Author: David Shiffman

Shark science fail in a Jeffery Deaver novel

Posted on By David Shiffman 1 Comment on Shark science fail in a Jeffery Deaver novel
Uncategorized

I am a big fan of Jeffery Deaver’s bestselling “Lincoln Rhyme” series of mystery novels. However, I was disappointed by the lack of basic fact-checking in one part of his latest, “The Burning Wire“. In this book, the bad guy is sabotaging the electricity grid of New York city.

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Vote for the RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation Program

Posted on By David Shiffman
Conservation, Science

The University of Miami Shark Research Program is in the running for a $25,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project. The money will be used for tags, boat time, underwater video cameras, and paying for local underprivileged children to participate. Among their many other projects, UM scientists are attempting to track sharks to see if … Read More “Vote for the RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation Program” »

Shark Celebrity Auction

Posted on By David Shiffman 1 Comment on Shark Celebrity Auction
Conservation, Science

Throughout Shark Week, the Shark Research Institute is hosting a fundraiser. You can bid to meet various “Shark Celebrities”, and winners can join them for a meal, a face-to-face discussion, or in some cases a trip into the field to interact with sharks! The shark celebrities being auctioned include scientists, filmmakers, authors and conservationists. Unless … Read More “Shark Celebrity Auction” »

Summer SharkTakular links

Posted on By David Shiffman 2 Comments on Summer SharkTakular links
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The Oceans4Ever Summer SharkTakular is now over. I was honored to participate and I hope that Alexa and Cindy will continue this tradition in the future. In case anyone missed one, here are links to the SharkTakular posts (except for the ones I wrote, those will be resposted here in their entirety). Introductory post Conservation … Read More “Summer SharkTakular links” »

Dolphin-safe tuna: conservation success story or ecological disaster?

Posted on By David Shiffman 49 Comments on Dolphin-safe tuna: conservation success story or ecological disaster?
Conservation, Science

ResearchBlogging.org

I used to feel warm and fuzzy inside when I saw the dolphin-safe logo on my tuna. I felt like a decision I made was helping the environment- like I was making a difference.

 

The commonly believed narrative about dolphin-safe tuna goes something like this: Lots of dolphins were being killed by tuna fishermen, outraged environmentalists led a massive PR campaign, legions of adorable children wrote to their elected officials, elected officials changed the rules to protect dolphins, and everything is better now. Hooray, we saved an innocent species and helped the environment!

That narrative is a great story. It shows that if a few people who care can convince others that their cause is just, there’s no limit to what we can accomplish. It’s inspiring. Too bad it’s not really true. As it turns out, we made things worse- a LOT worse.

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