Issue 105 - February 2024

Mississippi Sound Coalition Files Legal Action vs. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

GULFPORT, Miss ⎯ Harrison County, Mississippi, and other members of the Mississippi Sound Coalition (MSSC) filed a Complaint vs. the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to protect the Mississippi Sound and its dolphin population from further harm from polluted, low-salinity Mississippi River water entering the Sound via the Bonnet Carré spillway.

Bottlenose Dolphin Skin Lessions — Bottlenose dolphin with deadly skin disease caused by decreased salinity.

The Complaint states that massive volumes MIssissippi River water released through the Bonnet Carré Spillway and into the Mississippi Sound in 2019 caused direct and indirect mortality of many resident bottlenose dolphins and that the Corps is required under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to obtain a permit for these incidental “takes” of bottlenose dolphins. The dolphins’ long exposure to low salinity can result in skin lesions (and extraordinary pain), abnormal blood chemistry, secondary infections, and death.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defines dolphin “strandings” as circumstances when the animal is found dead, either on the beach or floating in the water, or alive on the beach and unable to return to the water.

Statistics from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and cited in the Complaint show that the highest recorded numbers of dolphin strandings in the Mississippi Sound occurred in 2011 and 2019. These two years were major flood years on the Mississippi River that resulted in extremely high discharges through the Bonnet Carré Spillway. These strandings in 2011 and 2019 were designated by NOAA as “unusual mortality events,” defined under the Marine Mammal Protection Act as “a stranding that is unexpected; involves a significant die-off of any marine mammal population; and demands immediate response.”

The extended low salinity caused by Mississippi River water discharged through the Bonnet Carré Spillway, with some contribution from higher flows from coastal rivers, was identified by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as the leading hypothesis for the 2019 Unusual Mortality Event in the Mississippi Sound.

Also as stated in the complaint, “These stranded dolphins in Mississippi had an extremely high incidence of lesions caused by extended freshwater exposure,” and, “the number of stranded dolphins documented in Mississippi as exhibiting these shocking lesions was approximately 50% of the total, as compared to approximately 10% in Alabama and 7% in Florida,” further evidence that the closer the dolphins were to the so-called fresh water, the more they were affected.

MSSC announced the legal action today at a public meeting of the Coalition that was also livestreamed during which Robert Wiygul, MSSC Lead Environmental Counsel; Gerald Blessey, Co-counsel and Manager of the Coalition; and Dr. Moby Solangi, Chair, Coalition Science Committee, spoke about the lawsuit and answered questions. Watch the Record of the live stream on the Coalition’s YouTube page )

During the meeting, Solangi presented extensive detail through a series of slides about the effect of the Mississippi River water on the Mississippi Sound’s dolphins. Dr. Solangi is Executive Director of the Institute of Marine Mammal Studies, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1984 for the purposes of public education, conservation, and research on marine mammals in the wild and under human care.

During the meeting, Solangi presented extensive detail through a series of slides about the effect of the Mississippi River water on the Mississippi Sound’s dolphins. Dr. Solangi is the Executive Director of the Institute of Marine Mammal Studies, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1984 for public education, conservation, and research on marine mammals in the wild and under human care.

Mississippi River Watershed Basin — Mississippi River watershed/drainage basin. Runoff from 31 states, including pollutants, nutrients (i.e. fertilizer runoff) flows into the Mississippi River and ultimately makes its way to the Mississippi Sound when the Bonnet Carré spillway is opened.

Dr. Solangi also made key points about the magnitude of the problem and why it has such an impact on our dolphins. “Rivers and tributaries from 31 states flow into the Mississippi River and eventually empty into the Gulf of Mexico, and, when the Bonnet Carré Spillway is opened, into Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Borgne and the Mississippi Sound. Animal waste and agricultural and industrial runoff present in the Mississippi river drain into the Mississippi Sound, thereby polluting it with contaminants like antibiotics and mercury and nutrients like phosphates and nitrates. Pollutants in the water travel up the food chain and are ultimately consumed by top predators, including dolphins. The so-called fresh (non-salty) Mississippi River water released by the Bonnet Carré Spillway reduces the salinity in the Mississippi Sound to an unnatural point that is fatal for many dolphins.

Coalition Lead Environment Counsel Robert Wiygul added, “On the one hand, the Corps has a lot of technical legal arguments for why they don’t have to consider what happens to the Mississippi Sound, including our dolphins, when they operate the Bonnet Carré Spillway. And on the other hand we have a lot of dead dolphins. I know which side I come down on.”

In summary, through its lawsuit, MSSC is asking for the federal court to 1) declare that the Corps has acted contrary to law and/or has unlawfully withheld or unreasonably delayed agency action in taking bottlenose dolphins through the operation of the Bonnet Carré Spillway and failing to obtain an incidental take permit; 2) order the Corps to fully comply with the requirements of the Marine Mammal Protection Act; 3) require the Corps to take action to avoid taking of bottlenose dolphins through operation of the Bonnet Carré Spillway; 4) award the plaintiffs their attorneys’ fees and costs as required by applicable rules and statutes; and 5) award such other and further relief as is proper.

The Coalition contends that the Corps could accomplish its mission of flood control for public safety of persons and property without doing harm to the Mississippi Sound estuary.

“Scientists have referred to the bottlenose dolphin, due to its role as a long-lived apex predator, as a sentinel of the health of the marine ecosystem,” said Co-counsel and Manager of the Coalition, Gerald Blessey in his remarks at the meeting. “The dolphins are telling us something. We must act on these warning signs, protect our dolphins from further harm, and protect our Mississippi Sound estuary along with our economy and our way of life that depend on it.”

The Mississippi Sound Coalition (MSSC)

The Mississippi Sound Coalition (MSSC) is working to restore and protect the ecosystem of the Mississippi Sound estuary and the economy and way of life that depend on it. Its efforts are focused on causing changes in public policies at national, state and local levels to prevent further damage from the polluted, salt-less water of the Mississippi River that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releases from the Bonnet Carré Spillway in Louisiana for flood control and intrudes into the Mississippi Sound. MSSC also focuses on other threats to the Sound such as the Mid-Breton Sediment Diversion project, also in Louisiana. The Coalition provides public education on the subject, and, if necessary, engages in litigation. Members of the Coalition include Harrison County, Hancock County, the Mississippi cities of Biloxi, D’Iberville, Gulfport, Long Beach, Pass Christian, Diamondhead, Bay St. Louis, Waveland, Ocean Springs, Gautier, Pascagoula, the Mississippi Hotel & Lodging Association and the Mississippi Commercial Fisheries United.

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Issue 105 - February 2024

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Signing up for the free Global Marine Community Weekly Post 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, the Global Marine Community (Formerly DCMC) 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. The Global Marine Community 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, and independent consultants and academia/students.

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Issue 105 - February 2024

CCMI Scientific Publication Reveals The Negative Impact of Sound on Fish in Grand Cayman

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands – The Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI), funded by Walkers and the UK Government’s Darwin Plus Programme, recently published a paper in the scientific journal Nature Scientific Reports following a study into the response of fish in Grand Cayman harbour to the reduction of water-based activities, including shipping, during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The project examined the response of fish communities to this period of altered activity, measuring number of individual fish and species, and the biomass of fish at Eden Rock, Don Fosters, Fish Point, and Wharf from 2020-2022. This study provides unprecedented insights to the impacts of human activity and the resilience of reef fish populations.

CCMI’s research team found that the abundance and biomass of fish populations near the main harbour of Grand Cayman were lowest when the study began near the start of lockdown, in July 2020, and continued to increase through 2021 to early 2022 in the absence of cruise ships.

It is likely that these increases are due to shifts in fish behaviour, where they re-enter areas of previously high activity, and improved fish fitness, leading to more reproduction. Research has found that reductions in stress from water-based activities, such as noise and boat waste, improve fish feeding, sociality, reproduction, and overall healthy functioning.

When compared to data from 2018, CCMI’s results showed a three-fold significant increase in reef-fish biomass during the lockdown. These benefits were also seen in individual fish species, such as parrotfish, which are crucial for maintaining healthy coral reef systems.

CCMI’s Postdoctoral Researcher, Dr Jack Johnson, explains what these results mean:

“CCMI’s findings are exciting because they prove that both immediate and long-term changes in fish communities can occur when human water-based activities are limited. Given the role of fish for coral reef health, these findings should be considered in future coral reef management strategies.”

Location of the survey sites in Grand Cayman (A) (DF Don Fosters, ER Edens Rock, FP Fish Point, WF Wharf) shown within the Caribbean Sea (B). The black box in (B) indicates the location of Grand Cayman. (C) is the number of large passenger vessels visiting Grand Cayman form January 2018 through to December 2022 with a trendline (purple line) fit using locally weighted scatterplot smoothing showing 95% confidence intervals (grey area). (D) View from Eden Rock survey sites of cruise ships in port on April 26, 2022 (photo by GG-G).

Similar studies have documented the short-term effects on Covid-19 lockdowns on biodiversity. However, CCMI’s study is unique that these effects were examined over a two-year period and showed substantial benefits to fish populations in Grand Cayman over a longer duration with the reduction of stress from water-based activities.

These findings could have implications for future planning decisions in the marine environment of the Cayman Islands. Society relies on healthy fish populations for many services, food provision, fisheries and tourism are well known supporting functions of reef fish. However, additional benefits such as grazing algae and maintaining ecosystem balance are also crucial to the healthy functioning of coral reefs and the wider marine environment.

In addition to the economic and dietary benefits, a healthy marine environment can also support climate change mitigation, provide coastal protection from storm surge, and regulate climate and weather.

Coral reefs are an essential ecosystem that underpin societal well-being, supporting health, the economy and coastal security.

These ecosystems are under threat, and the more scientists understand what impacts their health, the better we can protect them through planning and management. CCMI’s research shows how reef fish populations can bounce back when stresses such as noise and pollution from shipping activity is reduced.

CCMI presented the findings from this research to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations to ensure that the results are disseminated to managers and decision makers for consideration during planning decisions around development and marine activities.

As the world has re-opened after Covid-19, this study demonstrates that key lessons can be learnt from this time about the impacts of human activity on nature and how this can inform management for a sustainable and resilient future.

Read the full paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-49221-y

ABOUT CCMI

CCMI is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1998 to protect the future of coral reefs, envisioning a world with vibrant oceans and healthy coral reef ecosystems. We seek to be the Caribbean’s premier marine research institute by delivering cutting edge research, transforming conservation strategy and developing education programmes of excellence – discovering and promoting real solutions to declining ocean health. Our plan is to invigorate key species and understand key ocean processes that drive reef resilience. We support early career scientists who are INNOVATING ways to improve coral reef health. We are TRANSFORMING conservation strategy and work to inspire the CHANGE that is needed to achieve our mission. CCMI are PIONEERS in the region working to reverse the declines of coral reefs.

CCMI is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (ID# 22-3609293). CCMI is also a UK charity (#1104009) and Cayman Islands nonprofit (NP-03) with satellite offices in both the United Kingdom and on Grand Cayman. To deliver our mission, we also have a range of outstanding international partnerships and collaborators, all with a clear, simplistic goal to protect oceans for the future.

CCMI has a 2023 Candid. (formerly Guidestar) Platinum Seal of Transparency.

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Issue 105 - February 2024

Single-Use Plastic Items Makes Up The Majority of Waste Found Across U.S. National Parks for The Second Year

Results from Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz Underscore Urgent Need to Address Single-Use Plastic in National Parks

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA (January 31, 2024) — The 5 Gyres Institute published findings from Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz, an annual community science project that tracks waste trends in U.S. national parks. According to data submitted by volunteers, plastic is the most prevalent material polluting national parks and federal lands for the second year in a row.

Single-use plastic items made up the bulk of waste found, with food wrappers, cigarette butts, wipes, bottles and bottle caps, film, and bags included in the top 10 identifiable items. Notably, plastic fragments made up 25% of the entire study, exhibiting plastics’ tendency to break up into smaller and smaller pieces once in the environment.

The top brands identified primarily represent tobacco and food & beverage companies, including Marlboro, Camel, Gatorade, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Budweiser. For the first time, this year’s report also tracked brands to their respective parent corporations, finding Philip Morris International as the top corporate polluter in the study.

I am a climber, a trash data junkie and a scientist. I am stoked for the results of our extensive analysis of the trash in national parks and federal lands because it will allow us to better understand how to prevent the trash from getting into the environment and teach us personally how to be better rock climber stewards and how we can respectfully recreate in these special landscapes. ⎯ Dr. Win Cowger, Research Director, Moore Institute of Plastic Research

Project partners mobilized volunteers across the country to participate at national parks and federal lands like urban parks, forests, and monuments managed by the National Park Service. From April through November, hundreds of volunteers participated in 199 data collection and clean-up hauls across the country, inputting more than 8,000 pieces of trash into the TrashBlitz research platform. TrashBlitz volunteers also sampled data at Yosemite Facelift, an annual cleanup event in Yosemite National Park during which 1,476 volunteers collected 10,432 pounds of trash.

The data from Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz underscores an urgent need to address single-use plastic in national parks. In addition to passing legislation like the Reducing Waste in National Parks Act, which would ban several of the top items found, parks can take steps like increasing access to refill stations and implementing reusable foodware for on-site dining.

The report also recommends expanding TrashBlitz audits across the National Parks Service next year to better track trends. This year’s audit had plastic making up 66% of material recorded, compared to last year’s 81%, but with limited data, it’s unclear if this represents a trend across all parks. Notably, many park units have taken steps to reduce single-use plastic in the past year, like Yosemite Hospitality’s removal of single-use plastic bottles.

The full report from Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz can be found at 5gyres.org/PlasticFreeParks.

Nonprofit and brand partners supporting Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz include 5 Gyres, Accenture, Active San Gabriel Valley, Adventure Scientists, Azulita Project, Bee’s Wrap, Break Free From Plastic, BYOBottle, Center for Environmental Health, ChicoBag & To-Go Ware, Culture of Cleanliness, Epson America, Inc., Grove Collaborative, Habits of Waste, Heal the Bay, Heirs To Our Ocean, Inland Ocean Coalition, Klean Kanteen, Last Plastic Straw, LIDSOFF.org, Liquid Death, Mission:Clean Beaches, Moore Institute, No Trace Trails, Oceana, Parks Project, Pepperdine University, Plaine Products, Plastic Free Future, Plastic Pollution Coalition, Preserve, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, Ray Brown’s Talkin’ Birds radio show, Save Our Shores, Sea Save Foundation, Shark Stewards, Student PIRGs, Sway, The Bay Foundation, The Last Beach Cleanup, Toad&Co, Upstream, and Yosemite Climbing Association.

About The 5 Gyres Institute

The 5 Gyres Institute (5 Gyres) is a leader in the global movement against plastic pollution with more than 10 years of expertise in scientific research, engagement, and education. With the original goal of answering a few key scientific questions about ocean plastics, co-founders Marcus Eriksen and Anna Cummins led 19 research expeditions in all five subtropical gyres, as well as many of the world’s lakes and rivers. 5 Gyres continues to lead with scientific research to drive upstream solutions through education, advocacy, and community building. Learn more at 5gyres.org and @5gyres.

About TrashBlitz

TrashBlitz is a data collection platform and community-focused research project created by The 5 Gyres Institute. The community-based project is designed to engage local stakeholders in measuring plastic pollution and other trash across various cities – from shorelines to riverbeds to urban neighborhoods – and utilizing data to generate relevant action plans. TrashBlitz provides robust research protocols, a web-based platform that identifies problem products and brands, and a network to bring diverse stakeholders together to co-create solutions to stop plastic pollution at the source.