Conservation – Page 46 – Southern Fried Science

Unguided deep-sea research is essential for national and global security

May 24, 2010January 14, 2013 Andrew Thaler

This Sunday on NPR I heard the following paraphrased comment: “The ROV pilots have never had to deal with anything like this before, no one has trained for the kinds of maneuvers needed to close to well.” I’ve known many ROV pilots. They are all incredibly skilled, know how to handle their robots, and generally have many years of experience working in industrial settings.

But commercial ROV work tends to be monotonous. Many pilots I know spend the vast majority of their time inspecting pipelines and oil rigs, flying over long tracks of seafloor with little to no variation, looking for any signs of damage. When their skills are put to the test, it’s often the same repetitive motion, over and over. Even training simulations to prepare them for catastrophes cannot predict the infinite variations that could occur as an oil-rig collapses. It’s impossible to train for everything.

Until you throw a biologist into the mix.

Kevin Costner shows off his Oilspill Clean-up Machine

May 23, 2010 Andrew Thaler 1 Comment

Conservation, Science

Oil Spill vs. Hypoxic Zone

May 19, 2010May 19, 2010 Bluegrass Blue Crab 4 Comments

Conservation

There’s an elephant in the room as summer arrives on the Gulf Coast: hypoxia season.

This year, it’s a different Gulf, one covered in the largest oil slick in our country’s history. No one is quite sure what the interaction between the oil and hypoxia will be. Best guess is that both stresses will mean the end for most organisms living in the area and that hypoxia will exacerbate problems associated with the spill and hinder recovery by limiting oxygen availability for detoxifying bacteria. However, step back for a minute and speculate on other possibilities: could the oil spill actually be helpful if it prevents or slows the eutrophication process? Could the damages associated with the oil spill be less than those associated with a large hypoxic zone?

Crowdsourcing ConGen – A Reading List

May 18, 2010June 16, 2010 Andrew Thaler 1 Comment

Conservation, Science

This is a little different from my usual Crowdsourcing ConGen posts. I recently completed my qualifying exams for PhD candidacy, so have a very large reading list compiled for population and conservation genetics. So, if you’re interested in the field, you should check out some of these papers, and if you know of any others that should be included, please let me know in the comments.

WhySharksMatter attends an offshore drilling public hearing

May 16, 2010 David Shiffman

Conservation

A few weeks ago, I attended a public hearing about offshore oil drilling here in Charleston. I filmed the public comment period, and several participants agreed to be interviewed after the hearing ended. I have over 3 hours of footage if anyone is curious about what didn’t make the final cut. Interestingly, only a few participants lived in South Carolina. Oil companies and conservation NGO’s sent people from their Washington, DC headquarters. Most of the people who spoke were affiliated with a conservation NGO or an oil company or conservation NGO, but the unaffiliated individuals (residents of South Carolina) who spoke were all opposed to offshore drilling.

The Menhaden of History

May 13, 2010December 20, 2011 Andrew Thaler 8 Comments

Conservation, Science

Menhaden were the most important fisheries throughout American history. When the first settlers learn to farm corn, it was with menhaden that they fertilized the seeds. When the whaling industry reached its height, it was outweighed by menhaden oil. Menhaden ruled the ocean from the middle of the food chain, they were the dominant prey of most large predatory fish. They swarmed the sea in schools several miles long and millions of fish deep. Their huge biomass supported by plankton, they regulated algal blooms, mediated the transfer of primary production up the food chain, filtered the ocean.

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Are humans a keystone species?

May 11, 2010December 20, 2011 Bluegrass Blue Crab 12 Comments

Conservation, Science

“Humans are just a fossil-fueled outbreak that will go away”, stated one of my professors yesterday.

In the world investigating the human dimensions of natural resource management there’s two schools of thought as to how humans fit in: a) as just another particularly troublesome species in the ecosystem or b) a special kind of species with the ability to predict and change the future. This latter formulation hinges on humans as a species with “motivation” and “intent”, according to C.S. Holling.

Otherwise, however, humans should be able to fit into the ecological definitions and models we all learned in intro biology. At an extreme case, it means we’re the next trilobite or dinosaur, living in our 15 minutes of fame now but soon to disappear. In the process, we will pave the way for a new species to become dominant.

Hawaii shark fin bill passes!

May 3, 2010 David Shiffman 1 Comment

Conservation, Science

A few weeks ago, I asked readers to voice their support for a proposed anti-shark finning bill in Hawaii. Those of you who follow me on Twitter have seen numerous updates about this important issue. I am pleased to report that the bill passed both the House and Senate this morning, and it will soon go to the desk of the Governor of Hawaii. If signed (and everyone is pretty optimistic that it will be signed), it will be the strongest shark conservation law in North America- and one of the strongest in the world. Stefanie Brendl, President of Shark Allies and owner of Hawaii Shark Encounter worked harder than anyone on this issue, and she has agreed to answer a few questions about it for us.

Douglas Adams on Evolution, Endangered Species, Conservation, and writing Last Chance to See

May 2, 2010May 2, 2010 Andrew Thaler 2 Comments

Conservation, Popular Culture, Science

The brilliantly funny Douglas Adams shares the adventures he had while writing Last Chance to See. Since he gave this talk, the Yangtze River Dolphin has been declared extinct and only 123 Kakapo remain. Komodo dragons are now listed as vulnerable, and although their population appears quite large, it was recently discovered that Komodo dragons … Read More “Douglas Adams on Evolution, Endangered Species, Conservation, and writing Last Chance to See” »

Ethical Debate: Should we have freed Willy?

April 29, 2010 David Shiffman 65 Comments

Conservation, Science

Jean-Michel Cousteau with an orca. Photo credit: Carrie Vonderhaar, Ocean Futures Society

The death of Sea World trainer Dawn Branchaeu revived an old debate over whether it is appropriate to keep orca whales in captivity. Many people are calling for all captive orcas to be set free, but I continue to support aquariums because of the roles they serve as educators and conservationists. Although several readers have pointed out that the sea world incident itself would make for a solid ethical debate, I am instead going to take you back more than 15 years to a movie that started this whole movement: Free Willy.