One Man's Quest to Save the Earth's Diversity

By Ryder W. Miller

Ed Ueber - or "Neptune" in our neck of the woods - is preparing for a 20th anniversary festival for the Gulf of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary.

"That is where the sanctuary is the best, getting people to realize that their fate is tied to a clean and productive ocean," Ueber said. "They need to realize that the ocean is one of our last wilderness areas."

Ueber is manager for the Gulf of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary and the Cordell Bank and co-manager of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries, an area the size of Yosemite. Ueber oversees all administrative, research, education and enforcement programs that occur within the boundaries of the sites.

As late as the mid-1800's, Ueber says, the ocean was the dominant way people got to San Francisco.

In an article in Hydrosphere (a publication of the Farallon Marine Sanctuary Association), Ueber reminds that the Farallon Islands "has a greater abundance of breeding seabirds than anywhere else in the contiguous United States. Endangered, majestic blue, humpback, sei, fin and sperm whales can be seen and admired here."

One of the largest populations of blue whales in the world can be found at the Gulf of the Farallones. Great White Sharks are abundant there and a total of 33 species of marine mammals live there.

Ueber, with more than 45 years experience working in marine-related fields, says food is the reason so many types of marine organisms are attracted to the area.

"Just as all living organisms are food for others, all living organisms are also food for thought. We need to think how, after 20 years, we can share, protect and improve the health of the Gulf of the Farallones for all living organisms," Ueber wrote in Hydrosphere.

In the article, entitled "Protecting Our Sanctuary: A Call for Action," Ueber challenges the citizens of San Francisco to become ocean stewards.

The ocean has been more than just a life-long interest for Ueber. He was involved in marine-related work before the first Earth Day in the late 1960's.

He has been a fisheries economist, research associate, marine consultant, shipwright, merchant marine officer and U.S. Navy submariner. He has published peer-reviewed papers on fish biology, fishing techniques, global warming, fishery economics, fish trade, fishery management, wooden boat building, wooden ship reconstruction, oceanography and marine operations.

Ueber has also chaired more than 30 national and six international conferences on marine fisheries, fishery valuation and management of marine protected areas. On fishery matters, Ueber has advised the governments of South Australia, Brazil, Germany, New Zealand, Korea, France and Spain and he has been manager of the Gulf of the Farallones, Cordell Bank and sections of the Monterey National Marine Sanctuaries since 1991.

Explaining his involvement with the ocean, Ueber said, "I always loved going to the ocean. I always loved being on boats. I find it much more peaceful than terrestrial environments."

Some of his accomplishments include starting volunteer programs like the local Beach Watch and SEALS, opening three visitor centers (a new trend for the sanctuary system) and creating non-profit organizations, like the Farallon Marine Sanctuary Association. Some of his awards include the NOAA Excellence Award for Coastal Ocean Management and the "Local Ocean Hero" from the Smithsonian Institute's Ocean Planet Exhibit (1996).

"We really feel to be a National Marine Sanctuary we have to reach out to all people who haven't experienced the wonder of the ocean," he said.

Mary Jane Schramm, who has worked with Ueber for almost 15 years, said, "He finds a way to be a consensus builder among different sectors, like fishermen and environmentalists, that might seem at odds.

"He brings tremendous experience with him," Schramm added. "He is very intelligent and very kind."

Dan Howard, assistant manager for the Cordell Bank and co-worker with Ueber since 1981, said, "Resources (fish and animals) come first with Ed. He is an incredible champion for resources. He would go to bat for them regardless of what the situation was."

"I think Ed has a way of working with people. He has a vision of the way things should be and he moves towards that goal," Howard said.

Zeke Grader, executive director at the Institute for Fisheries Resources and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman, said, "I think he is the best sanctuary manager in the nation. He has been able to bring constituents together to act as stewards of the waters, which has been an amazing feat."

When "Neptune" speaks, we need to listen for our own good. As Ueber relays, we are connected to the ocean in ways we are working to better understand.

A potential threat to humans is biomagnification, where pollutants find their way up the food chain and into the fish we put on our dinner plates.

A 20th anniversary festival at Crissy Field on Oct. 13 will include a sustainable seafood barbecue, beer and wine tasting and children's activities. Some of the restaurants that will be involved include Chez Panisse, Jardiniere, Oliveto and the Hayes Street Grill.

And guest speaker, "Earth hero" Dr. Sylvia Earle, will speak.

Earle, describing the value of marine sanctuaries, writes in Wild Ocean: "To a diver in the Florida Keys gliding among the branches of one of the last healthy stands of elkhorn coral in the United States, a sanctuary is an insurance policy taken out by the nation to protect the future of the reefs. To a motel operator, it represents a national commitment to keep the ocean attractive for visitors who will sustain the area's economy. To school children, a sanctuary may be a playground with appealing creatures, reefs and shores. To a scientist, it is a natural laboratory crammed with recipes for life developed over millions of years. To fishermen, sanctuaries may be the best hope they - and the fish - have for perpetuation of more fish. Vacationers might define any of the sanctuaries as 'priceless national treasures.'"

Ueber would like to see that the marine sanctuary restrictions be adapted to all American waters.

"I think the sanctuary program is saying the U.S. has made a decision to protect the ocean," Ueber said. "My goal is the extra protection afforded to the Gulf of the Farallon Marine Sanctuary should be applied to all waters."

"I don't think our regulations are onerous. No dumping, no oil spills, no pollution of the bottom, no disturbing the bottom .... A clean ocean is good everywhere," Ueber said. "The rules are something we need to do if we want to have good food and if we want clean water."

"This is a wonderful opportunity to project a regulatory structure to protect such a valuable commodity," Ueber said.

To find out more about the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, visit its website at www.gfnms.nos.noaa.gov. The FMSA can also be reached at (415) 431-6625.