seabirds | Southern Fried Science

Dive bombing birds, octopus intelligence, and a red tide update: Thursday Afternoon Dredging, December 6, 2018

Posted on December 6, 2018 by David Shiffman

Cuttings (short and sweet):

Follow Joe Cunningham, a marine engineer who was just elected to Congress, on twitter!
The dive bombing birds of Newfoundland. By Craig McClain, for Deep Sea News
How much does it cost to save a species? Less than you think! By Erik Vance, for the last word on nothing.

Spoils (long reads and deep dives):

Yes, the Octopus Is Smart as Heck. But Why? By Carl Zimmer, for the New York Times.
Global biodiversity treaty (Convention on Migratory Species) searches for its moment in the spotlight. By Isabel Esterman, for MongaBay. Do you know about CMS? Why do you think it gets less publicity than other conservation meetings?
It’s Time for Journalism to Ring the Alarm About Climate Change More Loudly. By Daniel Grossman, for the Revelator
Connecting fish, rivers, and people. By Abigail Lynch, for the Fisheries Blog.
The secrets of lonesome George: genome may contain clues about longevity. Editorial from Nature.
Code red: An update on Florida’s toxic seas. From the Save Our Seas Foundation blog.
Fishermen blame, sue energy companies for climate change that affects their catch. By Alistair Bland, for NPR.

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!

Endangered turtles and fish venom: Thursday Afternoon Dredging, March 15, 2018

Posted on March 15, 2018 by David Shiffman

Cuttings (short and sweet):

Follow marine conservation biologist Julia Spaet on twitter!
Nearly half of freshwater turtles are at risk of extinction. By John Platt, for Revelator.
Fishing bots “going dark” raise suspicion of illegal fishing. By Scott Neuman, for NPR.
Ocean sensors can track progress on climate goals. By Joellen Russell, for Nature News.

Spoils (long reads and deep dives):

Changing venom. By Dana Sackett, for the Fisheries blog.
Krill can break down microplastics, but that won’t save the ocean. By Calla Wahlquist, for the Guardian.
Next Steps on the Arctic’s Newest International Agreement. By Scott Highleyman, for the Ocean Conservancy blog.
Biodiversity in the oceans exploded after the dinosaurs fell. By Charles Choi, for InsideScience.
Arctic birds carry signs of an “Atlantifying” ocean. By Cheryl Katz, for Hakai.

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!

Intertidal spiders and starfish night vision: Thursday Afternoon Dredging, February 22nd, 2018

Posted on February 22, 2018 by David Shiffman

Cuttings (short and sweet):

Follow Jessica Meeuwig, the Director of the UWA Centre for Marine Futures, on twitter.
Check out #WowScienceFact, a science communication hashtag game that I started!
Ocean tides could have driven ancient fish to walk. By Alexandra Witze, for Nature News.

Spoils (long reads and deep dives):

Webs under water: the bizarre lives of intertidal spiders. By Bhanu Sridharan, for MongaBay
A pioneering plan to boost fish stocks shows little success. By Clare Leschin-Hoar, for NPR
To save the oceans now, museum maps the species of the past. By Jessica Leber, for OceansDeeply
Seabirds eat plastic because it smells like fish to them. By Simon Worral, for National Geographic.
Starfish can sea in the dark, and have other amazing abilities! By Colleen Suckling, for Scientific American
Fish are moving, but can fishermen adapt to warmer waters? By Erin Priddle, for the Environmental Defense Fund blog.
Shadowy criminals are prowling the seas, putting food supplies in danger. By Ted Kemp, for CNBC.
Queen conch are dying in the Bahamas despite marine parks. By Maria Salazar, for MongaBay
The cuttlefish, master of camouflage, unveils a new trick. By Veronique Greenwood, for the New York Times

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!

Seagrass restoration, seabirds, and sea turducken! Thursday Afternoon Dredging: November 2, 2017

Posted on November 2, 2017 by David Shiffman

Cuttings (short and sweet):

Watch this skate seen on a SCUBA dive in Scotland! Video by Catherine Hollingdale
Video by Catherine Hollingdale
Follow fish parasitologist Isaure de Buron on twitter!
Judge halts Hawaii aquarium fishing until environmental review. By the AP.
There are more fish in the sea, because the Magnusson-Stevens Act is working. By George Leonard, for the Ocean Conservancy blog.

Reducing seabird bycatch, rescuing vaquita, and cod comebacks: Thursday Afternoon Dredging: October 26, 2017

Posted on October 26, 2017 by David Shiffman

Cuttings (short and sweet):

Watch aquarists at the PPG Aquarium at the Pittsburgh zoo target train a zebra shark so it comes when it’s called
Video by PennLive.com
Follow PNG Sharks and Rays, a twitter account associated with a project studying “one of the last frontiers of marine biodiversity research,” on twitter.
5 things you should know about the Marine Mammal Protection Act. By Katie Hogge, for the Ocean Conservancy blog.
First vaquita “rescued” in effort to save the species. By John Cannon, for MongaBay.

Shrinking fish, shipstrikes, and tracking Putin by wildlife. Thursday Afternoon Dredging: August 24th, 2017

Posted on August 24, 2017 by David Shiffman

Cuttings (short and sweet):

Watch this basking shark feed in a video from Basking Shark Scotland
Video by Basking Shark Scotland
Follow Ting-Chun Kuo, a seahorse conservationist who just defended her Ph.D., on twitter!
Climate change is shrinking fish. By Craig Welch, for National Geographic.
More whales are dying from shipstrikes then previously believed, because some sink. By KCBS news.
Scientists attached cameras to penguins. Here’s what they found. By Sarah Gibbens, for National Geographic

Terraforming Mars on Earth, giant larvaceans, conservation jobs, and more! Monday Morning Salvage: May 8, 2017

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Andrew David Thaler

Fog Horn (A Call to Action)

The time to save the EPA is now! The EPA is seeking public input on the new administrations approach to environmental regulations. They are required to seek public input. They are required to respond to public input. Go tell them how you feel. Public comments close May 15. Here’s the docket with instructions on how to comment: Evaluation of Existing Regulations. We’ve even prepared a script for you.

Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)

On a tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic, a terraforming project a century-and-a-half in the making is underway. A 150-year-old experiment on the remote Ascension Island may help us green Mars. Can it also help us save Earth?

Seabirds on Ascension Island. Photo by Clare Fieseler.

It also happens to be longtime friend of Southern Fried Science Clare Fieseler’s first major story for National Geographic, so go follow her on twitter.

Jetsam (what we’re enjoying from around the web)

Women have a crucial—yet often overlooked—role in fisheries. The Invisible Fishing Fleet by Ilima Loomis at Hakai Magazine.
“What do you do when you’re a graduate student and you’ve been sexually assaulted by the PI of a very exciting paleoanthropological site?” An incredibly powerful piece by Holly Dunsworth: In case this helps you: This happened to me while I was trying to become a paleoanthropologist.
The general theme of this site appears to be ‘humans are terrible, robots are awesome’. Staying on brand: In a first, deep sea robots get a close look at giant larvaceans, a key player in the biological carbon pump.
Deep-sea mining is really heating up. Locals threaten armed campaign against PNG seabed mine.
In the Pacific Northwest, the diligence of citizen scientists is shedding light on the lives, and deaths, of seabirds. Drawing Meaning from Death, One Seabird at a Time by Larry Pynn at Hakai.
This is a pretty great demonstration of how statistics can be used to mislead: Generating Datasets with Varied Appearance and Identical Statistics through Simulated Annealing.

Meteor hunters, deep divers, and ocean action! Monday Morning Salvage: April 3, 2017

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Andrew David Thaler

Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)

Have you ever wanted to hunt for meteorites in the Great Lakes using underwater robots? Yes? Well, guess what? Now you can! Join along with the ROV Meteorite Hunt on OpenExplorer!
If the Great Lakes are a little too chilly for you, maybe consider joining SFS Super Fan Joey Meier and his students at Polk State on their journey to Guadalupe!

Jetsam (what we’re enjoying from around the web) Read More

Fun Science FRIEDay – Osprey Version of the Truman Show #ospreycam

Posted on April 15, 2016 by Kersey Sturdivant

Do you ever get that feeling that you are being watched? I imagine that is what the ospreys at the nesting platform at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) must feel, if they notice at all. These birds have a camera that is trained on their nest 24/7 during the osprey breeding season (generally from mid-March to October).

Osprey in a nest on the campus of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (Photo Credit: VIMS)

Ospreys are unique among North American raptors for their diet of live fish and ability to dive into the water to catch them. As a result of their life history strategies, osprey nests occur around nearly any body of water: saltmarshes, rivers, ponds, reservoirs, estuaries, and even coral reefs. The placement of OspreyCam at VIMS provides us with an around-the-clock window into the world and “family” dynamics of these amazing birds. We are able to watch as a mating pair cohabit their nest and use it to rear their young. As you can imagine, once the chickies hatch, things get quite interesting in the osprey nest!

Checkout the addictive live feed below, and happy FSF!!

Polar bear feast on seabird eggs is reason we can’t have nice things

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Michelle Jewell

Several images circulate on the internet that capture the plight of rapid Arctic climate change, a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification. This image, for me, is the most alarming: