Waiter? There's A Cesium-137 In My Sushi

 It is the end of the world!

Forget your 2012 Mayan Prophesies this is actual "cats and dog living together" kind of doom as researchers have discovered Cesium-137 and Cesium-134 in Bluefin Tuna off the coast of San Diego.

Yes, that's radiation people, and not the good kind either.

Apparently the stuff has come from Japan and the Fukushima power plant disaster of last year. The media is having a field day and as we speak Tuna NGO's the planet over are rubbing their hands together to capitalize on Radioactive Bluefin story lines.

But wait, hold on a sec, take a deep breath and go get a cup of coffee because this is not as toxic as you might think.

Let's start by examining your coffee and that deep breath you just took.

Did you know that most American homes contain over 1000 toxic airborne chemicals that you inhale every single day?

• Toxic chemicals in household cleaners are three times more likely to cause cancer than air pollution. (EPA)


• Most homes have airborne concentrations of hazardous chemicals that are three to 70 times higher indoors than outdoors. (EPA)


• Women who work at home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than women who work outside of the home. The higher death rate is believed to be due to daily exposure to chemicals found in ordinary household products. (Toronto Indoor Air Commission)


• In the past 14 years, there has been a 75% increase in asthma; 29% for men; 71% for women. The higher rate for women is believed to be due to women’s longer exposure times to household chemicals. (Center for Disease Control)

And then there's your coffee. Most coffee for purchase contains at least four pretty nasty chemical compounds put there by the grower to ensure your coffee is free from the wild things that like coffee as well.

Not to mention any home in America built after 1986 using PVC piping instead of copper. PVC is how water is transported into your coffee machine and PVC leaches some pretty interesting stuff into your cuppa Joe each day.

So back to those Tuna. In terms of radioactivity, it's more of a science experiment then actual doom, sorry for the scare. The trace amounts of Cesium-137 are far less than the 149 topside nukes launched on American soil during the 50's-60's when towns downwind were bathed in radiation levels that would make health and welfare folks today fall over dead.

At least the folks back then had copper piping.

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Eating Wicked Tuna - Great Stuff

Bluefin programming debate? What debate?

Over at Deep Sea News more in depth discussion on Nat Geo's new show Wicked Tuna.

One of the reasons we feature this outstanding blog is the constant stream of independent and critical thought that emanates from it like the raw unrestricted energy from a Pulsar.

Read this post today, it's as good as it gets.

"When I wrote about Wicked Tuna, the National Geographic channel’s Atlantic bluefin tuna fishing reality show (first aired Sunday night), I thought it would be pretty straightforward. Every rating system  – Seafood Watch, Sea Choice, Blue Ocean Institute – lists Atlantic bluefin as an “Avoid.” A look through the scientific literature – though I am not a tuna or fisheries expert – showed a vast gap between the fisheries literature, which focuses on bluefin population structure , and the conservation literature, which is trying to sound the alarm about bluefin’s decline. Frankly, I didn’t think it would be terribly controversial to argue that a purportedly conservation-focused organization like National Geographic shouldn’t encourage consumption of Atlantic bluefin tuna."


Complete post here.

Carl Safina, Dropping the Hammer

What's all the fuss about this fish?

Read Carl Safina's regular blogs on Huffington Post because if you are not a fan yet you soon will be.

For readers of this blog and others on our blogroll you'll note a tendency for irreverent blog posts skewering many of the Titans of Media and the gasbagging program decisions that make up our wildlife programming media landscape these days.

Carl is on board and this week we found him harpooning, with the finesse and grace of Japanese Research Whalers, recent programming choices by National Geographic Wild.

In Carl's cross hairs this week a decision to highlight the take of endangered Bluefin Tuna in a new show called Wicked Tuna. Naturally this show has raised the ire of many in the conservation world, and not the simpleton Green Gotcha ire we recently witnessed with the pseudo anti-lesbian Rosie O'Donnell shark hysteria either.

This is good old fashioned main stream ire that only comes from poor programming choices by Nat Geo and a brand that has devolved in the form of Nat Geo Wild the ugly step child of the wildlife media stage.

Frankly it is refreshing to see this kind of smart, targeted, media push back and kudos to Carl for this post and others. Let's hope 2012 sees more of this from Mr.Safina because every street protest needs a leader out front defining the issues and Carl has a nice way with words.

Brazil - Samba, Ethanol and Tuna Hub?

Press Release from FIS:

Japanese and Brazilian businessmen are to cooperate in duplicating Brazilian production of tuna and also improving the quality of the equipment used and the labour force working in the sector, with the aim of transforming Rio Grande do Norte into a tuna hub.

The Brazil/Japan Tuna Project, which the company Atlantic Tuna will participate in, is likely to generate over 2,000 new jobs, directly and indirectly through the operation of 16 Japanese vessels in Brazilian waters.

It is expected that they will produce 8,000 tonnes of tuna annually for BRL 114 million (USD 68 million), which will be marketed in Japan and the United States.

The initiative includes the arrival of Asian crew members on board the tuna vessels and the training of approximately 380 Brazilian employees by the National Industrial Apprenticeship Service (Senai) and the Federation of Industries of Rio Grande do Norte (Fiern), reports Tribuna do Norte.

According to the president of Fiern, Flávio Azevedo, "Natal will be the next area for the largest producers of tuna, the fishing terminal will soon be ready and São Gonçalo Airport will begin operating soon."

The president also explained that Brazilian legislation was loosened in order to develop this project, as Law of 2/3 states that foreign firms wishing to operate in Brazil need to employ at least two thirds of their staff from the local area.

"The Brazilians are unable to operate the most modern tuna vessels, as there are no boats here like the ones in Japan. However, this law has been relaxed now," said Azevedo.

Tuna - The Power of Mass Marketing vs Conservation

As the Bluefin tuna debate rages through 11 different nations and as many NGO's, we pause to remind those on the front lines that when it comes to mass marketing, conservation has nothing on well heeled commercial interests who want to see the next two billion consumers eating tuna.

Let's rethink how we market to the populace. Clearly the threat of mercury in the diet does not factor into the commercial propaganda:

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna - A Visual Representation

Da Shark over in Fiji is a hopeful man. Last week he posted an in depth look at how the Atlantic Bluefin tuna might be managed without big EU subsidies, ending his post on this note, "It is not too late - not for the Tuna and not for the Sharks!".

We're in agreement about the sharks as this fishery encompasses a myriad of species and is a global phenomenon.

But Bluefin tuna? Sadly this might be the end of the species in the wild.

When word leaked out that a single Atlantic Bluefin sold for for 32.49 million yen, the highest price paid for a single fish since records began in Japan this year we went looking for a video representation of the Bluefin tuna fishery in general.

Thanks to the BBC, we didn't have to wait long:

ICCAT - Tuna are done, sharks get the nod

Conservation Triage is never pretty especially when species are being pushed to the back of the conservation line by commercial fishing interests.

Thus was the series of meetings in Paris last week, ICCAT, and a decision not to address Bluefin tuna catch reductions while at the same time adding some protections for sharks.

The shark protections, while hailed by many as a conservation win, mean for the most part sharks caught at sea will be dumped at sea, out of sight and out of mind to both consumers and conservation groups. The sharks are still being taken by very technically savvy fishing fleets, but fins will no longer arrive in Hong Kong to be added to bowls of soup.

For the bowls of soup conservation crowd - this is good news.

Like we said Conservation Triage is never pretty.

There are a few good news points to this years ICCAT, protections for Oceanic whitetips and Hammerheads.

Depending on who you speak with, or what blogs you read, the results of ICCAT, when viewed through the lens of Doha are substantial. Or when viewed through the lens of rapid species depletion at the hands of multi-national fishing fleets with no set international quota systems that can be verified, mixed.

For a fine 15 minutes of eye opening thought we have rounded up some of the after action Blue Blogs and press releases for your review, as always, great analysis:

Da Shark Fiji - Paris Realpolitik!

RTSea Blog - ICCAT & Sharks: a mixed bag of results from meeting

Sonja Fordham - Unprecedented Shark Conservation Action Taken

Ya Like Dags? - Highs and Lows from the ICCAT

Sea Notes - Black Friday for Bluefin

Southern Fried Science - Sharks get new protections at ICCAT