so, come with us on this immersive visit to four fascinating and unknown places that embody the unique and special essence of Lanzarote.

Femés Visual Magic

Our first destination is Femés (Yaiza), where Arozarena placed his character Mararía, and a village to which Pedro Guerra dedicated a song: “En el silencio, solo los ladridos de los perros” (In the silence, only the barking of the dogs). 

Femés is a historical treasure, home to the first cathedral in the Canary Islands, destroyed by corsairs in 1543 and then rebuilt two centuries later in its current building, the chapel of San Marcial, patron saint of the island. Let your mind travel back to Lanzarote’s not-so-distant past in this walk through the village of Femés, with its rural architecture and its artisan cheese dairies, still maintained by the local farmers.

When you reach the viewpoint, you’ll discover the magic: volcanic views of Timanfaya, the beaches in the south of Lanzarote and the island of Maxorata, sharply visible on clear days.

Savour the scenery. Make the most of your stay in Femés to try some of the local specialities (kid or goat’s meat) in the village restaurants, which themselves have viewpoints overlooking the breathtaking scenery.

Punta Mujeres Coastal life

The name of this village in the municipality of Haría is enough to arouse the curiosity of the visitor. It is said to be due to a group of women who were abandoned here in 1700 by the pirates who had kidnapped them. The resemblance of the surrounding mountains to female silhouettes is also mentioned as a possibility.

Why not visit and draw your conclusions? Come and explore this beautiful northern corner whose proximity to Arrieta gives it a lively holiday atmosphere from Easter to summer. Don’t forget your swimsuit because you’re not going to want to miss out on a dip in the natural pools where there is always a presence of lively groups of families and friends.

The promenade, dotted with coves and terraces, leads to the beach of La Garita, in Arrieta, where you can eat in one of its picturesque restaurants facing the sea. This is the place to try the local produce: limpets, vieja, antoñito (a variety of porgy)…. Fresh seafood and fish never taste better than when you can hear the waves crashing on the very wall on which your table sits.

Land of cactus. The traditional crop of cochineal meanders through the northern landscape in the immense plantations of tuneras (prickly pear cactus), visible from the road through Mala or Guatiza.

Agave is abundant on Lanzarote due to its special climate. The island also produces a healing variety of aloe vera, which is used as a base for cosmetic products. If you are interested in this fascinating desert flora, don’t miss the Cactus Garden, which houses some 4,500 specimens from all five continents.

Mancha Blanca. The miracle that stopped the lava

Legend has it that in 1736 the inhabitants of the island, desperate after years of eruptions that were burying villages and crops, chanted a prayer to the Virgin for help and, at that precise moment, the eruption ceased, saving a plot of land in the middle of the rivers of lava.

The place was named Mancha Blanca, and there the hermitage of Los Dolores was built, which is visited by thousands of pilgrims every 15th of September. It’s worth setting aside a Saturday morning to explore this symbolic location in the municipality of Tinajo.

On the esplanade of the chapel there is a farmers’ market where there is no shortage of local parranda groups playing, and on sale are the organic crops grown in the mineral soil of Lanzarote: grains such as lentils, chickpeas and peas, crops grown on jable such as sweet potatoes, typical local pastries and other produce. You won’t find a better gift to take home to your friends.

Volcanic experience. This is the area that was the origin of the natural wonder that is Lanzarote today and, therefore, you mustn’t miss a visit to the Timanfaya National Park. And to better understand the importance of the historical eruptions, visit the Mancha Blanca Interpretation Centre, where admission is free.

Mozaga. Magic wines

Mozaga is located in the geographical centre of the island, between the municipalities of Teguise and San Bartolomé. This small village of 400 inhabitants, in the heart of the protected landscape of La Geria, is the symbol of the preservation of a wine-producing method that is unique in the world. Its history dates back to 1737, when the farmhouse of Captain Gaspar de Samarines, dedicated to vine growing, was built.

Once again, the volcano determined the life of the island’s inhabitants, who devised a system of cultivation under the same ashes that had destroyed the previous crops. Since then, the region has seen a proliferation of ash-mulched fields and small wineries, whose work is governed by the same rules that nature imposed on their predecessors.

Homage to Manrique. In his desire to pay tribute to this exceptional example of agriculture, the universal artist César Manrique created the Casa Museo del Campesino, a centre where you can explore everything from traditional crafts to local gastronomy. We recommend taking the wine route to visit, stopping off at one of the wineries along the way.

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