Check out this excellent short film describing the increasingly important issue of ocean acidification and its causes and numerous effects on marine life. Produced by the Plymouth Marine Laboratory: http://www.pml.ac.uk Continue reading
I wonder if they’ll rename it “Ocean Change” too…
New research published in the journal Nature Geoscience shows us that not only is global warming (aka Climate Change) increasing the acidity of the entire ocean (by forcing more CO2 into it) and increasing it’s temperature (which alone is forecasted to cause widespread shifts in habitats, changes in currents, oxygen levels, and sea level rise due to the thermal expansion of water itself…), we now find that a warming ocean also melts ice faster. Continue reading
“We got some our shark scientists together to tell us how they feel about sharks….” In Awe of the Shark from Save Our Seas Foundation.
– Myers et al. 2007; MacKenzie et al. 2009
– Enric Sala, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Visit the Save Our Seas Foundation to learn more and get involved: http://saveourseas.com
Together we can make the difference!
We’re starting to think about scheduling expeditions again to gather data, photos, video, etc. of marine life and issues for marinebio.org. Check out MarineBio’s Expedition home page for the possibilities and contact us if you’re interested in joining us.
A must watch for everyone, especially those that believe sharks are mindless eating machines. See more at Joe Romeiro/333 Productions…
And if you liked that, you’ll probably also like:
Congratulations to everyone who worked on The Cove for your well-deserved Oscar for best feature documentary!
Check out The Cove blog: http://www.thecovemovie.com/_blog/Blog
The Cove is now on DVD: Get a copy here
Today I’m going to take you on a voyage to some place so deep, so dark, so unexplored that we know less about it than we know about the dark side of the moon. It’s a place of myth and legend. It’s a place marked on ancient maps as “here be monsters.” It is a place where each new voyage of exploration brings back new discoveries of creatures so wondrous and strange that our forefathers would have considered them monstrous indeed. Instead, they just make me green with envy that my colleague from IUCN was able to go on this journey to the south of Madagascar seamounts to actually take photographs and to see these wondrous creatures of the deep. Continue reading
by: Observer staff
This Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, nicknamed Anakin, is receiving antibiotics and fluids at Mote’s Sea Turtle Hospital.
An endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle was brought to Mote Marine Laboratory’s Sea Turtle Hospital after it swallowed a balloon.
The 3.3-pound young turtle washed up on a sandbar Tuesday, July 14, near the south end of Lido Key. Swimmers who found the turtle called Mote biologists, who brought the turtle in for treatment.
“Balloons can look like jellyfish or squid — things sea turtles like to eat,” said senior Biologist Kristen Mazzarella, of Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program. “It’s extremely common to find sea turtles that have swallowed balloons, fishing hooks, monofilament lines and other dangerous objects.”
Mote’s patient, nicknamed Anakin, is receiving fluids, antibiotics and food at the sea-turtle hospital. The turtle, which arrived anemic and dehydrated, is being closely monitored for additional health problems.
“We pick up a lot of balloons wrapped in seaweed from local beaches,” said Mazzarella of Mote’s Sea Turtle Patrol — a team of staff, interns and volunteers who monitor sea-turtle nesting every day on 35 miles of Sarasota County beaches during nesting season, May through October. “To protect sea turtles and other wildlife, we recommend that people dispose of trash in the appropriate containers and recycle it when possible. If you see trash washing up on the beach, pick it up before the tide takes it back out to sea.”
To reported a stranded or dead sea turtle, call Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program, a 24-hour response service, at 941-988-0212.
I must say that the following marine conservation documentaries are some of the best we’ve ever seen. In a field that’s so often depressing with the continuous overwhelming evidence of the decline in marine species, the destruction of marine habitats, increasing pollution levels, never ending strandings and even commercial whaling, it’s energizing to see these wonderful films created by such passionate and talented people. Thank you for helping us keep our energy levels high and reminding us of why we’re doing what we do. Oh yeah, and thank you for getting the various important messages in your films out there in ways that only film can do! We hope we are helping spread the word, knowledge really is power, and the first step toward real change. We hope everyone gets a chance to see each of the below:
Congratulations President Obama! Yesterday’s inauguration of President Barack Obama was so inspiring and wonderful it is hard to describe. What a landmark event in US history! We finally have a tangible reason to hope, and to continue to act, for a better future for our planet. Obama has enormous tasks before him to get the US back on track economically, politically, and environmentally. He’ll now be expected to fix the economy, divert us and the rest of the world from a global depression, improve foreign relations and foreign policy to restore America’s reputation abroad and at home, solve the health care and education messes, and at least slow global warming so that our children have a world worth living in. Thankfully he has help. A strong cabinet, both houses in Congress, overwhelming support of the American people and billions of global citizens, a wife who seems as amazing as he is, and two beautiful daughters who are clearly devoted to their father. Continue reading
Just two weeks shy of his final day as President, George W. Bush announced today that 195,280 square miles will be designated as three new marine national monuments in the Pacific Ocean. Contrary to his resistance to sign the Kyoto Protocol and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and his other unpopular environmental policies, Bush is leaving a decent legacy when it comes to the ocean. This good news combined with the good news of a bill to ban shark finning in the US put forth in the new session of Congress (sea below) put a smile on my face!
From his press release:
On June 15, 2006, I established the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, and on May 15, 2007, I instructed the U.S. delegation to the International Maritime Organization to submit a proposal for international measures to enhance protection of the Monument. On April 4, 2008, the International Maritime Organization adopted our proposal, and the Papahanaumokuakea Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) was established. Continue reading
Time Magazine published this great article earlier this month. Read:
You don’t have to be a marine biologist to understand the importance of corals — just ask any diver. The tiny underwater creatures are the architects of the beautiful, electric-colored coral reefs that lie in shallow tropical waters around the world. Divers swarm to them not merely for their intrinsic beauty, but because the reefs play host to a wealth of biodiversity unlike anywhere else in the underwater world. Coral reefs are home to more than 25% of total marine species. Take out the corals, and there are no reefs — remove the reefs, and entire ecosystems collapse.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what appears to be happening around the world. Continue reading
So David suggested that I blog about topics that are a bit, meatier, than say… reusable bags. I love those bags! Particularly after stuffing my pockets with water-inflated plastic bags and other jetsam and flotsam in a remote sea in Indonesia. And, I get excited when I see companies doing something good for the planet. Continue reading
I always loved the song “Canary in a Coal Mine” by the Police:
First to fall over when the atmosphere is less than perfect
Your sensibilities are shaken by the slightest defect
You live your life like a canary in a coalmine
You get so dizzy even walking in a straight line
Now the first line of the song and the comparison of penguins to canaries in coal mines is disturbing. Are we going to be a generation remembered for celebrating penguins in films like “March of the Penguins” and “Happy Feet” only to be the generation that announces their extinction? I hope not. It would be a tragic loss to the animal kingdom and to mankind. Continue reading
Health Alert Over Shark Fin Consumption
May 9, 2008
Release from: Nickkita Lau
The Standard (Hong Kong)
The use of shark fin as a delicacy was once a hot ecological issue with local environmentalists forcing Disneyland to drop the popular soup from its menus.
Now, shark fin may also present a health hazard, based on a survey that showed eight of 10 samples sold in Hong Kong contain mercury levels above the legal standard. Continue reading
A new Plankton Forums member recently posted that Amazon is selling two brands of shark fin soup. Here is the information he posted:
It seems that Amazon.com is carrying shark fin soup through two third-party vendors, Dragonfly Shark and American Roland Food Corp. With all the controversy surrounding shark fins and the horrible practices used to harvest fins, Amazon should be ashamed to be carrying shark fin soup and should rectify the problem immediately by pulling all shark fin products from their catalog.
What you can do: Continue reading
