Southern Fried Science

Great shark-themed holiday gifts- including some that benefit science and conservation!

December 15, 2011 David Shiffman 5 Comments

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My friends and family have always appreciated my ~~obsession~~ passion for sharks, because it makes me extremely easy to shop for. In the spirit of the holiday season mantra that it is better to give than to receive, here is a list of some shark-themed gifts, including some that actually benefit shark research and conservation. If you buy in the next few days, there’s still time to get many of them delivered by Christmas.

If I were an unappreciated endangered shark

December 14, 2011 David Shiffman 3 Comments

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The gap between how humans treat dolphins and how humans treat sharks has gotten wider. Many ancient cultures worshiped sharks as gods. Now it’s hard to get people to agree to take basic steps to ensure that species of sharks don’t go extinct, while they’ll try to move heaven and Earth to save 16 dolphins. It’s hard to get people to care about the brutal, unsustainable, and wasteful practice of shark finning that’s wiping out whole species of sharks, but a movie about a single dolphin that loses a fin is considered a must-see family classic.

WSMshark — WhySharksMatter is not a shark, but can't pass up the opportunity to pose as one for photos

The success of “Dolphin Tale” got me thinking. Dolphins and sharks are both top predators, so dolphins are no more ecologically important than their elasmobranch counterparts. Dolphins have it much easier than sharks. The world isn’t fair to sharks, just because they were born with behaviors that makes it harder for them to benefit from a growing global concern about biodiversity. This is a fact, decades after the birth of the environmental movement.

I am not a shark. I’m not a dolphin either. I’m a human, and I was born into a completely different set of circumstances than either group of marine predators. Life wasn’t as hard for me as it is for a shark. This doesn’t mean that I’ve given up on sharks. I still believe that it’s possible for a group of sometimes-unpopular animals to get the legal protections they need to avoid extinction. Still, even decades after the birth of the environmental movement.

Mining the Deep Sea: what’s it worth?

December 13, 2011December 15, 2011 Andrew Thaler

Conservation, Science

a fragment of a hydrothermal vent — The shimmering insides of a vent chimney

In Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea*, the iconic Captain Nemo announced that “in the depths of the ocean, there are mines of zinc, iron, silver and gold that would be quite easy to exploit” while predicting that the abundance of marine resources could satisfy human need. If the pace of development for deep-sea mining projects and the estimated value of deep-sea ores is any indicator, it seems as though our misanthropic mariner was wrong on both counts.

In The abundance of seafloor massive sulfide deposits, an international team of geologists attempts to quantify the total available copper and zinc contained in deep-sea massive sulfide mounds. Seafloor massive sulfide mounds are a byproduct of the processes that create deep-sea hydrothermal vents. As super-heated sea water emerges from the vent, it deposits heavy metals and other elements and minerals along the walls of the vent. Over thousands of years, an active vent field can build up a huge mound of metal and mineral rich ore – a massive sulfide mound. In addition to copper and zinc, these mounds can contain gold and silver. Generally, the ore is of much higher quality than its terrestrial counterpart. Over the last few decades, many exploration companies were eyeing these deposits, but it’s only recently that technological developments and economic incentives have aligned to permit potentially profitable deep-sea mining.

Saving Nemo: 1 out of 6 species that appear in Finding Nemo are threatened with extinction

December 12, 2011December 13, 2011 David Shiffman 3 Comments

Conservation, Popular Culture, Science

Nemo edited — WhySharksMatter found Nemo at Disney's Living Seas Aquarium

Like most marine biology geeks, I’m a huge fan of Disney/Pixar’s “Finding Nemo”. In addition to a heartwarming story of a father trying to bring his son home to their aneme…anemeneme… amenememe… anemone, the film showcases an enormous variety of beautiful real-life coral reef species. According to research published today in Conservation Letters, however, we may soon only be able to see some of these animals in the movies. The paper, titled “Extinction Risk and Bottlenecks in the Conservation of Charismatic Marine Species”, concluded that many of the stars of Finding Nemo are in deep trouble.

The Birth of Sustainability Science

December 9, 2011December 9, 2011 Bluegrass Blue Crab 1 Comment

Conservation

Every once in a while, with predictable regularity, I will encounter a call to be more interdisciplinary in order to fully understand the many aspects of a given issue. The world forgot to compartmentalize its problems for ease of solution. Solutions require scientists to think big and basic at the same time – recent estimates that 7 billion people will roam the planet by the end of this year – and that creates a big demand for resources such as food, water, fuel, and fiber. Ecologists clearly have something to say on the matter and designated 2011’s meeting theme “Earth Stewardship”, meant as a way to kick off new thinking on research process and connecting research to problem solving.

Open thread for NOAA scientists to speak freely about scientific and technical matters based on their official work without approval from the public affairs office or their supervisors.

December 8, 2011 Andrew Thaler 1 Comment

Science

Yesterday the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) released their new scientific integrity policy, which specifically states that: “To support a culture of openness, one of the policy’s key provisions affirms unequivocally that NOAA scientists may speak freely with the media and public about scientific and technical matters based on their official work without approval … Read More “Open thread for NOAA scientists to speak freely about scientific and technical matters based on their official work without approval from the public affairs office or their supervisors.” »

Better Conservation through Cloning: this cock doesn’t crow

December 7, 2011December 7, 2011 Andrew Thaler 7 Comments

Conservation, Science

Poor Vindaloo never learned to crow. Photo by Andrew David Thaler.

I awoke one morning early last spring to a noise I has been dreading for weeks, the first crow of a chicken that was not supposed to be a rooster. It took me several minutes to fully register what I was hearing. Rather that the classic cock-a-doodle-do we often associate with the rooster’s crow, the sound emanating from my hen house was an awkward, unstable noise not unlike a turkey squawking through a vat of molasses while being vigorously shaken. Over the next several months, two more cocks arrived crowing, in my flock. All three roosters, different breeds from different parents, made noises resembling nothing like a rooster’s crow. There was no pattern; some mornings they would crow off-and-on for a few hours, other mornings they would, for lack of a better word, gargle for half-an-hour straight.

I raise my chickens from day-old hatchlings. Those three roosters, from my very first flock, had never met an adult chicken. They imprinted on Amy and me and looked to us for guidance. When we introduced them to new food, new water dispensers, even small changes to their habitat (like a particularly terrifying log), we had to teach them. Instinctively, they would scratch for food, and if left to their own devices, they would attempt to eat everything, but for the most part, we had to show them how to eat, how to drink, how to roost. But we could not teach them how to crow.

Which is why Casey B. Mulligan’s Economix article in the New York Times – Species Protection and Technology – which argues that cloning could be an effective tool to restore extinct species (a topic I’ve been thinking about quite a bit in terms of population dynamics), is fatally flawed.

Beneath the Waves Film Festival: Now accepting submissions!

December 6, 2011December 6, 2011 David Shiffman

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The Beneath the Waves Film Festival is now accepting submissions for the 2012 meeting! This festival, now in it’s third year, is associated with the Benthic Ecology conference. It is one of the few film festivals in the world that brings the scientific and filmmaking communities directly together. This year, the festival will be in Norfolk, Virginia … Read More “Beneath the Waves Film Festival: Now accepting submissions!” »

To boldly go SCUBA diving where no one has gone SCUBA diving before: Meet the Roddenberry Dive Team

December 2, 2011November 28, 2011 David Shiffman 3 Comments

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The influence that Star Trek has had on our society, from cell phones to the name of the first space shuttle orbiter to providing hope of a better future to victims of ethnic cleansing, has been well documented. However, what does Star Trek have to do with saving the oceans? As it turns out, quite a lot, and I’m not just talking about the plot of Star Trek IV (in which Kirk and company have to go back in time to rescue a whale whose species was driven extinct by human exploitation).

Star Trek is fundamentally about curiosity, exploration, and respect for all forms of life. This can be found from the Enterprise’s stated mission (“to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before*) to the Vulcan code of IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations), and you’d be hard-pressed to find a popular television series that portrays scientists better. The ideals of Star Trek have quite a bit to do with saving the oceans, and I’m not the only one who thinks so.

WhySharksMatter is headed to New Zealand for the International Congress for Conservation Biology

December 1, 2011December 9, 2011 David Shiffman

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As you read this, I’ll be on a plane over the Pacific Ocean. I’m on my way to Auckland, New Zealand for the 25th annual International Congress for Conservation Biology! This meeting, organized by the Society for Conservation Biology, brings together conservation scientists from around the world. I will be live-Tweeting talks and plenary speeches … Read More “WhySharksMatter is headed to New Zealand for the International Congress for Conservation Biology” »