David Shiffman

Sharks and CITES

March 15, 2010April 21, 2010 David Shiffman 1 Comment

The 15th meeting of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as CITES, has begun, and representatives of 175 countries are meeting in Doha, Qatar. CITES rules have the power to make international trade of plant and animal species illegal, which has enormous significance for their conservation. 8 shark species have been proposed for CITES protection under appendix II- oceanic whitetip sharks, porbeagle sharks, spiny dogfish (commonly used for fish and chips in the UK), dusky sharks, three species of hammerheads (great, smooth, and scalloped), and my study animal the sandbar shark.

Why sharks matter: a reply to “sharks are sub-par at best”

March 13, 2010April 4, 2010 David Shiffman 45 Comments

Science

Recently, Andrew attempted to correct several commonly-held misconceptions about sharks. He raises some good points, but I disagree with his conclusions. I believe that sharks are incredible animals, but I think it is far more relevant that sharks are important animals.

Shark conservation news: Fisheries closures, fish and chips, and a new shark sanctuary

March 12, 2010 David Shiffman

Conservation, Science

It has been an exciting week for shark conservation! We can only hope that this provides some momentum for CITES, which begins tomorrow. And now, for this week’s shark conservation news: The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission declared a ban on commercial landings of all thresher sharks (each of the three thresher shark species is considered … Read More “Shark conservation news: Fisheries closures, fish and chips, and a new shark sanctuary” »

Help Duke’s lemur center win $50,000 with just one click!

March 8, 2010 David Shiffman

Conservation

Pepsi is trying to “refresh the world” by giving away grants to lots of non-profit groups. One of the categories is “the planet”, and the Duke University Lemur Center has been nominated! If they get enough votes, they could win $50,000. The Lemur Center promotes research, education, and conservation of some incredible (and endangered) animals. … Read More “Help Duke’s lemur center win $50,000 with just one click!” »

Hawaii’s shark fin bill: Public comment period closes Monday

March 6, 2010April 4, 2010 David Shiffman 3 Comments

Conservation, Science

The government of Hawaii has proposed a bill banning the sale of shark fins within their state. It currently has the catchy title of “SB 2169: A bill for an act relating to shark fins”, and you can read it here.

This bill is progressing much faster than my shark conservation friends working in Hawaii suspected. The public comment period closes Monday at 8:00 a.m. Hawaii time! If you have something you’d like to say about this bill, please do it soon.

You do not need to be a Hawaii resident to submit a comment!

Here’s how to submit a comment:

More ineffective advocacy from PETA

March 4, 2010April 4, 2010 David Shiffman 20 Comments

Uncategorized

First they paraded half-naked women around in cities (including Charleston, right across from the building where I teach) holding signs that said “I’d rather be naked than wear fur” (Link NSFW). Then they had the “vegetarians have better sex” commercial that the Super Bowl refused to air (Link also NSFW). Now PETA is at it … Read More “More ineffective advocacy from PETA” »

A thought provoking quote about conservation

March 2, 2010March 2, 2010 David Shiffman 4 Comments

Uncategorized

I recently heard an excellent quote about conservation issues. The source of this quote is, of all people, my new home state’s embattled Governor. Mark Sanford, prior to his “hiking the Appalachian Trail” scandal, was a well-respected small government conservative. During a speech about his views, he stated that “the issue of environmental conservation sits … Read More “A thought provoking quote about conservation” »

Carnival of the Blue #34: Awesome logo edition!

March 1, 2010March 1, 2010 David Shiffman 15 Comments

Uncategorized

Welcome to the latest edition of Carnival of the Blue, a monthly compilation of the best in ocean science blogging from around the internet! This month’s entries are as diverse as ocean life itself, and are almost as awesome as the new logo that Jason Robertshaw was kind enough to make for this month’s carnival. You should all be sure to give each of our excellent submissions a read, but definitely take the time to admire this great logo. It’s the standard Carnival of the Blue logo, but there’s a shark swimming by it! It’s almost as if Jason knew that a shark enthusiast would be hosting this month’s Carnival. And now, on to this month’s submissions.

An open thread on Wikipedia’s list of science blogs

March 1, 2010March 1, 2010 David Shiffman 20 Comments

Uncategorized

A Twitter discussion this weekend between Ed Yong, Christie, and Sci Curious pointed out that Wikipedia’s list of science blogs is seriously lacking. If I’ve learned anything in my year in the blog-o-sphere, it’s that there are a lot of excellent blogs and bloggers out there. From reading the Wikipedia entry, you would think that there are only eleven.

Two questions arose from this discussion. First of all, is it a problem? Second of all, if it is a problem, should we solve it? I think that the answers to both questions are yes, but as always, I’m interested in your feedback.

An update on saving the rainforest

February 27, 2010 David Shiffman

Conservation

Last year, I wrote about an easy way to help save the rainforest. Tropicana had partnered with Cool Earth, and every time someone purchased a container of Tropicana Orange Juice, Tropicana would protect an acre of rainforest. As an avid orange juice drinker, I switched brands for a few months to help out this worthy … Read More “An update on saving the rainforest” »