Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Conservation group cuts nets, freeing dolphins in Taiji, Japan

Check this article out, some more dolphins were saved in Taiji, Japan!! PetethomasOutdoors

The European-based conservation group The Black Fish claims to have cut the nets of holding pens in Taiji, Japan, freeing "a number of dolphins" that had been selected for sale to aquariums and so-called dolphinariums around the world.


The Black Fish used divers who swam out in rough conditions and cut the nets of six pens. The group claims no arrests were made.Fishermen in Taiji are participating in an annual dolphin capture that began on Sept. 1. The mammals are either sold or killed for meat. The hunt gained global notoriety last year because of the Oscar-winning documentary, "
The Cove." Earlier this week, Ric O'Barry, the renowned activist whose efforts were featured in "The Cove," reported that several Risso's dolphins had been killed by the dolphin hunters. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society recently documented the killing of pilot whales and Risso's dolphins.

The Black Fish effort was the first act of vandalism this year on behalf of the marine mammals.
Said group co-founder Wietse ven der Werf, "The connection between the dolphin entertainment industry and this annual drive hunt can no longer be denied. To be successful in our campaigns in Europe we need to get to the root of this illegal trade, which is right at Taiji."
The annual hunt is backed by Japan's fisheries agency and several aquariums and dolphinariums purchase dolphins caught by the Taiji fishermen.

-- Pete Thomas

Australian officials on the hunt for a whale rider

This bad idea has been brought to you by an insane, death wish teenager from Australia. Do not try this at home. Crazy!

"Word that a teenager climbed aboard a whale for a ride has sent Australian
officials to the beach, to warn others not to try such a stunt.

"Adult southern right whales can reach 18 meters (59 feet) in length and weigh up to 80 tons. If you are in the way of a tail slap or when it breaches, you are unlikely to survive," said Mike Shephard, a district manager for the Australian Department of Environment and Conservation.

A witness said the whale rider boarded a southern right whale on Friday afternoon about 20 meters (66 feet) off Middleton Beach, in the Western Australian city of Albany, the environmental agency said. The witness took a photograph and was to turn it over to authorities. But authorities will not release the image, because it will be part of the investigation, a spokeswoman for the agency said Monday afternoon. No further leads had emerged, she said.

"Southern right whales come close to shore to rest and to allow calves to gain strength in calm waters. Disturbance or physical contact with them, either deliberate or accidental, not only distresses the whales, but also could result in a tragic outcome for a foolhardy person," the environmental agency said in a news release. People risk a $10,000 AUD ($9,585 USD) fine if they come closer than 30 meters (98 feet) to the whales, officials said.
Southern right whales migrate along southern Australia from June to October.

Right whales reportedly came by their name because they're relatively easy for whalers to hunt."

Story received from CNN News

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Public trust lost in spill cleanup

Talk about really bad estimates. Seriously come on! This just confirms a belief held by many that the initial response and action plan in dealing with the spill was subpar at best. Where is the accountability?

"WASHINGTON – The Obama administration's repeated low estimates of the huge BP oil spill undermined public confidence in the government's entire cleanup effort, leaders of a White House-appointed commission declared at an investigatory hearing Monday. One likened the mistakes to Custer's disastrous decisions at Little Big Horn.

Federal officials botched the government's response, a local official and government and university scientists contended as the commission focused on the questions of who was in charge and how much oil spewed out of the well into the Gulf of Mexico. Eventually, U.S. officials said the spill was about 60 times bigger than originally estimated. Instead of 42,000 gallons a day, the volume of leaking oil was closer to 2.4 million gallons a day.

Retired Adm. Thad Allen, in charge of the government's response, told commissioners that the low estimates didn't hamper government efforts to deal with the spill. But William Reilly, former chief of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said he had trouble believing that, that it contradicted common sense.

A senior government scientist, Bill Lehr of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said once NOAA realized the spill was much larger than estimated, things changed tremendously. Vacations were canceled, retirees were called in and oil response staff was "given a blank check," he said. Florida State University's Ian MacDonald said it took eight attempts by the government to arrive at the correct estimate. He said BP's estimate of 210,000 gallons a day was about 100 times less than federal guidelines said it should have been based on the thickness and color of the oil.

As for the future, Graham said the government should take a stronger role regulating oil wells in the Gulf. "There is a tendency to forget the fact that this property out in the Gulf of Mexico where all this is happening belongs to all of us," he said. "We are the landlord. They are the lessees. And we need to start acting like a landlord."

Article received from the Yahoo News to read the full article click link

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Quadruple amputee swims across English Channel


Check out this awesome accomplishment! The Hindu


A Frenchman whose arms and legs were amputated swam across the English Channel this weekend using leg prostheses that have flippers attached.Philippe Croizon (42) had expected the tough crossing to take up to 24 hours — and instead, he finished in only 13-and-a-half.

“I did it, I'm happy, I'm so happy, I can't believe it, it's crazy,” he told France-Info radio, sounding giddy on arrival late Saturday.Three dolphins joined him for a while.“We took that as a sign of good luck,” the swimmer's father, Gerard Croizon, told The Associated Press.Mr. Croizon set off from Folkestone on the British side of the English Channel and arrived near the French town of Wissant. At the narrowest point, the crossing is about 34 km.

Mr. Croizon's specially designed leg prostheses, which end in flippers, allow him to propel himself through the water. His truncated upper arms go through the motions of the crawl, and he breathes through a snorkel.The swimmer lost his arms and legs after suffering an electric shock in 1994 as he stood on a ladder adjusting his television antenna, which touched a power line. Mr. Croizon made headlines in 2007 for parachuting from an airplane. He wrote a book about his experiences called J'ai decide de vivre (I decided to live).

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Crocodiles surf the currents!

Awesome!!! Those Crazy Crocodiles... No wonder these dinosaurs have lived so long. What an amazing creature. To read the entire article check out a great site called Science Daily.

"ScienceDaily (June 8, 2010) — The mystery of how the world's largest living reptile -- the estuarine crocodile -- has come to occupy so many South Pacific islands separated by huge stretches of ocean despite being a poor swimmer has at last been solved by a group of Australian ecologists. Publishing their new study in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Animal Ecology, they say that like a surfer catching a wave, the crocodiles ride ocean currents to cross large areas of open sea.

Many anecdotal accounts exist of large crocodiles being sighted far out to sea, but this is the first study to show -- using underwater acoustic tags and satellite tracking -- that estuarine crocodiles ride surface currents during long-distance travel, which would enable them to voyage from one oceanic island and another.
The results explain why, despite occupying such a large range, species diversification of the estuarine crocodile has not occurred.

Working in the remote Kennedy River in North Queensland, Australia, Dr Hamish Campbell from University of Queensland and colleagues from Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and Australia Zoo tagged 27 adult estuarine crocodiles with sonar transmitters and used underwater receivers to track their every move over 12 months.
During that time they recorded 1.2 million data packets and found that both male and female adult crocodiles undertook long-distance journeys, regularly traveling more than 50km from their home area to the river mouth and beyond into open sea.

The data showed that crocodiles always began long-distance travel within an hour of the tide changing, allowing them to go with the flow, and that they halted their journeys by hauling out on to the river bank when the tide turnOne satellite-tagged crocodile -- a 3.84-meter-long male -- left the Kennedy River and traveled 590 km over 25 days down the west coast of Cape York Peninsula timing its journey to coincide with a seasonal current system that develops in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

A second crocodile -- a 4.84-meter-long male -- traveled more than 411 km in only 20 days from the east coast of Cape York Peninsula through the Torres Straits to the Wenlock River on the west coast of Cape York. The Torres Straits are notorious for strong water currents, and when the crocodile arrived the currents were moving opposite to its direction of travel. It waited in a sheltered bay for four days and only passed through the Straits when the currents switched to favor its journey."

Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute

One of our own Defenders, Lee Friedlander is actively involved in a great organization called Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute. Their mission is to conserve native aquatic animals and their habitats through scientific research, ecosystem restoration, education programs, and public outreach.

One of their many programs focuses on establishing a self -sustaining population of Lake Sturgeon in Tennessee. A brief description of the program is listed below:

Lake Sturgeon
"Scientific name: Acipenser fulvescens
Size: To 8 ft., 300 lbs.
Range: eastern North America in the upper and middle Mississippi River basin, Great Lakes and Hudson Bay drainages, and upper Coosa River system
Habitat: Large lakes and rivers
Diet: Benthic species, such as mollusks, crayfish, and insect larvae
Conservation status: Endangered in Tennessee
Since 1998, TNACI has helped lead a statewide effort to establish a self-sustaining population of lake sturgeon in Tennessee. Due to the unique life history of lake sturgeon, which can live up to 150 years of age and reproduce at 10-26 years of age, this is a 25-year program. Initial reintroduction efforts were concentrated in the French Broad and Holston rivers, which join to form the Tennessee River closeby. We have restored over 70,000 lake sturgeon to the upper Tennessee River system in the first 10 years of the program. Since 2008, we have also worked with our partners to reintroduce lake sturgeon in the Cumberland River in Nashville. This program was recently recognized with awards from the Association for Zoos and Aquariums and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation."

Respect, Lee to you and the rest of the ream at TNACI for getting involved and making a difference out on the water. Be sure to check out the TNACI and follow their progress in tackling aquatic issues in Tenn.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Whole Foods rates fish by sustainability

Kudos to Whole Foods Market for helping to educate their customers and giving them choices on how they will shop for their seafood. This type of corporate responsibility is great to see!

"PORTLAND, Ore. - Whole Foods Market Inc. is trying to clear some murky waters for seafood shoppers. The grocery chain has launched a new color-coded rating program -- with the help of Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Blue Ocean Institute -- that measures the environmental impact of its wild-caught seafood.

The program is the latest in a series of moves by major grocers to change seafood policies as concern rises about overfishing and the environmental effects of certain fishing methods.
Similar to a stoplight, seafood is given a green, yellow or red rating. A green rating indicates the species is relatively abundant and is caught in environmentally friendly ways. Yellow means some concerns exist with the species' status or the methods by which it was caught. And a red rating means the species is suffering from overfishing, or the methods used to catch it harm other marine life or habitats.

"The industry has changed very rapidly," said Mike Sutton, vice president of Monterey Bay Aquarium. "When the consumer starts to care, it is the enlightened self-interest of businesses to care."Monterey Bay Aquarium, considered one of the pre-eminent sources on seafood sustainability, developed pocket guides and cards that help consumers navigate the fish counter. It has distributed more than 40 million of the guides and similar cards over the past decade."

The full article can be found at the Herald.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Swimming in chlorinated pools can lead to cancer: Study

Interesting article. Take away 1: Swimming is great for you, DON'T stop but DO explore ways to reduce chemicals to control pools. We think think this could be a conspiracy to get people to stop peeing in the pool. Take away 2: Stop peeing in the pool.

"Swimming in chlorinated pools can cause an increased risk of cancer in bathers, Spanish researchers said on Monday. Researchers from the Barcelona-based Centre of Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL) and Research Institute Hospital del Mar studied changes in indicators of mutagenicity -- permanent mutation of the DNA -- among a group of swimmers in an indoor chlorinated pool.
"The evidence of genotoxic effects were observed in 49 healthy adults after swimming for 40 minutes in a chlorinated indoor pool," CREAL said in a statement on Monday.

Researchers found indicators of an increase in cancer risk in healthy subjects as well as potential respiratory effects from the cholorine used as a disinfectant, the statement said. The study was published on Sunday in the US journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

The co-director of CREAL, Manolis Kogevinas, said the findings should not put people off swimming. "The positive health impacts of swimming can be increased by reducing the levels of these chemicals," he said.
"In no case do we want to stop swimming, but to encourage the reduction of chemicals in swimming pools," said Kogevinas, who suggested the problems caused by a reduction in levels of disinfectant could be offset if swimmers showered before taking a dip, wore bathing caps and refrained from urinating."


Underwater Pictures


Pretty awesome underwater photography. If any followers have underwater pictures they would like to share send them in and we'll put them up and credit your work

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Igor could be first category 5 hurricane of the season

Surf's up on the East Coast again! Igor is nothing to play with though. Conditions in the Atlantic and Gulf are ripe for hurricane weather and for Igor to intensify. Current models and scientific interpretation have the hurricane tracking away from the US. Please check out the full article and find more useful information at AccuWeather.com.

(Igor Photo:March 13th)

"Favorable weather conditions point toward further intensification of monster Hurricane Igor. Very warm waters and a lack of wind shear could allow Igor to pulse from a Category 4 hurricane to a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 156 mph or higher on occasion this week.
Regardless of specific categories, Igor will remain a very strong and dangerous hurricane through the week and beyond in the Atlantic.

Igor is forecast by the AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center to begin a curve to the northwest over the next 24 to 48 hours, steering the system to the northeast of the Antilles. However, there is still a chance Igor could slide more westward, missing one or more northward turn-offs, possibly bringing it too close to the Atlantic Seaboard of the U.S. for comfort and more serious problems.

For now, people in Bermuda and Newfoundland, Canada, area highest on the risk for direct impact from Hurricane Igor. All interests along the Atlantic Seaboard should keep an eye on Igor. Late season bathers along the East Coast of the U.S. should be alert for building surf and increasing rip currents late in the week and this weekend, even if Igor turns to the north offshore as expected."

Monday, September 13, 2010

Human remains in Tiger Shark's Belly

Check this story out. It will be interesting to see if the investigation will tell whether the victim was alive or dead at the time the shark ate this person. Pretty creepy, but keep in mind these instances are very rare. Story was contributed from the AP.

"NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) -- Bahamian police said Tuesday they are trying to identify human remains found in the stomach of a tiger shark caught off the Exuma islands. Forensic investigators were conducting DNA tests on the two legs, two arms and severed torso found inside the 12-foot (3.6-meter) shark, said Assistant Police Commissioner Glenn Miller.

He said the remains appeared to be a couple of days old, but that it was not clear whether the person was dead or alive when consumed by the shark.The tiger shark can migrate long distances and has been known to attack people.

Miller said at least two people have been reported missing recently on the archipelago. He also didn't rule out the possibility that the remains are those of an impoverished migrant whose boat might have capsized during a risky sea journey to Florida.

Three fishermen made the grim discovery Saturday after hooking the tiger shark about 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of New Providence, the most populated Bahamian island. One of the fishermen was Bahamian investment banker Humphrey Simmons, according to The Tribune newspaper, which quoted Simmons as saying that the remains were those of a man.

Marie Levine, executive director of the Princeton, New Jersey-based Shark Research Institute, said that for all the hoopla about shark attacks, they're relatively few and fatalities are even fewer. "With tiger sharks, it's unusual for them to attack someone when alive," Levine said. "They don't tend to go after something that's alive and can fight back."

Story was contributed from the AP.

More sea turtle releases and research planned for the Gulf

We applaud the federal government and the NOAA in their efforts to minimize damage to sea turtles and investigate the totality of the Gulf oil spill in regards to the turtles and their habitat that's been affected. Story received from the AP.

"NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Federal officials say they're stepping up plans to release sea turtles that were stranded and rescued during the Gulf oil spill and study how they've been affected.

Barbara Schroeder, sea turtle coordinator for NOAA's fisheries division, said Thursday no turtles needing treatment from oil exposure have been found since early August. Two groups were released last month.

A total of 1,086 sea turtles have been collected offshore and along shorelines.
Scientists have released more than 14,000 hatchlings from nests moved from the northern Gulf of Mexico to the east coast of Florida.

The next step will be inspecting areas heavy with sargassum, a marine algae that draws creatures on which the turtles feed. Surveys begin in two or three weeks, followed by long-term monitoring."

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Risk-Taking Rises as Oil Rigs in Gulf Drill Deeper

Check out this article from The Gainesville Sun; Oil companies are still drilling, now deeper and using more sophisticated technology, which can increase the risks!

"In a remote reach of the Gulf of Mexico, nearly 200 miles from shore, a floating oil platform thrusts its tentacles deep into the ocean like a giant steel octopus.

The $3 billion rig, called Perdido, can pump oil from dozens of wells nearly two miles under the sea while simultaneously drilling new ones. It is part of a wave of ultra-deep platforms — all far more sophisticated than the rig that was used to drill the ill-fated BP well that blew up in April. These platforms have sprung up far from shore and have pushed the frontiers of technology in the gulf, a region that now accounts for a quarter of the nation’s oil output.

Major offshore accidents are not common. But whether through equipment failure or human error, the risks increase as the rigs get larger and more complicated. Yet even as regulators investigate the causes of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the broader dangers posed by the industry’s push into deeper waters have gone largely unscrutinized.“Our ability to manage risks hasn’t caught up with our ability to explore and produce in deep water,” said Edward C. Chow, a former industry executive who is now a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “The question now is, how are we going to protect against a blowout as well as all of the other associated risks offshore?”Dangers do not directly increase with greater depth, according to experts like Mr. Chow. But they do rise as exploration and production rigs become more complex and more remote."

World Water Week

This week is World Water Week. World Water Week is an annual meeting that brings together experts, practitioners, decision makers and leaders from around the globe to exchange ideas and develop solutions.

"The World Water Week in Stockholm is the annual meeting place for the planet’s most urgent water-related issues. Organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), it brings together experts, practitioners, decision makers and leaders from around the globe to exchange ideas, foster new thinking and develop solutions. Join us!

With a strategic location at the confluence of Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea, Stockholm is an ideal place to consider the importance of water to life. It is appropriate that in late summer of each year since 1991, the city has become the focus of the global water and development community as leaders and experts from all corners of the world convene for World Water Week.

Even amidst the city’s famous attractions and the typically bright Swedish summer weather, the World Water Week in Stockholm is known for uncommonly serious business.
Organised and directed by The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), it has gained an international reputation as a unique forum for the exchange of views and experiences between scientific, business, policy and civic sectors from around the globe. By harnessing and linking best practices, scientific understanding, policy insight and decision-making, the program aims to transcend rhetoric and provide real answers to the world’s water-related problems. A comprehensive agenda of workshops, seminars and side events undertake in-depth examinations of the most critical issues, complemented by prize ceremonies, field trips and events that provide an abundance of opportunities for the professional networking that has come to be a World Water Week hallmark."

For more information check out the website here.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

World's Smallest Seahorse Facing Extinction

No matter it's size, the dwarf seahorse is just as important to us at Neptune's Defenders as are the larger sea creatures it shares its waters with. Natgeo has a great article on the struggle the dwarf seahorse is facing due to the oil spill.

"One of the world's smallest seahorse species could disappear due to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and subsequent clean-up efforts, conservationists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) warned today.

"The dwarf seahorse (Hippocampus zosterae), found only in waters off the Gulf Coast, now faces a bleak future after its much of its habitat was destroyed by the spill," ZSL said in a news release.

"Scientists are worried that the clean-up process could further diminish dwarf seahorse populations and other marine life," ZSL added.

Conservationists from the ZSL Project Seahorse team are urging BP to minimize the use of chemical dispersants and the burning of oil during the clean-up process, which is expected to take years, ZSL said."

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Update** Coast Guard: No spill at Gulf oil rig explosion

**Update**

There is an oil spill...Oh wait no there isn't an oil spill?? Well what is it? Let us know what you think fellow Defenders. It's absolutely unacceptable to be having these issues in our Gulf or anywhere for that matter. Read the entire story at the AP and Herald

"GRAND ISLE, La. - The Coast Guard is backing off its earlier report that an oil sheen about a mile long was spreading following a platform explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. Coast Guard Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau said Thursday afternoon that crews was unable to confirm the oil sheen. The Coast Guard says platform owner Mariner Energy reported a sheen about a mile long and 100 feet wide. But the company has said in a statement that an initial flyover didn't find an oil spill.

The company that owns the rig, Houston-based Mariner Energy, did not know what caused the blast, which was reported by a helicopter flying over the area. Crew members were found floating in the water, huddled together in survival outfits called "gumby suits." Ben-lesau says the fire on the platform has been put out. All 13 crew members were rescued from the water.

The platform is in about 340 feet of water and about 100 miles south of Louisiana's Vermilion Bay. It's location is considered shallow water, much less than the approximately 5,000 feet where BP's well spewed oil and gas for three months after the April rig explosion. Responding to any oil spill in shallow water would be much easier than in deep water, where crews depend on remote-operated vehicles access equipment on the sea floor. The update said the platform was producing 58,800 gallons of oil and 900,000 cubic feet of gas per day. The platform can store 4,200 gallons of oil. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Mariner Energy officials told him there were seven active production wells on the platform, and they were shut down shortly after the fire broke out."

Oil Rig Explodes Off Louisiana Coast


Oil Rig Explodes Off Louisiana Coast!!!

An offshore petroleum rig exploded and was burning Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico about 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay.

A spokesman for the Coast Guard told Fox News Radio that all 13 crew members on the rig are alive and have been safely accounted for. One person was injured in the blast, though the extent of that worker's injury was not known.

The rig, which is in about 2,500 feet of water, is owned by Mariner Energy of Houston and located 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay along the central Louisiana coast.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Thursday that the platform was not an active production site.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Casey Ranel said the blast was reported by a commercial helicopter company about 9:30 a.m. CDT on Thursday.

Ranel said it hasn't been determined whether the structure is a production platform or a drilling rig or whether workers were aboard. Ranel said smoke was reported but it is unclear whether the rig is still burning.Seven Coast Guard helicopters, two airplanes and three cutters were dispatched to the scene from New Orleans, Houston and Mobile, Ala. The Coast Guard said some of those from the rig were spotted in emergency flotation devices.

Authorities have not confirmed whether oil was leaking from the site.

"We obviously have response assets ready for deployment should we receive reports of pollution in the water," Gibbs said.

The Deepwater Horizon rig leased by BP was in about 5,000 feet of water when it exploded and sank in April, killing 11 workers and triggering a leak of about 206 million gallons of oil.


Tar balls coat Indian beaches after ship dumps oil

Reckless behavior endangers the water and beaches again. Illegal dumping by ships is an international epidemic. The parties responsible for this reprehensible behavior should be held accountable and penalized to the full extent of the law. Story contributed by the AP.

"PANAJI, India – Wave after wave of tar balls floated ashore Wednesday on the renowned Goa beaches after a ship dumped tons of waste oil off India's western coast, officials said.
Semisolid lumps of oil formed layers up to six inches deep (15 centimeters deep) on beaches in the popular tourist destination. Scores of civic workers used brooms to collect and clear the oily debris, but still more tar balls were washing ashore about three days after officials believe a ship dumped burnt oil at sea.

Indian navy and coast guard vessels were trying to trace the ship, said Aleixo Sequeira, the state's environment minister. He declined to say what action would be taken when the vessel is found.Ships regularly clean their fuel tanks and discharge the waste oil at sea, but this case involved careless dumping that exceeded all proportions, say scientists at India's National Institute of Oceanography, located in Goa.

"Crude oil mixes with water to form an emulsion that looks like chocolate pudding. Winds and waves continue to stretch and tear the oil patches into smaller pieces, or tar balls," said S. R. Shetye, who heads the institute.

Popular beaches such as Colva, Candolim and Calangute were badly hit. The beaches are not closed, but few visitors are there since tourism season begins in October. Goa's tourism industry is worried that news of the pollution could put off visitors to one of the most sought after and cheap beach destinations in India. Nearly 2.5 million tourists visit annually, including half a million foreigners, mostly from the U.K., Israel and Russia.
"This should not have happened. It will not be good for tourism in Goa," said Gaurish Dhond, president of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa."

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Risk-Taking Rises as Oil Rigs in Gulf Drill Deeper


Check out this article from Gainesville; it shows oil companies still drilling, but now deeper and more sophisticated, potentially increasing risks. You decide!

In a remote reach of the Gulf of Mexico, nearly 200 miles from shore, a floating oil platform thrusts its tentacles deep into the ocean like a giant steel octopus.

The $3 billion rig, called Perdido, can pump oil from dozens of wells nearly two miles under the sea while simultaneously drilling new ones. It is part of a wave of ultra-deep platforms — all far more sophisticated than the rig that was used to drill the ill-fated BP well that blew up in April. These platforms have sprung up far from shore and have pushed the frontiers of technology in the gulf, a region that now accounts for a quarter of the nation’s oil output.

Major offshore accidents are not common. But whether through equipment failure or human error, the risks increase as the rigs get larger and more complicated.

Yet even as regulators investigate the causes of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the broader dangers posed by the industry’s push into deeper waters have gone largely unscrutinized.

“Our ability to manage risks hasn’t caught up with our ability to explore and produce in deep water,” said Edward C. Chow, a former industry executive who is now a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “The question now is, how are we going to protect against a blowout as well as all of the other associated risks offshore?”

Dangers do not directly increase with greater depth, according to experts like Mr. Chow. But they do rise as exploration and production rigs become more complex and more remote.