Conservation – Page 47 – Southern Fried Science

Summary of tweets from Benthic Ecology 2010

March 14, 2010 Andrew Thaler

If you were follwing along on Twitter this weekend, you know that all three of us were at the Benthic Ecology 2010 meeting in Wilmington, NC. Below are some of the more interesting conversations that occurred while livetweeting the event.

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:

Roundup, Parasites, and Fish, oh my!

March 1, 2010March 2, 2010 Bluegrass Blue Crab 1 Comment

Conservation

Telogaster: ubiquitous parasitic trematode helped out by a little Roundup, thanks indiana.edu

It takes a team from New Zealand to figure out that the US has its pesticide regulation wrong: toxins don’t act in the wild as they do in the carefully controlled and designed lab dosings. Sounds reasonable, right? Well, a recent article in the Journal of Applied Ecology by Kelly et al. was the first to describe Roundup’s ability to act synergistically with a parasitic worm. Commercial formulations of Roundup, the most commonly used herbicide in the world, were found to increase the production of a parasitic worm’s (Telogaster opisthorchis) while at the same time decreasing a fish’s (Galaxias anomalus) immune system’s ability to fend off the parasite.

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” »

Public fence-sitting then falling to one side

February 24, 2010February 23, 2010 Bluegrass Blue Crab 1 Comment

Conservation

I recently attended a public hearing for a proclamation in the state of North Carolina that proposed to ban large-mesh gill nets in two areas of the state’s estuaries where sea turtle encounters have recently increased. There’s a large back story to both sides of the case and a lot of emotional motivation on both sides, leaving science flattened in the wake of charismatic leaders promoting their personal values. In fact, science became a bit of a flattened tool, left on the ground until useful to pick up and brandish, like a much-forgotten sword cast aside until it’s in a handy spot mid-battle. The meeting started as a classic jobs versus the environment case, but a few hours into the public comment period, I began to realize why this particular meeting had attracted the attendance of well over 300 people. I wasn’t in Kansas anymore, but at the crossroads of some of the largest debates in commercial fishing.

Lemon Sharks Protected in Florida!

February 19, 2010 David Shiffman

Conservation, Science

Several months ago, I asked for your help to get 10,000 signatures on a petition to protect lemon sharks in Florida coastal waters. Thanks to your signatures and the hard work of dedicated activists in Florida, we have succeeded! The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has agreed to protect lemon sharks!

Ethical debate: saving owls by killing owls?

February 18, 2010March 16, 2010 David Shiffman 71 Comments

Conservation

This month’s Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment has a brief article about a new proposed conservation strategy that seems perfect for a Southern Fried Science ethical debate. Northern spotted owls (Strix occidentalis caurina) are one of the most famous endangered species in the United States. While solutions to the destruction of their habitat by logging have been debated for years, a new threat has been recently identified- encroachment on their limited habitat by another species of owl (the barred owl, Strix varia). Some conservationists now believe that we need to kill barred owls to protect spotted owls.

The Conservation Context in Population Genetics, Part 1

February 12, 2010 Andrew Thaler 3 Comments

Conservation, Science

This is the first entry in Crowdsourcing ConGen. This entry is meant to be half of an Introduction which lays out the framework for what conservation genetics is, its philosophical basis in population genetics, and why it’s a meaningful method of inquiry for conservation. This first section is meant to outline foundational concepts in population genetics. It is not meant to be a detailed summery of population genetics, but needs to be accurate and clear.