Science – Page 68 – Southern Fried Science

Shark Week 2010: A big step in the right direction!

August 10, 2010August 10, 2010 David Shiffman 26 Comments

Disclaimer: Both the Southern Fried Scientist and I received a media care package from the Discovery Channel containing a t-shirt, an adopt-a-shark packet, and DVDs of two of the premieres. While I still have some criticisms, I wanted to start this review by saying that this year’s Shark Week was a lot better than any from the past few years. Before I review each premiere I need to acknowledge that I watched all of them at their later air times, not when they originally aired. The content of each premiere is the same, but I did not see the same commercials as everyone else, I never saw the Oceana PSA, I saw very few Craig Ferguson interludes, and I don’t know if there were any pop-up ads during the shows. This was an unavoidable inconvenience and hopefully doesn’t bias my review too much.

Shark Conservation: The problem, the goal, and how to get there

August 9, 2010July 8, 2012 David Shiffman 12 Comments

Conservation, Science

The problem

Sharks consistently rank near the top of lists of American’s greatest fears. In reality, they have much more to fear from us than we do from them. Because of our actions, many species of sharks are on the verge of extinction. A recent International Union for the Conservation of Nature Shark Specialist Group report shows that fully 1/3 of open-ocean species of sharks are in danger of extinction in the next few decades. Many shark species have had population declines of over 90% in the last few decades.

Shark fin — Fins from a blacktip shark. Photo credit: David Shiffman

Vote for the RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation Program

August 3, 2010August 3, 2010 David Shiffman

Conservation, Science

The University of Miami Shark Research Program is in the running for a $25,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project. The money will be used for tags, boat time, underwater video cameras, and paying for local underprivileged children to participate. Among their many other projects, UM scientists are attempting to track sharks to see if … Read More “Vote for the RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation Program” »

The Southern Fried Scientist’s advice for new graduate students

August 2, 2010December 6, 2011 Andrew Thaler 10 Comments

Science

This year marks the beginning of my fourth year as a Ph.D. graduate student. Over the last three years, I’ve participated in five research cruises, organized two of them, had multiple grants get rejected and a few accepted, published papers, failed to publish papers, had my entire thesis fall out from under me, completely change fields, passed my qualifying exams, and discovered that my experience is pretty typical for graduate students. So looking back on the first three year, what do I wish I had known at the start?

Shark Celebrity Auction

August 2, 2010 David Shiffman 1 Comment

Conservation, Science

Throughout Shark Week, the Shark Research Institute is hosting a fundraiser. You can bid to meet various “Shark Celebrities”, and winners can join them for a meal, a face-to-face discussion, or in some cases a trip into the field to interact with sharks! The shark celebrities being auctioned include scientists, filmmakers, authors and conservationists. Unless … Read More “Shark Celebrity Auction” »

Interridge code of conduct for resposible research at hydrothermal vents

July 29, 2010July 30, 2010 Andrew Thaler 2 Comments

Conservation, Science

The following is a repost from the old Southern Fried Science WordPress blog. The original can be found here.

bluebreeze-fixed_logo InterRidge, a global organization of hydrothermal vent biologists, has, over the last several years, established a set of guidelines for responsible research practices at deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Along with many scientists, several nations and commercial organizations have signed onto this statement. Although tailored to deep-sea science, these guidelines are broadly applicable to any science program that requires field work.

Read More “Interridge code of conduct for resposible research at hydrothermal vents” »

Bottom trawling and the importance of plaice

July 27, 2010December 20, 2011 Andrew Thaler 7 Comments

Conservation, Science

“The commons petition the King, complaining that where in creeks and havens of the sea there used to be plenteous fishing, to the profit of the Kingdom, certain fishermen, for several years past have subtily contrived an instrument called the “wondyrechaun” made in the manner of an oyster dredge, but which is considerably longer, upon which instrument is attached a net so close meshed that no fish, be it ever so small which enters therein can escape, but must stay and be taken.

And that the great and long iron of the wondyrechaun runs so heavily and hardly over the ground when fishing that it destroys the flowers of the land below water there, and also the spat of oysters, mussels and other fish upon which the great fish are accustomed to be fed and nourished. By which instrument in many places, the fishermen take such quantity of small fish that they do not know what to do with them; and that they feed and fat their pigs with them, to the great damage of the commons of the realm and the destruction of the fisheries, and they pray for a remedy.”

Petition by the Commons to King Edward III, 1376 (from The Unnatural History of the Sea)

This petition, penned in 1376, reveals a depth of understanding that we often don’t attribute to 14th century fishermen. Habitat destruction, overfishing, bycatch, even common pool resources are all clearly described here. In it, the Commons protests a new and efficient, though inaccurate fishing tool, the ‘wondyrechaun’, and begs King Edward III to ban it. This is the first historical record of the ‘wondyrechaun’, what today is called a beam trawl. Everything you need to know to understand why the world’s fisheries are in trouble is contained within the single fact that, in 1376, at it’s very inception, the people begged the king to ban it’s use, and 700 years later, the beam trawl survives.

Dolphin-safe tuna: conservation success story or ecological disaster?

July 26, 2010December 31, 2011 David Shiffman 49 Comments

Conservation, Science

I used to feel warm and fuzzy inside when I saw the dolphin-safe logo on my tuna. I felt like a decision I made was helping the environment- like I was making a difference.

The commonly believed narrative about dolphin-safe tuna goes something like this: Lots of dolphins were being killed by tuna fishermen, outraged environmentalists led a massive PR campaign, legions of adorable children wrote to their elected officials, elected officials changed the rules to protect dolphins, and everything is better now. Hooray, we saved an innocent species and helped the environment!

That narrative is a great story. It shows that if a few people who care can convince others that their cause is just, there’s no limit to what we can accomplish. It’s inspiring. Too bad it’s not really true. As it turns out, we made things worse- a LOT worse.

Adventures with Citizen Science: perspectives of a shark biologist

July 24, 2010December 31, 2011 David Shiffman 1 Comment

Conservation, Science

Those of you who follow me on Twitter or are friends with me on facebook may have seen that last month, I asked for volunteers to come catch and tag sharks with me here in Charleston. While I was pleased by how excited respondents were for this opportunity, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that involving members of the public in scientific research is an old idea. It’s called Citizen Science.

E.O. Wilson is the Lord of the Ants

July 24, 2010June 16, 2010 Andrew Thaler

Popular Culture, Science