overfishing | Southern Fried Science

Barndoor skates, once a textbook example of overfishing, have recovered enough to allow fishing

Posted on October 19, 2018 by David Shiffman

Barndoor skates were once thought to be so overfished that a highly-publicized paper from 1998 noted that they had been “driven to near extinction without anyone noticing.” One of the largest skates, barndoor skates can reach over 5 feet in wingspan, which is large enough that their diet includes small sharks like spiny dogfish; for a skate, that’s about as close as it gets to charismatic megafauna!

Recently, NOAA Fisheries announced that Barndoor skate populations off the Northeastern United States had finally recovered enough that fishing for them could resume. This move comes after a 2009 NOAA Fisheries report showed that the species had begun to recover enough that they could be removed from the species of concern list, though they remained protected at the time. “This is good news,” Mike Ruccio, a Supervisory Fishery Policy Analyst for NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, told me. “Rebuilding overfished stocks is one of the cornerstones of the US domestic policy on fisheries.”

Angry Canadian Crabs and Extinct Australian Sea Stars: Thursday Afternoon Dredging, September 27(8)th 2018

Posted on September 28, 2018 by David Shiffman

It’s a special Friday morning edition of Thursday Afternoon Dredging because I was traveling!

Cuttings (short and sweet):

Follow Nova the White Shark, a great white shark tagged in Canada by OCEARCH, on twitter! The day after Nova was tagged, I spent a day with the OCEARCH team- check out this Facebook live interview.
Canadian crabs with bad attitude threaten coastal ecosystem. By the Associated Press.
More minnow misconceptions. By Brandon Peoples, for the Fisheries Blog.
Discovery of vibrant deep-sea life prompts new worries over seabed mining. By Amy Maxmen, for Nature News.

Spoils (long reads and deep dives):

Eulogy for a seastar, Australia’s first recorded marine extinction. By Tim O’Hara, for Earth Touch News.
The future of fish farming may be indoors. By Laura Poppick, for Scientific American.
Strengthening mussels for cleaner rivers. By Madeline Bodin, for the Revelator.
Food Fight: Why the next big battle may not be fought over treasure or territory—but for fish. By Katie Higgins-Bloom, for Foreign Policy
How much plastic is too much plastic for sea turtles? By Shreya Dasgupta, for MongaBay
Off Tanzania, in one of the world’s richest seas, why is the catch getting smaller? By John Vidal, for the Guardian

Rules of the road (news about regulations governing the ocean)

Washington Rolls Back Safety Rules Inspired by Deepwater Horizon Disaster. By Coral Davenport, for the New York Times
A summer review of the Trump administration’s national ocean policy. By Amy Trice, for the Ocean Conservancy Blog.

SCALLOPPPPPPPPPPPP WARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR (An update on the brewing BREXIT-related war over scallop fishing rights between the UK and the EU):

We have scallop peace…for now.

Please add your own cuttings and spoils in the comments!

If you appreciate my shark research and conservation outreach, please consider supporting me on Patreon! Any amount is appreciated, and supporters get exclusive rewards!

Cleaning beaches and saving right whales: Thursday Afternoon Dredging, September 13, 2018

Posted on September 13, 2018 by David Shiffman

Cuttings (short and sweet):

Follow marine biologist (and research tech in the lab I’m in) Wade VanderWal on twitter!
The science behind the International Coastal Cleanup. By George Leonard, for the Ocean Conservancy blog. Here’s a plastic pollution reduction program that works!
The hidden lives of deep-sea creatures caught on camera. By Amy Maxmen, for Nature News.

Spoils (long reads and deep dives):

Bid to reduce right whale deaths “extremely effective,” Canadian officials say. By Michael MacDonald, for CBC news.
Warming oceans are changing the world’s rainfall. By John Abraham, for the Guardian
In Washington, a farm-to-table restaurant tried to serve the best local fish. Instead, it stumbled into a debate over tribal fishing rights. By Doug Bierend, for the New Food Economy.
Wait, So How Much of the Ocean Is Actually Fished? One prominent study said 55 percent, its critics say 4 percent, and they both used the same data. Really interesting discussion of how fisheries data analysis works, by Ed Yong for the Atlantic.
Searching for survivors in a post-nuclear reefscape. By Greg Asner and Clare Reduff, for MongaBay
Endangered Languages, Endangered Ecologies. By Deb Krol for the Revelator.

SCALLOPPPPPPPPPPPP WARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR (An update on the brewing BREXIT-related war over scallop fishing rights between the UK and the EU):

Scallop negotiations end with no deal, say fishing leaders. BBC News alert. I am officially setting the Scallop War Doomsday Clock at 5 minutes to midnight.

Please add your own cuttings and spoils in the comments!

If you appreciate my shark research and conservation outreach, please consider supporting me on Patreon! Any amount is appreciated, and supporters get exclusive rewards!

Plastic Eating Worms and Scientists Running for Office: Thursday Afternoon Dredging, August 16th, 2018

Posted on August 16, 2018 by David Shiffman

Cuttings (short and sweet):

Follow underwater engineer Amy Kukulya, as seen on Shark Week, on twitter! (And have you seen my review of Shark Week 2018?)
Marine worms are eating plastic now. By Michael Allen, for Hakai Magazine.
Predatory coral bring down jellyfish by working together. From MongaBay news updates.

Spoils (long reads and deep dives):

Canada is flying blind into Arctic Conservation. By Cody Dey, for the Narwhal, about research I’m a coauthor on (Cody is lead author). We’re excited about this paper, which, among other things, shows major gaps in the research and understanding of many Arctic fishes. This is a big problem as Arctic fishing is only going to increase in frequency.
Are narwhals starting to go extinct? By Matt K. Smith, for the Daily Beast
Tax havens shield companies responsible for deforestation and overfishing. By Fiona Harvey, for the Guardian.
Shifting baselines: another threat to coral reefs. By Todd Woody, for OceansDeeply.
Florida’s gulf coast battles smelly, deadly red tide. By Greg Allen, for NPR.

Plumbing the depths (discussion):

An unprecedented number of scientists are running for elected office in the United States this year… but is that a good thing? I do not see how an elected official who is a trained scientist will be a stronger advocate for science than an elected official who has a good scientific advisor that they listen to, and the latter has many advantages over a scientist. (Obviously a scientist in office is better for science than an anti-science idealogue). What do you think? Let us know in the comments! And check out Maggie Koerth-Baker‘s excellent in-depth article about this for 538.

Please add your own cuttings and spoils in the comments!

If you appreciate my shark research and conservation outreach, please consider supporting me on Patreon! Any amount is appreciated, and supporters get exclusive rewards!

Floridian flamingos and fishing in the twilight zone: Thursday Afternoon Dredging, March 1st, 2018

Posted on March 1, 2018 by David Shiffman

Cuttings (short and sweet):

Follow Kristina Tietjen, a marine conservation biologist working in Kiribati, on twitter!
A case for wild flamingos calling Florida their home. By Joann Klein, for the New York Times.
The underwater damage left behind by hurricanes. From NPR’s Weekend Edition.
Even corals have microbiomes. By Jason Goldman, for Hakai.
Life of an albatross. By Liza Lester, for the Ecological Society blog.
Senate Committee to consider updates to fish act. By Beth Beard, for the American Fisheries Society blog.

Spoils (long reads and deep dives):

The ocean’s twilight zone faces fishing threat. By Alistair Bland, for OceansDeeply
What we don’t know about the arctic: a remarkable ecosystem. By Henry Huntington, for the Ocean Conservancy blog.
Antarctica’s king penguins could disappear by the end of the century. By Matthew Taylor, for the Guardian.
Dams are fragmenting the Amazon. By Claire Asher, for MongaBay.
Saltwater lakes filled with jellyfish found in Indonesia. By Elaina Zachos, for National Geographic.

Please add your own cuttings and spoils in the comments!

If you appreciate my shark research and conservation outreach, please consider supporting me on Patreon! Any amount is appreciated, and supporters get exclusive rewards!

Make for the Planet with Conservation X Labs and the Earth Optimism Summit!

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Andrew Thaler

Invasive species, overfishing, ocean plastics, wildlife tracking, and measuring ecosystem services, are some of the most daunting challenges in conservation.While these challenges require a combination of social, commercial, and regulatory cooperation to address, they can also be tackled through technological innovation, which can bypass some of the largest hurdles to implementing practical, timely solutions.

On April 21, 2017, 18 teams of conservationists, technologists, makers, and hardware hackers will gather in Washington DC and tackle five conservation challenges selected by a panel of experts at the Make for the Planet, part of the Smithsonian’s Earth Optimism Summit. Over three days, teams will work to develop prototypes, strategic frameworks, and model systems that address specific issues within the broader challenge prompt of terrestrial species invasion, overfishing, ocean plastics, wildlife tracking, and ecosystem services. Read More

Ocean Conservation Priorities for 2041

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Andrew Thaler

On January 1, 2016, the Southern Fried Science central server began uploading blog posts apparently circa 2041. Due to a related corruption of the contemporary database, we are, at this time, unable to remove these Field Notes from the Future or prevent the uploading of additional posts. Please enjoy this glimpse into the ocean future while we attempt to rectify the situation.

Another year, another set of ocean conservation priorities. As with the last 5 years, there will be some new ones, and some repeats. The biggest issues shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, plastics have been an issue forever and global norming is rapidly taking over the broader ocean conversation. For a refresher, check out our priorities for 2036, 2037, 2038, 2039, and 2040.

Sea Level Rise Induced Habitat Loss: This has been a big one on the docket the last few years. As the ocean rises many species are experiencing dramatic loss of habitat, especially sensitive coastal nursery grounds. Although we’ve known about this for a while, we haven’t even begun to quantify the extent of damage to marine populations. Salt inundation is also compromising coast terrestrial habitats, driving essential species further inland. Read More

Media coverage of the Yates Supreme Court case isn’t treating illegal fishing seriously

Posted on November 6, 2014 by David Shiffman

This week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Yates vs. the United States. Commercial fishermen John Yates was caught with dozens of illegally caught grouper, he destroyed much of the evidence of this crime, and he was charged under a law designed to prosecute people for destruction of evidence. He is now suing the government for overreach.

The question of whether a law most commonly known for being used to deal with destruction of financial records can also be used to deal with destruction of evidence of illegal fishing is an interesting one. The Obama administration claims that the law was designed to be a generic Federal destruction of evidence ban, and it has also been used, according to a USA Today article, to “go after the destruction of cars, cash, cocaine, child pornography- even murder weapons and bodies.” It seems to me that it is an appropriate role of government to write regulations to ensure that our shared natural resources are sustainably exploited, it is an appropriate role of government to enforce violations of those laws, and it is an appropriate role of government to punish people for destroying evidence of those violations. A much bigger problem, however, is with much of the media coverage of this case.

Tweets from the Society for Conservation Biology: Marine conservation sessions

Posted on July 29, 2013 by David Shiffman

davesquare

The Society for Conservation Biology’s International Congress for Conservation Biology took place from July 21-25th in Baltimore, MD. Over 1,500 scientists and conservationists from more than 60 countries participated. Below are selected tweets from marine conservation (and related) sessions. Talks are in no particular chronological order.

World’s leading experts say there’s a problem with false balance in conservation journalism; Steve disagrees

Posted on July 4, 2013 by David Shiffman

davesquare

False balance in the media occurs when a journalist gives equal coverage, and therefore the perception of equal validity, to both sides of a story. While this sounds preferable to today’s hyper-politicized media, sometimes both sides of a story aren’t equally valid. For example, when the overwhelming consensus of the expert medical community says that vaccines do not cause autism but a famous former actress says they do, giving both sides equal coverage can be not only frustrating, but harmful to public health. The same is true of early reporting on whether cigarettes are bad for you. Giving equal coverage of the global community of expert climate scientists and spokespeople for the oil and gas industry who claim that climate science isn’t “settled” can also be problematic, as can coverage of other scientific topics.

Image via http://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/sciencetoolkit_04

Though it is discussed less frequently in this context, overfishing and marine conservation issues can also feature some fairly egregious examples of false balance. Coverage of a proposal to list great hammerhead sharks under the Endangered Species Act in yesterday’s South Florida Sun-Sentinel provides a useful case study.