Category: 11. April 29

Professor Loren McClenachan’s lecture, “Historical Marine Ecology: Informing the Future by Learning from the Past,” was one of my favorite lectures this semester. I don’t know much about historical marine ecology, but Professor McClenachan was able to make this topic relevant to me. Professor McClenachan is a marine ecologist that looks at the historical changes of marine animal populations, more specifically in the Florida Keys.

She began the lecture by showing us pictures of two different environments and asked us if we could tell which has been degraded. Typically, when you think of environmental destruction it is pretty obvious and the effects are made easy to spot. But in one of her examples both of the pictures looked fine, you would only be able to spot which environment has been bothered by looking beyond the surface. The idea of looking beyond the surface resonated with me because often times, people won’t believe about the hazardous effects we have on the environment because they don’t see the effects directly. In order to truly understand and start making progress in the fight against climate change and environmental degradation, we need to go beyond our normal and start acknowledging the subtle destruction we are causing to our planet.

In the lecture Professor Loren McClenachan sums up what I was saying previously with the term, shifting baselines syndrome. What this means is that people assume that the state of the environment at the start of the careers is “natural” and all change afterward is “unnatural”. This complete disregard of historical changes is extremely dangerous because without understand our position in relations to the past, we will continue destroying our environment to the point of no return. Professor McClenachan stated that we are living in a 10% world. What this means is that there has been such a decline in the ecology on earth over the years and we are living in the remnants. The thought of that is scary to me because before this I too considered the world we live in now as “normal”.

Professor McClenachan research looked at the historical ecology of the Florida Keyes and specifically analyzed the changes in large trophy fish, coral reefs, and sponges. What she found was that for large trophy fish, using pictures from the 1950s, there has been a 90% decline in the size of large trophy fish. For coral reefs, she found a 52% loss over 240 years and the estimates for coral change with a focus on areas of extant coral are around 80% (which is a severe underestimate). Lastly, for sponges, she found that there has been a huge decline in sponge populations due to the fact that it is part of an over-capitalized boom and bust export fisheries market.

During the question and answers portion of the lecture, someone asked whether or not there has been effort to get previous fishing photos out to the public, to inform communities about the impact trophy fishing has on the environment. Professor McClenachan response by saying that there were but different places have different openness to hearing about the damage fishing has, and that many don’t want to hear the story. This ambivalence to hearing about how we are systematically destroying our environment is the reason why we need to continue reflecting on how our actions have consequences, whether it be from the past or present.

On April 29^th, Loren McClenachan from the Colby, Environmental Studies Department, gave a lecture to our series titled, “Turning Back the Clock on Ocean Declines: Using Historical Ecology in Marine Conservation”. Shifting back from last week, the focus this week returned to the presence of the past in relationship to our planet and climate; addressing ways in which our perceptions have changed as we have continued to degrade the planet generation after generation. While Professor McClenachan is very focused on her research specifically concerning marine ecosystems and the changes that have been seen in these communities, she was able to take these ideas to a broader context for the purpose of the lecture, perpetuating the idea that a closer look at our past impact is crucial when addressing the present state of our global situation.

Early on in the lecture, she presented comparison photographs of different ecosystems (both marine and other) and asked the crowd to reflect on which ecosystem they thought was likely in more distress. In some situations, this question was quite straightforward, however in others it came with a bit more confusion. Underwater ecosystems were a place where this happened specifically often, due to their existence out of the scope of the public eye. While this was interesting to consider, it became much clearer when she introduced the idea of a shifting baseline system.

As Professor McClenachan explained, it is human nature to imagine that upon the first time viewing something, it is at that moment “natural” although it may very well not be even close to its original natural state. Interestingly, it seems we encounter this almost all the time, even with things in our lives that we are incredibly familiar with. While this is a nice idea to consider, and also must come as a reminder that nearly everything we come into contact with is “unnatural” simply due to the passing of time, I think it brings into question a bigger idea (which Professor McClenachan also surfaced) of how to create policies that encourage the preservice of naturalism to the best of our abilities. As she noted, things also naturally change over time too, that is in itself “natural”. However, the need for policy to encourage this true organic version of naturalism

As noted by Professor McClenachan, in the past 240 years alone, the world has seen a 52% loss in coral reefs. While this is extreme loss and one that must be worked to improve, she stated that this is only one a small sliver of the problems plaguing our planet as we know it. Should we continue to let issues such as this degradation of the reefs continue, the version of “natural” that are come to be known by upcoming generations will be so wildly different from what we see today that it will only perpetuate faster degradation due to the lack of understanding about what once existed. Proven by the research Professor McClenachan has been conducting surrounding fish size, etc. in Florida, we must come to understand that we need to constantly be in check with our perception surrounding the natural world as well as the harsh realities.

Professor Loren McClenachan is a marine ecologist who is interested in long term changes to marine animal populations and the overall ecosystem. Her research focuses on historical ecology and the applied use of baselines, fisheries conservation, and marine extinction risk and consequences. Professor McClenachan aims to quantify ecological change and identify conservation success over centuries and across large geographic areas in order to attempt to stop declines and promote recovery of marine animals and ecosystems. This week’s lecture started with a discussion regarding the decline in coral reefs and fishing. I found the fishing aspect to be very interesting because Professor McClenachan was able to essentially quantify the decline in animal life in the ocean. She showed us a series of pictures throughout the years of 1950s and the 2000s with people holding up trophy fish. Immediately I was able to notice the apperant size difference of the fish throughout the years. The fish were getting smaller. Professor McClenachan quantified the value and stated that the biomass of these trophy fishes have been reduced by 90%. I thought this statistic was such a good one because it really allowed each person in the lecture to fully understand what we have done to the waters. These types of trophy fish were finally listed as a “Species of Concern” by the government and their size is now on the rise. Again, this is interesting because it can be shown than when we want to help, we can easily make a difference in species decline and the ever so diminishing environment.

Continue reading “Reversible Damage or Skewed Data?”

Dr. Loren McClenachan’s lecture was in part something that I have put thought into and researched myself in affiliation with Colby College. Marine decline, in specifically coral decline has been something I have researched last summer, and something that is one of the chief problems facing marine communities across the world. In particular, the Great Barrier reef, one of the world’s beacons of marine diversity has been greatly affected by coral bleaching, which additionally causes trophic cascades affecting the population levels of many species that live in the area. Almost a third of the Great Barrier reef corals have died since 2016, which is an astonishing number and one that makes me wonder if the reef can ever recover from this downward spiral.

Another aspect of the talk discussed the physiological effects that our past actions have had on animals. In fish in particular, it has been shown that over time, the size of many fish species have decreased in size, due likely to a decrease in the quality of life that many of them struggle with. In relation to the general theme of this lecture series, it gives a physical relationship between the present and the past, and it paints the image of deterioration over time. Studies have shown some fish have lost up to 50% in length. And while this is not a direct example of fish dying as a result of human activity, it is an example of the decline of the quality of resources that many of these animals are experiencing. The fact that in a few decades cause this drastic of a change is an incredibly profound image and one that reverts back to a theme of a few talks of this series, which is a feeling of hopelessness.

While there is no way to know for certain as to whether or not human activity has driven the natural world to a point of no return, there is a prevailing attitude with people who care deeply about these environmental issues that there is irreversible damage being done. The great barrier reef example is one that lends credence to this way of thinking. Coral bleaching, the act of the pigment cells leaving coral, makes it near impossible for the coral bodies to continue to survive. Because of this, vast fields of white dead coral bodies take up a large amount of ocean floor area where life used to occupy the area. To reverse something like this would take a large amount of action from many countries acting to help rectify this. But the prevailing thought, and the continued ignorance surrounding this subject suggests that this moment of epiphany and subsequent action will never come.

This weeks lecture from Dr. Loren McClenachan was an enlightening, yet frightening, talk about the newly discovered decline in marine ecosystem health. McClenachan worked in the Florida Keys researching the history of the marine ecosystem in the area. Her goal was to create a timeline of how the reefs and surrounding ocean has deteriorated over a relatively short period of time. Dr. McClenachan’s work is remarkable because she uses stark visuals in addition to facts and figures to communicate her message. She presented three aspects of the Florida Keys marine ecosystem and painted a holistic picture of how the ocean is progressively getting unhealthier. First, McClenachan talked about the decreasing size of trophy fishes. Second, she discussed the importance of coral reefs. Lastly, she exposed the damaging nature of boom-bust fisheries, and the sponge industry in particular.

One of the take home points that I gathered from Dr. McClenachan’s talk was that we need to acknowledge the rapidly shifting nature of our environment. We need to raise awareness through more studies like Dr. McClenachan’s. More specifically, we need to stop the shifting baseline syndrome and expose the large level of destruction that we are causing to the environment. In addition, we need to acknowledge that we have a such a  small historical record that only extends to the 1950s. Even in this short amount of time, we see such a stark difference between the past and the present. We can’t forget the once pristine nature of our environment, and we can’t forget the large ecosystem services we miss out on when we destroy the Earth. Dr. McClenachan is a perfect example of the importance of history and research in influencing future and present policy. By creating these comparisons, McClenachan is able to force the view to visualize the deterioration of our environment. McClenachan advocated and embodies the intersectionality of progress, that we can’t move forward without considering and studying all aspects of an issue. Her work is a good union of history and science, showing that even cutting edge work can involve past information.

As with many other environmentally themed lectures, we see this doomsday mantra that resonates throughout the presentation. Dr. McClenachan included hope in her talk. She referenced the Goliath Grouper and how we can save species and habitats if we really commit to this cause.

The Dr. McClenachan’s talk made me think about how restoration and preventative measures has not happened thus far. I wonder how nothing has really changed in the way we think about ocean conservation and exploration. Even after understanding how important the ocean is to the numerous communities that live on the coasts, not to mention the important ecosystem services it provides to us all. Loren McClenachan’s work and similar studies are what must to continue in order to accurately and effectively communicate the devastating effects of pollution, fishing, and other anthropogenic causes of climate change.

Professor McClenachan’s lecture on the history of marine ecology was both extremely entertaining as well as enlightening. As a professor of environmental science, Professor McClenachan explained how she devoted her research and studies to marine life, in both the past and the future. Of all the lectures thus far, this was by far the easiest to understand. Many of the previous topics have been relatively complex and intricate. However, professor McClenachan’s talk was very straightforward: Earth is doomed if we do not protect environmental/ecological habitats. Professor McClenachan began the lecture by posting two different photos of ecosystems. Both were taken from an aerial shot and both provide a lot of context clues; it was easy to tell which forest was green and which wasn’t. Professor McClenachan repeated this process several times, each time asking “which picture was more environmentally and ecologically intact”. The answer was always easy to figure out until she posted two pictures of differing coral reefs (above the surface). One body of water was more blue than the other. But otherwise, it was quite difficult to tell how well the ecosystem was operating under the surface. With underwater photographs, Professor soon showed up which was which. Her point was to emphasize the fact that we, as humans, never see the direct impact happening in the ocean, under the surface. Professor McClenachan talked about a specific reef in the Dominican Republic that was almost entirely dead. She explained how we have gone on to lose more than 80% of all coral reefs in the past 25 years! This statistic absolutely blew my mind; it is frightening to see the reality of the situation, especially given how quickly this entire process has occurred.

Unfortunately, Professor McClenachan did not give hope for the future. Her personal work and studies were actually quite alarming and disturbing. She discussed in great lengths the outscope of her job and what she does. She emphasized how much of it was considered “ground work” and how she enjoyed participating in events and studies first hand. She then took us on “a trip” to the Florida Keys and showed us many of her observations throughout the years of her studies. She started off by comparing a ‘successful fishing day’ in 2007 to a ‘successful fishing day’ in 1985. The results were breathtaking; the fish in ‘85 were more abundant, larger in size, and monstrous in width when compared to 2007. The 2007 picture honestly looked like a board of bait fish, when in turn, it was supposed to be a board of “trophy fish”. Professor McClenachan did this exercise several times over, showing us fish from 1979 and even the early 1950’s. Everytime she moved another decade into the past, the fish got bigger and more abundant. It was truly heart wrenching to see the progression that the marine life has undergone in just one small area! Professor McClenachan explained how there has been a MAJOR loss of perspective from just one generation to the next. In total, the average fish has loss about 50% in length and almost 90% in weight; the studies are simply astounding. I could barely fathom the difference in fish from the 1950 photo to the 2007 photo. I can only imagine what fish are looking like today in 2019. Someone mentioned after in the question and answer session that these images should be displayed on a forum for millions to see. In my eyes, the visual imagery sends a clear enough message; no one can look at these photos and not help but feel a sort of helplessness. The works of people like Professor McClenachan need to publized and shared globally because if people do not wake up soon, it will be too late. The scariest part is that we are approaching the point of no return; we are almost at a point where it is too late to see fish like we did in 1979. I admire the works of Professor McClenachan as well as her colleagues as they’re working to fight a battle that has, unfortunately, proven to be almost impossible to overcome.