Fog Horn (A Call to Action)

• The CDC was given a list of seven banned words for their upcoming budgets. Among the censored words are “science-based” and “evidence-based”, which, of course, are concepts central to the CDC’s mission. I have some thoughts about why this list has appeared at this time. If you think the CDC shouldn’t be censored in their mission to safeguard public health, call your representatives.

Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)

• Bird and Moon author Rosemary Mosco is this week’s Hagfish Lover of note: Feeling Sick and Snotty?

• Underwater robots reveal the all-you-can-eat-buffet of the deep sea.

Jetsam (what we’re enjoying from around the web)

• David Attenborough is not a fan of deep-sea mining. Plus: the first video of the deep-sea mining tools powered on.
• It was a huge week for deep-sea mining news, so let’s dive right in:
  • Shipyard notifies Nautilus of default by major contractor and Shipyard says subsea mining vessel buyer misses payment. In other words, the production support vessel needed for the first major deep-sea mining operation might not get built.
  • Which might have something to do with the fact that Nautilus is currently being sued in Papua New Guinea: World-first mining case launched in PNG.
  •  Mining Minister peddling ignorant misinformation about biodiversity and experimental seabed mining and the source of the quote: PNG mining minister says govt committed to deep sea mining. He really does say:

“And from what I know, there is a certain dark area (in the seabed to be mined) where it is out of photosynthesis. They say there is no life beyond that point.”

• • I’ve published multiple papers about biodiversity, resilience, and connectivity of communities at these sites. There’s definitely life down there, and lots of it.
  • I missed this when it came out, but the Verge had great coverage of deep-sea mining earlier this year: Deep-sea mining could find rare elements for smartphones — but will it destroy rare species?
  • Troubled Papua New Guinea deep-sea mine faces environmental challenge.

• A New Pacific Island Is Shapeshifting Before Our Eyes.
• oceanbites’ Top 5 Highlights of Deep Sea Exploration in 2017.
• A parasitic snail that live in the butt of a sea cucumber? Nature is magical.
• Uneven Ocean Warming as the Planet Shed its Ice.

• Asia Murphy explores, studies, and photographs some of the wildest regions on Earth. She’s The ‘Camera Trap Queen’ Who Shares Remote Wildlife With the World.
• Tiny sea creatures upend notion of how animals’ nervous systems evolved.
• A NASA Algorithm Can Save Endangered Whale Sharks.
• These folks are supposed to work for you, so why are Fishery Managers Seeking to Gut Pacific Marine Monuments against all sound scientific consensus? What’s up with WESPAC?
• Another Year of Mariana Trench Advocacy by Angelo Villagomez.
• Dell, GM to Create Ocean Plastic Supply Chain to Fight Marine Pollution. Neat.
• Metal Shark Announces Availability of Next-Generation Damen Fast Crew Supplier. I continue to be infinitely amused that there is an extremely successful boat builder called Metal Shark.
• As The Climate Warms, Wind Power Could Shift Southward.
• Open science for the win! Alabamian with diabetes built her own artificial pancreas, gives away plan for free.

Lagan (what we’re reading from the peer-reviewed literature)

• Hagfish are amazing! Boggett and friends (2017) Flaccid skin protects hagfishes from shark bites. DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2017.0765.
• Coconut crabs are pretty ok, too. Laidre (2017) Ruler of the atoll: the world’s largest land invertebrate. DOI: 10.1002/fee.1730.
• Pizarro and friends (2017) Unraveling the structure and composition of Varadero Reef, an improbable and imperiled coral reef in the Colombian Caribbean. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4119.
• Hill and friends (2017) AudioMoth: Evaluation of a smart open acoustic device for monitoring biodiversity and the environment. DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.12955.
• Portail and friends (2017) Food-web complexity across hydrothermal vents on the Azores triple junction. DOI: 10.1016/j.dsr.2017.11.010.
• Peukert and friends (2017) Understanding Mn-nodule distribution and related deep-sea mining impacts using AUV-based hydroacoustic sensing and optical observations. DOI: 10.5194/bg-2017-506.
• Yahagi and friends (2017) Population connectivity of hydrothermal-vent limpets along the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Gastropoda: Neritimorpha: Phenacolepadidae). DOI: 10.1017/S0025315417001898.

Shipping News (academic and ocean policy wonkery)

• Secretary Zinke Bans Reporter for Honest Coverage of His Terrible Fishing Ability. Look, we all need a good laugh every once in a while. It’s just sad and a little embarrassing for Secretary Zinke that he decided the throw a tantrum after the world found out he couldn’t fish.

Driftwood (what we’re reading on dead trees)

• gCaptain coming at you with the Charity Bundle for Hurricane Relief.

Derelicts (favorites from the deep archive)

• How Man and Machine Unlocked the Ocean’s Depths. Still my favorite article that I’ve written.

Feel free to share your own Foghorns, Flotsam, Jetsam, Lagan, Shipping News, Driftwood, and Derelicts in the comments below. If you enjoy Southern Fried Science, consider contributing to my Patreon campaign to help us keep the servers humming and support other innovative ocean science and conservation initiatives. Patreon contributors this month can get their very own Hagfish Love sticker! Because everybody loves hagfish.