Andrew Thaler

Conservation and the American Ginseng

November 20, 2011December 9, 2011 Andrew Thaler 2 Comments

Conservation

Ginseng, the ubiquitous, all-encompassing darling of the alternative medicine and natural health movements, itself a stocky, unassuming root, is in trouble. Prized as a curative additive in everything from sports drinks to dietary supplements, the vast majority of commercial ginseng is farmed in two Canadian provinces and Wisconsin. While commercial stocks remain robust, it is wild ginseng that fetches the highest market price, up to $1,200 a pound, and is used in some high-end ginseng containing products and traditional and alternative medicines. The leading exporter of wild ginseng is the United States, where 85,000 pounds are legally harvested and exported primarily to Hong Kong every year.

Blogging Scholarship – what’s in it for our readers

November 17, 2011December 9, 2011 Andrew Thaler 2 Comments

Uncategorized

You love us, I know. You want to David Shiffman win a $10,000 scholarship to help fund his education. But clicking a link, then clicking a radio button, then clicking another link is a commitment. It requires work. You deserve to be rewarded for you efforts and I’m happy to oblige. You see, I’ve know … Read More “Blogging Scholarship – what’s in it for our readers” »

David Shiffman’s Greatest Hits

November 16, 2011December 9, 2011 Andrew Thaler 2 Comments

Conservation

If you’re coming over from CollegeScholarships.org to check out some of David Shiffman’s work before voting for the 2011 Blogging Scholarship, welcome! Here are a selection of some of David’s influential, informative, and award-winning posts.

If you’ve never been to Southern Fried Science before and want to get an idea of who this Shiffman bloke is and what he’s about (hint: it has something to do with sharks), check out his two bench-mark posts:

Overfishing Rap Battle – Dead and Gone

November 11, 2011December 9, 2011 Andrew Thaler 1 Comment

Popular Culture

So I’m sitting in my office revising a manuscript when Dr. Bik over at Deep Sea News dropped some serious overfishing beats on me. In case you thought there was only one overfishing themed rap parody video out there, we’ve got some news for you: httpv://youtu.be/AZr9nWfips4 Warning: video contains some graphic footage of sea turtle and shark … Read More “Overfishing Rap Battle – Dead and Gone” »

#SciFund Challenge: Hey! Did you miss that fish?

November 11, 2011December 9, 2011 Andrew Thaler

Science

#SciFund is a month-and-a-half long initiative to raise funds for a variety of scientific research projects. Project leaders post a project description and an appeal for funds, and members of the public are invited to make small donations to projects that they deem worthy. Donations come with rewards such as access to project logs, images from … Read More “#SciFund Challenge: Hey! Did you miss that fish?” »

#SciFund Challenge: Saving Hawaii’s Coral Reefs

November 10, 2011December 9, 2011 Andrew Thaler

Conservation, Science

Managing the Menhaden of History

November 10, 2011December 9, 2011 Andrew Thaler

Conservation, Science

Yesterday, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Council voted to reduce the catch of Menhaden by as much as 37%. Menhaden, often referred to as the “most important fish in the sea” have been declining precipitously over the last several decades, due largely to the Menhaden reduction industry, which is now supported by a single company. Several graphs have been produced recently to illustrate this decline, including this incredibly informative illustration. Despite this attention, most of these reports have missed the big picture. Amy and myself have been thinking quite a bit about shifting baselines recently, and Menhaden represent what may be the most extreme example of this phenomenon.

The population of Menhaden along the eastern seaboard crashed in 1879 a full century earlier than the decline documented here. In it’s heyday, the menhaden industry was catching seven hundred million fish annually. Last years harvest was barely 450 million. These numbers belie a massive ecologic change. While the historic menhaden industry was based north of Cape Cod, our current menhaden production focusses on the mid-Atlantic seaboard and is slowly moving south, chasing the remaining fish. The population that today has finally received protection is a remnant of the once massive foundation of the pelagic ecosystem.

Reprinted below is our original article, the Menhaden of History.

Author: Andrew Thaler