Over 15 years of ocean science and conservation online
I am pleased to announce that I will be working with Cindy and Alexa of Oceans 4 Ever during their Summer Sharktakular! The week of July 19th will be dedicated to shark conservation education. As with most things involving Oceans 4 Ever, a major component of the SharkTakular is a contest- specifically a shark conservation photo contest. Here are the rules:
Read More “Introducing the Summer SharkTakular photo contest!” »
eBay has been running a contest called “My Nonprofit” for the last month. The three non-profit charities with the most votes will receive $15,000; $10,000; and $5,000 from eBay. Finalists include worthy charities such as the American Red Cross, Race for the Cure, and Doctors Without Borders. As of right now, the Sea Shepherd Conservation … Read More “Sea Shepherd currently winning eBay “My Nonprofit” contest” »
If you ever find yourself pulling in a hand-deployed longline in murky water and the line gets heavy all of a sudden, the best thing to do is not to get on your knees and pull as hard as you can while leaning slightly overboard. Even though you might think the line is merely caught … Read More “Thoughts on an “oopsie”” »
A University of Miami research team that included my friend Austin (seen here posing with Charlie) recently had a CNN team tag along on a shark tagging cruise. There is also an article on CNN.com, which can be found here ~WhySharksMatter
Shark expert Sonja Fordham, President of the new conservation organization Shark Advocates International, will be speaking at a “Shark Salon” in San Francisco on Tuesday. At the Salon, Sonja will answer people’s questions about sharks and tell entertaining stories from her life as a conservationist and scientist. She is asking for a $25 donation to … Read More “Shark Salon this Tuesday in San Francisco” »
Charlie helps WhySharksMatter measure two Atlantic sharpnose sharks by using himself for scale. Atlantic sharpnose sharks are by far the most common species that the SCDNR shark survey finds, and these males are almost full grown. SSV Robert C. Seamans
Charlie helps WhySharksMatter measure a pregnant bonnethead shark by using himself for scale. This bonnethead is fully grown.
Charlie helps WhySharksMatter and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources scientists count, measure, and tag newborn sharks like this scalloped hammerhead pup. This data is vital for shark management plans. Charlie uses himself for scale to show how small these animals are when they are young. Scalloped hammerheads can grow to more than 10 feet … Read More “Charlie and the Adventure: June 23, 2010” »
Finally out on the water, Charlie learns about an important marine conservation issue: bycatch. WhySharksMatter and Charlie caught 43 horseshoe crabs in our net while sampling for sharks. All of them were released unharmed after being transported a few miles from the net.
Over Memorial Day weekend, Animal Planet aired a marathon of it’s new hit show “River Monsters”. The show focuses on self-described “biologist and extreme angler” Jeremy Wade’s attempt to find some of the largest freshwater fish on Earth. I’ve heard good things about the show in the past but had never seen it before. After discovering that there were two episodes that dealt with bull sharks, and I immediately DVR-ed them to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I was absolutely shocked at what I heard Jeremy Wade say about sharks: