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Protecting oregon's coast from new environmental risks. by ferujkll sdff
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Protecting oregon's coast from new environmental risks. |
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Business,Business News,Business Opportunities
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The landing last week of a massive Japanese dock on Agate Beachnorth of Newport signaled something far larger than its 66-footlength: the unknown. Way ahead of schedule in drifting across thePacific, this massive structure raises several questions aboutOregon's readiness for more junk, safety in our waters and theintroduction of species dangerous to our ecosystems. The earthquake last year near Honshu, Japan unleashed a tsunamithat demolished coastal structures and then sucked many back intothe sea to be dragged away by currents. U.S.
officials predictedmuch of the debris, both small and large, would not arrive here formonths, despite warnings last year that debris might be spottedoffshore at any time. But last week's landing of the 132-ton dock caught us unaware.Beyond the mystery of how such a massive thing eluded the radar ofoceangoing vessels, posing a genuine shipping hazard, the marineorganisms clinging to it could pose serious risk to Oregon'scoastal estuaries. The scale of the dock's occupation by sea life dwarfs threatsoriginating closer to home. Only last week, Oregon's Department of Fish and Wildlife announced its seasonal opening of boat-check stations, where lakerecreationalists must submit to a hull inspection for invasivespecies such as zebra mussels, noted for overwhelming the GreatLakes. But the beached dock was plastered with hundreds of crustacean andalgal varieties, several unseen here before.
At least one varietyof problematic kelp, wakame, quickly confirmed to be flourishing onthe dock, sent shivers through any number of scientists. Wakame hascolonized San Francisco Bay, likely riding in on a hull from Asia,and displaced native kelp that fed native organisms, since gone. Rick Boetner, ODFW's invasive species manager, puts it succinctly:"Most species from elsewhere don't take. But it only takes one thatdoes make it to overturn an entire ecosystem." He points to LakeMead, where the tiny and innocent-looking quagga mussel wasintroduced from the Great Lakes in 2004, detected as thriving in2007 and now clots the lake with an estimated 1.2 trillion quaggas,in blankets so profuse that all in-lake structures are covered bythem. ODFW has its work cut out now in figuring out our best approach tothe busy summer months at Oregon beaches.
Among the questions yetunanswered are where to dismantle and dispose of the debris,unknown in quantity or places of arrival; how to efficiently scrapeaway, bag and test attached organisms for study; and how to helppeople stay safe in the surf while also keeping their distance frombeached debris, so that specialists can conduct proper cleaning andremoval. While people at sea and on land are at risk, so, too, are oursensitive and prolific ocean estuaries. ODFW should issue advisories soonest about best practices so thatwe can protect ourselves and our productive coastal waters. I am a professional writer from Digital Gear & Camera Bags, which contains a great deal of information about under counter toasters , handcrafted leather goods, welcome to visit!
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