Tracking Ocean Trash by Satellite 22
DoubleWhopper writes "From the "Intersting Use of Technology" file comes this article on NOAA's tracking of oceanic debris with satellites used for tracking fish. From the article, "...during three days of study, about 2,000 individual pieces of debris were seen", and, "A number were balls of net up to 30 feet across." The researchers verified the information with the aid of a NOAA aircraft and digital imaging."
That is.... (Score:1, Insightful)
Yay to fucking up the planet!
Wilson? (Score:5, Funny)
Ghost Fishing (Score:5, Interesting)
The article links to a NOAA article, "Ghost Fishing."
This is similar to the "ghost traps" crab trapproblem. Crabs enter abandoned crab traps. The crabs die. More crabs enter the traps to feed on the dead ones, then they die. An endless cycle.
The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department has an annual Crab Trap Cleanup Day. Notices are sent out, and any crab traps still in the water during the cleanup day(s) are considered abandoned. Volunteers annually collect somewhere around 2000 traps from Texas coastal waters.
Re:Ghost Fishing (Score:2)
In the grand overall scheme of things how is this a problem? Eventually either the traps fill up or other animals start eating the crabs and getting out.
Meanwhile videos have shown that crabs CAN get out of traps quite easilly they just don't because it is easy for them to find food there. (Wish I could find that o
Re:Ghost Fishing (Score:2)
It doesn't work that way. The only other "anaimals" that eat the crabs are other crabs and small fishes, because (a) only other ceabs can enter the small openings in the traps, and (b) othe crabs have the hardware for breaking into the trapped cran's shells. Small fishes can feed through natural orifices in the shells and are small enough to dwim through the mesh of the wire traps.
The traps do not fill up because
Re:Ghost Fishing (Score:1, Flamebait)
So crabs are dying, So what?
Crabs die all the time.
All animals do.
They are then eaten by other animals.
Circle of life, man.
Frankly I think the traps deserve medals for providing food for the small toothy fish.
Down with the Crustaceans!
Up with the Actinopterygii!
The Octopus. (Score:2)
One of the crabs main predators is the highly intelligent octopus. Octopus are the bane of the cray/crab-pot fishermen because: (a) They have no bones and can chase a crab anywhere it goes. (b) With eight arms and a beak like a parrot they can literally rip a crab/crayfish to
Re:The Octopus. (Score:3, Insightful)
No Octopus in Texas? (Score:2)
In Australia we have a national clean-up day once a year. Thousands of people all over the country volunteer to spend a Sunday helping clean-up thier local area. Local bussinesses donate trucks, cranes, etc. The various govt's chip in with ad
Re:No Octopus in Texas? (Score:2)
And I did not intimate (at least not deliberately) that the other items you cite are not problems, just that the original article's reference to "ghost nets" was similar to the "ghost traps."
Re:Ghost Fishing (Score:2)
Tracking ocean garbage (Score:5, Insightful)
Similar to Space Junk... (Score:2, Funny)
Now that we know where it is... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Now that we know where it is... (Score:1)
Re:Now that we know where it is... (Score:2, Interesting)
Pretty easy to asnwer that one:
It's hard enough persuading (insert government of your choice here) to fix a problem which is in their jurisdiction.
Now try to persuade that same goverment to go clean up a floating pile of crap that can a) only be seen from space b) is currently bothering no-one and c) is probably in international waters.
I'm with you, but you're unlikely to get govt support unless the crud drifts up on your nations beaches, catches fire and belches toxic black smoke over (insert favorit
Re:Now that we know where it is... (Score:1)
grr (Score:2, Interesting)
Cancer (Score:1)
This is great! (Score:1, Insightful)