Social Science to the Rescue

Posted on By Amy Freitag 5 Comments on Social Science to the Rescue
Science

The cultural driver of shark killing - from topnews.in

Can social science save the sharks? A recent article in Progress in Oceanography by Peter Jacques seems to think so, calling for a “social oceanography”. In other circles, this could be known as the human dimensions of a marine ecosystem or the social side of a socioecological system. Either way, the field exists already.  However, it’s small and generally not recognized outside of purely academic circles. It may be time for us to step outside of our comfort zone.

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Hawaii shark fin bill passes!

Posted on By David Shiffman 1 Comment on Hawaii shark fin bill passes!
Conservation, Science

A few weeks ago, I asked readers to voice their support for a proposed anti-shark finning bill in Hawaii. Those of you who follow me on Twitter have seen numerous updates about this important issue.  I am pleased to report that the bill passed both the House and Senate this morning, and it will soon go to the desk of the Governor of Hawaii. If signed (and everyone is pretty optimistic that it will be signed), it will be the strongest shark conservation law in North America- and one of the strongest in the world. Stefanie Brendl, President of Shark Allies and owner of Hawaii Shark Encounter worked harder than anyone on this issue, and she has agreed to answer a few questions about it for us.

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One way an oil rig’s blowout preventer can fail

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 5 Comments on One way an oil rig’s blowout preventer can fail
Science

There’s not much more to say other than blue marlin bill fish caught in oil rig blowout preventer. Several people have asked why we aren’t blogging about the oil spill. The simple answer is that the Deep Sea News crew has done such an awesome job there’s not much more for us to add. H/T … Read More “One way an oil rig’s blowout preventer can fail” »

Monday Morning Blogaerobics – Black Gold and Bad Genes

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Uncategorized

The massive oil spill creeping across the Gulf Coast dominated the twitterverse this weekend. DrCraigMc has been doing an awesome job keeping us up to date on the progress of the oil and the status of clean-up. Deep Sea News posted a time line of the disaster. At the current rate of 210,000 gallons of … Read More “Monday Morning Blogaerobics – Black Gold and Bad Genes” »

Douglas Adams on Evolution, Endangered Species, Conservation, and writing Last Chance to See

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 2 Comments on Douglas Adams on Evolution, Endangered Species, Conservation, and writing Last Chance to See
Conservation, Popular Culture, Science

The brilliantly funny Douglas Adams shares the adventures he had while writing Last Chance to See. Since he gave this talk, the Yangtze River Dolphin has been declared extinct and only 123 Kakapo remain.  Komodo dragons are now listed as vulnerable, and although their population appears quite large, it was recently discovered that Komodo dragons … Read More “Douglas Adams on Evolution, Endangered Species, Conservation, and writing Last Chance to See” »