4@
4@ 4@
4@ 4@ FOUR BOATS IN A ROW, MONEY SHOT,
ADRENALINE, THREE SONS AND SEA
TIME..
ON THE DOCK IN SPRUCE HEAD,
WHERE DA4@VID COUSENS AND HIS
SONS ALL FISH.
CLIMATE CHANGE IS HERE, WE'RE
NOT GONNA STOP IT.
AND ON HIS OWN DECK A FEW MILES
AWAY. COUSENS SAYS HE'S BEEN4@
SEEING
SEEING THAT CHANGE UP CLOSE.4@ THE TEMPERATURES FROM THE EARLY 80'S TO THE
PRESENT ITS ABOUT TWO TO
TWO AN4@D A HALF DEGREES
FAHRENHEIT WARMER IN THE4@
SUMMER. ENOUGH TO MAKE A
DIFFERENCE? OH BIG DIFFERENCE,
THAT'S HUGE.
COUSENS IS THE FORMER PRESIDENT
OF THE MAINE
LOBSTERMEN'S ASSOCIATION4@, AND
HAS BECOME A LEADING VOICE ON
CLIMATE CHANGE. SOUNDING THE
ALARM THAT MAINE IS ALREADY 4@
FEELING THE EFFECT OF WARMER
OCEAN WATER . 4@
I SEE WARM WATER SPECIES IN MY
TRAPS. TRIGGER FISH. SEA HORSES
NEVER SAW A SEA HORSE EXCEPT IN
AN AQUARIUM. BLACK SEA BASS,
THERE WERE NEVER ANY OF THOSE
BEFORE. 4@
BEFORE. 4@
4@
4@ SCIENTISTS SAY THE GULF OF MAINE HAS WARMED UP 2.3 DEGREES
FAHRENHEIT IN THE PAST 36
YEARS. SOME PARTS OF THE4@
COAST SEEING OCEAN SURFACE
TEMPERATURES CLOSE TO THE 70'S4@
IN MID-SUMMER. AND IN RECENT4@
YEARS, THE GULF HAS BEEN ONE OF
THE FASTEST WARMING OCEAN AREAS
IN THE WORLD. 4@
THOSE TEMPERATURES, ARE
APPARENTLY LURING MID-4@
ATLANTIC SPECIES TO MAINE
WATERS.
NO I HAVE NO DOUBT, I DON'T
THINK SPOCK BEAMED THEM UP4@
HERE. THEY SWAM UP AND THE WATER
IS HOSPITABLE THEY CAN LIVE 4@
HERE
HERE NOW.
HERE NOW. THE CHANGES ARE ALSO BEING FELT BY AQUACULTURE BUSINESSES. AT 4@
MOOK SEA FARM, BILL MOOK SAYS
THE DAMARISCOTTA
RIVER WATER IN HIS OYSTER
HATCHERY WAS BECOMING MORE
ACIDIC ...A
THREAT TO THE GROWING SHELLS OF
THE TINY OYSTERS.
SCIENTIS4@TS CALL IT OCEAN
ACIDIFICATION.4@
AND ITS DRIVEN BY INCREASED
CARBON DIOXIDE IN THE ATMOSPHERE
ABOUT A QUARTER OF WHICH
DISSOLVES INTO SEA WATER. 4@
MOOK SAYS ADDING SPECIAL WATER
TREATMEN4@T FIXED THE 4@4@
PROBLEM IN THE HATCHERY.4@
4@
4@ BUT
4@ BUT THERE'S ANOTHER WORRY. RAIN..4@
RAIN..4@
MOOK
MOOK SAYS
MOOK SAYS MORE FREQUENT HEAVY 4@ RAINSTORMS OFTEN RESULT IN4@
4@
4@ CLOSING COASTAL RIVERS TO SHELLFISH HARVESTING,
BECAUSE OF POLLUTION RUNOFF.
OYSTERS GROW TO MARKET
SIZE ON THE BOTTOM, SO A CLOSURE
MEANS LOST SALES. 4@
WHICH IS WHY HE INVESTED A LOT
OF MONEY TO BUILD THIS.
INSURANCE
INSURANCE POLICY. THE BUILDING HAS SPECIAL TANKS AND A CLOSED WATER FILTERING SYSTEM. OYSTER
SEED CAN BE GROWN INSIDE, AND
FULL SIZE
OYSTERS CAN BE HARVESTED AHEAD
OF A STORM. KEPT IN THE TANKS..
AND
SHIPPED TO MARKET AS NEEDED.
I THINK ITS AN EXAMPLE OF
INFRAS4@TRUCTURE WE NEED TO BE
EXPANDING IN MAINE TO MAKE SURE
WE ARE RESILIENT IN THE
FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE. 4@
OHER IMPACTS., TOO. ALL ALONG
THE COAST, IN PLACES LIKE 4@
ROUND POND, TOWNS AND CITIES AND
PROPERTY OWNERS ARE 4@
STARTING TO WONDER ABOUT THE
THREAT FROM RISING SEA4@
LEVELS.
THIS HARBOR IS ABSOLUTELY SEEING
THE EFFECTS OF SEA
LEVEL RISE.
SAM BELKNAP OF THE ISLAND
INSTITUTE SHOWED US HIS
FAMILY'S DOCK. WHICH HE SAYS IS
BEING FLOODED MORE OFTEN4@
BECAUSE OF STORMS AND RISING SEA
LEVELS .4@
WHEN I GREW UP ON THIS WHARF WE
WOULD HAVE WATER ON TOP OF
THE PLANKS MAYBE ONCE EVERY
THREE TO FOUR YEARS. THIS PAST4@
YEAR THERE WERE THREE INCHES OF
WATER IN THE OFFICE AT LEAST
THREE TIMES.
BELKNAP AND THE LOCAL
HARBORMASTER BOTH SAY THERE 4@
4@
4@ HAS
4@ HAS ALSO BEEN MORE EROSION ALONG THE SHORELINE, AS THE
SEA CREEPS UP.
IN OTHER PARTS OF MAINE ITS MORE
DRAMATIC.IN PORTLAND, 4@LOW
AREAS HAVE FLOODED MORE AND MORE
OFTEN DURING BIG TIDES. 4@4@
SAME THING IN YORK COUNTY. WHERE
BEACHES
BEACHES AND EVEN VILLAGES ARE BEING HIT MORE OFTEN BY THE SEA. IT HAS TO DO WITH THE CLIMATE
WARMING, SO WARM WATER
EXPANDS AS IT HEATS UP, THERMAL
EXPANSION, THAT'S
A BIG FACTOR.
SUZI ARNOLD IS A SCIENTIST WITH
THE ISLAND INSTITUTE. SHE 4@
SAYS RESEARCHERS PREDICT THAT 4@
OVER THE NEXT 4@
FIFTY YEARS S SEA LEVELS COULD
RISE
RISE BY
RISE BY SEVERAL FEET. FORTUNATELY THE MAJORITY OF OUR BIG STORMS HAVE NOT COME AT A
VERY HIGH TIDE. IF THAT HAD BEEN
THE CASE ITS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE
FOR US TO HAVE AN EQUIVALENT OF
SUPER STORM SANDY IN MAINE. 4@
AND IN MANY CITIES AND TOWNS,
LOCAL LEADERS ARE LOOKING AT
THEIR OWN VULNERABLE
INFRASTRUCTURE.LOW LYING STREETS.BUILDINGS.. SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS. AND 4@
WONDERING HOW TO PAY THE MASSIVE
COST TO RAISE OR EVEN
RELOCATE , TO PROTECT THEM FROM
WONDERING HOW TO PAY THE MASSIVE COST TO RAISE OR EVEN RELOCATE , TO PROTECT THEM FROM@
RISING WATERS.
BUT THE MORE IMMEDIATE FOCUS FOR
4@MANY PEOPLE, IS MAINE'S FISHI
INDUSTRY. 4@
INDUSTRY. 4@
ESPECIALLY THE CRUCIAL, BILLION DOLLAR LOBSTER FISHERY. IRONICALLY, LOBSTERS HAVE BEEN
HELPED BY WARMER WATERS.4@
SO FAR. RECORD AND NEAR RECORD
CATCHES IN RECENT YEARS
HAVE BROUGHT GOOD PAYCHECKS AND
PROFITS.4@
PROFITS.4@
AND
AND THAT'S BASICALLY BECAUSE4@ E WATER WENT FROM 4@ TOO COLD TO REALLY IN THE SWEET
SPOT FOR LOBSTER LARVAL 4@
4@
4@ SURVIVAL. BUT IF IT KEEPS GETTING WARMER WE WILL4@ GO FROM
SWEET SPOT AND START GETTING TO
CRITICAL TEMPS THAT ARE TOO
WARM.
THAT'S THE BIG FEAR.4@
4@4@
4@4@ AND
4@4@ AND EVERY YEAR WE HAVE A WARM 4@YEAR LIKE 2012 AND 2013 WE SE
4@4@ AND EVERY YEAR WE HAVE A WARM 4@YEAR LIKE 2012 AND 2013 WE SEA
BUMP UP IN SHELL DISEASE THE
FOLLOWING YEAR, SO IT IS A4@
CONCERN.
AND WAHLE SAYS WARM WATER IS
4@
4@ ALSO
4@ ALSO HARMING IMPORTANT SPECIES WE CAN'T EVEN SEE. TINY
PLANKTON, THAT ARE CRITICAL TO
THE GULF FOOD CHAIN.4@
AND THAT FILTERS UP INTO THE
FOOD CHAIN TO OTHER THINGS THAT
4@
4@ EAT
4@ EAT THOSE PHYTO-PLANKTON LIKE 4@ TINY COPEPODS, THE ZOOPLANKTON
HERRING THRIVE ON, RIGHT WHALES
EAT THOSE PHYTO-PLANKTON LIKE 4@ TINY COPEPODS, THE ZOOPLANKTON HERRING THRIVE ON, RIGHT WHALES@
THRIVE ON, EVEN INDICATIONS
LOBSTER LARVAE THRIVE ON THEM.
THEY ALL SAY THE IMMENSE AND4@
INTRICATE WORLD OF THE GULF OF4@
4@4@
4@4@ MAINE IS AT RISK OF BEING SLOWLY PULLED APART BY A
CHANGING
CLIMATE.4@
CHANGING CLIMATE.4@ FOR SOME PEOPLE, OF COURSE,
THERE IS STILL DEBATE.
DAVID COUSENS SAYS ABOUT HALF
THE FISHERMEN AGREE WITH HIM4@
ON THE PROBLEM4@, 4@THOUGH OTHE
DAVID COUSENS SAYS ABOUT HALF THE FISHERMEN AGREE WITH HIM4@ ON THE PROBLEM4@, 4@THOUGH OTHE@
SAY ITS JUST ANOTHER CYCLE,
AND THINGS WILL COOL DOWN AGAIN@
I'M NOT BUYING THE CYCLICAL
STUFF HERE. I'M BUYING THAT
THINGS ARE CHANGING. I'M NOT
BUYING THIS WILL ALL GO BACK
NEXT4@
YEAR AND THINGS WILL BE NORMAL .
THIS IS THE NEW NORMAL.
EVEN IF NONE OF THEM REALLY 4@
KNOW WHAT NORMAL WILL 4@
MEAN.
IN SOUTH THOMASTON, DON
CARRIGAN, NEWS CENTE4@R MAINE.4@
WORRIES ABOUT CLIMATE MAY EVEN
BE AFFECTING THE REAL ESTATE MARKET., ONE BROKER IN MID-
COAST MAINE TOLD US PEOPLE
BUYING
HOMES ON THE OCEAN ARE NOW
HAVING TO PAY MUCH HIGHER 4@
BUYING HOMES ON THE OCEAN ARE NOW HAVING TO PAY MUCH HIGHER 4@4@
PRICES FOR HOMEOWNER'S4@
INSURANCE, BECAUSE
INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE WORRIED
PRICES FOR HOMEOWNER'S4@ INSURANCE, BECAUSE INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE WORRIED@
ABOUT THE RISKS OF
RISING SEA LEVELS AND OTHER
CLIMATE CONCERNS.