Winter weather 'confuses salmon'

By Martin Cassidy BBC NI environment correspondent

Irish salmon stocks are being hit by the effects of climate change with scientists on the river Bush in north Antrim discovering warmer winters are triggering a false start to the annual migration with disastrous consequences.

Warmer winter weather is confusing the salmonIt is the king of fish but even the mighty salmon is feeling the heat generated by climate change

And on the river Bush scientists say that warmer winters are confusing the young salmon.
Believing it is springtime, the juvenile fish are leaving the safety of the river and heading out to sea where many perish.
Richard Kennedy, one of the scientists at the Bush Salmon Station, says the timing of the annual migration of the young fish is crucial to their chance of survival.
"Ten years ago the first smolt that would have left the river Bush would have done so towards the middle to the end of April, but that seems to be changing and now first departures can be as early as the beginning of March," says Richard.
Out in the Atlantic, life is bleak for those young salmon.
Greedy gulls have quickly learned that the migration is now starting up to six weeks earlier and see the trickle of young fish as easy prey.
Migration
Nature intended migrations to be concentrated so as to give predators a narrow window of opportunity.
But now the seals are also picking off the young salmon as they head out into the Atlantic.
Usually around a third of the young fish which leave the river Bush survive to return here the following year to spawn
But now with warmer winters triggering a false start to the migration, only six in every 100 salmon make it back here to breed.
And that's not the only problem facing the river Bush. Climate change is also hitting the salmon in another way.
High rainfall is also swelling the river in winter and early spring, washing the delicate salmon fry away.
Gerscham Kennedy of the Bush Salmon Station has been recording increased spring flows and says that heavy rain in April is a particular problem.
People in Bushmills remember their river thronged with fish but in just 30 years the salmon stock has registered an alarming decline.
Last year, only 1,000 fish made it back here to spawn.
And like other rivers, the salmon in the Bush now face yet another man-made challenge.

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Here is just one more example of how climate change is affecting our environment. These salmon are thinking that its spring earlier than usual because of the warming water. Then, they head out to sea where it is much colder and difficult for them to survive. And as for the ones who do survive, many of them are being eaten by gulls and seals. This is just one example of the chain reaction that global warming and climate change are having on our environment.

Dubai's Man-made Island Rises Out of the Ocean, Set to Open to First Residents; 'World's Latest Landmark'

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Nov 5, 2006 17:47 EST)

Palm Jumeirah, a man-made island off Dubai, is bracing for the arrival of its first residents, even as questions remain about the environmental impact of the mega-projects under way in the Gulf city state.
"These projects are a positive thing for the country" since they have propelled Dubai to world fame, said environmentalist Ibrahim al-Zu'bi. But "they are introducing more people, so it's more pressure on the natural resources," he told AFP.

A few miles from Palm Jumeirah, shaped like a palm tree and the first of several artificial islands rising off the coast, work is continuing on "The World", a cluster of some 300 islands looking like a blurred vision of the planet's nations. "The World," which is due to be completed end-2008, and three "Palm" islands are the work of Nakheel, a government-controlled property developer.
Nakheel recently announced that it would hand the keys of 3,900 flats and villas on Palm Jumeirah to their owners by year's end, some six months behind schedule.
The last to take delivery of their properties on the five-by-five-kilometer (three-by-three-mile) island will be running more than a year behind schedule. Prices for the most luxurious villas on the island, whose construction kicked off five years ago, top four million dollars.

"By early to mid-December, there will be people living right on the Palm," a spokesman for Nakheel told AFP, asking not to be named. The arrival of the first residents on the island will follow a publicity blitz starting November 9 in London, where a huge airship chartered by Nakheel will overfly the city's landmarks in order "to show that the Palm is the world's latest landmark," the spokesman said. Repeats are planned in Paris, Milan and Rome, reflecting the key role played by European investors in the real estate boom in Dubai, which is a member of the United Arab Emirates. A similar publicity stunt will take place in Cairo. Work is meanwhile also continuing on two other palm tree-shaped islands even bigger than Palm Jumeirah. One, Palm Jebel Ali, is jutting out into Gulf waters to the west. The other, Palm Deira -- planned to be 18 kilometers (11 miles) long and nine kilometers (five miles) wide but still in its early stages -- is emerging to the east.
In the case of "The World," Nakheel's task is confined to bringing the islands up from the Gulf's shallow waters, leaving it to buyers to develop them within strict guidelines, chiefly in relation to the height of buildings.

Nakheel says 50 percent of the islands have already been sold, with price tags ranging from 15 to 40 million dollars. But several years after the launch of the island ventures, their consequences on the marine environment remain a matter of debate.
"The environment is very important to us," said Adnan Dawood, a Nakheel spokesman.
Before the man-made islands began taking shape, the zone attracted migratory fish, Dawood said. Today "you have fish where there was no fish before, because now they have a habitat," he said.
"Fifteen new species of fish have made this (The World) their habitat... Today you can (even) see dolphins," he added.
Zu'bi, who serves as director of the Emirates Diving Association's environment department, was skeptical about Dawood's assertions.
While admitting that the ventures have positive aspects -- "new beaches, new diving sites, dolphins" -- he chided developers for lack of communication. "We are open to work with them in a positive way (but) they ignore us," he said.
"When it comes to the environment, you can't be as fast as you want. You have to compromise things. Things are going fast here," Zu'bi said in reference to the breakneck speed at which Dubai is growing.
"What happened in Europe in 50 years is happening here in five years," he said.

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Wow! What will they come up with next!?!

Although they very briefly mention in this article that this is actually a good thing for the environment (???), I am sure that the negatives outweigh the positives. The introduction of new species may not necessairly be a good thing, as they could negatively affect the species that are already present there....or there is a risk that they will not survive in this environment . And Im sure that the amount of destruction to the landscape outweighs all of the positives. This may seem like a good idea for now, but with the climate changing and the risk of sea level rise these Islands could be wiped out before long.