Over 15 years of ocean science and conservation online
On Thursday, September 26th, I spoke on a “Biodiversity Leaders for Harris-Walz” zoom call. This is the text of my remarks, including links to learn more. Good evening. I’m Dr. David Shiffman, an ocean conservation scientist who studies threats to marine life and how we can solve those problems using wise evidence-based policymaking, through equitable … Read More “My remarks for Biodiversity Leaders for Harris Walz” »
For close to two decades now, the venerable YSI Castaway has been the gold standard for small, relatively cheap, handheld CTDs. In the early days of OpenROV, the robot’s little payload bay was sized explicitly to fit a Castaway. When Kersey and I started building the OpenCTD, our benchmark for viability was how well the … Read More “Comparing the OpenCTD to a YSI Castaway” »
The Cephalosquad recently celebrated our 300th episode of Dugongs and Seadragons. Listen along as we reminisce on 6 years of D&D podcasting, getting to old for all this, and the surprising discovery that our younger members do not know who Jennine Garofalo is. Meanwhile, in the ongoing adventure of a bunch of very nerdy marine … Read More “Catching up with the Cephalosquad on Dugongs and Sea Dragons” »
One of the most iconic images of shark behavior is a great white shark hitting its prey so hard from below that the whole shark flies out of the water. This behavior, called “breaching,” has been documented in many species, and is useful for a variety of ecological functions, not just hunting. I spoke to … Read More “Jumping the shark: New study reviews the breaching behavior of sharks and rays” »
Over 15 years ago, I set sail from Matupi Harbor, Papua New Guinea to a spot in the middle of the Bismarck Sea between New Britain and New Ireland to study and understand the ecological diversity of a hydrothermal vent system resting beneath a submerged volcano 1600 meters beneath the sea. That hydrothermal vent system … Read More “What is going on at Solwara I?” »
Donald Trump’s Project 2025 is an extreme MAGA policy blueprint that aims to reshape the U.S. federal government significantly. While it touches on nearly every facet of life in America, it poses substantial threats to environmental and climate change action. This is a list of resources that call attention to this terrifying vision of a … Read More “Resources for Donald Trump’s Project 2025 and the Environment” »
In a surprise upset on the final day of the 29th Session of the International Seabed Authority, Leticia Carvalho secured the position of Secretary General over 8-year incumbent Michael Lodge. The 79 to 34 vote was a decisive rejection of Lodge’s leadership, whose tenure has been marred by criticism that he has improperly shared information … Read More “Leticia Carvalho will be the next Secretary General of the International Seabed Authority” »
Everyone knows that sandbar shark is #BestShark. But to help raise money for graduate student shark research, I asked professional wrestler Ryan “Hollywood Hunk” Nemeth to help me auction off the right for some other species to be guest #BestShark for a year– an honor that comes with a custom wrestling championship belt I commissioned … Read More “Bonnethead sharks are this year’s guest #BestShark” »
Yesterday, we published a rundown of all the ways in which Trump’s Project 2025 would impact ocean science and conservation. Trump’s Project 2025 is an agenda, a glimpse at what a future administration might do. Trump already served one term as president. We already know what the Trump Ocean Doctrine looks like, and it doesn’t … Read More “We already know what another Trump Presidency would mean for the ocean” »
Near the end of last year, the Heritage Foundation unveiled Project 2025, a sweeping, 900-page document that outlines their vision for a second Trump administration. Authored by key leaders of the former administration and Trump’s campaign team, this document lays the groundwork for Trump’s policy agenda, should he defeat Vice President Harris in the 2024 … Read More “How Trump’s Project 2025 would reshape America’s oceans” »
