Over 15 years of ocean science and conservation online
There’s a particular kind of optimism baked into the Star Trek franchise that feels almost alien in 2026. It’s not the warp drives, transporters or other advanced technology. But rather it’s the idea that a uniformed service could exist primarily for exploration, science, diplomacy, and the collective good. “Starfleet” (the organization in the Star Trek … Read More “We Need a “Starfleet” for the Oceans” »
2025 was a great year for my public outreach! Among other things, I was selected as a Sigma Xi distinguished lecturer (starting in 2026,) won the American Fisheries Society’s Excellence in Public Outreach Award, and was honored as one of the people most shaping policy in Washington, DC by Washingtonian Magazine. Here are some of … Read More “2025: My year in writing, public speaking, and media interviews” »
Tons of Shark Week shows are full of obvious pseudoscientific nonsense, and yet feature real scientists. Why would these people agree to do that? In my capacity as “Shark Week’s Biggeset Critic,” I’m asked this question a lot, and while I can’t speak for others and their decision-making processes, based on what colleagues have told … Read More “Why would a serious scientist agree to participate in a nonsense Shark Week show?” »
The Friends of the Mariana Trench extend heartfelt congratulations to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and local leaders from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) on the momentous occasion of the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Mariana Trench visitor contact station. This important milestone marks a significant step towards enhancing public understanding … Read More “Friends of the Mariana Trench Congratulate U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Local CNMI Leaders on the Ribbon-Cutting of the Mariana Trench Visitor Contact Station” »
Jaws turned 50 this week, and I spoke with a lot of journalists about it. I wrote about what’s happened to sharks in the 50 years since Jaws came out- some of the worst years in these animals 450 million year history- for the Revelator. Jaws at 50: Was the Terrifying Movie Really to Blame … Read More “A roundup of my media outreach for Jaws’ 50th anniversary” »
MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: The Biggest Manu Splash Off in French History — and also the First Manu Splash off in French History (do not fact check this) — will crash into the waves off Nice, France at 8:00 AM on Thursday, 12 June 2025 at a location to be determined near CoCo Beach. Do you have … Read More “UN Ocean Conference Manu Championship” »
Social media is, despite it’s challenges and limitations, an incredibly powerful (and widely used) professional tool for scientists. One common use of social media is to share one’s research with colleagues, or to find papers shared by others to read. And yet, despite the idea that sharing links to research online is not exactly new, … Read More “It’s 2025. Why do so many scientific journal articles still display weird when shared on social media?” »
Nature recently shared a list of the most-cited papers of all time in any scientific field. That got me thinking: what are the most-cited papers in my field? And do they have any traits in common? Me at the New England Aquarium Methods: Simple! I performed a Web of Science database search for “shark,” and … Read More “These are the 10 most-cited shark science papers of all time” »
2023 was a pretty good year for woodworking. After the whirlwind furniture building of the last few years, I had a chance to sit down and work on some smaller projects to practice my skills and progress as a craftsman. January Though not exactly find woodworking, I spent January rebuilding the solar shed and adding … Read More “Cherry, Maple, and Walnut: My 2023 woodworking year in review.” »
OpenCTD and Oceanography for Everyone Ten years ago, Kersey, Russell, and I set of on a quixotic quest to make the tools of ocean science more accessible to more knowledge seekers at a price the reflects the reality of research budgets. The OpenCTD, a low-cost, open-source, oceanographic instrument was born. Since that first ambitious announcement, … Read More “The research rundown: an abbreviated list of my current ocean science, policy, education, and conservation technology efforts.” »
