Water Log 18.4

Lagniappe ( a little something extra)

Around the Gulf . . .

This fall, the Biloxi Bay Resort Group proposed a $1.3 billion resort for the city of Biloxi, including a 542- acre man-made island, revamping of Deer Island, three hotels, an 1,800-acre boat slip marina, 50-acre theme park, and a 200,000-square foot entertainment, dining, and shopping complex.

Manatees seeking the warm waters of Kings Bay, Florida, gained an emergency sanctuary this October when the Fish and Wildlife Service determined the continuous human harassment threatened the creatures. Located at Three Sisters Spring, the sanctuary will be a temporary retreat for manatees during winter months.

In August, the Clinton Administration added the Lower Mississippi River in Louisiana to the list of "Heritage Rivers," promising federal assistance to protect and restore the waterway.

Texas Sea Grant and Texas A&M University scientists have discovered genetic similarities between humans and dolphins noting that the genomes are basically homologous. Scientists hope that their studies will indicate when dolphins and humans embarked down different branches on the evolutionary tree.

Around the Nation and the World . . .

The National Undersea Research Center for the North Atlantic and Great Lakes has teamed up with the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut, to teach marine sciences to deaf students using underwater acoustics and SONAR technology to distinguish ambient noises in Long Island Sound and the Gulf of Maine from the sounds of aquatic animals and human activities.

In October, the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Seattle, Washington, settled a lawsuit in which the Corps agreed not to dump dredge spoils at the mouth of the Columbia River in Dungeness crab habitat.

The California Coastal Commission unanimously approved construction of an experimental artificial reef off of El Segundo designed to improve the waves to enhance surfing and restore an eroding coastline.

In September, a fish known as a "living fossil", the coelacanth, made its second appearance this century in waters off Indonesia, surprising scientists that knew the fish only as a fossilized relic from the dinosaur era. Scientists say that the fish lives in caves about 600 feet deep along the sides of underwater volcanoes. Its fleshy fins resembling human limbs led to speculation of ancestral relations to land vertebrates.

November 21st was designated as the first "World Fisheries Day" by the World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fish Workers. United States delegates suggested that U.S. fishermen celebrate by contributing a portion of their catch to charitable organizations in their communities.

The Oregon Sea Grant and Women's Coalition for Pacific Fisheries have announced the Heads Up! web site, an interactive bulletin board for industries, fisheries agencies, and interested parties to exchange up-to-date information about everything from regulatory changes to resources. Visit it at http://www.heads-up.net/ .

University of Mississippi