CHAMPIONS OF THE SEAS

Hello Friends of the Seas! Welcome to My Ocean Friendly Blog. I made this blog in support of the Creatures of the Seas and their Human Champions, Fighting for their Cause.

I have posted some of my favorite Champions here, and on some I have included a brief Notation of their Purpose at the bottom of this first page. You Must "Click" on the Older Posts, to pull up older posts. You will find that on the bottom of each page, and to the right of each page. I have also Included many Links to other blog and websites for you to expore. They are on the right column of the pages.

If you have a blog that is of focus on Healing of the Oceans and their Inhabitants, please let me know.


Although all Ocean Inhabitants are important, a special focus here is on the order Cetaceans (ceta is greek and latin for whale) or Marine Mammals of which the family Delphindae (meaning Dolphins) belongs. Like all mammals, they must breathe air. They also give live birth, and nurse their newborns with milk. Whales, Dolphins and porpoises belong to this group. That means Whales are actually large dolphins. Whales are the largest and porpoises are the smallest of the Cetaceans. Dolphins are not fish as some may think, and they are considered second to human beings in their intelligence and I believe they have an advanced intelligence far beyond some humans. The Japanese Dolphin Hunters have been, and still are relentlessly driving dolphins in the Cove of Taiji to Their Deaths and Capture, and other people are contributing to their plight by supporting the entertainment arenas around the world and eating their meat.

The Dolphins of Taiji are Close to My Heart at this Time, so I wrote a Poem for them "Shout Out For the Dolphins of Taiji" and to Challenge the World to Helping them Overcome Their Plight.

Here is that link:

http://championsoftheseas.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-i-believe-regarding-dolphins.html

I also Support other Sea Life and their Champions, and I am Open to Suggestions for improvement or new information, so please offer any constructive comments you may have in the comment sections. Please Note the Champions of the Seas Links on the Right and Support them if Your Heart Desires. Alone we create a Ripple in the Ocean, and Together we Create a Wave... Let Our Voices Be Heard! Thank YOU
BLOG POSTS

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Who Wants to Live Forever?


Excerpt: ... "This is an informational video to help bring the message out about conservation and features the Music of Queen. Erik Brush tells a poignient visual and musical story of the importance of getting involved. Also shares website info for www.erikbrush.com/ and www.seashepherd.org/

Set to the music and incomparable voice of legendary Queen singer and songwriter Freddy Mercury."

Erik Brush in his own words is a ..."wildlife artist turned conservation author and shark biologist.... fighting to protect sharks and the worlds oceans. I am a firm advocate of better education and positive solutions!"


Wednesday, September 14, 2011

"Fear in the Water" by Erik Brush

Fear in the water!

by Erik Brush on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 6:06pm (author, artist and conservationist)~ follow him @ http://www.erikbrush.com/ and on facebook

"The Ugliest of Monsters that you will ever find in our world is the darker side of the Human mind! - Self Quote."


I was swimming near a coral head in what seemed like a paradise on Earth. The warm waters of the reef fueling my body with energy and life and then there was a strange scent. I could feel fear filling me in a way that I could not explain. I looked around and then I saw them.

Two sharks lay on the bottom of the reef and crabs tugged and ate at the deformed bodies. I thought that they might have been born with deformities bit as I swam closer I saw that they were missing their fins. Only the upper tail fin remained and there were large gashes across their heads and necks where some great tooth or something sharp had bitten or cut the sharks.

A little farther more sharks lay on the bottom in the same or worse condition. It was terrible! I wondered if I knew these fish? Had I seen them in past encounters on the reef? I could not be sure. They seemed familiar to me and yet the scent and sight of death had shocked me and my focus was labored and I couldn't quite reason as well as I would have liked to on this gruesome day.

What kind of creature kills without eating what it kills? What kind of creature destroys life and discards it with such casual abandon? I couldn't understand this. I hunt to eat, not to maim or torment or discard what I take. That is not natural! It's just plain wrong and evil in its own right.

I left the area. It was too heartbreaking to stay and the death in the water may have pleased the crabs, but not me. It was a troubling sign. Looking around I could not see much life on the reef. The large fish were gone and the coral was dying. They say that this is due to acidification of the water which causes a condition known as coral bleaching. I wonder if they understand the link to sharks that is directly fueling this? I doubt it. They never mention sharks, whoever they are.

Swimming further I realize that I must cross a deeper expanse in order to find a better place to swim and study. Upon crossing the deep passage I could feel the flow of cooler water, but now there was a new scent wafting toward me. sounds screamed in a frequency that I can hear quite well and scents drifted to me of dying and dead marine life that seemed to vanish off into the distance for miles.

I came across the bodies of the dying or dead and had a feeling of dread replace the omni-present hunger that I felt. These creatures were all trapped. Floating at the same level with each other. There were dead turtles and dying tuna. A mahi and a few jacks. A barracuda, along with several dead and dying sharks. The caravan of weak or dead animals stretched for miles and miles.

It is strange to see this sight. But it is not the first time that the death line has suddenly been seen before me. I  suppose it is a popular trend with the strange beings who live above the water. In the old days the few remaining elders impart that the oceans were different. The water does not taste the same. The harvesters of all life were not so numerous. Not so greedy.

Today we live and swim in a waste or dying oceans. Our bodies filled with chemicals and trash. Our predators and enemies have become the predators and enemies of all life. Perhaps the skies above them have filled their bodies and minds with a sickness that makes them act so strange. We are all only targets and time is running out. It is becoming empty as fast as the oceans themselves.

It did not have to be this way. In fact it was never intended to be this way. For hundreds of millions of years nothing like these creatures has plagued the world with so much destruction and death. But the end will also bring about their end. In a way it is a comfort just knowing that they are too foolish to last. Too short sighted to understand how badly they have destroyed our world. But they will get it only when it is too late for themselves and for most of us.

So we watch and wait for nature to strike the last blow. It is inevitable. If you take more than you need, and decimate without allowing for other species to recover, then you destroy all chance for balance to continue. And when balance fails, then life fails. I do not know if my species will survive, but I know that some of my kind will escape the great destruction. That one day the parasite from the world above the water will perish and the denizens from beneath will recover. One day in the peaceful future there will be sharks once more thriving and ruling our oceans. And the evolutionary nightmare primates will not even be a memory among any of the survivors.

- Erik



Facebook LINK:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/erik-brush/fear-in-the-water/278832492129726

Examiner.com Article: Millions in Federal Taxpayer Funds Going to Mississippi "Dolphin Pimp"

by
Woodbridge Animal Advocacy Examiner

I have included exerpts to this very informative article in the September 12, 2011 Washington DC Examiner News.  It seems obvious that there is a hemorrhagic misuse of federal funds going towards mismanagement of marine mammals in captivity and other pet projects.  ... "According to Citizens Against Government Waste, a whopping $16.5 billion went to Congressional pet projects in 2010" and  the startling highlight of this article is centered around Millions in Federal Taxpayer Funds Going to Mississippi "Dolphin Pimp" Moby Solangi who is supporting a “state of the art” dolphinarium for the citizens of Mississippi. ...  " 

In this article, it is noted and reported that "Leading the pack in discretionary spending is Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Thad Cochran.  In Fiscal Year 2010, Cochran earmarked 27 projects to the tune of $44,400,000.  Of that sum, $1,000,000 went to the Center for Marine Education and Research-Ocean Expo-Learning Center at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies."  The $75 million Ocean Expo is the brain child of Moby Solangi.  ... Richard O’Barry, star of the Academy award winning documentary, The Cove, has  characterized Solangi as a “Dolphin Pimp”.  Said O’Barry, “Solangi is one of the world's biggest traffickers in captive dolphins, and his track record is a litany of violent dolphin captures and exploitation. “ ....

It is my opinion and the opinion of many others from researching facts, that dolphins do not belong in captivity, and do not thrive in captivity.  I do not support a multi-million dollar industry in trafficking captive dolphins.  Do you?  Please read more from the article here:

http://www.examiner.com/animal-advocacy-in-washington-dc/millions-federal-taxpayer-funds-going-to-mississippi-dolphin-pimp