Sunday, April 25, 2004

And the seas do need help [New Scientist]: For years, apparent increases in illness among marine creatures, from whales to coral, have left marine scientists with the uneasy suspicion that the seas are increasingly plagued by disease. Now, US researchers have uncovered the first good evidence that they are right. 1:39:29 PM    comment []  trackback []

Local taboos could save the seas [New Scientist]: The island nations of the south-western Pacific are considering allowing citizens to reclaim legal control of their local seas, in the hope they can use their traditional knowledge, customs and laws to protect fish stocks and biodiversity. The move is a tacit acknowledgement that western-style centralised fishing regulations are failing to protect many of the world's marine ecosystems. Two important aspects to this story: First, the continuing decline of fisheries worldwide. Second, yet another example of the value -- that we've already seen in architecture and medicine -- of the hard-won experience of traditional knowledge, even as traditional cultures conitnue to disappear. 1:14:34 PM    comment []  trackback []