BLUE GROWTH - UN FAO Asia and the Pacific's Blue Growth Initiative

At the 32nd FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in March 2014, member countries endorsed the regional initiative on sustainable intensification of aquaculture for blue growth – improving fish supply for food and nutrition, increasing livelihood opportunities and contributing to blue growth of economy through more efficient and sustainable use of aquaculture resources.

The objectives of the regional initiative are:

1. Improve the utilization efficiency to aquaculture resources.
2. Improve production efficiency with reduced impacts on the environment.
3. Increase the resilience of farmers and the sector.
4. Improve the equity and social acceptability along the aquaculture value chain.

Major areas of work of the regional initiative:

* Support member countries in identifying options for addressing key governance issues in achieving sustainable aquaculture growth through appropriate regional and national consultation process, develop relevant regional and national policy, strategy and action plan.

* Increase farmers’ adaptability to climate change impact and resilience to natural disasters and socioeconomic risks through development and promote innovative aquaculture management concept and practices.

* Reduce negative environmental and social impacts of aquaculture intensification and through promoting innovative farming technologies and management practices, establishing effective aquaculture bio-security and disease surveillance and control system, application appropriate planning and management tools and responsible use of resources.

* Support the member governments in improving the access of poor rural aquaculture farmers to quality production inputs, sustainable production technology and market for improved productivity and economic efficiency.

* Improve management of forestry (mangrove), water, land and tenure that will contribute to sustainable intensification of aquaculture.

CNN JANUARY 25 - 4 BRITISH WOMEN ROW 8,000 MILES ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN

They spent nine months on a boat, rowing two-hour shifts all day, seven days a week, without a toilet and with only an hour-and-a-half nap at a time.

Four British women completed their arduous journey across the Pacific Ocean on Monday after rowing about 8,500 miles from San Francisco to Cairns, Australia.

They had no support crew on the journey, and they only stopped twice (for one week at a time) in Hawaii and Samoa for supplies and repairs.

SHIFTS - Working in pairs, two on and two off, the ladies powered across the Pacific

With their arrival, Laura Penhaul, Natalia Cohen, Emma Mitchell and Meg Dyos - the final leg rower - become the first four-person crew to row this trans-Pacific route, and the first team to do it in three stages, according to Walking With the Wounded, one of two British charities they are supporting. The team hopes to raise £250,000 ($356,000) for Walking With the Wounded and Breast Cancer Care.

In one of their last blog posts, the members of the Coxless Crew team said they were focused only on the final 20 miles.

"It's fair to say that with physical exhaustion, sleep deprivation and a lack of (savory) food we are being tested to our limits," the team wrote Sunday. "However this is where we draw on our SPIRIT, row hard, row strong, row together."

"It's quite incredible what the body and the mind is capable of," Cohen told CNN's Lynda Kinkade by satellite phone a few days before the group landed in Cairns.

DORIS - Forget Shades of Grey, Shades of Pink is real life drama aboard a lively composite lifeboat only just big enough to carry food for part of the journey. This proved to be a risky strategy that caused friction on board. Rationing always sparks friction in any situation. But, in confined quarters one release of pent up concerns is to vent some steam on a fellow passenger. No harm done. It is healthy to be able to let go now and again and still remain friends. The real test comes when there is no food for months. Then a friend can begin to look like nourishment.

ONE SMALL STEP FOUR WOMEN - One giant leap into the record books. They did it, with huge thanks to all their supporters.

ACTION - The cameras roll as the ladies are officially welcomed to Australia.

FRIENDS - Back on terra firma the girls are just happy to have made it in time to catch some noodles at a local bistro.

The rowers have been videotaping their journey, and that footage will be part of a documentary "Losing Sight of Shore" by filmmaker Sarah Moshman.

The trip took three months longer than expected after delays during the second leg of the journey from Hawaii to Samoa, Moshman told Kinkade.

"They were very worried about if they would overshoot Samoa, (or) they would run out of food," she said. "There were a lot of concerns on that second leg. ... There's been no shortage of drama on this journey."

A Pacific spotted dolphin, under threat from toxin build up in plastic pollution in the Great North Pacific Garbage Patch. See our vision for a sustainable world future here.

Sometimes that drama involved minor irritations between the crew members, Cohen said. "The main one that comes to mind was between me and Laura, where we argued over a packet of instant noodles," she said.

Less than 400 rows have been successfully completed across the world's oceans, according to the Ocean Rowing Society International.

Shortly after the Coxless Crew set off for Australia, Sonya Baumstein attempted to row 6,000 miles from Japan to San Francisco by herself, also with no support. Baumstein had to end her journey about 150 miles into it. By Tricia Escobedo

COXLESS CREW PACIFIC RECORD SPONSORS

PACIFIC FACTS

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.

At 165.25 million square kilometres (63.8 million square miles) in area, this largest division of the World Ocean – and, in turn, the hydrosphere – covers about 46% of the Earth's water surface and about one-third of its total surface area, making it larger than all of the Earth's land area combined. The equator subdivides it into the North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean, with two exceptions: the Galápagos and Gilbert Islands, while straddling the equator, are deemed wholly within the South Pacific. The Mariana Trench in the western North Pacific is the deepest point in the world, reaching a depth of 10,911 metres (35,797 ft).

The eastern Pacific Ocean was first sighted by Europeans in the early 16th century when Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama in 1513 and discovered the great "southern sea" which he named Mar del Sur. The ocean's current name was coined by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan during the Spanish expedition of the world in 1521, as he encountered favourable winds on reaching the ocean. He therefore called it Mar Pacifico in Portuguese, meaning "peaceful sea".

PALAU ISLANDS - Is seen here as a peak in the ocean in the middle of this map. This was the world's first marine sanctuary for sharks from 2009, with President  "Tommy" Remengesau setting the example for others to follow.

SEAWATER CHARACTERISTICS

The volume of the Pacific Ocean, representing about 50.1 percent of the world's oceanic water, has been estimated at some 680 million cubic miles (2.8 billion cubic kilometres). Surface water temperatures in the Pacific can vary from −1.4 °C (29.5 °F), the freezing point of sea water, in the poleward areas to about 30 °C (86 °F) near the equator. Salinity also varies latitudinally reaching a maximum of 37 parts per thousand in the southeastern area. The water near the equator, which can have a salinity as low as 34 parts per thousand, is less salty than that found in the mid-latitudes because of abundant equatorial precipitation throughout the year. The lowest counts of less than 32 parts per thousand are found in the far north as less evaporation of seawater takes place in these frigid areas. The motion of Pacific waters is generally clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere (the North Pacific gyre) and counter-clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. The North Equatorial Current, driven westward along latitude 15°N by the trade winds, turns north near the Philippines to become the warm Japan or Kuroshio Current.

Turning eastward at about 45°N, the Kuroshio forks and some water moves northward as the Aleutian Current, while the rest turns southward to rejoin the North Equatorial Current. The Aleutian Current branches as it approaches North America and forms the base of a counter-clockwise circulation in the Bering Sea. Its southern arm becomes the chilled slow, south-flowing California Current. The South Equatorial Current, flowing west along the equator, swings southward east of New Guinea, turns east at about 50°S, and joins the main westerly circulation of the Southern Pacific, which includes the Earth-circling Antarctic Circumpolar Current. As it approaches the Chilean coast, the South Equatorial Current divides; one branch flows around Cape Horn and the other turns north to form the Peru or Humboldt Current.

Chapter 20   -  EMPTY OCEAN  20⁰ N, 160⁰ E

 (extract from: The $Billion Dollar Whale by Jameson Hunter © 2014)

Coverage of the ‘Lost Whale’ story was extraordinary, being featured on or near the front pages of almost every newspaper and popular magazine. By contrast the Solar Navigation Challenge, which only a few days earlier had been headline news, had been relegated to deep within the inside pages and was no longer a daily featured update for television.

“Steve!” Yelled Charley, as she burst into their hotel room. Steve was standing on the balcony, taking in the panoramic view.

“You realise we’ve already more than recovered our investment on the solar race?”

“Never mind that, take a look at these papers.”

Charley spread half a dozen top papers on the marble floor. Steve came inside to a carpet of news.

“Blow me down,” he puffed, “impressive stuff.”

There were full front page pictures of Humpback Whales broaching, and a couple of illustrations of ‘Moby Dick’ style artists impressions.

“Do you realise what the first pictures of Kulo will command?”

They spent a good hour looking over the copy to judge the reception of the story and to decide how best to aim the coverage to come. The anticipation made their blood and minds race. Then they checked on the internet editions. Nothing was showing. Good, thought Charley. Not quite the same as the smell of good old fashioned hot, hard copy anyway. But, the days of print were limited. They all knew it and had to move with the times, or drown. Steve decided to call Sky for feedback.

“Afternoon Tom, we’ve just read your latest networked editorials – bloody good, but the pressure is on us now to find this poor animal before anyone else.”

“That’s what I’m counting on,” said Tom. “Listen, this was your idea, not mine. I just agreed to help. You realise we’ve syndicated the story as a high priority rescue, to just about every press agency?”

“Yes, much appreciated, in fact I’m treading on a sample right now.

“Well, let us know of any clues, the moment you get them. Sorry old chum must dash; bye for now.” The line went dead. Tom was a very busy man. He wasn’t being rude.

Steve paced the room for a few seconds, and then put the phone to his ear again. The connection took a few minutes, so Charley knew who he was calling – ship to shore. Steve was about to ignite a spark. John Storm could find a needle in a haystack with a rusty magnet. They just needed to get his interest..

“Hi, John …… how’s the race going? ………”

John was way ahead of Starlight, and Starlight was way ahead of the pack, both boats enjoying cruising toward the Equator in ideal conditions.

Dan looked at John, “Who’s that?”

John mouthed “It’s Steve.” Then continued his conversation.

“Hey Steve, good to hear from you. Do you want a position report?”

“Oh yah, of course.”

“Were about two thousand nautical miles from Oahu and a few hundred in the lead. It looks like Starlight is also quite a bit ahead of the rest. Dan says hi.”

“Oh, hi back to Dan. John, I was wondering if you’ve spotted anything out of the ordinary in your travels?”

“No, should I be looking out for anything?”

Steve knew the news had not yet reached them. “No, but stay alert just in case. Catch you later.”

“Okay, later. Out.”

That worried John. He knew there was more to it than that. Damn, he hated it when that sort of thing happened. Stay alert to what? He checked the radar - nothing. He tuned to the international distress frequency – nothing.

“Steve says hi.” Dan could tell John was not entirely happy with that call, but said nothing. ……. It was kind of quiet. Dan was expecting contact from the media at more or less regular intervals.

“Dan, keep a listen out for any news, will you.”

“Is that what that call was about?”

“No, not really, but yes maybe. I’m not sure. I’ve a feeling something is up – a hunch.”

John’s hunches had a habit of being right, so Dan switched on the news channels and kept the radio scanning emergency channels.

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