The Gulf of Maine Times: Vol. 7 Num. 3 : Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

To the editor:
As a marine biologist I want to correct a couple of errors in the summer 2003 Gulf of Maine Times in the article “Sharks of the Gulf of Maine” (Page Seven). First, sharks do have a backbone, although the vertebrae are cartilaginous rather than bony. Second, although many sharks (e.g., mackerel sharks in the family Lamnidae) need to keep swimming in order to pass oxygen over their gills, using ram ventilation, many other sharks do not. They use pump ventilation when they are stationary, and in this they resemble the bony fishes.
Thanks for a great newspaper. I share many of the articles in it with my students and they appreciate it too. I especially value the emphasis on conservation concerns (one example in the summer issue is “Lethal recipe: shark fin soup”).

Dr. Abby L. Schwarz
Dept. of Biology
Langara College
Vancouver, British Columbia

To the editor:
Just a note to congratulate you on Ethan Nedeau's fine article about alewives in the summer issue of the Gulf of Maine Times [see Science Insights, Page Five]. I'm going to pass it out to everyone I can who needs to know about alewives, which is just about everyone. You packed a huge amount of information in the piece, told it engagingly, and included my favorite John Hay quote about the fish. So thanks for your contribution to this discussion.
Maine Rivers has decided to make alewives a major focus of our work over the next few years. While lots of charismatic fish have their champions, there have been, to date, few institutional champions for these river herring. We'll be conducting informational sessions throughout the state about the role of alewives in the Gulf of Maine ecosystem; for more information, contact us at Maine Rivers, 3 Wade Street, Augusta, Maine 04330; (207) 622-3101, ext. 219.

Again, my compliments on your work,

Naomi Schalit, Executive Director
Maine Rivers
mainerivers@nrcm.org

Dan’s involvement with the international youth organization, the Gulf of Maine Institute, has always been a good fit for us. Launched five years ago in Massachusetts, the organization brings together young people from all jurisdictions around the Gulf. Students work on a local environmental project during the school year, then attend a leadership training session in July where they present their projects to each other and discuss environmental issues. Over the summer, I was invited to create a promotional video for them. Last fall, during the Gulf of Maine Council award ceremonies in Boston, we got re-acquainted with Don Rice, Jim Todd and Martin Willison, three award-winning Nova Scotian environmentalists. It is impossible to be around these gentlemen without catching their passion for the natural world and their willingness to fight for it at a political level. My newly acquired political activism makes me eager to join these fighters. Nova Scotia is a political quagmire and progress on environmental issues is frustratingly slow. In a report card released by the Sierra Club of Canada last June, Nova Scotia received a failing grade for its appalling record on marine issues, for issuing permits for a massive basalt quarry on Digby Neck and for failing to protect wilderness areas.

Our challenge now is to decide which pathways to follow. The expedition connected us with so many different people and so many different issues that we have to make difficult choices. Since there are only a few of us, perhaps a good place to begin is to encourage you to join the fight to protect this wonderful body of water that we all call home. The Gulf needs all of us. Choose a local issue that interests you and get involved.

My last entry onto the GOMEX Web site last summer read, “This journey still has a lot of miles left in it!” I was certainly right about that.

We welcome the opportunity to share our experience with you. Drop us a line at chebogue@auracom.com.

Read the journals from The Gulf of Maine Expedition in the Gulf of Maine Times winter 2002 issue, www.gulfofmaine.org/times, click on “Archives.”