I want to apologize in advance for what may seem like a disheartening post. I didn’t mean to, but I started writing about an issue I’ve always wondered about, and it sort of just happened. I promise my next post will be so uplifting, you’ll feel like standing up and dancing like this miniature poodle. … Continue reading
Last week I attended a public lecture featuring three great minds in ocean science: Sylvia Earle, Nancy Knowlton, and Amanda Leland. It was an inspiring night for all of us, and meeting Sylvia Earle was a honor. For more on that see Serena’s post. All three speakers presented different different viewpoints on the state … Continue reading
I recently returned from the 2014 International Marine Conservation Congress (in Scotland, which was pretty awesome) where I heard some great marine conservation presentations and met many interesting marine scientists/conservationists. Above all, I was inspired by the themes that were repeated throughout the week, calling on us as scientists to make marine science matter. … Continue reading
What do you think of when you think about the Galapagos? Darwin, finches, tortoises, blue-footed boobys? What else comes to mind? The word pristine, perhaps? How many people do you think live on the Galapagos (a volcanic archipelago owned by Ecuador, but located well off of the coast)? In 1970 there were around 4,000 … Continue reading
Once again, it’s Shark Week on Discovery Channel. As a marine scientist I can’t condone the unholy union of fact and fiction which has seemed to characterize this year’s programming (see “Shark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine” and “Megalodon: The Shark That Lives”), but I can’t deny that sharks are pretty awesome. Despite evidence that a … Continue reading
Coral reefs are more than “just a pretty face.” Why should we care about coral reefs? If you don’t often interact with coral reefs, or even if you do, you might have trouble answering that question. You probably know that coal reefs are beautiful marine ecosystems. But they only really matter to people who want to … Continue reading
Did any of you, when visiting National Parks as a kid, complete those Junior Ranger workbooks? I did. I completed one at every park we lingered in for longer than a bathroom break and a photo-op. You got these activity booklets from the Visitor Center, and when you finished the whole thing you took it … Continue reading
An article posted late last night on the NYT website reports that the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, an independent Australian government agency whose purpose is to protect the Great Barrier Reef, has approved the dumping of 3 million cubic tons of sediment and dredging mud within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (a UNESCO … Continue reading
A study was published on Jan 21, 2014, the 50th anniversary of the IUCN Red List, that found a quarter of shark and ray species are threatened with extinction (more information here). Only 23% of these species are considered “safe” with the IUCN listing of “Least Concern.” You may think of sharks as threats to … Continue reading
Connect Outreach and Science As scientists, we need to start thinking of research and outreach as interconnected goals. The old paradigm within the scientific community has been “Do good work and it will speak for itself.” How about a new paradigm? Let’s try to change it to “Do good work and tell people about it.” … Continue reading
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