David Shiffman

Return of the light bulbs?

October 5, 2010October 5, 2010 David Shiffman 4 Comments

Uncategorized

Two weeks ago, I mentioned the strange “save the light bulb” movement, prompting Andrew to write an excellent analysis refuting their central claim. For some reason, this issue is really bothering conservatives and it just won’t go away.

Shark Science Monday: Michelle Heupel discusses the need for lethal shark research

October 4, 2010October 4, 2010 David Shiffman 6 Comments

Conservation, Science

Last spring, we held an ethical debate focusing on a paper called “Science or Slaughter”. The authors claimed that sometimes it is necessary to kill sharks to answer important scientific questions. One of the authors agreed to be interviewed for Shark Science Monday. Enjoy! As always, feel free to ask questions of the interview subject … Read More “Shark Science Monday: Michelle Heupel discusses the need for lethal shark research” »

Bad news for sharks in the South China Sea

September 30, 2010September 29, 2010 David Shiffman 1 Comment

Conservation, Science

While a large percentage of the world’s shark fins pass through Hong Kong fish markets, most come from far-away countries and little attention has been paid to shark populations in adjacent waters. An important new paper, appropriately titled “The sharks of South East Asia – unknown, unmonitored and unmanaged” provides new insight into this problem.

Help “A Sea Change” get on Netflix!

September 30, 2010September 30, 2010 David Shiffman 2 Comments

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The fantastic ocean-acidification documentary “A Sea Change” needs your help! They have just become a “saved film” on Netflix, which means that the DVD-rental website is waiting to see how many people add the movie to their queue before deciding whether or not to buy copies of it. If you or anyone you know has … Read More “Help “A Sea Change” get on Netflix!” »

Democrats support shark conservation, Republicans do not

September 29, 2010September 29, 2010 David Shiffman 13 Comments

Conservation

I’ve written about the Shark Conservation Act several times. Though it passed the House of Representatives, it keeps stalling in the Senate, and bills need to be passed by both in order to become law. The SCA would close many existing loopholes in United States shark management policy, and is endorsed by many conservation organizations.

Should South Carolina’s public colleges freeze new construction projects to save money?

September 29, 2010September 28, 2010 David Shiffman 5 Comments

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Rising tuition costs are a problem at institutions of higher learning around the country. When it is more expensive to go to college, fewer people can afford it. Various strategies have been tried to fix this problem, but the latest hits close to home for me. This week, South Carolina governor Mark Sanford proposed strict new spending rules for public colleges. From the Charleston Post and Courier article:

“The state’s Budget and Control Board could decide this week whether to place a moratorium on new building projects on public college and university campuses as a way to reduce the cost of tuition.”

Statewide, school administrators have greeted this announcement with strong resistance. Fundamentally, it all comes down to different philosophies of government. Conservatives like Mark Sanford support lower taxes and lower spending, while liberals favor a “tax and spend” strategy. Which is more appropriate for state-funded colleges?

Shark Science Monday: Eric Clua discusses the economics of shark feeding tourism

September 28, 2010September 28, 2010 David Shiffman 4 Comments

Conservation, Science

Continuing the discussion about shark feeding dives started last week by Aleks Maljkovic, Eric Clua discusses the economics of this practice and concludes that a living shark can be worth much more than a dead shark. If you have any questions for me or the subject of this week’s interview, please leave them as comments … Read More “Shark Science Monday: Eric Clua discusses the economics of shark feeding tourism” »

Shark Science…Thursday?

September 27, 2010September 27, 2010 David Shiffman

Uncategorized

I apologize for the delay, but due to weekend-long computer trouble and a research trip all day Monday and Tuesday, this week’s Shark Science Monday will have to wait until later in the week.

What species of skate is for dinner? New research challenges elasmobranch fisheries policy

September 24, 2010December 31, 2011 David Shiffman 7 Comments

Conservation, Science

I write a lot about shark conservation issues, but I rarely focus on their fellow elasmobranchs. Rays and skates have similar life history strategies as sharks, and many species are similarly overfished. A friend just sent me a cool paper about the conservation of skates, which provides an excellent opportunity to remedy this oversight.

A major issue standing between well-managed elasmobranch fisheries and the mess we find ourselves in today is species identification. Many species look very similar (in some cases, DNA tests are required to tell them apart), which makes recording catch statistics extremely difficult. In fact, United States fishery management policy sometimes focuses on species complexes (i.e. “Large Coastal Sharks”) of sharks rather than individual species. Species identification is a major issue for skates as well.

A global shark conservation challenge from Palau and Micronesia

September 23, 2010September 22, 2010 David Shiffman 1 Comment

Conservation, Science

Yesterday afternoon, the Presidents of Honduras and Palau challenged other world leaders to follow their example by protecting sharks. Both nations have banned shark fishing within their territorial waters, and they are encouraging other nations (both rich countries with fishing fleets and poor coastal countries) to do the same. This announcement was timed to coincide with a high-level United Nations meeting to review millennium development and global biodiversity conservation goals.

The two Presidents had this to say: