David Shiffman

Listening for fish, glass sponges, and braking for whales: Thursday Afternoon Dredging: August 17, 2017

August 17, 2017August 17, 2017 David Shiffman

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Cuttings (short and sweet):

Watch this tiger shark take on an albatross on some of my favorite National Geographic natural history footage
Follow Dr. Maria Jose Juan-Jorda, a postdoctoral researcher studying sustainable shark and tuna fisheries, on twitter!
To see a coelocanth. By Steve Midway, for the Fisheries Blog.
Scientific expedition set to explore British Columbia’s glass sponge reefs. By Larry Pynn, for the Vancouver Sun.

Background information on our land-based shark fishing paper

August 15, 2017August 15, 2017 David Shiffman 5 Comments

Science

A photo used in this study showing a hammerhead shark taken completely out of the water. As with all photos used in this study, the angler’s privacy has been protecting by blurring out his face.

I have a new paper out on the conservation impacts of recreational shark fishing. The paper is called “fishing practices and representations of shark conservation issues among users of a land-based shark angling online forum,” and it is published in the journal Fisheries Research. If you don’t have institutional library access, you can read a copy of the paper here. The goal of this blog post is to provide background information on the study.

Journalists are free to quote or paraphrase information from this blog post. Additionally, I provide some suggested quotes below, and I am available for interviews about this paper (please contact me at WhySharksMatter at gmail).

Flesh eating sea lice, illegal eel fishing, and whale graveyards: Thursday Afternoon Dredging: August 10th, 2017

August 10, 2017August 12, 2017 David Shiffman

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Cuttings (short and sweet):

Watch this sixgill shark swim in the coastal waters near Vancouver, in this clip from the Vancouver Aquarium!
Video courtesy Vancouver Aquarium
Follow Al Harry, Australian shark researcher, on twitter! Al has just joined, so welcome him!
Sea lice feast of fresh meat as teenager left bloodied. Video from the Guardian. My official comment on this story can be found here. Also, here’s a video of some similar creatures skeletonizing a whole pig in a few days. (It is worth noting that some scientists are skeptical of this explanation of what happened to this Australian teenager.)
Learn about whalefalls, an important underwater habitat made up of dead whales. Video and story by Julie Takahashi, for the Houston Chronicle
How do you tag a jellyfish? By Diane Richards, for the Monterrey Bay Aquarium’s Conservation and Science Blog.
Read More “Flesh eating sea lice, illegal eel fishing, and whale graveyards: Thursday Afternoon Dredging: August 10th, 2017” »

Seals in the Thames, killing boto to catch catfish, and animal screams: Thursday Afternoon Dredging: August 3, 2017

August 3, 2017August 4, 2017 David Shiffman

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We’re back after a 3 week conference attendance break!

Cuttings (short and sweet):

Watch this blue-spotted stingray swim around an Oregon aquarium!
Follow Dr. Kyle Newton, shark sensory ecologist, on twitter!
Screams heard round the world: humans can easily recognize alarm calls of other animals. By Karen Hopkin, for Scientific American.
Seals return to the Thames estuary is going swimmingly. By Damian Carrington, for the Guardian.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: One link (to a twitter thread on scientist lab superstitions) has been removed due to some culturally insensitive comments in the thread.

Cecil the Lion 2 years later, spawning crayfish, and extreme ice: Thursday Afternoon Dredging: July 6th, 2017

July 6, 2017 David Shiffman

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Cuttings (short and sweet):

Watch this spotted eagle ray swim in Arkive footage.
Footage from Arkive
Follow Samantha Leigh, a graduate student investigating (among other things) how bonnethead sharks can digest seagrass, on twitter.
Cecil the lion was killed 2 years ago, and wildlife authorities still struggle to protect animals in the park where he lived. By Christina Nunez, for National Geographic.
Rare footage of crayfish spawning captured by divers in a marine reserve off Wellington, New Zealand. By Ruby Macandrew, for Stuff.

Asian carp, airguns, and cod recoveries: Thursday Afternoon Dredging: June 29th, 2017

June 29, 2017June 29, 2017 David Shiffman

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Cuttings (short and sweet):

Watch what a little skate looks like inside an embryo, from the Gillis Lab at the University of Cambridge
Little skate embryo, courtesy of Gillis Lab
Follow the Fur Bearers, a Vancouver-based mammal conservation organization, on twitter!
Invasive Asian carp found in Great Lakes, beyond electrified barrier. By Oliver Milman, for the Guardian.
6 things you’re missing if you’re not watching deep sea research live feeds. By Alexis Baldera, for the Ocean Conservancy Blog.

Fossil whales, Amazon dams, and offshore wind: Thursday Afternoon Dredging: June 22nd, 2017

June 22, 2017June 22, 2017 David Shiffman

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Cuttings (short and sweet):

Watch these freshwater rays (genus Potamotrygon) from this video by the California Academy of Sciences
Video by California Academy of Sciences
Follow Dr. Kara Feilich, a freshwater fish conservation biologist, on twitter!
New fossil fills in whale evolutionary history. By Brian Switek, for Scientific American.
How can scientists engage with policymakers? By new AAAS Leshner Fellow Meghan Duffy, for Dynamic Ecology

Wrasse control, oyster farming, and the economic benefits of saving whales. Thursday Afternoon Dredging: June 15th, 2017

June 15, 2017June 11, 2017 David Shiffman

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Cuttings (short and sweet):

Watch this horn shark hatch in this video from the Monterey Bay Aquarium!
Video from Monterey Bay Aquarium
Follow environmental lawyer Linda Nowlan on twitter!
Salmon farmers use wrasse to combat sea lice, threatening wrasse stocks. By Robin McKie, for the Guardian

Save the date: OceansOnline is back in 2018!

June 9, 2017June 9, 2017 David Shiffman

Academic life

I am pleased to announce that following the success of 2016’s OceansOnline, this event will return!

What is it? OceansOnline focuses on how marine scientists, conservationists, and educators can use internet tools for research, collaboration, and public outreach. It is open to anyone interested in marine science or conservation topics.

Giant whales, drowning historical sites, and slimy fish lips. Thursday Afternoon Dredging: June 8th, 2017

June 8, 2017June 8, 2017 David Shiffman

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Cuttings (short and sweet):

Watch this salmon shark. Video by Ravencroft Lodge in Alaska
Video by Ravencroft Lodge, Alaska
Follow Cassandra Ruck, a graduate student studying shark conservation genetics, on twitter!
Coral reef fish suck up their meals with slime covered lips. By Erin Ross, for Nature News.