Terrible news for many many species, one of Which is the Clipperton Angel

[cortez marine]

Apparently it does its worst and disappates quickly...read below.
Aa an aquatic weed control agent it wouldn't be used if there were long term or residual, lasting issues.
Thats a big relief;
What is not a relief is that there has been no news since the Tahitian Press dated Feb 11th...and our own papparazzi . It seems that there is little concern unless something gives value and relevant interest to reefs as does tropical fish.
We have seen this time and time again. People lose interest unless you can make it real and relevant.
Steve




title: Residues of emulsified xylene in aquatic weed control and their impact on rainbow trout.
Personal Authors: Walsh, D. F., Armstrong, J. G., Bartley, T. R., Salman, H. A., Frank, P. A.
Author Affiliation: Eng. Res. Cent. Bur. Recl., Denver, Colorado, USA.
Editors: No editors
Document Title: Report, Engineering and Research Center, Bureau of Reclamation

Abstract:
Emulsified xylene is used to control aquatic weeds in irrigation systems which may occasionally return irrigation water to aquatic habitats that maintain trout populations. Laboratory studies were conducted to determine the effects of xylene on rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri, and to measure dissipation of xylene residues in irrigation waters as treated water flowed through canals, into irrigated fields, and thence into return flows. Rainbow trout exposed to emulsified xylene for 2 hours survived a concentration of 7.1 p.p.m., but suffered 100% mortality at 16.1 p.p.m. An off-flavour was produced in fillets of rainbow trout after exposure to 7.1 p.p.m. of xylene for 2 hours, or to 0.36 p.p.m. for 56 days, and was dependent on concentration and exposure. Residues of xylene in fillets of rainbow trout and off-flavour were directly related.

Publisher:


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[jmaneyapanda]

Sadly, I think the earthquake in Chile is going to ravage that tanker on the reef......

 

[Yurivd]

the points you make highlight the situation perfectly Steve. You and your big money clients are just another in a long line of threats to this place. As for the 'French navys total control' I have to try not to laugh out-loud. Infact your points exemplify their lack of management of this place. By the way this is the same goverment that considered using the place for nuclear testing! But hey if they are patrolling the waters it must mean that you can take what you like?

Being ultimately responsible for the loss of dozens of these fish only recently I'd have thought you'd have got the message by now. Infact, that loss isn't the first I've heard of and I am still trying to establish who was involved in an earlier incident which was reported by the DXers around 2000. From what I can see your motivation in this is purely profit driven.

I know I am liable to get intense flaming from certain individuals for my views here but frankly I'll handle that if it goes even a tiny step towards making people think twice about keeping these fish (and others from similar situations). Although I have limited knowldge of import etc, I can see that this location is unlike the majority of other areas that marine specimens are imported from. There is no benefit to local economies here... no chance of building something sustainable... just take, take, take.

Take the Resplendent Angel as an example.... this fish is similar to the Clipperton Angel and is currently listed as 'vulnerable' on the IUCN Red List (having been 'endangered' at one point). Yet the Clipperton Angel is not even evaluated. I won't rely on this getting through to people though.

By the way, anyone interested in trying to do something about getting this place protection please feel free to PM me. :fish2:

I think you need a other hobby
This one is not for you

 

[Luiz Rocha]

I just received news from Tahitian authorities saying that no chemicals have leaked *yet*, but they also say it may take a long time for the very delicate operation of emptying the ship's cargo and removing it from the reef.

As for IUCN's category for the Clipperton Angel, I was in a workshop last year that evaluated the world's angel and butterfly fishes and it is now Vulnerable under the same category as the Ascension Centropyge due to its limited range. The process of officially updating the list will still take a few months though.

 

[michael_cb_125]

Good news that the cargo has not be "leaked". Lets hope they are able to remove the ship and all contents safely.

Thanks for the news Luiz!

~Michael

 

[Yurivd]

Steve is one of the guys that is always
saying that needling and cyanide collecting is wrong
he prompts net collecting


what do you think is the deference if a fish is eaten or collected a fish
the one is a life the other is dead
how much harem is 40 angels per year

 

[cortez marine]

Passers and cortez angels were listed as "vulnerable" by the Mexican government and given special protection under rule 59.
The theory was that due to limited range....the fishes needed an extra layer of protection.
I argued [unsuccessfully] that such a threat to the species would have to rupture the entire ecosystem from Northern Baja to Chile....and the last thing on anyones mind would be tropical fish.

"Vunerable" due to limited range means that something so terrible has to happen that the damage to the endemic may be a small problem in proportion to others.
I mean something like a huge volcanic eruption in the center of its dead lagoon big enough to kill a 10 mile radius....underwater.

Or, a spill so large of something that the only survivors would be in aquariums.

A tiny collection [ tiny in relation to the existing population] of less then a fraction of 1% is very close to the number 0.
Such a collection may occur once every 3-4 years ...if that due to the fishes limited appeal to aquarists in general. In fact, public aquarium and regular market saturation may occur at an embarrassingly low number....say 50 fish.

Continued, sustained collection with crowbars, cyanide and poor desperate people day in and day out....now that would be a more of a threat...yet an impossibility.

Clipperton is way to far away and way too risky and expensive an expedition to return more then once every great while.

Now, for a secret;
The now complete protection afforded by electronic survielance and military presence insures that he sharks will return to Clipperton increasingly. These would be the sharks that ran off the Conrad Limbaugh scientific expedition back in the 50's.
Now, is the only time we may see again a relatively low shark population on the island.
If they return in numbers, the predation of reef species will increase tremendously and thousands of the angels yearly will become food again as before.
The whitetips hunt at night and any soldierfish, snapper, angel or surgeon is fair game until sunup.
A return to normal is bad news for the angels out there but hey...its natural right?
Steve

 

[cortez marine]

Of course we want a natural equilibrium to return to the reefs .
I'm just saying that Clipperton sharks were worse then in other places. More aggressive and at smaller sizes.
Why?
Because when visiting pelagic sharks piled onto the predation already in effect by the local sharks, a competitive super predation was generated ...in a smaller, intensive area....which put even more pressure on prey species then usual.
They make a good reef patrol and will keep even more of the very few people who go in the water there.... out of the water.

Clippertons no picnic....[ no picnics allowed on the beach.]
Really, no water, hot as hell, the lagoons dead, sharks are on the rise, its too far from emergency care, full of nasty, biting sand flies and its also haunted by ghosts.
But thats another story.
Steve

 

[Kahuna Tuna]

one other thing... You people still talking about collecting fish from this location really need to stop and think for a minute. Even before this happened this location had been over exploited by people. It just needs to be left alone... Even more so now

+1

 

[cortez marine]

"Even before this happened this location had been over exploited by people. It just needs to be left alone."

The people who have been stranded at Clipperton in recent years might have a view on this.
It took 2 weeks for them to be rescued. The place is dangerous because it is so left alone.

Nearly all activity has stopped and so the post referencing the exploitation of decades gone by is nonsense.

Everything has to have a permit or you are shooed away.

 

[clippo]

Edited.

 

[Reefdiver72]

I have read many Articles on this, the damage to the reef was minimal there was no ship damage they pulled it off with a navy ship and it went on its way with no leakage. they caught it and almost got the ship shut down before they hit.

 

[cortez marine]

Edited.

 

[BrianD]

Time to put this to rest.