piracy | Southern Fried Science

Pirates, conch, and surfing scientists: Thursday Afternoon Dredging, July 19th, 2018

Posted on July 19, 2018 by David Shiffman

Cuttings (short and sweet):

Follow Erin Meyer, the director of conservation programs for the Seattle Aquarium, on twitter!
Piracy Incident Reported in First Half of 2018 at Lowest Level in 10 Years. From GCaptain news alerts.
She said she didn’t know it was illegal to take conchs. She’s heading to jail anyway. By Gwen Filosa, for the Miami Herald.
Canada Post releases new shark stamps! By me, for Gizmodo’s Earther.

Spoils (long reads and deep dives):

Surfing For Science: A New Way To Gather Data For Ocean And Coastal Research. By Nathan Rott, for NPR news.
Are the fish in Florida’s polluted waters safe to eat? By Ed Killer, for the Treasure Coast Palm.
What Were Two Humpback Whales Doing with a Dead Gray Whale Calf? By Erica Cirino, for Hakai.
Warm water threatens what should be bumper year for Fraser River sockeye. From CBC news.
Canada’s high Arctic glaciers at risk of disappearing completely. By Ashifa Kassam, for the Guardian.
Taiwan Pushed to Confront Work Abuse in High Seas Fishing Fleet. By Nick Aspinwall, for OceansDeeply.
Bold initiative aims to protect coral reefs in the Dominican Republic. By Greg Asner, for MongaBay
Groupers on the Comeback in the Caymans. By Ben Shouse, for Scientific American.
Seashell Souvenirs Are Killing Protected Marine Life. By Tina Deines, for National Geographic

Please add your own cuttings and spoils in the comments!

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Nothing to plunder – the evolution of Somalia’s pirate nation

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Andrew David Thaler

The droughts that shook the east African nations in the mid-1970’s and again in the 1980’s decimated the traditional nomadic clans of Somalia, leaving them without live stock to feed their families. Tens of thousands of the dispossessed, primarily of the Hawiye clan, were relocated to coastal areas. Fishing communities took root and began to flourish. With over 3000 km of coastline, rich with rock lobster and large pelagic fish, these communities grew, perhaps even thrived. Then, as is often the narrative of African nations, came civil war.

Piracy isn’t so good for fish after all

Posted on February 11, 2010 by David Shiffman

The piracy situation in Somalia is a terrible human tragedy. That’s why when conservationist Joni Lawrence said that it was great because it helped fish stocks to recover, people like myself and Blogfish author Mark Powell got angry. As it turns out, Joni Lawrence wasn’t just being horribly insensitive- she was wrong.