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5000 dives under the sea, plastic nomming fungi, scanning Belize’s Blue Hole, the thawing Northwest Passage, and more! Monday Morning Salvage: December 3, 2018.

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Andrew Thaler

Foghorn (A Call to Action!)

With ice melting in Canada’s Northwest Passage, the area will soon be a new route for international shipping. Follow Life Under the Ice on OpenExplorer!

Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)

Legendary submarine pilot Erika Bergman is exploring Belize’s Blue Hole using state-of-the-art SONAR scanning tools and ROVs. A couple floppy-haired dudes are going too.
DSV Alvin made its 5000th dive. Way to go, little submarine!

A boon to ocean conservation? Certain fungi can degrade marine plastics.
I missed this over the summer, but Nash was an incredible guide and touring ancient Chamorro caves with him was the highlight of my time in Guam. He will be missed by many: Traditional seafarer Ignacio ‘Nash’ Camacho dies.

Ignacio R. “Nash” Camacho, a Traditions About Seafaring Islands member, and codesigner of the Chamoru Sakman outrigger replica canoe “Tasi,” talks about his creation during a ceremony at the Guam Museum on June 29, 2017.

Ancient fish farming and popular invasive species: Thursday Afternoon Dredging, October 18th 2018

Posted on October 18, 2018 by David Shiffman

Cuttings (short and sweet):

Follow everyone in this amazing thread of twitter wildlife biologists started by David Steen.
Ancient Egyptians farmed fish thousands of years ago. By the New Arab. This is a neat story about a new archaeological study, which tells us about ancient humans’ relationship with the sea.
Fun fish festivals around the world. By Dana Sackett, for the Fisheries Blog.
Drug trafficking at sea is devastating island states, ministers say. By Karen McVeigh, for the Guardian.

Spoils (long reads and deep dives):

What Happens When Humans Fall In Love With An Invasive Species? By Maggie Koerth-Baker, for 538. This is a really excellent long read about the cultural impacts of invasive species, and how they’re not always considered to be bad.
Herschel, the Very Hungry Sea Lion. By Katharine Gammon, for Hakai. This great story is all about how humans wrongly blame marine predators for our own overfishing.
Will Americans Embrace A Zeal For Eel? This Maine Entrepreneur Hopes So. By Fred Bever, for NPR.
Finding home, magnetically. From ScienceFriday.
Scientists map the impact of trawling using satellite vessel tracking. By John Cannon, for MongaBay
Scientists catch rare glimpses of endangered vaquita. By Elisabeth Malkin, for the New York Times.
The internet of animals that could help to save vanishing wildlife. By Andrew Curry, for Nature
And don’t forget to check out my first-ever op ed, about shark fishing in Florida

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!

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!

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 Free Fish, Chainsaw Lobsters, and Artificial Horseshoe Crab Blood: Thursday Afternoon Dredging, May 17th 2018

Posted on May 17, 2018 by David Shiffman

Cuttings (short and sweet):

Follow the Pacific salmon network on twitter!
Looking for plastic free fish? Here’s one to put on the menu! By Maggie Gillis, for CBC news
Scientists find new deep sea species off Java. BBC slideshow.
Unexpected walruses crowd Alaska beach. By the Associated Press.
The bigger the mother fish, the more babies she has. By Christopher Joyce, for NPR’s All Things Considered. (And see this paper that Andrew and I were involved with that extends this argument to recreational fishing ethics).

Spoils (long reads and deep dives):

Inside the biomedical revolution to save horseshoe crabs. By Deborah Cramer, for Audubon magazine.
Arctic sea ice is getting younger. By Chelsea Harvey, for Scientific American
Maine’s lobster boom won’t last, but here’s what fisheries are coming next. By Bill Trotter, for the Bangor Daily News.
Meet the shrimp with superpowers to see colors we can only imagine. By Paul Tullis, for OceansDeeply.
This jellyfish looks like a plastic bag. By Elaina Zachos, for National Geographic.
Toxic plastic pollution is traveling up the food chain. By Erica Cirino, for the Revelator.

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!

Seafaring neanderthals and switchblade fish: A mega Thursday Afternoon Dredging, May 10th, 2018

Posted on May 10, 2018 by David Shiffman

After two weeks off, we’re back and bigger than ever!

Cuttings (short and sweet):

Follow
Archaeologist makes case for seafaring Neanderthals. By Christopher Ingraham, for Scientific American.
Larson Creek trout may have been wiped out. By Randy Shore, for the Vancouver Sun.
US Coast Guard steps up efforts to protect right whales. From GCaptain.
The US and Britain are teaming up to study a massive glacier in Antarctica. By Laurel Wamsley, for NPR.

Spoils (long reads and deep dives):

Fish with a switchblade and other animal weapons. By Liz Langley, for National Geographic.
Fish and chips shops battered by soaring costs: Brexit threatens Britain’s national dish. By Jamie Doward, for the Guardian.
Noisy reefs help fish find their way home. By Sue Palminteri, for MongaBay
Something slithery this way comes: the difference between sea snakes and eels. By Emily Brauner, for the Ocean Conservancy blog.
Catch and deceased. By Christopher Pollon, for Hakai.
Why Atlantic species are invading the Arctic. By Eli Kintisch, for Vox.
New Brunswick fishermen not happy with rules to protect whales. By Alexander Quon, for Global News.
Chinese fish farm tests the waters with the world’s largest salmon cage. By Frank Tang, for the South China Morning Post.
Unique Amazon coral reef at risk from oil drilling. By Amelia Urry, for OceansDeeply.
Feds agree to list 75 remaining pink dolphins as endangered. By Ramona Young-Grindle, for Courthouse News
How to save the high seas. By Olive Heffernan, for Nature.

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!

Meet me in Borneo, exploitation on the high seas, navy sonars, creature reports, and more! Monday Morning Salvage: March 12, 2018.

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Andrew Thaler

Happy Monday-est Monday!

Foghorn (A Call to Action!)

This is the final week to get you abstracts in for the International Marine Conservation Congress, the premier ocean conservation conference, coming to you from Kuching, Malaysia this June! We got a cracking good symposium on human impacts in the deep sea and plenty of travel grants available for researchers in need. And, for the first time, we’ll be hosting Make for the Planet, Borneo!

Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)

An outstanding piece on exploitation in the high seas by Jeff Marlow. The High Seas Are Being Exploited. Exploration Must Keep Pace.
This is a thing that happened:

Insect-eating salmon and cloned crayfish: Thursday Afternoon Dredging, February 8th, 2018

Posted on February 8, 2018 by David Shiffman

Cuttings (short and sweet):

Follow wildlife illustrator Marc Dando on twitter!
The rise of fishing apps. By the Fisheries Blog.
Misled penguins swim to fishing grounds that no longer have food. By Katie Peek, for Scientific American

Spoils (long reads and deep dives):

A pet crayfish is cloning itself and spreading around the world. By Sarah Zhang, for the Atlantic.
Science at the speed of law. By Roberta Kwok, for Hakai.
Why it’s better for the environment for salmon to eat insects. By Heather Brady, for National Geographic.
Scientists watch ocean plastic hotspots form in real time. By Erica Cirino, for OceansDeeply.
Earthquakes triggers spawning in rare fish thousands of miles away. By Shreya Dasgupta, for MongaBay

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!

Chasing Genius, aquatic brain blobs, hurricanes, bats, and more! Monday Morning Salvage: September 4, 2017

Posted on September 4, 2017 by Andrew Thaler

Fog Horn (A Call to Action)

Hurricane Harvey has passed, but its impacts will continue to be felt for years to come. There’s lots of great organizations to donate to, but in the immediate aftermath,it’s often best to donate to local relief programs that already have a ground team in place, rather than national groups that will take weeks to build up their infrastructure. I’m a fan of the Texas Diaper Bank and Portlight Inclusive Disaster Strategies, both of which serve communities that tend to be particularly vulnerable during natural disasters.
Gratuitous self promotion! The OpenCTD and Oceanography for Everyone has been selected as a finalist in National Geographic’s Chasing Genius Challenge! Please help me win the People’s Choice award by voting for the OpenCTD. Visit http://www.natgeochasinggenius.com/video/776, create or sign into your Chasing Genius account, and click the yellow star to vote on my video. Thank you!

Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)

It will take months, if not years, to fully understand the impacts of Hurricane Harvey, which already looks to be the costliest storm in US history. These drone videos give you some idea of the sheer scale of the damage. The Washington Post has an interactive map to help visualize what the equivalent deluge would look like around the world: What the Harvey deluge would look like where you live.

Introducing the Southern Fried Science Class of 2013!

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Andrew Thaler

I am thrilled beyond measure to announce that, after 3 years blogging as a trio, we are welcoming four new authors to the ranks of Southern Fried Science. You will, know doubt recognize these familiar faces from around our humble corner of the ocean blogosphere. The incredible Southern Fried Science Class of 2013 includes:

Chuckprofilephoto Chuck Bangley

Chuck is a former Rhode Islander attending graduate school in North Carolina. He combines his dual interests in sharks and seafood by researching the interactions between marine apex predators and fisheries, with a focus on U.S. fisheries management. Chuck’s field misadventures and older posts on fisheries science can be found at Ya Like Dags?, and he can be followed on Twitter (@SpinyDag) and Google+.

Lyndell Bade

Lyndell comes to us from People, Policy, Planet and Save Our Sharks. She is currently finishing her M.Sc. in Biology, using genetic techniques to investigate the feeding ecology of cownose rays in North Carolina and Chesapeake Bay. You can follow her on twitter at @lyndellmbade and on Google+.

Iris Kemp

Iris joins us from Alevin to Adult, where she blogs about salmon. She is currently finishing her MS in Aquatic & Fisheries Sciences at the University of Washington, Seattle where she studies causes of variable growth and survival of Puget Sound salmon. You can follow Iris via twitter and LinkedIn.

Michael Bok

Michael is finishing up his PhD in Biology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He works on the visual ecology of the mantis shrimp, a specious order of marine crustaceans that boast the fastest strike, worst disposition, and most complex (convoluted) visual system in the world. You can follow him on Twitter and Google+.

Four fish fight for the future

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Andrew Thaler

How much of the world’s food supply is locked up in a few crops – corn, wheat, rice (for example) – and even fewer livestock – cows, pigs, chickens? Of the major commercial food production industries, only fish, and even then, only some fish, are still hunted. In a very real sense, fish are the last wild food. That may be changing. In Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food, published last year, Paul Greenberg highlights the ways in which commercial fishing is becoming less like hunting and more like agriculture, with a few, often farm raised species, dominating the market.

Greenberg, a native of Long Island Sound who fished there since the 1970’s, documents the changes in four major fisheries – salmon, sea bass, cod, and tuna – and the changing attitudes of the (mostly) men who catch them. He travels to Alaska to meet with First Nation salmon fishermen, to Greece to visit groundbreaking aquaculture facilities, he charters a tuna boat to experience the fight first hand, and across the world he talks to those of whom fishing matters most, including himself. At times, the book becomes autobiographical, focusing on Greenberg’s personal journey – but this is a book about fish and fishermen, and he is, if only recreationally, a fisher.

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