Southern Fried Science

Dear Fishermen, Please release mako sharks alive. Thanks, The Management

June 3, 2011May 31, 2011 David Shiffman 3 Comments

The world of fisheries management is so full of laws and regulations that it’s no wonder many fishermen feel persecuted by the government. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised to see the National Marine Fisheries Service trying something new.

International research team tracks threatened oceanic whitetip sharks

June 1, 2011May 31, 2011 David Shiffman

Conservation, Science

Oceanic whitetip sharks are considered by many to be a poster-child for shark conservation. Once one of the most abundant species of pelagic sharks on Earth, unregulated overfishing throughout their global range had led to a precipitous decline in their population. In some parts of their range, the species has declined in population by more than 70% in the last few decades. Scientists haven’t been able to find them in significant numbers for many years. One of the few remaining known aggregation sites is Cat Island in the Bahamas, and that’s where an international team of researchers just went to find these animals.

WhiteTip1 — An oceanic whitetip shark is fitted with a satellite tag. Photo credit: Dr. Lance Jordan, Microwave Telemetry, inc.

Shark Science Monday: Rima Jabado discusses the sharks of the Persian Gulf

May 31, 2011 David Shiffman

Conservation, Science

In this week’s edition of Shark Science Monday, Rima Jabado of UAE University discusses the sharks and shark fisheries of the Persian Gulf. If you have a question for Rima, leave it as a comment below and I”ll make sure she gets it.

Resolving human-wildlife conflicts through trust, respect, and… humor?

May 30, 2011May 29, 2011 David Shiffman

Conservation

At the International Marine Conservation Congress, I attended a workshop focusing on resolution of human-wildlife conflict that was put on by Francine Madden of the Human-Wildlife Conflict Collaboration. Francine explained her strategies for bringing both sides (wolf conservationists and ranchers, fishermen and government managers, etc) to the table for productive negotiations that benefit everyone.

Five non-science blogs we read

May 27, 2011May 27, 2011 Andrew Thaler 2 Comments

Uncategorized

Happy Friday Everyone! We frequently link to other important marine and general science blogs, to the extent that regular readers can probably guess which science blogs we read and how often, but science isn’t everything. We decided to take a moment to tell y’all about the non-science blogs that we enjoy.

Saving the Deep Sea

May 25, 2011 Andrew Thaler

Conservation

The Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC), an alliance of over 70 international organizations working to promote the conservation of deep sea biodiversity, has officially launch their blog – Save the Deep Sea. We all care about the wondrous life that exists in the deep sea – both known and unknown – and we all recognize … Read More “Saving the Deep Sea” »

Vote for Sophi: List of Oceana Ocean Hero finalists includes 8 year old shark conservationist

May 24, 2011May 22, 2011 David Shiffman 1 Comment

Conservation, Science

Oceana has released their list of finalists for the Ocean Hero award. As always, the finalists represent people who have done some amazing things for our oceans. This year, one of the nominees for the “Junior Hero” category is Sophi Bromenshenkel, an 8 year old shark conservationist.

The Global Extinction Crisis – species area relationships, habitat loss, and population dynamics

May 23, 2011June 3, 2011 Andrew Thaler 4 Comments

Conservation, Science

We are in the midst of a global extinction crisis. Biodiversity is in decline as species after species disappear. Some estimates predict that up to 50% of species will be committed to extinction by 2050. Other estimates claim the current rate of extinction may be 10,000 times the background rate. Many ecologists and conservationists have declared the current species decline the sixth great mass extinction.

A recent paper published in the journal Nature argues that our current estimates of species loss are based on a flawed model and tend to overestimate the magnitude of species decline. The paper has received plenty of attention, and has been heavily criticized by ecologists and conservation biologists. The paper is wrong, but it is wrong for the right reasons, and the criticisms it has garnered point to a gaping hole in our understanding of population dynamics.

Shark Science Monday: Claudia Li discusses Shark Truth’s ‘no shark fin soup’ wedding contests

May 23, 2011May 23, 2011 David Shiffman 1 Comment

Conservation, Science

In this week’s edition of Shark Science Monday, Claudia Li of Shark Truth discusses the Happy Hearts Love Sharks wedding contest, which aims to reduce the consumption of shark fin soup at wedding banquets. If you have a question for Claudia, leave it as a comment below and I’ll make sure she gets it.

A Path for Sustainable Development

May 23, 2011May 23, 2011 Bluegrass Blue Crab

Conservation

After our sustainability month, it becomes easy to ask for a plan to become more sustainable. On a national scale, this becomes demand for a blueprint or recipe for how to organize society successfully in the future along sustainability principles. The idea of a given trajectory of development goes back to Walt Rostow, who described development around the world up to 1960, ending with the emergence of a first, second, and third world. More modern theorists realize that the world is not linear, however.