More than 7,000 board feet of Cocobolo wood valued on the international market at $300,000 dollars was seized by the National Environment Authority and the National Police in the province of Los Santos. Three people were arrested and are being investigated for environmental crime, according to the Regional Administrator of the ANAM in Los Santos, Gerardo Gonzalez. Gonzalez said the ANAM is acting aggressively against those who would continue to market cocobolo wood domestically and internationally. (TVN)

Editor's Comment: Panama has relatively tough laws - which they actually enforce - to protect the forests, trees, and the environment. Cocobolo occurs naturally in the Panamanian jungle, as opposed to Teak which is not indigenous to Panama. You have to get a permit to do anything with wood or lumber in Panama - you need a permit to drive down the road with the truck of a tree in the back of your pickup truck. It's tightly regulated.   

The passage of time seems to have overcome the huge "corotú" tree, near the administration building of the Panama Canal. The tree, clearly at least one hundred years old, fell with a crash, but fortunately nobody was injured. The staff of the Panama Canal Authority proceeded to remove the tree. (TVN)

Editor's Comment: Enterolobium cyclocarpum. Family: Leguminosae. Common name: corotú. The corotú is a very large pasture tree. On big individuals, the trunk often forks near the ground, so the immensely wide crown almost touches the ground. In pastures and grasslands in the Pacific slope of Panama , the corotu is the dominant large tree. It can also be a major component of secondary forests, in which the forest recently regenerated from pasture. This tree is very common around Panama City , Parque Metropolitano, and all along the Canal all the way to Gamboa. The wood is of fine quality and is used for furniture and giant trunks are used for making dugout canoes (STRI). The corotú is one of the largest and most beautiful of the trees of the savanna. It is known in Costa Rica as the guanacaste and is the national tree of that country. It is also known as false mahogany, the earlobe tree, and the elephant ear tree, among other names.   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Received this afternoon via email: "Hi Don, There is a member of our community in Boquete, who has been nominated for a prestigious prize and is in need of votes. Is there anyway you could write a short article on him and perhaps post the link where your readers can vote? Thanks so much, I know you are a busy man! Regards, Samantha."

Sure, No Problem: "There are the Oscars, the Emmys and the Golden Globes; but there is no award given to Latin American innovative projects that change the world - discovering vaccines, improving technology, generating new social waves, struggling to control climate change. The Prize Innovadores de America acknowledges the most relevant social development, entrepreneurial, cultural and scientific projects. Latin American projects that, through great creativity and effort help to make a better world. The Prize Innovadores de America represents a well-deserved acknowledgement for work performed by Latin American icons that do not sing, run after a ball, or frequently appear in the media. For their capacity to transform society through their innovations these modern heroes deserve to be recognized and rewarded. Innovadores de America is a regional prize awarded every two years. Its objective is to acknowledge and promote Latin Americans whose creative contributions represent innovations so important that they become role models from whom to learn and with the potential to benefit many. Innovators of America promotes a new Latin American innovation culture in order to share, transmit and disseminate the creative Latin America spirit. The award will consist of $40,000.00 for each winner of the following categories: Education, Science and Technology, Design, Sustainability and Ecology, Community Development, and Enterprise and Industry. Latin American individuals, groups or organizations that have innovative projects may participate by completing the Application Form.

Demetrio Javier Díaz M - Phytoprotector biofactory: Improving regional food production. Maximizing agricultural productivity. Rejuvenating and extending the life of the soil. Promoting cleaner agricultural production. Conserving the environment. Invigorating the local economy. Aboquete strives to increase the quality of the agricultural economy and community in Latin America, supplying farmers with sustainable biological controls that protect their lands, increase their incomes, and grow the regional economy.

Ten years ago, Aboquete was founded as a company that would add value to agro-industrial waste by recycling safe agricultural byproducts and transforming them into organic fertilizer. Aboquete perceived that farmers had the need for alternative products that would help them control pests without contaminating the environment and degrading their lands. Aboquete’s innovative leadership identified the study of fungi that control insects and pests as a marketable ecological solution and sought funding to grow a new business unit that would focus on the research and development of fungi as a biological control. In 2008, a laboratory was created that now has produced five products that are fine-tuned to meet the most pressing needs of Latin America’s farmers. These products effectively improve crop production through the elimination of pests and diseases, while removing the threat of damage to the environment.

Aboquete is a pioneer in its home country in the development of this technology. CEO Demetrio Diaz takes a holistic approach to achieving the objectives of Aboquete by promoting sustainability at all levels, during development, production, and marketing. The Aboquete team develops strong relationships with Latin American farmers in order to understand their critical needs and provide educational programs to enhance the regional understanding of sustainable production. Aboquete’s focus on outreach and education has in recent years influenced Latin American farmers to become increasingly more aware of the importance of using products that help conserve the environment without affecting their return on investment. Aboquete also strives to promote sustainability by acting as a positive example for other businesses, running its operations solely with renewable energy, using renewable bamboo as material for new construction, and crafting products that reduce the emissions of dangerous green house gasses.

Aboquete continues to work relentlessly to develop new innovative controls that alleviate the pressure on farmers to use conventional chemical products. Through new relationships with regional partners, Aboquete is working to increase the regional awareness of the benefits of organic agricultural products, aiming to expand the market for safe biological controls and permanently change the way land is used in Latin America."

Click On This Link To Vote: Apparently you can vote once per day - Click Here To Vote. When I put this up he was in a tight race for first place with 9,267 votes. I've since blasted my Twitter contacts with the information and links, asking them to RT. Voting will be open apparently until the third week in November when the winner will be selected.

Copyright 2011 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

#Panama - The Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) is in the process of hiring a company to perform the work of "bioremediation" to clean up the waters of a "wheel" (containment wall) and mangroves that were affected by a bunker spill in the area of Mont Hope, in the province of Colon. Abraham Martinez, the Director of Pollution of the AMP, explained this spill was caused by a leak that occurred in December 2010 due to damage to underground pipes, and it created a layer six inches deep in the "wheel" (containment wall) that surrounds the storage tanks. Martinez said this layer has already been collected and there are now clots of oil in the water, so they are in the process of hiring a company that will be responsible for the cleanup. According to Martinez, at least three companies have shown interest in participating in this cleaning process, but they must meet the requirements laid out in "Panama Compra." An environmentalist who asked not to be named, said this bunker spill will take its toll on the ecology of the area, and there are approximately 15,000 square meters affected. (Siglo)

Editor's Comment: What? An "unnamed environmentalist"? That's got to be a first. Normally the most dangerous place on the planet is a space between any environmentalist and a microphone. OK, so there's a spill, and it's going to be cleaned up. Got it. But this "unnamed environmentalist" is probably a government employee who gave some additional information to the reporter, but he can't go on the record. The mysterious "hooded tree hugger..." - yeah, right.   

#Panama By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - In the past few months I've been working with Jeff Duda, the President of Panama Teak Forestry to help develop a marketing and publicity strategy for their plantation teak in Panama. The more I learn about this business, the more I like it, for two primary reasons. First of all, teak is a very valuable tropical hardwood, used in marine applications such as boats and decking. Teak is also used to build outdoor furniture, as well as a flooring and deck material used for higher end homes. It's a pretty wood, it's durable, and most importantly it can stand up to the harsh outdoor environments - rain, snow, and saltwater - and it won't rot. Teak trees have evolved in the relatively rough neighborhood of the tropical rain forest, and has developed natural defenses against insects, mold, mildew, fungus, and rot. As such, teak wood and lumber is relatively expensive on the retail market. Outdoor furniture made of teak is some of the most expensive on the market, precisely because these pieces are considered to be "instant heirlooms" (because they are going to out live all of us.) So that's the first reason why I like this business - it's profitable. Of course it takes a long time for a newly planted teak tree to grow to maturity, 25 years or so, so it's a long term investment. And a lot of people have learned the hard way that you can't just "plant it and forget it". A forest of value has to be intensively managed and monitored - if not it's practically worthless. Anyway, the plantation teak trees being grown and professionally managed by Panama Teak Forestry represent a whole lot of potential profit. And the important question from an environmental point of view - How much carbon dioxide are all those plantation teak trees in Panama sequestering (removing) from the atmosphere? (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (1,792 words)

#Panama - At this moment authorities from the Regional Health Bureau in San Miguelito, Las Cumbres and Chilbre, working in conjunction with the Bureau of Cleaning and the Office of Metropolitan Health, are closing several improvised landfills in a field near the area of Kuna Nega on the road that leads to Cerro Patacón. In the place they found mosquito larvae and all kinds of waste. Underneath all this, they found methane gas which is a danger to the community. The director of the Metropolitan Health Region, Jorge Hassan, said previously there have been fires in this area. The number of makeshift landfills is similar in size of Cerro Patacón. During the operation they found a truck throwing waste in a prohibited place. They did not find the driver. Hassan said he would increase penalties for people who throw trash in places where it's not allowed, and he also spoke of the possibility of apprehending those who do. (Dia a Dia)

   

The secretariat of the United Nations-backed convention governing trade in endangered species said today that Madagascar and Panama have requested that it regulate the import and export of 91 hardwood species in a bid to curb the rising trade in illegally acquired high-quality wood. The listing of ebony wood and rosewood species in Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) will facilitate detection of fraud and make critical trade information available to exporting and importing countries, according to CITES. Appendix III regulations mean that all cross-border shipments now have to be authorized by the issuance of a document certifying the origin of the products covered by the listing. Madagascar requested the inclusion in CITES of five species of rosewood (genus Dalbergia) and 84 species of ebony wood (genus Diospyros) after illegal trade increased by 25 per cent in 2009 and about 25,000 cubic metres of rosewood were exported.

Rosewood is sought after for its rich reddish-brown colour and hardwood, extensively used for high-end furniture, housing and musical instruments. In future, all international trade in logs, sawn wood and veneer sheets of the listed species will need to be accompanied by CITES documentation confirming the country of origin. Panama also requested the help of the other 174 State Parties to CITES to control trade in Dalbergia darienensis and Dalbergia retusa, known as black rosewood or cocobolo. Dalbergia retusa are found mainly in dry tropical forests from Mexico to Panama.

Cocobolo is exceptionally good for marine use. Because it is hard, beautiful, and very stable, it is also used for gun grips, butts of billiard cues and chess pieces. Cocobolo is resonant when struck, making it a preferred material for marimbas, clarinets and xylophones. Welcoming the new listings, which will enter into force on 22 December, the convention’s Secretary-General John Scanlon said: “CITES will support Madagascar’s and Panama’s efforts to control their timber trade and ensure that such trade remains legal and traceable. “Regulating trade in these high-value timber species under CITES will help ensure that the benefits of trade flow to local people and it will also serve the global community by helping conserve these species, which will be to the benefit of entire ecosystems.”   

The popular beach of Veracruz, in the district of Arraiján, was yesterday the subject of a cleanup efforts led by students and workers in the area, as a prelude to the activities to be carried around the world to celebrate the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup day. Participants gathered a ton of trash that included glass and plastic bottles, paper and trees, among other materials. All the trash was transported to the landfill by the company Aseo Capital, responsible for garbage collection in Arraiján. Juan B. McKay, the Communications Officer for London & Regional Panama, said this day is a combination of efforts between companies located in this district and government entities. "Tomorrow marks the International Day of beach cleaning and we decided to pick up trash in this place yesterday, Friday, because we could count on the cooperation of students, who are individuals who must be educated to care for the environment," said McKay.

José Agustín de Obaldia, of Promar and the organizer of the beach cleanup, said the global effort began last Sunday with the participation of 120 countries. "In Panama, due to the tides, we were going to start on Sunday. However some organizations wanted to do this before, so we started yesterday," he said. This is an educational activity for awareness of citizens to not harm the environment, explained De Obaldia. These cleanups will be offered throughout the Pacific coast of Panama. Jennifer Rivas, a student, said the beaches should be kept clean, and not to endanger the lives marine pollution caused by the mismanagement of waste. (Siglo)   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Received today via email: "Oil spill comes ashore in Veracruz - Last evening we were dining at the Veramar rest on playa Venao when Civil Defense, Policia Nacional, Dept. de Contaminacion and the Bomberos converged on the area warning people not to walk on the beach; which I did to find our why. The cause was large globs of crude scattered everywhere. The Prensa this morning carried nothing nor has there been anything in the press over the past week. Care should taken consuming seafood particularly shrimp until this is cleared up. David C."

Thanks For The Heads Up: Let's see, this email actually came on at 11:53 am on Friday morning, so I imagine by now there's been something in the local press. I'm still getting cleaned up from the short trip to the San Blas, so I'll take a look."

Copyright 2011 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.    

By HENRY FOUNTAIN (NY Times) BARRO COLORADO ISLAND, Panama — Stefan Schnitzer paused along one of the trails that crisscross this forested island in the Panama Canal waterway. Around him were trees, their high canopies muting the light from the tropical sun, the occasional woody vine, or liana, climbing up their thick trunks. But Dr. Schnitzer’s attention was turned to a break in the forest just a few yards off the trail. There, in harsher sunlight, a tree stump was all but obscured by a riot of lianas, their tangled stems forming a heavy thicket. Clearly the tree had come down at some point, which created an opening in the forest canopy that allowed the vines to run amok.

“This is really typical of lots of tropical forest,” said Dr. Schnitzer, a biologist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an associate of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, which is based in Panama City and operates a field station here, about halfway across the isthmus. “Where you get some disturbance, you get this massive influx of vines. They come down in the disturbance, but they don’t die. They just start putting out these stems everywhere. “This is the liana-tree interaction at its most horrible.” Dr. Schnitzer knows as much about liana-tree interactions as anyone, and what he knows is troubling. In a recent paper in Ecology Letters that looked at all the research on the topic, he confirmed what was first documented nearly a decade ago: that throughout tropical forests in Central and South America, vines are slowly taking over. (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (1,166 words)

Mauro Zúñiga, after he was denounced by the owner of Naves Supply Lourdes Castillo for the crime of libel, said during a press conference on Friday that they have evidence against the company. "I can show that Naves Supply collects medical waste and deposits it at Cerro Patacón" he told local media. He added that the company is not eligible to receive this type of waste that affects the population if they are deposited in an improper location. He further stated that the complaint filed by Castillo against him was organized by the Presidency of the Republic. "They do not want me to talk any more against the government and therefore they proceed in this way," he said. For his part, the legal representative of Zuniga said the lawsuit has no basis and therefore will not succeed before the legal authorities. (Panama America)

Mauro Zúñiga (left) and his lawyer leaving the Public Ministry.

Editor's Comment: This is a fight between companies that are vying for contracts to collect and properly dispose of medical waste in Panama City. The company Naves Supply, owned by Lourdes Castillo, won a three month contract to dispose of medical waste from the hospitals and clinics of the Ministry of Health. Then Mauro Zúñiga's company released a video to the local media supposedly showing trucks belonging to Naves Supply dumping medical waste in Cerro Patacon instead of incinerating. However, in response Castillo responded to the local media and showed how the trucks in the video are not hers, and what's more the video clearly shows the trucks dumping red medical waste bags marked "CSS" - from the "Caja de Seguro Social" (Social Security Hospital) - and not from the Ministry of Health. So, she filed her criminal complaint for libel, and now the lawyers are cashing in. During her television interview Castillo also explained how Mauro Zúñiga is representing the interests of a Venezuelan company that's trying to shove her out of the business. Anyway, for what it's worth, that's what's going on. It's been all over the local press for the past few days. The nice part is that finally the government of Panama has recognized that hazardous medical waste needs to be properly disposed of. For decades they simply dumped it in the landfill along with everything else.   

The municipal authorities in Panama City are working on a decree that seeks to punish with imprisonment those who throw garbage on the streets. Mayor Bosco Ricardo Vallarino said in the coming days they would be applying the decree involving arrests. "We're done with applying fines, now we will put them in jail," said the mayor. The only alternative to avoid going to prison would be, in place of the jail term, the litter bugs could pay their sentences with community service by collecting garbage in the rivers and creeks, and sweeping the streets. They also plan to sanction those persons who cross the street without using the available pedestrian overpasses. However the lawyer and unsuccessful Mayoral candidate Miguel Antonio Bernal said Mayor Vallarino has no power to punish with imprisonment those who litter in the streets. "The mayor wants to implement actions that are not his responsibility," said Bernal. (El Siglo)

Editor's Comment: Is Bernal in favor of litter? I guess he missed the part where they said they would be issuing a new decree to cover this. The mayor already has a gang of judges working for him. There is a local "corregidor" (Justice of the Peace) in each section of Panama City, Bella Vista, San Francisco, etc. These guys can and do have the legal power to put someone in jail, although they rarely do. Usually they hand out fines and sanctions, and if there's any criminal activity they pass the case to the Public Ministry for investigation and criminal prosecution. There has been talk for years of doing away with the "corregidor" system. They work good for things like small little local conflicts between neighbors - her mangos are falling into my back yard so make her pay to clean them up - that kind of thing. And, litter is a huge problem in Panama City were people (pigs) regularly and routinely throw their trash in the streets. Hey man, whatever it takes. Start tossing people in jail for a couple of days for littering, and it won't take long for the word to spread. Something has to happen to force a change in the culture, because right now generations of inconsiderate Panamanians have been culturally trained to indiscriminately toss their trash, at will.   

Local authorities yesterday detained two containers carrying Cocobolo wood, valued at $300,000. The wood, which did not have permits, was a load of 14,000 board feet that was bound for China. Juan Guerrero, head of Integrated Water Resources Management of the National Environment Authority, said this is the first case they have discovered this year of the illegal transportation of Cocobolo wood for export. The Cocobolo or Dalbergia is on the brink of extinction. In Panama, said Guerrero, this wood has a value of approximately $5 per board foot. It is estimated that in China the wood is much more valuable. (El Siglo)

   

The national assembly of Panama has agreed to a draft law which is to expand the support of wind energy. Operators of renewable energies’ projects had the chance to sell the generated current on their own up to now as long as the maximal capacity of the projects did not exceed ten MW according to the Exportinitiate Renewable Energies of the Federal Ministry of Economics. The new law envisions supporting wind projects via the auctioning of concessions. The awarded contracts at the auction with the state-run supplier Transmisión Eléctrica (ETESA) will last for 15 years. The State Secretary for Energy referred to the strategic significance of wind energy in the dry seasons in particular, in which the capacity of water power of the country does not reach its maximum output. (yourindustrynews.com)

   

By Rodrigo Campos, AFP Writer- Boquete, Panama- An ambitious and historic plan to release over 400 jaguars back into the wild in the mountain areas of the Chiriqui province in Panama is drawing praise from conservationists across Latin America. The program, which is headed by local environmentalists, is already nearly 30% complete with the last of the jaguars set to be released before the end of the year. Scientists associated with the project, nicknamed "Puente de Vida" (Bridge of Life), say they aim to reconnect the jaguar gene pools in the Santa Fe National Park to those in the La Amistad National Park, both located in Panama. Recent real estate development in the area has isolated the two groups, threatening to disrupt the continuous chain of jaguars that stretches from southern Arizona in the United States to Northern Argentina. So far, 118 jaguars have been released near the towns of Palmira and Caldera, with future releases scheduled near the towns of Jaramillo Arriba and Guadalupe, among others. Many of the jaguars will be fitted with radio collars to help track their movements along the Caldera River. The big cats are being raised at an 800 hectare compound in the nearby province of Veraguas, which project workers say is mimicking the wild where they will be released.

Critics claim the jaguars are being released too close to human population centers, and are in fact not wild at all. Ernesto Arosemena, a chicken farmer in the town of Boquete, says his chicken farm has been raided several times in the past few months by jaguars with collars. He also cited an incident in February in which a collared cat disrupted an outdoor birthday party in Palmera in an attempt to get to a large pot of "sancocho", which is a local chicken soup. Scientists associated with the project admit the jaguar’s diet in the compound consists of chicken meat and that sancocho is given as a treat for good behavior and learning tricks, but insist the jaguars will return to their normal diet once released into the wild. Arosemena disagrees, saying that jaguars that crave sancocho could deter locals from cooking the popular dish. Environmentalists counter the jaguars are not a threat to people, but they warn at no time should anyone ever try and pet or domesticate the jaguars, no matter how friendly they might seem.

The jaguar, with an individual range of up to 80 square km, is rapidly declining in numbers. The animal is considered Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, meaning it may be threatened with extinction in the near future. For a list of future jaguar release dates and sites please visit http://tinyurl.com/2ht3po   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - If you will remember, back on 5 February 2011 Panama's Minister of Tourism Salomon Shamah put his hand over this heart and swore to the residents of Playa Blanca that the dump would be closed no later than 15 March 2011. Well, I received the following email today: "Same smoke, different day! Once again Playa Blanca & surrounding communities are smothered in toxic trash fumes, poisoning Panamanians, residents & tourists alike. What happened to the Minister of Tourism's promise to clean up this shameful pit? I thought that perhaps as journalists you might want to follow up this story? Sign me - Anonymous"

Editor's Comment: Good question. No progress at all? When I get back to Panama I'll put an inquiry (WTF) to the Minister's office.

Copyright 2011 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

In the area of Fort Sherman a bunker spill from a ship that was seized and guarded by the Office of the Anti Drug Prosecutor is affecting the coast and mangroves in Colon, as reported by TVN correspondent Rolando Espinoza. The first to glimpse the damage were the swimmers who came to the area, who later filed a complaint with the National Environmental Authority. The spill has been occurring since last 25 January, and has reached the areas used by bathers. Rolando Bonilla, the Director of ANAM in Colon, announced that today they would tour the area to make a report. Espinoza reported that there are 4 more stranded vessels in the bay, so there are fears that another accident could occur. (TVN Noticias)

Fuel Oil Spill Near Fort Sherman - Along the Atlantic Coast of the Province of Colon in the Republic of Panama - 4 February 2011

Editor's Comment: Panama has a terrible record of managing goods and assets seized during anti drug operations. It's no surprise that there are four or five large vessels at anchor off in the bay off of the coast near Fort Sherman that were seized and impounded as part of earlier anti drug operations. It's also no surprise to learn that these same vessels have been basically abandoned, ignored, and mismanaged to the point that they are now leaking thousands of gallons of fuel oil into the ocean. The government of Panama obviously has to get their act together in this respect.   

A bunker spill (the fuel used by ships) occurred along about five kilometers of the coast near Fort Sherman, Colon. The source of the spill is unknown, however, there is speculation that the capsizing of the ship "Mamemon" anchored in these coasts for about five months may have caused the spill. The spill occurred in an area of mangrove swamps, which may affect the flora and fauna. (La Estrella)   

I have lived here in Panama for over seven years, and we love it. We typically live in our cabin in Bocas del Toro where it is very peaceful. On several occasions (and now) we have lived near main arteries like the Interamericas Highway. Unfortunately, there are many large trucks that are unbelievably loud. They basically have no mufflers, and can shake a house located hundreds of meters from the road. I can´t believe that there are no noise regulations that limit these vehicles. What can be done to address this problem to government officials, or the transito? It obviously decreases the quality of life of thousands of families who are living near the road. Do you have any ideas for the simple but annoying problem? We appreciate your website and the informing stories. Keep it up Don. Thanks, Phil Hagen

Editor's Comment: Unfortunately, there are regulations in place that are rarely if ever enforced. You've hit the nail on the head. The one's that get me are the Jake's Brake used through engines with no or poor noise suppression - they can rattle windows from a long ways away. I would bet that you're near a downhill slope or someplace where the trucks have to slow down or stop. They make noise with the Jake Brake as they are coming to a stop, then they make noise again when they accelerate. I guess the only thing you can do is complain, regularly and loudly, to the local traffic cops. But you and I both know that's not going to do much good. So, you're left with either installing sound-proof windows, or moving.

Copyright 2010 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

Halloween may be over, but the Frankenfish—a genetically engineered salmon created by the company AquaBounty Technologies (ABT)—is still very real. Yesterday marked the end of the FDA’s public comment period, which followed the organization’s three-day hearings in late September on whether to approve the fish for consumption, and has inspired everyone from moms to senators to celebrity chefs to speak out on the issue. Technically, though the FDA insists they won’t be rubber-stamping the fish anytime soon, these comments were supposed to focus on whether GE (genetically engineered) salmon—if approved—should be labeled as genetically modified food. (Duh.) Isn’t it a little odd to zero in on package labeling before the salmon has even been deemed safe to eat? Turns out that’s just one of the many fishy things about the whole deal. (more)

Editor's Comment: They plan on growing the "Frankenfish" in Panama...    Click Here To Read The Full Article (627 words)

By Pete Danko - The Turanor PlanetSolar departed Monaco on September 27, heading out of the Mediterranean and making a 7.5 knots-per-hour beeline toward the Atlantic Ocean and the Equator. It’s there the solar-powered boat hopes to find abundant sunlight that will power it on an unprecedented voyage around Earth. In attempting the first solar-only circumnavigation of the globe, the futuristic catamaran — said to be the world’s largest solar-powered boat — must travel more than 30,000 miles. That works out to some 160 days at sea for the six-man crew as it crosses the Atlantic Ocean, the Panama Canal, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean and finally the Suez Canal before returning to the Mediterranean. And yes, of course, you can chart PlanetSolar’s progress on the web.

The 98-foot-long catamaran is powered by nearly 6,000 square feet of photovoltaic cells that top its hulls, and can store enough energy in its batteries to sail about three days even without sunshine. The boat was designed by New Zealander Craig Loomes and built by Knierim Werft in Kiel, Germany, with financial backing from Immo Stroher and the company he founded and guides, Rivendell Holding. The PlanetSolar expedition aims to top that of the catamaran sun21, which in 2007 made a 7,000-mile jaunt across the Atlantic to New York City under strictly solar power. While swinging around the United States, the PolarSolar plans stops in New York and San Francisco to show itself off to visitors and “act as an important ambassador of the solar mobility idea.”   

ORIA, Los Santos. Panamanian authorities made a seizure today, the second in ten days, of illegally gathered turtle eggs in the province of Los Santos. The seizure came as a part of operations by inspectors from the regional office of the Aquatic Resources Authority of Panama (ARAP) in Los Santos. The eggs came from the beach of Oria, a district of Pedasi. As part of the operation, in the city of Las Tablas another 79 dozen eggs were also confiscated that had already been cooked to be sold. Recently, the National Environment Authority dismantled a band of turtle egg traffickers who were operating in this area. This band had a clandestine collection and distribution center for the illegal turtle eggs in the village of Llano Largo. In that place authorities seized approximately 818 eggs, or more than 151 dozen. They were taken illegally from the Wildlife Refuge on Isla Cañas. (La Prensa)   

Residents of the community of Santa Ana de Los Santos denounced to this newspaper that at the coastal area near the Peñón de La Honda, people have been capturing and killing the sea turtles as they come to lay their eggs. The complainants, who asked to remain anonymous, ask the National Environmental Authority (ANAM) in the region of Los Santos, to be vigilant in this area, as the Peñón de La Honda, in the past, hundreds of turtles came to spawn, but now there are few and they need to be protected, as well as in other areas such as Isla Caña and La Marinera of Pedasí. (Dia a Dia)   

PANAMA (AFP) The waters around the Caribbean coast of Panama rose two degrees of temperature in the last two weeks, which has already produced consequences for marine organisms, said the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). "The temperature of the last 10 weeks was maintained at an average of 30° C, when the normal temperature is 28° C," said the scientific body based in Panama. According to the STRI, the warming "is affecting the entire Caribbean coast of Panama, Kuna-Yala, Isla Grande, Portobelo and Galeta, to Bocas del Toro, all locations located to the North of the country."

The researchers suspected that something was not right, when a week ago the issued an alert when they observed coral bleaching and and unusual mortality of marine invertebrates in Bocas del Toro. Teams from the Smithsonian and local dive operators noticed that the water showed "an abnormal warming of up to 32° C," says a statement. Coral bleaching is "the result of stress experienced by coral reefs due to factors such as elevated water temperature" but does not necessarily mean death, experts said, who are now assessing the impact of water heating.

Hector Guzman of the STRI believes "it is possible" that the entry of the hurricane season has created a low level of circulation of the waters of the southwestern Caribbean, so the water remains "stuck" between Panama and Costa Rica. In 2005 a similar event was observed in the Caribbean that included a severe bleaching of corals in Panama, although mortality was less than 12% in the area. (Telemetro)   

The Minister of Trade and Industry (MTI) Roberto Henríquez said that environmental groups are "allies" that help the government learn about environmental problems, but he asked them to "not encourage panic among the people." Henríquez made direct reference to the claims of groups that say the company Petaquilla Gold, which operates in northern Cocle, has polluted the Molejón and other rivers with cyanide, and he asked them that when they refer to a case they should do so "scientifically and with respect for the truth." He stressed that no contamination has been discovered and insisted that the company does in fact have the required controls in place, and if they were not in place then the government would force them to comply with environmental standards. Moreover, the Minister reported they are preparing a new Bill to help promote micro-enterprises that emphasize the nationality, as well as the construction of a seafood market in Rio Hato, to be completed in the summer. (TVN Noticias)

Editor's Comment: Asking environmentalists to just stick to the truth and not be alarmist? Good luck.   

BRISTOL, England (UPI) -- Coral reefs can be surprisingly noisy places and the noise level is a good indication of the reef's overall health, U.K. scientists say. Researchers at the University of Bristol in England say coral reef inhabitants, such as fish and invertebrates, produce clicks and grunts that add up to considerable cacophonies, a university release reports. Analyzing recordings of coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean near Panama, Bristol marine biologists found some reefs are noisier than others, and these differences provide useful information about the state of the reef. Healthier reefs were louder, with a clear association between overall noise level generated and the amount of living coral, the researchers found.

"This study provides evidence that reef generated sound contains a real richness of information," Bristol University scientist Steve Simpson said. "This would provide fish and invertebrates with the cues they need to assess the quality of potential settlement sites before they can see them, a bit like wandering around a music festival eavesdropping on different bands before choosing where to pitch your tent. "It may even provide the information that enables some fish to return to the very reef on which they were originally spawned."