QUEST Community Science Blog

Last week on QUEST, we took a look at the history of the San Francisco Bay’s most dangerous toxin: mercury. This week, now that the mercury is here in the bay, how is it affecting us? The obvious place to go was the Berkeley Marina, one of the bay’s most popular fishing spots. On the day I visited, halibut season had just begun and, even on a Monday morning, the pier was lined with anglers. Halibut contains high levels of mercury, just like other big SF Bay fish but – as you hear in the piece – you wouldn’t know it from talking to the fishermen out that day.

Of course mercury is a problem in many big fish we eat, not just the ones in the San Francisco Bay. Dr. Jane Hightower is one of the leading local doctors diagnosing various levels of mercury poisoning in her patients – many of whom, as she says, do their fishing at places like Whole Foods. We only had time to use a short piece of that interview in the actual story, but anyone who eats fish will want to hear more from Dr. Hightower. A longer version of that interview – including Dr. Hightower’s surprising views on kid staples like canned tuna fish – is right here.

You may listen to the “Mercury in the Bay - Part 2″ Radio report online, as well as find additional links and resources.

Amy Standen is a Reporter for QUEST and Radio News at KQED-FM.

And live in an aquarium in my living room?

A fish tank calms my nerves. A fish tank connects me to the sea. A fish tank brings peacefulness into my hectic world. These are the words of marine aquarium owners. The lure of a tropical fish tank is clear: they are mesmerizing and colorful, they are relaxing to gaze at and they bring real sea creatures right into one’s home. In fact, between 1.5 and 2 million people worldwide feel this way, and keep marine aquariums, including 800,000 households in the United States alone.1,471 species of fish are traded worldwide, with global trade ranging between 20 and 24 million individual fish annually.

Unfortunately, not enough aficionados of tropical fish know how these beautiful beings got to their local tropical fish store. Fewer than 10% of the fish are captive-bred, meaning most are collected from their coral reef habitats off of places such as Indonesia.

Most collectors are men from small villages, who make mere pennies on their catches. Though they sometimes use nets and their own hands, often they employ squirt bottles full of cyanide. As a result of cyanide use, mortality rates of captured fish are between 5% and 75% within hours of collection, with 20% to 50% of survivors dying soon thereafter. Of those that survive the collection process, another 30% on average die prior to export. Collection using cyanide results in an overall survival rate of less than 1 in 10 fish, at best, and often produces 100% mortality.

For those that make it out of their country of origin and onto a plane, eight out of ten will die en route from lack of oxygen, stale water and trauma. For U.S. export, most of these bagged fish are sent to “fish row” in Los Angeles where they are distributed to fish supply stores all over the country.

The good news is that once tropical fish collectors know more, they tend to act. More and more collectors are asking suppliers about their collection techniques and making informed decisions. Reef Project International is a project of Earth Island Institute (and the supplier of most of this information). They have created a Reef Fish Guide for the aquamarine hobbyist that lets them know if a particular fish falls under “Take it Home” or “Keep it Wild”. The guide is available at (www.reefprotect.org). The hope is that when consumers demand sustainable and humane tropical fish, suppliers will respond, and fish and their habitats will benefit.

By the way, Clownfish, like Nemo, are one of the few species that can be captive-bred.

Amy Gotliffe is Conservation Manager at The Oakland Zoo.

Raise your hand if you live in a watershed! Are all of your hands up? We all live in a watershed, an area of land that all water (from rain, snow and springs) flows across, under and through on its way into a common body of water, such as a creek, river, bay or ocean. The water may travel through city streets and into storm drains, over the surface of the ground and across farm fields, or suburban lawns, or it may seep into the soil and travel as groundwater. Along the way, water picks up and carries materials.

Everything we do impacts our watershed. Use of land and water from any part of the watershed, such as polluted run-off from farms, forests, ranches, and cities, eventually affects the health of the whole watershed – as well as the plants, animals and people within it.

A healthy watershed is important to everyone! Animals find food, water and shelter near creeks and waterways. Humans enjoy clean water and places to relax, swim and appreciate nature. One of the best ways to help your local watershed is to connect with it.

So, may I suggest a visit to that creek in your neighborhood for an old-fashioned, low-tech exploration? Bring binoculars, a nature journal, a creek creature identification sheet, and empty baby food jars. Bring some kids and all your senses.

At the creek, sit quietly and listen for the sound that is the nearest or the sound that is farthest away. Can you hear the creek running or the birds calling?

Notice the variety of habitats in the creek. Look for a place in the creek where there is a riffle: a shallow area where water breaks over rocks, promoting high oxygen levels. Invertebrates and the small fish that feed on them live here, in a pool: a deeper area with slower moving water. Pools provide a spawning, feeding and resting site for fish, or a run: a straight, fast moving, section of a creek between riffles that has a diverse mixture of aquatic life. Look for tracks and scat along the creek banks. Use the baby food jars to carefully capture aquatic life. Observe, sketch and release.

Smell the variety of plants and flowers now blooming in the riparian zone. Notice that the bushes, trees and roots are all home to various wildlife. Draw a guide to the plants and trees in one small area of the creek.

Blindfold a friend or sibling and carefully lead them to a tree near the creek. Allow them to touch it, then give them a spin and lead them away. Remove the blindfold and challenge them to find their tree using their eyes.

Find edibles along the creek, like wild onion, miner’s lettuce or blackberry and taste wild food right off the vine.

Once connected, it is easy to care, and help keep our watersheds clean, in simple ways such as monitoring what you allow down the storm drains, refraining from flushing cat feces, or participating in a creek clean up. Please add your own ideas!

The Oakland Zoo has restored a section of the Arroyo Viejo Creek on the zoo grounds with support from City of Oakland, the California Coastal Conservancy, the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, and the City of Oakland Measure DD Bond. With six outdoor classrooms featuring educational signage and seating on logs, the creek will offer an exploration experience for all. Help us celebrate with a ribbon cutting ceremony at noon on Saturday, April 12, as part of the Oakland Zoo’s Earth Day celebration.

See you down at the creek!

Amy Gotliffe is Conservation Manager at The Oakland Zoo.