Credo for surfers:
outreach and activism

By Lisa Capone

It’s not surprising that someone who grew up amid the waves of Massachusetts’s North Shore got hooked on surfing early. What comes as a revelation, though, at least to someone outside surfing circles, is the way Jamie Hosker talks about his passion. No “knarly waves” or “dude” references from this attorney-turned-shopkeeper. Instead, Hosker talks earnestly about issues he says are near and dear to his and every surfer’s heart: water quality, beach access and political activism on behalf of the ocean. “I think more than any other sport, surfing creates environmental activists,” Hosker said. “You are embedded in the environment you are playing in. You swallow it, it’s in your ears, you’re above it, you’re below it.”

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Massachusetts legislation calls for aggressive planning around ocean uses

By Maureen Kelly

Massachusetts could be at the forefront of ocean management reform in the United States if a bill now moving through the state’s legislature passes into law. With potential industrial uses of coastal waters increasing—such as for offshore wind farms, liquefied natural gas terminals, floating electric generating stations, drilling and mining—the legislation would enable resource managers to be more proactive in addressing ocean-based development proposals and activities within the state’s waters and in fostering the sustainable use of natural resources. It would also mark a shift toward ecosystem-based management of ocean resources.

How many fish in the sea?

By Lori Valigra

For most people, the cold and often rough waters of the Gulf of Maine don’t evoke images of corals, mammals or a wide assortment of marine life. That’s why the recent “Gulf of Maine Register of Marine Species,” the first extensive count of species in the region, was so surprising. “This illustrates how little we knew,” said Lewis Incze, chief scientist for the Gulf of Maine Census. “And there are likely thousands of as-yet unidentified taxa out there, including bacteria and small invertebrates. That surprises most people.”

Features and Columns

Editor's Notes: Literacy programs crucial to reverse "nature-deficit disorder"
By Andi Rierden

Gulf Voices: Amid dire news, a spark of joy
By Maureen Kelly

Making smarter fishing gear to protect marine animals
By Lori Valigra

Q & A with Dr. Robert Rangeley: Lessons learned from protecting marine areas

By Lori Valigra

Book Review: Striper Wars by Dick Russell
Reviewed by Lee Bumsted

Gulf Log:

White cedar wetland protected; Beginning With Habitat; New England and the Maritime Provinces; Deep-sea fish endangered; Advance sensor system; Trawling and sea floor destruction

© 2006 The Gulf of Maine Times
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Sherman Lake goes tidal

 

In an impressive show of force, Mother Nature initiated her own ecosystem restoration project in Maine by removing a 71-year-old dam that might have otherwise remained for many generations. In October, more than seven inches of rainfall poured off the rural landscape and breached the dam. This ecosystem upheaval had some ugly consequences, but at the same time provided amazing opportunities. Should the dam be rebuilt to restore Sherman Lake, or should the dam be left breached to restore the salt marsh?