Conservation – Page 34 – Southern Fried Science

Ocean Conservation, Ecology, Science, and Outreach on Dr. Kiki’s Science Hour

July 10, 2011July 10, 2011 Andrew Thaler

Check out my interview with Dr. Kiki Sanford on Dr. Kiki’s Science Hour. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Huf6ahIgShU And here’s a direct link for a high resolution version.

Adventures in Backyard Agriculture: A Summary and More

July 8, 2011July 8, 2011 Bluegrass Blue Crab

Conservation

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — fireweed, a delicious wild edible in alpine climates

This week, Southern Fried Scientist and I have written about our personal adventures in making town life a little more sustainable. First, building a chicken coop – a deluxe one, complete with green roof and made out of recycled materials. Next, dwarf goats as milk-producing pets and clarifying some of the tall tales about goats (no, they don’t eat tin cans but yes, you can teach them to head butt on command). The chicken story continued with how to raise them – whether to get chicks or pullets, what they need as they grow to be egg producing hens or the cock-a-doodle-doo producing rooster. Plus, it’s hard to beat chicks in a basket. Finally, what you might have thought backyard agriculture was all about – the garden.

After our miniseries, you might be left wondering ‘now what’? Where to begin or maybe there’s still some hesitation over whether it’s all worth it. Here’s some other practical considerations you might think about before beginning your urban agriculture adventure.

Rumors from the Abyss: visions of a future without deep sea conservation

July 6, 2011July 10, 2011 Andrew Thaler 3 Comments

Conservation, Science

sfs_26 — Bathymetric map, click for GEBCO high resolution image

The deep benthos is simultaneously the largest and least explored ecosystem on the planet. Covering nearly 60% of the Earth’s surface, it supports an almost unimaginable reservoir of biodiversity, rivaling all terrestrial habitats combined. Its microbial and metabolic diversity have revolutionized our view of how life is sustained, not once, but twice (first with the discovery of chemoautotrophic organisms at hydrothermal vents, and again with the discovery of cognate communities at methane cold-seeps). In spite of these major discoveries, the deep benthos is essentially invisible. Only a select few will ever witness it first hand, while for the rest, it will remain a dark and unfathomable abyss.

This places the deep benthos in a precarious position. Human activities that influence the deep sea go unnoticed. Without a thorough understanding of its ecology, it is impossible to assess the damage caused by anthropogenic impacts. Although recent and ongoing studies have shed light on many species and communities, the deep benthos remains largely unexplored. Two studies, both released this week, reveal simultaneously how little we know about the deep benthos and how human impacts, even unintentional ones, could shape this ecosystem.

Adventures in Backyard Agriculture: Raising Chickens

July 6, 2011July 6, 2011 Andrew Thaler 2 Comments

Conservation

I have a basket of baby chickens. Your argument is invalid.

So you’ve decided to commit to a more sustainable lifestyle, you’ve built a Pico-farm and are ready to stock it with a flock of happy, egg-laying chickens. Congratulations, you’ve reached the fun part.

Before you go out and buy chickens, you need to ask yourself a few questions: do you want hens only, or do you want a rooster for breeding? Do you want to raise them from chicks or buy adults ready to lay? How big a flock do you want?

Adventures in Backyard Agriculture: Building the Pico-farm.

July 4, 2011July 4, 2011 Andrew Thaler 11 Comments

Conservation

Several months ago, I began a new personal challenge to live more sustainably. I wanted to do something more substantial and larger in scale than the conventional methods of reducing your environmental impacts, which involve changes in habit, not changes in lifestyle. After many discussions, Bluegrass Blue Crab and myself decided it was time to try our hands at backyard agriculture.

Sea Shepherds of Pacific Sharks?

June 28, 2011June 28, 2011 Bluegrass Blue Crab 1 Comment

Conservation

Palau’s new shark sanctuary covers 600,000 square kilometers of almost all open ocean, making patrolling for outlaws a bit like searching for a needle in a haystack. In addition, Palau is attempting to make its new sanctuary a model for marine conservation for other small island nations, many of which are more water than land. So the eyes of the Pacific, if not the world, are on Palau to set a model. And they’re going to need help – but the big question is from whom?

Environmental History Lessons

June 14, 2011June 16, 2011 Bluegrass Blue Crab 2 Comments

Conservation

The sustainability movement has gained some ground in recent years, evidenced by recycling education in elementary schools, green marketing efforts, and green jobs to support new economies. Sometimes this might seem like we’re in a brave new world, but at the same time we are fighting the exact same battles citizens have been pushing along for decades – for better or worse. A recent reading of First Along the River: A Brief History of the US Environmental Movement I had a much better appreciation of where the modern environmental movement has come from and perhaps where we are going.

World Ocean Day – 100 years of fishing

June 8, 2011 Andrew Thaler 1 Comment

Conservation

Happy World Ocean Day. In lieu of an actually post, take a look at this graph, courtesy of Information is Beautiful. I think this is one of those rare items that needs no additional commentary.

Dear Fishermen, Please release mako sharks alive. Thanks, The Management

June 3, 2011May 31, 2011 David Shiffman 3 Comments

Conservation, Science

The world of fisheries management is so full of laws and regulations that it’s no wonder many fishermen feel persecuted by the government. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised to see the National Marine Fisheries Service trying something new.

International research team tracks threatened oceanic whitetip sharks

June 1, 2011May 31, 2011 David Shiffman

Conservation, Science

Oceanic whitetip sharks are considered by many to be a poster-child for shark conservation. Once one of the most abundant species of pelagic sharks on Earth, unregulated overfishing throughout their global range had led to a precipitous decline in their population. In some parts of their range, the species has declined in population by more than 70% in the last few decades. Scientists haven’t been able to find them in significant numbers for many years. One of the few remaining known aggregation sites is Cat Island in the Bahamas, and that’s where an international team of researchers just went to find these animals.