Myths of Offshore Drilling
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SPRING 2010 oceana.org Oceana TRAGEDY IN THE GULF Inside the biggest oil disaster in U.S. history - and how to help WIND ON THE RISE The U.S. makes a run at reclaiming its position as a world leader in wind energy PLUS Chile adopts farmed salmon reform, and more OCEANA.ORG | 1 6 The Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded: Oceana campaigns to protect and restore the world’s oceans. Now what? Our team of marine scientists, economists, lawyers and advocates win specific and concrete policy changes to reduce pollution and to prevent the irreversible collapse of fish populations, marine mammals and other sea life. Global in scope and dedicated to conservation, Oceana has campaigners based in North America, Europe and South and Central America. More than 300,000 members and e-activists in over 150 countries have already joined Oceana. For more information, please visit www.oceana.org. BOARD OF DIRECTORS OCEAN COUNCIL Keith Addis, Chair Susan Cohn Rockefeller, Chair Dr. Kristian Parker, Lea Haratani, Vice Chair Vice Chair Anne Alexander Rowley James Sandler, Treasurer Dr. Andrew Bevacqua Simon Sidamon-Eristoff, Pierce Brosnan Secretary Deborah Buck Herbert M. Bedolfe III Dan and Beth Cort Ted Danson Andrew and Sydney Davis César Gaviria Michael Dershewitz María Eugenia Girón Barbara Ettinger and Sven Huseby © USCG Stephen P. McAllister Christina Falco and Michael Frumkin Michael Northrop Kelsey Grammer Dr. Daniel Pauly Benjamin Goldsmith Sally-Christine Rodgers Hardy Jones SPRING 2010 | coNteNtS Sam Waterston J. Stephen and Angela Kilcullen Valarie Whiting Eve Kornyei COVER STORY Larry Kopald OCEANA Willa and Ted Lutz 6 Catastrophe In The Gulf Chief Executive Officer Carolyn Marks Blackwood Andrew Sharpless Aaron Peirsol Twenty years after Exxon Valdez, the Executive Vice President Nicole Polizois Deepwater Drilling Disaster shows & General Counsel Linus Roache James Simon Lois Robbins just how dangerous offshore drilling is Senior Vice President, Ruthie Russ today. Go inside the worst oil disaster North American Oceans Mark Ryavec & Chief Scientist in U.S. history. Michael Hirshfield, Ph.D. Victoria Stack Peter Stranger Vice President, European Oceans and Seas Toby Walker Xavier Pastor Annett Wolf Oceana is published by Oceana Inc. 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Susan Murray 2SPRING | SPRING 2010 2010 9 Denmark is the world leader in offshore wind, but the U.S. is gaining ground. 5 The mystery of hammerhead sharks' unusual physiology, revealed. © Rob Stewart © OCEANA FEATURES DEPARTMENTS 9 Wind On The Rise 1 CEO’s Note 15 Ocean Advocate The Deepwater Drilling Toby Usnik of Christie's The wind energy industry is Disaster shows just how explains his love of the growing worldwide, and the U.S. dirty and unsafe offshore oceans. is racing to catch up. drilling still is today. 16 Events 12 Oceana Arrives In Belize 2 Making Waves 'End of the Line' Oceana's newest office kicks off The latest campaign screening, the launch of with a victory against a foreign victories from Oceana's RocknRola jewelry and a international team. New York cocktail party fleet fishing illegally in Belize. benefit Oceana. 4 News & Notes Adrian Grenier joins 18 Chef’s Corner Oceana and more. "Top Chef's" Bryan Voltaggio focuses on seasonality. 5 Q & A Shark biologist Michelle McComb studies 20 Parting Shot On the Cover hammerheads' unique The stony sea urchin A dead bird on the body shape. displays its vivid colors. beach of Mississippi's Ship Island in May. © Joe Raedle | Getty Images OCEANA.ORG OCEANA.ORG | 3 GIve today Oceana’s accomplishments Call us today at 1.877.7.OCEANA, visit www.oceana.org/give or use the envelope wouldn’t be possible without provided in this magazine to make a the support of its members. donation. Please contact us if you are interested in planned giving that could You can help Oceana fight to support Oceana's work and also provide you with income and potential tax benefits. restore our oceans with your Contributions to Oceana are tax deductible. financial contribution. Oceana is a 501(c)(3) organization. 4 | SPRING 2010 ceo'S NOTE The Dirty Reality of Offshore Drilling Hits Close To Home As I write this, we are experiencing the “Drill, Baby, Drill.” On March 31, just three worst environmental catastrophe in weeks prior to the Deepwater Drilling Di- the history of the United States. The aster, President Obama announced that Deepwater Drilling Disaster in the Gulf the east coast of the U.S. from Delaware of Mexico is likely to gush more oil into to Florida would be opened, for the first the ocean than the wreck of the Exxon time, to oil and gas exploration. Valdez. of the hands of the oil companies. Then, on April 20, as they were install- Its damage to the commercial and ing a plug on a well drilled 5,000 feet Oceana supports affordable energy while recreational fisheries of the Gulf of below the ocean surface, operators of reducing our carbon dioxide emissions. Mexico could extend generations into the a technically advanced deep water oil This can be provided by clean, renewable future. And our beaches – from Louisiana drilling platform triggered an explosion, sources including ocean wind power. to the Florida Keys – could suffer from an killing eleven people and beginning an oil well 42 miles off the coast. uncontrolled release of at least 210,000 We launched StopTheDrill.org, a petition gallons of oil a day - but experts agree it site that allows people to sign on to end • Much of America’s seafood comes from is probably much more. new drilling. Within a week, nearly 50,000 the Gulf of Mexico. The fisheries that people signed. I hope you will add your produce 73 percent of America’s shrimp President Obama should admit that he name to the list. and 59 percent of America’s oysters are made a mistake in relying on the assur- closed. ances of the oil companies that their We thank you for your support. Your gener- GIve today ocean drilling technologies were safe. ous support gives Oceana the resources • Nearly 200,000 jobs in Louisiana, Texas To protect our remaining beaches and we need to convert this disaster into and Florida depend on commercial fisheries from a similar catastrophe, he lasting protections from oil drilling for our fishing. should impose a ban on ocean oil drilling. beaches and fisheries. If he won’t act, Congress should. • Tourism in the Gulf is a $4 billion For the oceans, economy. And the President needs to protect the Arctic. This summer, Shell intends to drill • One of the world’s two spawning areas exploratory wells in the Arctic Ocean. for the endangered Atlantic bluefin tuna The Deepwater Drilling Disaster occurred is in the Gulf of Mexico, right where the from drilling an exploratory well. No new oil is gushing. Spawning season is now. safety procedures, spill response plans or Oceana is grateful for the grants, contri- impact reviews have occurred since the butions and support it has received from • Every single species of sea turtle disaster, yet our government is on track dozens of foundations and companies found in the Gulf is already threatened to put our oceans at risk yet again, and and thousands of individuals. Oceana or endangered by extinction under the this time in a less forgiving environment. wishes to thank all of its supporters, terms of the Endangered Species Act. especially its founding funders as well as In February 2009, Oceana board member foundations that in 2009 awarded Oceana Two years ago, President Bush ended Ted Danson testified before Congress, grants of $1 million or more: Arcadia a policy prohibiting ocean oil drilling in repeatedly calling on the government to Fund, Oak Foundation, The David and new areas of the lower 48 states, and protect our oceans from the risks of off- Lucile Packard Foundation, The Pew then Congress allowed a similar policy shore drilling. We followed that testimony Charitable Trusts, Rockefeller Brothers it had agreed to every year for 26 years with scientific reports, press work, online Fund and Sandler Foundation. For more to lapse. That same year, at a national campaigning and persistent lobbying to information, please see Oceana’s annual political convention, politicians chanted build support for keeping our oceans out reports at www.oceana.org/annualreport. OCEANA.ORG | 1 MaKING WAVES U.S. Government Proposes Loggerhead Uplisting To ‘Endangered’ In response to two petitions submitted loggerhead sea turtles from “threatened” habitat areas, including key nesting in 2007 by Oceana, the Center for to “endangered” under the Endangered beaches, migratory corridors and where Biological Diversity and the Turtle Island Species Act.