Water Log 19.1

Lagniappe ( a little something extra)

Around the Gulf . . .

NOAA recently announced the installation of state-of-the-art navigational aids in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary to help ships avoid grounding on coral reefs. The new beacons were purchased as part of a damage assessment and restoration agreement.

A giant manta ray weighing at least 300 pounds dragged two Florida boaters by its anchor line for almost two hours towing it over a mile offshore in February. The 16-foot vessel with its 90-horsepower engine was no match for the 18-foot wide ray that eventually freed itself of the anchor line after Coast Guard assistance.

In November, the Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources authorized a feasibility study for creating seagrass preserves in the Mississippi Sound. One commissioner suggested building the preserves with funds that casinos must pay to mitigate the environmental effects of construction.

In January, Texas environmentalists sued to remove the State's authority to run a federal water pollution program.Delegated by the EPA, the program authorized the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission to run the Federal program with minimal EPA oversight. The lawsuit claims Texas lacks the proper funds to run the program.

Around the Nation and the World . . .

At the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization's Committee on Fisheries annual meeting in Rome in February, the United States urged the world's fishing nations to finalize agreements to review excess fishing fleet capacity and improve international conservation and management of sharks and seabirds.

In November, the National Marine Fisheries Service issued a final rule to revise the rules of conduct for Fisheries Management Council members prohibiting them from voting on matters that would have a significant and predictable effect on a financial interest. The rule can be found in the Federal Register at 64,182, November 19, 1998.

The U.S. Coast Guard recently sent a delegation to London to participate in an international forum addressing Y2K computer readiness in the global marine transportation industry and to produce checklists and model contingency plans for ships and ports.

Arguments continue regarding rights to the underwater remains of the Titanic as tourists have signed up to dive to the site. The right to dive is being challenged by RMS Titanic, Inc. who owns the salvage rights.

In January, the Italian government blocked a plan to build revolutionary flood barriers to save Venice from rapidly rising tides, saying it would ruin the lagoon, even though the rising tides waterlog the city every one in four days.

The United States recently reached an agreement with Thailand, malaysia, India and Pakistan to comply with World Trade Organization recommendations regarding U.S. shrimp import policy. The U.S. is committed to drafting and implementing new regulations regarding shrimp imports by the end of 1999.

University of Mississippi