Scientia Pro Publica

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 2 Comments on Scientia Pro Publica
Uncategorized

Welcome to the April 5 Edition of Scientia Pro Publica – Science for the People!

An inordinate fondness for Sea Horses

I got my start in Marine Biology working at the National Aquarium in Baltimore’s Syngnathid Breeding Program, so the abundance of sea horse and pipefish related submissions get the prime real estate. Maniraptora: Tastes Like Chicken reveals that bigger is better, even for pipefish. Save Your Breath For Running Ponies covers the same research.

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Reader mail: Sustainable shark finning?

Posted on By David Shiffman 5 Comments on Reader mail: Sustainable shark finning?
Conservation, Science

Our latest reader mail comes from my friend Mike, who writes for the conservative political blog SaveTheGop. Though we don’t agree on much, he’s usually a reasonable guy. His question concerns a post I recently wrote about Hawaii’s proposed bill to ban the sale of shark fins within their state.

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Might as well eat ’em: A semi-serious April Fool’s Day ethical debate

Posted on By David Shiffman 38 Comments on Might as well eat ’em: A semi-serious April Fool’s Day ethical debate
Conservation

Sushi! Image from OpenClipArt.org

Bluefin tuna are some of the most endangered fish in the sea. Prized by the sushi industry for their delicious flavor, populations of bluefin have declined precipitously in recent decades.

They also may be the first species of fish to be driven to extinction by commercial fishing. Normally, when populations of fish get low, it isn’t profitable to fish for them anymore- thus they are not driven to extinction. However, a single bluefin tuna can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars, so it is still profitable to fish for the last one.

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