New study: 22 out of 23 U.S. states aren’t doing enough to protect marine resources

Posted on By David Shiffman 12 Comments on New study: 22 out of 23 U.S. states aren’t doing enough to protect marine resources
Conservation

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mci-logoEarlier today, the Marine Conservation Institute and Mission Blue released SeaStates, the first ever national ranking of how well different U.S. states and territories protect their ocean resources. The full report is available online and is an important read, but can be summarized in 5 words: “Most states aren’t doing enough”.

The gold standard for the protection of marine resources is no-take marine reserves, areas of the ocean where no fishing or oil/gas extraction is permitted. Decades of research on marine reserves worldwide have shown that they usually have more fish, bigger fish, and more species of fish than environmentally similar areas (often adjacent to the reserve border) where fishing is allowed. In other words, when you don’t kill fish, more of them are alive.

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Mermaids: The New Evidence is a Fake Documentary

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 19 Comments on Mermaids: The New Evidence is a Fake Documentary
Science

Last year, David and several other marine science bloggers debunked Animal Planet’s amazingly fraudulent mermaid foc-u-mentary (yes, I’m coining that term for fake documentaries that show absolute disdain for their audience. It’s not satire. It’s not parody. It’s a giant middle finger to the public). No need to retread old ground–read the original coverage: Mermaids … Read More “Mermaids: The New Evidence is a Fake Documentary” »

Update on Kiera Wilmot: All charges dropped, now going to space camp

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 1 Comment on Update on Kiera Wilmot: All charges dropped, now going to space camp
Science

Three weeks ago we reported on Kiera Wilmot, a high school student who was threatened with expulsion and arrest for a science experiment gone bad. I asked my followers to tweet about their own, personal experiences with accidental explosions in the name of science. Since then, Wilmot’s story along with the response from scientists, has … Read More “Update on Kiera Wilmot: All charges dropped, now going to space camp” »

Making Your Donations Count: 5 simple guidelines for selecting conservation organizations to support

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 5 Comments on Making Your Donations Count: 5 simple guidelines for selecting conservation organizations to support
Conservation

headshot-thalerSMALLEvery year, the number of non-governmental organizations (NGO’s for short) committed to reducing climate change, saving the ocean, developing alternative energy sources, cutting down plastic use, not cutting down forests, or myriad other worthy causes, grows. Many of these organizations are staffed by committed, hard-working environmentally minded advocates struggling to make a difference. But, with so many NGO’s out there, and more being founded, how are concerned citizens expected to know which NGO’s are effective, which best match their ideals, and, most important, which NGO’s are worthy of their donations (either of money of of volunteer time). To alleviate this problem, I’ve assembled a set of 5 relatively simple guidelines to help you evaluate and select a conservation NGO that fits your values and gets the job done.

1. Determine how well the NGO incorporates local and indigenous stakeholder groups into their programs.

I’ve started here because this is the most difficult to assess but, by far, the most important. The most successful NGO’s seek out local stakeholders for consultation. The very best include local stakeholders among their employees, at high management positions. The reasons for this should be obvious: local stakeholders are familiar with the political and social climate of the region in which they’re working. They have personal connections to key decision makers in the community. Stakeholders are more sympathetic to a conservation message when that message is being delivered by respected members of their community, rather than purely by outsiders. Without local support, many conservation initiatives are doomed to failure.

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Good Conservation Policies Can Push Markets Towards Conservation

Posted on By Chuck Bangley 2 Comments on Good Conservation Policies Can Push Markets Towards Conservation
Conservation

A lot of debate among conservationists centers on the conflict between the desire to see a species totally protected from human exploitation and the reality that market forces will continue to exist (see the latest on shark fin bans for a very good example).  Ideally, a conservation plan should strike a balance, ensuring the continued existence of the species while still allowing people to profit from it in some way.  This also requires a clear idea of the limitations of conservation policies.  For example, US policies (even the mighty Endangered Species Act) only directly affect populations within the territorial waters of the United States, while international agreements like CITES restrict trade of the species without telling any particular country what to do domestically.  However, there are ways to track the interaction between conservation policies and the market, making it possible to make some predictions on how things like fishery management plans and CITES listings might affect trade.  Then it gets interesting.  Armed with this knowledge, can the market be pushed towards species conservation?

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Predation Matters

Posted on By Chuck Bangley 1 Comment on Predation Matters
Uncategorized

Today, Pew unleashed a mini-media blitz on the importance of predation in fisheries management.  This got my attention because the interaction between marine predators and fisheries is one of my major research interests.  They do a great (and slickly-designed) job explaining the basics of why paying attention to predation matters in fisheries management, and bonus … Read More “Predation Matters” »

Circle Hooks Save Fish

Posted on By Chuck Bangley 2 Comments on Circle Hooks Save Fish
Uncategorized

When you work on the water long enough, you encounter some unique situations.  Whether it’s getting stranded during field work, surviving massive seasickness, having your equipment attacked by hostile sea life, or just seeing something unusual, these anecdotes are an important part of what makes marine science fun (sometimes moreso in hindsight).  That’s why I’m creating a new category for posts here called “Fish Tales,” where we can share these stories.  To start with, here is a literal fishing story.

While I was down in Morehead City for some field work (post on that coming soon), I got the chance to do a little fishing with fellow Southern Fried writers Andrew and Amy and check on potential sites for shark sampling this summer.  I’d wanted to test out a new fishing rod set up for sharks and large fish, and had rigged up a wire leader with a size 12/0 circle hook.  While casting, it became very clear that I hadn’t properly attached the leader to the swivel when I pulled back an empty swivel where the leader had been.  Frustrating, but I’m practically required to lose gear every time I fish, so I rigged up a second wire leader with a J-hook that was on hand.

Circle hooks are used by recreational and commercial hook-and-line fisheries (and many longliners) to reduce hooking mortality in large fishes, sharks, and bycatch animals like sea turtles.  The idea is that the hook more or less works by itself without being set like a J-hook.  The shape of the hook prevents swallowing and encourages hooking in the corner of the mouth, where it’s less likely to do serious damage.

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