Over 15 years of ocean science and conservation online
Expedition Week 2011 starts tonight on the National Geographic Channel. This year, there are 13 premieres on seven straight nights, and they promise “extreme treks, new discoveries, and bold investigations” featuring topics as diverse as conservation, exotic human cultures, archaeology, geology, and maritime history. In other words, there’s plenty for science geeks like us to enjoy.
Read More “Expedition Week premieres tonight, Shark Men next Sunday” »
This 2011 Beneath the Waves Film Festival entry comes from students of Dr. Jeremy Long, the creator of “What Invert You Like“. If you have a question for the filmmakers, please leave it as a comment below and I’ll make sure they get it. This entry won “best student film”.
Earlier this month, a video of fishermen shooting a rifle at sharks appeared on YouTube and caused quite a stir. The video has since been removed, but not before shark conservation activists made copies (warning: the videos are extremely graphic and have inappropriate language). Apparently some computers can access the site with the videos and others can’t, if you can’t access the site and want a copy of the videos just let me know. All images in this post are screenshots from the video.
Read More “Shark shooter identified, but has he broken any laws?” »
Oceana is accepting nominations for their Ocean Hero award until April 27th. There are two categories: adult (over 18) and junior (under 18). According to the contest rules: “Any individual who has volunteered, organized, cleaned up or otherwise acted in a way that benefits the world’s oceans, its inhabitants or the communities and peoples that … Read More “Nominations now open for the Oceana Ocean Hero award!” »
[Editor’s Notice – Comments have been suspended on this post. Please visit “Full video of injured shark shows numerous natural injuries” for an update on this controversy]
Last summer, I reviewed National Geographic’s “Expedition Great White” and interviewed the lead scientist. Several researchers and conservationists were concerned about the methods that Dr. Michael Domeier uses to study great white sharks, particularly after one shark was “foul hooked” through the gills. These methods (removing captured great white sharks from the water to study them using a forklift-like structure) make for excellent television, but may be harmful to the sharks. As I reported last year:
Read More “Severely injured great white shark found, are scientists responsible?” »
In this week’s edition of Shark Science Monday, Matt Baronio of Southern Cross University discusses using Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) to study shark behavior. If you have a question for Matt, please leave a comment on this post and I’ll make sure he gets it.
This year’s Beneath the Waves Film Festival was a huge success, and we’ve already started planning for next year. In the meantime, I’ll post some of the 2011 entries. “Spectacular when spotted” follows a spotted eagle ray research project in Bermuda. It has some great footage of these amazing animals, and shows some field scientists … Read More “Beneath the Waves Film Festival: Spectacular When Spotted” »
Last week, the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission held their annual meeting in Sri Lanka. As one of the few international fisheries policy organizations in the region, the IOTC is also responsible for management of billfish and sharks. Several new shark conservation policies were proposed this year. These included species-specific protections for hammerhead and oceanic whitetip sharks, closing loopholes in existing policies that ban finning sharks and discarding the bodies at sea, and requiring fishermen to collect and report more types of data on their shark bycatch. All of these proposals were rejected.
Read More “Indian Ocean Tuna Commission Rejects Shark Conservation Policies” »
As part of our Biodiversity Wednesday series, we’ve discussed amazing ecosystems all over the world. This week’s post will focus on an area a little closer to home (at least a little closer to my home). The Santee Cooper lake system, home to unique fish and a fascinating history, is less than an hour from Charleston. If you’ve ever driven on I-95 through South Carolina, you’ve gone right over it.
Read More “Biodiversity Wednesday: South Carolina’s Santee Cooper Lake System” »
The Beneath the Waves Film Festival begins tomorrow night. The lineup includes films by students, conservation organizations, and professional filmmakers. Topics include overfishing, biodiversity, marine mammals, sharks, and more. In the coming weeks, we’ll post some of our favorite movies on Southern Fried Science. In the meantime, here is the introductory film.
