Southern Fried Science

Smart Buoys, Deep-sea Mining, Marine Careers, and Dungeons & Dragons: 2025 in Ocean Science Podcasts

January 25, 2026 Andrew Thaler No Comments

2025. Holy Mola was that a long year. I made a concerted effort to appear on more podcasts last year across more topics than I usually do. Excepting the weekly ocean science podcast I’m a part of, I hit a little more than 1 podcast a month throughout the year. If you need an expert … Read More “Smart Buoys, Deep-sea Mining, Marine Careers, and Dungeons & Dragons: 2025 in Ocean Science Podcasts” »

The Urgency Does Not Exist: My statement on Deep-sea Mining to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources

January 24, 2026January 24, 2026 Andrew Thaler No Comments

Featured, Policy

This week, I was invited to testify in front of Congress on the environmental and social impacts of deep-sea mining for the House Natural Resources Committee hearing Deep Dive: Examining the Regulatory and Statutory Barriers to Deep Sea Mining. In my opening statement, I touched on three critical points: the lack of urgency to access … Read More “The Urgency Does Not Exist: My statement on Deep-sea Mining to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources” »

Bipartisan Concern Expressed Over Deep Sea Mining at Congressional Hearing

January 23, 2026 Angelo Villagomez No Comments

Conservation, Featured, News, Policy

On January 22, 2026 the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held an oversight hearing titled “Deep Dive: Examining the Regulatory and Statutory Barriers to Deep Sea Mining.” The hearing revealed significant bipartisan resistance to deep-sea mining in the US Pacific territories, including a unified position from Republican members Radewagen of American … Read More “Bipartisan Concern Expressed Over Deep Sea Mining at Congressional Hearing” »

I’m getting married! Want to honor us? Here are some great charities you can donate to.

January 23, 2026January 27, 2026 David Shiffman No Comments

Conservation, Education

Some, as they say, personal news: I’m getting married! I’d love to use this happy occassion to spread good news around. To that end, if you’re so inclined to make a donation “in honor of David and Eileen getting married,” here is a list of some great charities I love, and some instructions on how … Read More “I’m getting married! Want to honor us? Here are some great charities you can donate to.” »

Here’s how to help identify Important Shark and Ray Areas in North America!

January 19, 2026January 19, 2026 David Shiffman No Comments

Conservation, Science

The Important Shark and Ray Areas project is coming to North America! Colleagues, if you think your data suggests that you’ve identified an Important Shark and Ray Area in your study site, here’s how to submit your data and participate. So what exactly is an Important Shark and Ray Area? In short, an Important Shark … Read More “Here’s how to help identify Important Shark and Ray Areas in North America!” »

That’s not a blobfish: Deep Sea Social Media is Flooded by AI Slop

December 19, 2025December 20, 2025 Andrew Thaler 1 Comment

Education, Featured

Well, it finally happened. Over the last two week, my usually well-curated feeds of videos from the deep sea have been overrun with AI slop masquerading as authentic images of strange and delightful creatures of the abyss. AI slop is permeating everything, but it’s particularly noxious when dealing with images from the deep. We generally … Read More “That’s not a blobfish: Deep Sea Social Media is Flooded by AI Slop” »

Norway and Cook Islands put their deep-sea mining plans on pause.

December 3, 2025 Andrew Thaler

Conservation, Exploration, Featured, Policy

In the last month, two major players in the development of the deep-sea mining industry have put their plans on pause, calling for more research and less urgency in the race to the bottom. In November, the Cook Islands opted to extend their current exploration programs for an another five years, giving contractors and scientists … Read More “Norway and Cook Islands put their deep-sea mining plans on pause.” »

2025: My year in writing, public speaking, and media interviews

December 3, 2025 David Shiffman

Uncategorized

2025 was a great year for my public outreach! Among other things, I was selected as a Sigma Xi distinguished lecturer (starting in 2026,) won the American Fisheries Society’s Excellence in Public Outreach Award, and was honored as one of the people most shaping policy in Washington, DC by Washingtonian Magazine. Here are some of … Read More “2025: My year in writing, public speaking, and media interviews” »

How tiny satellites are tracking marine wildlife

December 1, 2025 Andrew Thaler

Conservation, Education, Exploration

Long time friend of the blog, Dr. Jake Levenson, delivers a talk twenty years in the making, about how space technology and open data standards can help protect the ocean.

Shark scientists want their research to help save threatened species, but don’t know how. Our new paper can help.

December 1, 2025 David Shiffman

Conservation, Education, Science

Sharks are some of the most threatened animals on Earth, and accordingly many scientists who study sharks want their research to be useful for conservation. However, most scientific training does not include a detailed explanation of the policymaking process, resulting in lots of shark research being positioned as relevant to conservation and policy when it … Read More “Shark scientists want their research to help save threatened species, but don’t know how. Our new paper can help.” »