Tampa Bay Times (July 26)
“A marine heat wave has brought alarmingly high water temperatures to the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. In Florida’s Manatee Bay, a reading of 101.1 degrees Fahrenheit broke an unofficial world record.” If approved, it “would shatter the current world record of 99.7 degrees, which was recorded in Kuwait Bay in the Persian Gulf, and confirmed by a study, in 2020.”
Tags: 101.1 degrees, 2020, Atlantic Ocean, Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Heat wave, Kuwait Bay, Marine, Water temperatures, World record
New York Times (April 10)
“Time is running out” for bluefin tuna, but an ingenious new hook may provide some relief. Commercial fisherman in the Gulf of Mexico, where the catch of bluefin is illegal, will now be required to use thinner hooks. The hooks still support yellowfin tuna and swordfish, but give way under the massive weight of a bluefin, thus preventing inadvertent bluefin catches. In just the last decade, the number of bluefin in the Atlantic and Mediterranean fell by over 60%. The New York Times lays the blame for the dwindling bluefin population on “vast overfishing fueled by Japan’s insatiable sushi appetite” and advocates a worldwide ban on the sale of bluefin to help stocks recover.
Barron’s (May 8)
The BP oil disaster illustrates Murphy’s Law: everything going wrong at the worst possible time. With over 30,000 wells drilled, the Gulf of Mexico provides 30% of the energy produced in the U.S. Barron’s recently cheered Barack Obama when he pledged to open some new areas to offshore drilling. BP’s still unfolding catastrophe in the Gulf will, however, prompt calls to backtrack. Rare catastrophes will strike, “but restricting the development of the offshore-energy industry will not help the state or the country.”
The BP oil disaster illustrates Murphy’s Law: everything going wrong at the worst possible time. With over 30,000 wells drilled, the Gulf of Mexico provides 30% of the energy produced in the U.S. Barron’s recently cheered Barack Obama when he pledged to open some new areas to offshore drilling. BP’s still unfolding catastrophe in the Gulf will, however, prompt calls to backtrack. Rare catastrophes will strike, “but restricting the development of the offshore-energy industry will not help the state or the country.”
Tags: BP, Gulf of Mexico, Obama, Oil
New York Times (April 29)
The well below BP’s now collapsed offshore drilling rig continues to spill 42,000 gallons of oil per day into the Gulf of Mexico. A solution may be weeks or months away. This is, however, the first major spill in the Gulf. The New York Times warns against overreacting by eliminating conventional fuels from energy policy. The newspaper does, however, call for a speedy and comprehensive investigation arguing: “if oil drilling is to be part of this country’s immediate energy future, it must be done responsibly.”
The well below BP’s now collapsed offshore drilling rig continues to spill 42,000 gallons of oil per day into the Gulf of Mexico. A solution may be weeks or months away. This is, however, the first major spill in the Gulf. The New York Times warns against overreacting by eliminating conventional fuels from energy policy. The newspaper does, however, call for a speedy and comprehensive investigation arguing: “if oil drilling is to be part of this country’s immediate energy future, it must be done responsibly.”
Tags: BP, Gulf of Mexico, Oil
