tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-224241442012-01-31T22:41:48.118+01:00fish, oceans, conservationMark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.comBlogger13001100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-16181852438342148202012-01-31T09:55:00.002+01:002012-01-31T10:00:13.790+01:00

A new report by the Internationa Center for Investigative Journalism tells a sad story of overfishing in the South Pacific. Here's the overview:As other fisheries are pushed to their limits, giant trawlers have moved southward toward the edge of Antarctica to catch what is left. For this finale of Looting the Seas, reporters from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists spent

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-19655929923830679132012-01-30T17:05:00.001+01:002012-01-30T17:08:10.091+01:00

<br><br><br><br><br><br>&

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-58854880039341269042012-01-12T22:46:00.005+01:002012-01-13T09:30:41.854+01:00

This is the most moving surfing film I've ever seen. It features truly beautiful footage of big, incredibly powerful, nearly-unridable waves and a "you are there" experience alongside the venturesome people surfing them. Watch it again and again, and feel slow-motion explosions as amazing rides eventually start to come apart in the teeth of monumental ocean force. Wow. And wow again. And

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-28995418866210773012012-01-10T09:50:00.005+01:002012-01-13T09:51:01.623+01:00

Bad news for an Oregon ocean guy...new studies show that CO2 impacts are already bad and expected to continue hitting hard in the Pacific Ocean off the US west coast and Puget Sound (near Seattle).First, oysters have been having trouble reproducing in the region due to CO2-driven ocean acidification. As a result, "the state of Washington classified the entire Puget Sound as “waters of concern

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-82632186303724583952011-12-21T08:45:00.001+01:002011-12-21T08:46:59.050+01:00

No, it wasn't me, but I wish it was. Watch this short video from RIPproductions9 and imagine it was you!

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-56019369776615821232011-12-08T18:05:00.003+01:002011-12-08T18:05:00.129+01:00

Oh my, I want one of these really much!!

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-57002796211674548022011-12-07T21:15:00.000+01:002011-12-07T23:18:44.095+01:00

Personal reflection on freeing the White Salmon River in Washington:"I can't believe I am living long enough to see it actually happen," said Phyllis Clausen, 87, of Vancouver, Wash., who with other citizen activists has fought for restoration of the White Salmon as a free flowing river since joining the "Friends of the White Salmon":http://friendsofthewhitesalmon.org/, a non-profit citizens'

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-73139652892385125462011-12-05T20:17:00.003+01:002011-12-05T21:21:39.242+01:00

People often dream of the perfect tomorrow, and some find satisfaction in floating cities, far from the crowds and free to drift with the wind of the open sea. Sounds nice, getting away from welfare, minimum wage, and stifling laws restricting private weapons. Wait a minute, whose dream is this? The latest version comes from the billionaire founder of PayPal, who apparently sees himself as a

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-44532266694936792722011-12-04T21:00:00.002+01:002011-12-04T21:23:09.966+01:00

Here's a nice story about a guy in California who started taking pictures of problems that he had noticed, and now he's making a difference in helping clean up California's dirty air.

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-17779621304519758042011-12-02T18:03:00.000+01:002011-12-02T18:03:00.622+01:00

It might be a bit scary for some people to be a subject of New York based photographer Ted Sabarese. Here's an example of his fish-people lookalike series.To see a series of his fish-people images, visit the Symbiartic blog at Scientific American.I wonder what he'd do with me?

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-6890389694791166742011-12-01T20:37:00.001+01:002011-12-01T21:12:03.851+01:00

What do you think is the least sustainable food on earth? Panda steaks? Spicy Condor wings? No, food that doesn't get eaten is the worst. Even if lovingly prepared by happy workers using zero-impact methods, if food ends up in the trash then it ain't sustainable. Where is the worst place for food waste? Restaurants, and diners are beginning to wonder about the problem. What a shame to buy

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-73804287880505282092011-11-30T21:20:00.000+01:002011-11-30T21:26:27.683+01:00

Here's an excerpt from a great article on open water swimming. I can relate, since I'm a bit of a wild water swimmer too. Immersed in the Wild by Edwin Dobb Like any deeply enjoyable activity, distance swimming readily becomes addicting. The high is real. But swimming entails another kind of attraction as well, one whose locus is the medium itself. Since boyhood, I've been drawn to

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-22063410592517146612011-11-29T18:22:00.000+01:002011-11-29T18:22:00.061+01:00

It's fall, time for salmon to run upstream and spawn. And every year you can find these kind of scenes of frustrated salmon. Can we help these fish?

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-68846206258151531182011-11-28T21:26:00.000+01:002011-11-28T21:55:00.375+01:00

Yvon Chouinard has an idea, and he's not a person that should be ignored when he has an idea. I won't go into his record here, suffice it to say it's good. Now he's onto seafood, introduced by his "Have a snack, save a species" essay. Can salmon jerky revolutionize seafood? If anyone else said so, I'd be skeptical, but I think Patagonia Provisions salmon jerky has a chance because of the

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-20148317596835660272011-11-27T21:14:00.001+01:002011-11-27T23:05:49.817+01:00

Fantastic new aquaculture promises sustainable seafood. Great idea, good story, but it's not exactly new. China leads the world in farming seaweed, and it's at least hundreds of years old if not thousands. This piece in The Atlantic gives us some good news, but it seems to miss the Chinese roots of this "new" wave in sustainable aquaculture.

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-2176745945602917852011-11-23T21:47:00.008+01:002011-11-23T22:09:11.742+01:00

During a recent trip to Vietnam I had the pleasure of meeting again Mr. Duong Ngoc Minh, President of Hùng Vương Corporation, and the largest pangasius farmer in Vietnam.Mr. Minh signed an agreement with WWF to advance one of his pangasius farms to sustainability certification by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, and to use his farm as a demonstration to other pangasius farmers. Mr Minh is in

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-4892527098478145892011-11-22T19:51:00.000+01:002011-11-22T20:00:03.543+01:00

What is gained by staring a fish in the eye before eating it? China's live fish markets are a great place to ask this question. My answer? Shopping this way brings the fish closer, so that imported food becomes "almost local." It's a good thing.Walking through Qingdao's restaurant district I found row after row of live fish in tanks, ready for diners to order and eat. Not only fish, of

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-90653306321579591782011-11-21T19:44:00.009+01:002011-11-22T10:47:33.271+01:00

What could be more sustainable than a dinner of plant-eating farmed carp? But is it a GOOD dinner for a westerner? Time to find out.During my recent trip to China I was interested to find a real Chinese carp dinner. I grew up fishing, and my father and everyone else taught me to throw carp back in the water. "You can't eat those things" I remember being told. But the Chinese know better,

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-47302389577013103132011-11-20T22:17:00.003+01:002011-11-20T22:25:18.664+01:00

Here's an interesting greenspace, crops growing on the roof of the main parking garage at Beijing Airport. Thrifty use of space.

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-17243805797885254342011-10-10T11:35:00.004+02:002011-10-10T11:46:16.426+02:00

John West wants you to know where your tuna came from. Enter the can code into their website and see the ocean and boat that caught your tuna.This is a good start in transparency for tuna. The big tuna companies could have done this a long time ago. They track their tuna to minimize costs in the case of recalls of unsafe tuna.Now all we need is sustainability information like how it's caught

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-83019849755824304882011-10-10T08:41:00.002+02:002011-10-10T10:26:03.119+02:00

Strange beauty is common in the ocean, and glowing water is right at the top of my list of eerie yet fantastic ocean sights.Churned by surf, fish, or boats, glowing ocean waters are the result of microbes that glow when disturbed, in the case of the photo at right, a red tide in California.Click here for a fun video of surfing bioluminescence.Thanks to DEEP BLUE HOME

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-17831941574640536292011-10-06T08:35:00.000+02:002011-10-06T10:42:56.270+02:00

Stories of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. So say Japan's whale hunters after speculation that they would stop hunting post-tsunami. Instead, the Japanese whaling fleet will have more protection from anti-whaling protesters this year. With both sides promising to get tougher, this could be a troubled year for Japan's whaling effort.

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-4907655378573318412011-10-05T08:46:00.001+02:002011-10-05T10:02:15.821+02:00

In a "man bites shark" story, China recently halted the import of contaminated oysters from the US.That's a turnaround, Chinese regulators stopping a questionable food import from overseas. Maybe we need to take another look at food safety; it's not just health risks caused by bad people from far away.The oyster problem arose in Washington state in the US because ofoysters contaminated with an

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-39560847414573328682011-10-04T08:30:00.000+02:002011-10-04T09:31:19.875+02:00

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-45840857342443281802011-10-03T09:00:00.005+02:002011-10-03T09:18:05.689+02:00

Surging nitrates in Asian waters could dramatically affect marine wildlife. So says science journal Nature in a news piece explaining why we should care about human-caused increases in ocean nitrate levels.Waste from agriculture and burning of fossil fuels are the suspected cause. This is bad news, and could lead to increasing ocean "dead zones" where oxygen is depleted and many of our favorite

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-10796813171559703812011-09-30T09:11:00.002+02:002011-09-30T09:18:53.876+02:00

Scientists make hydrogen using sunlight:Two independent research teams report today in Science that they've taken key strides toward harnessing the energy in sunlight to synthesize chemical fuels. If the new work can be improved, scientists could utilize Earth's most abundant source of renewable energy to power everything from industrial plants to cars and trucks without generating

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-3363940904502316712011-09-28T08:10:00.000+02:002011-09-28T10:15:01.387+02:00

The Elwha River in Washington is making an end run around the Elwha Dam, and you can watch it on this webcam. Here's today's view.

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-58739585452937485542011-09-27T08:36:00.001+02:002011-09-27T09:41:42.845+02:00

Intrauterine cannabilism on camera, wow:Thanks to Deep-Sea News

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-58393370693600933592011-09-26T21:15:00.000+02:002011-09-26T21:18:11.394+02:00

Here's a good idea...a single green score for products. US consumers want a single green score that says what products cost the environment and people. More than 80 percent of U.S. shoppers want a single sustainability rating for all products that 75 percent say should be displayed as a numerical score and produced by an independent organization with no profit motive, according toOne Green

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-77535337218334161432011-09-22T08:40:00.000+02:002011-09-22T09:50:40.253+02:00

What do you do if you're a lonely male squid? Fire your sperm at the first potential partner you see, regardless if it's male or female. That's life in the deep sea where sex partners can be hard to find. A new study shows that male Octopoteuthis deletron attempt to copulate at the first sign of another member of their species, without bothering to learn first whether it's a female. They

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-68058594000563850002011-09-16T08:45:00.006+02:002011-09-16T09:33:03.681+02:00

I've been waiting for this; it seems like it's taken forever. But now the Elwha River dams are coming down. See the big chunk missing from Glines Canyon dam on the Elwha River. If you're really interested, you can follow the 3 year restoration project with the webcams.Why is this a big deal? Washington's Elwha River once hosted miraculous salmon runs, with fish up to 100 pounds. But two big

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-91549631312562306382011-09-14T13:09:00.002+02:002011-09-14T13:58:59.023+02:00

Do enviros have a sense of humor? Maybe not, judging by some reactions to the Legal Sea Foods ads in the videos below. Comments from Greenpeace and the National Resources Defense Council seem a bit stiff. I think the ads are funny. What do you think?

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-68406234798087768282011-09-08T08:24:00.000+02:002011-09-08T09:30:36.820+02:00

Some recreational fishermen have decided they're going to make Wal-mart blink. Angered by the Walton Family Foundation's funding of ocean conservation (thanks WFF!), the Recreational Fishing Alliance is calling for a boycott of Wal-mart stores.  Why would this fishing group oppose ocean conservation?  Seems nonsensical, doesn't it?  Conservation means more fish, but RFA thinks that's not OK if

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-20007619176760985202011-09-06T07:55:00.000+02:002011-09-06T08:40:58.410+02:00

This meet's Randy's rules, it's not boring...

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-60809325128689406712011-09-04T19:50:00.000+02:002011-09-04T19:55:42.683+02:00

Who knew there was a fish that lives on land? Not just a walking catfish that can tolerate being out of the water, this is a fish that actually prefers to be out of the water. It's the Pacific leaping blenny, and it's unusual lifestyle is described in a new study. These interesting fish engage in complex behaviors on dry (actually moist) land, and they can leap about from place to place with a

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-33796330166411513142011-09-02T18:44:00.000+02:002011-09-02T18:44:00.911+02:00

New way to buy shrimp, call it a "fisherman's market" like the farmer's markets that are so popular. The Port of Delcambre (Louisiana) has a new direct sale website that lets you check what local fishermen are catching and make phone orders that you can pick up at the dock. Fresh seafood. Here's shrimper Jimmie Dupre to tell you a little bit about buying shrimp direct, and a few other things

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-81279878095665841462011-09-01T21:58:00.000+02:002011-09-01T22:07:09.418+02:00

Bluefin tuna are in trouble, again. This time it's the southern bluefin tuna, the more endangered cousin of the Atlantic bluefin tuna that was much in the news last year. It's the same tired story, conservation advocates call for reduced fishing, and some fishing interests want to keep fishing. This time, however, Japan is skeptical of the wisdom of maintaining or increasing fishing levels.

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-72018369482272669162011-08-31T08:47:00.002+02:002011-08-31T13:18:15.955+02:00

One of my favorite fish stories is back. Fraser River sockeye salmon simply refuse to die. Fish have a way of keeping us humble. Just try to catch one, or even worse, try to predict what they'll do. This year the infamous Fraser River (British Columbia) sockeye are causing problems once again. Just as a high-level panel is discussing what caused their collapse, they're doing better. How

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-72398477462990497462011-08-25T18:22:00.001+02:002011-08-25T18:31:53.780+02:00

It's the biggest sea bass snafu since Al Gore armed critics by serving chilean sea bass at his daughter's wedding. It turns out Gore was green, or so we thought, because the fish was certified as sustainable. But now Gore's green may be wearing off... Sustainability certification is supposed to make sure that buyers can identify sustainable products. However, in a recent study of Marine

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-57591517701732087872011-08-24T21:12:00.001+02:002011-08-24T21:15:29.661+02:00

Human CO2 is killing oysters on the US west coast. It's the early stages of our CO2 assault on the ocean. CO2 makes carbonic acid in water. Since we're responsible for the excess CO2 in the air, then there is absolutely no debate about the human causes of the ocean acid monster. Here's an interesting and scary article about how oyster growers on the west coast have been hit hard by the

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-60034650948799052032011-08-23T20:58:00.000+02:002011-08-23T21:02:00.339+02:00

Since when do fishermen ask for smaller catch limits? That's what is happening in New Zealand these days, as increasing hoki populations have government managers trying to give away fish to fishermen. But the fishermen are having none of it, they say leave the fish in the water to grow and reproduce. This is one of the promises made by advocates of transferable quotas or catch shares,

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-6772170033640560322011-08-23T09:10:00.000+02:002011-08-23T10:05:18.300+02:00

Cod are coming back to Atlantic Canada. Slowly, here and there, but the signs are positive. That's good news after the catastrophic collapse of the Newfoundland cod fishery two decades ago. Since then, we've learned a lot about the effects of overfishing on ocean ecosystems, and the mysterious non-recovery once fishing was stopped. One problem has been that fishing wasn't actually stopped,

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-17489890709509304192011-08-09T21:30:00.001+02:002011-08-10T23:26:07.628+02:00

From the land of wasteful resource use comes a development in sustainability. Shrimp farmed in recirculating tanks just outside of Las Vegas, far from the ocean (unless you count Mandalay Bay's wave pool). Are there any aquaculture critics who can't accept this as sustainable?

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-65057521653927965142011-08-09T21:12:00.001+02:002011-08-09T21:25:29.665+02:00

Hoki populations are increasing around New Zealand, testing the predictions of many who care about fish and fishing. The hoki fishery, certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council, has been under fire because hoki declined after being certified. The declines were cited as proof of unsustainable fishing. But fishery managers reduced quotas and now hoki are recovering. That

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-88464363779837890082011-08-08T22:34:00.000+02:002011-08-08T22:40:09.278+02:00

Or at least leave them high and dry? Thanks to a lawsuit by a tuna company from Malta, Sea Shepherd may be forced to sell the boat they use to harass bluefin tuna ranchers. According to The Guardian:Maltese company Fish and Fish lodged a complaint against him in the Scottish courts over alleged damage sustained when Sea Shepherd freed hundreds of bluefin tuna from the company's nets in a a

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-91241887675443723972011-07-30T07:50:00.002+02:002011-07-30T07:50:00.052+02:00

Do you think Rush Limbaugh is cool? How about George Will? They win the title in a new paper "Cool dudes, hot temps; the climate change battle will get us nowhere."These characters are cultural "elites" used to getting their way, so why should they be worried about climate change or anything else? The lesson here: you can't win arguing "facts" with one of these "cool dudes." Because ideology

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-69756084049347062382011-07-29T08:01:00.000+02:002011-07-29T08:01:00.172+02:00

Once again a major algae bloom is afflicting China's coast (photo above). This reminds me of the Olympic year, and the massive cleanup necessary to present a good image and keep coastal waters usable. I'm surprised that this doesn't seem to keep people out of the water, I suppose it depends on what you're used to.

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-30397706209467699412011-07-28T10:49:00.003+02:002011-07-28T10:55:21.029+02:00

You won't believe this oneUn film de Karim Rejeb, Production AnticycloneThanks to Deep Blue Home, where Julia posts the best stuff ever...

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-86395547523638467182011-07-26T21:17:00.000+02:002011-07-26T21:38:10.516+02:00

Who are the ocean villains? Large-scale industrial fishermen are the most convenient target, but is "industrial" really a dirty word in fishing? There is an un-examined assumption held by many ocean scientists and environmentalists: that small-scale fishing is inherently less harmful to ocean ecosystems than large-scale industrial fishing. This assumption shows up even in research done by

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-79298747920950478982011-07-25T18:31:00.000+02:002011-07-25T18:33:49.615+02:00

How big was the Japanese tsunami this year? Reseachers now say 132.5 feet, or 40 meters. Wow. That's the biggest tsunami ever to hit Japan, and bigger than the tsunami that devastated coastlines around Indonesia in 2004. As if that's not big enough, the largest tsunami ever was 1,720 feet (524 meters), trigerred by a rock and ice fall in a small inlet in Alaska in 1958. Yikes. That's taller

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-28047647179893243142011-07-22T08:40:00.002+02:002011-07-22T10:02:10.892+02:00

Do you ever wonder why your worthy cause doesn't attract enough attention? Why don't people care, when you know they should?Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times has some answers, based on years of reporting experience. If you're a typical activist, you won't like the results. They reinforce the model that most activists hate, put a face on the problem. Find a person struggling and making

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-90548587210251212382011-07-21T09:01:00.003+02:002011-07-21T09:10:28.932+02:00

Are you ready for a zombie attack? If not, check out the CDC's advice on how to prepare for a massive assualt by zombies. Or any other disaster like hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, etc. It's a great lesson in communicating and Randy Olsen explains the hows and whys regarding the massive success of the CDC's creative approach to outreach about boring topics. Enviros, are you listening? If

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-13328751894019897712011-07-20T14:35:00.003+02:002011-07-20T14:45:46.852+02:00

I'm a sand lover. During my Swim Around Bainbridge Island, I crossed a lot of sand bottom (see photo). I've always been fascinated by sandy bottoms, and I love this video that I found on Deep Blue Home. It's 4 minutes + of sandy ocean bottoms and some of the interesting and amusing creatures that live on and in the sand. Julio / July from Rafa Herrero Massieu on Vimeo.

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-85535501808626220272011-07-19T08:02:00.001+02:002011-07-19T10:57:22.138+02:00

Selling products with a green message...does it work?  Is it morally wrong?  What would you say in a critique of green marketing? Here's one expert with an answer:  Most (green) marketing ... is ponderous, lacking in humility, humanity and humor...Guilt doesn't sell, but humor does. We need to sell green by poking fun at our silliest excesses, the stereotypes and ourselves.Green marketing

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-89893201784803729882011-07-08T09:45:00.000+02:002011-07-08T09:45:54.280+02:00

Just back from trips to Scotland, Vietnam, and Germany.  Busy, busy, and invisible.   I found a lot of energy and activity in Vietnam dedicated to making the pangasius (fish farming) industry more sustainable.  Efforts like this have been criticized recently as greenwashing.  Something's wrong when this sort of green "GOTCHA!" is viewed as strong. 

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-40594203144046016682011-05-30T22:25:00.000+02:002011-05-30T22:25:09.249+02:00

Growing shrimp right in Belize.  It can be done. Thanks: Revkin

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-33751940844078526472011-05-29T22:18:00.000+02:002011-05-29T22:18:41.794+02:00

The Anthropocene--the human epoch on earth--has begun.  Some scientists believe the name is apt because we are the driving geological force on earth. Yes, earthquakes and volcanoes can make us blanch, but we're still driving change more than anything else.  According to The Economist, humans and our livestock outweigh all other large animals, and we have made much more nitrogen available to

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-32443244764731081242011-05-25T20:48:00.000+02:002011-05-25T20:48:45.802+02:00

Wild times bring wild responses.  Peoria fishermen are finding a new way to hunt the absolutely crazy jumping carp that are invading waters in the midwestern US...they've become carp ninjas.  Check out the video above. Thanks to:  Switchboard

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-29878841638062010132011-05-23T20:10:00.001+02:002011-05-23T20:12:24.490+02:00

"We are as Gods and have to get good at it."-Stewart Brand, author Whole Earth CatalogIt's time to get brave and admit we're running the earth. Then we can put to rest the quaint notion of "don't mess with Mother Nature." It's helpful to hear this from Stewart Brand, a person seen as an icon of living in harmony with the earth.No matter that we're running the earth by default choices, such as

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-38345952867437082412011-05-22T21:26:00.000+02:002011-05-22T22:19:25.097+02:00

Now you can use this:To make this:

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-50967352381245717102011-05-20T08:56:00.001+02:002011-05-20T10:25:36.058+02:00

There's a new kid on the block, too cool to ignore. Project Ocean from the upscale UK department chain Selfridges. The compelling world of London's Oxford street shopping district is taking on ocean conservation. What's your pleasure? Saving fish while mingling at the Ultralounge? Riding a whale at the whale rodeo? Watching the lush window displays change?This is good stuff. Selfridges

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-36315306214355888982011-05-19T08:55:00.000+02:002011-05-19T09:08:24.700+02:00

Where do you go when you want the real truth about oceans? Blogfish, of course, but now you can have a new ocean friend who may turn out to be another Blogfish. It's SeaMonster and it's sooooo attractive that I just might forgive you for dallying there when you should really be here. Have a peek at the S'Monster:SeaMonster Recent Posts Those who can — teach!Oceans retrospective trailerThe

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-36039840553191827212011-05-17T21:21:00.000+02:002011-05-18T12:07:44.685+02:00

The Mississippi River pushed on a wall,The American economy had a great fall, All the king's money and all the king's men, Couldn't put the River together again. There's a slow-motion disaster happening in the US that could rival the Japan earthquake and tsunami for drama and impact. The Mississippi River is fighting the US Army Corps of Engineers.This isn't just a flood, bad as floods can be.

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-2811582223183156712011-05-16T21:12:00.000+02:002011-05-16T21:23:09.381+02:00

Here's a fascinating debate over the status of the world's fisheries, spawned by a provocative op-ed saying things are (mostly) just fine. Read for yourself as knowledgeable experts weigh in on all sides. Here's an editorial note introducing the debate:Editor’s note: The following discussion, which more than one participant called “extraordinary”, began after Ray Hilborn of the University of

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-14566668468719858072011-05-12T08:53:00.000+02:002011-05-13T17:55:40.581+02:00

Ocean foraging taken to the limit. Hat tip: Deep Blue Home

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-28343205410723130182011-05-10T22:22:00.001+02:002011-05-10T23:17:39.161+02:00

We all know that fishing removes big fish so that we're left with oceans of small fish. But did you know that the same thing is true for other animals and even for plants? Human impacts make many plants and animals develop reduced size. No, not because of fishing, but because of a lot of things people do. This is even true for small animals that we don't hunt, including the green clock beetle

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-50320472815817901442011-05-09T21:03:00.000+02:002011-05-09T21:38:52.538+02:00

The latest thing in drug smuggling is the "narco sub," a semi-submersible built to avoid detection while carrying drugs. These homebuilt vessels run mostly underwater, with a very low profile and other features designed to avoid detection. Now that the authorities are getting good at finding semi-subs, the truly latest thing seems to be fully submersible narco subs.

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-15975476423246865712011-04-27T19:45:00.002+02:002011-04-27T19:52:36.913+02:00

The Gulf oil spill wasn't as bad as feared, according to Margaret Wente writing in the Globe and Mail. And if she's right, I think most people can't handle the truth. She thinks we prefer the story of evil and so we can't accept the reality that the oil spill was bad but not that bad: ...it’s worth asking why we’re so determined to cling to the narrative of catastrophe. I think it’s because we

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-53720275433285536692011-04-27T08:18:00.001+02:002011-04-27T08:18:00.303+02:00

The ever-valuable Andy Revkin has another interesting ocean story today. It's about the rugby scrum of science and in particular the report and rebuttal that plankton are declining on a global scale.Juicy stuff. Oh, about the plankton. They're probably not declining or at least that's not been proven yet.The plankton stuff is interesting, but far better is his apt metaphor for science:A new

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-50042117534653470452011-04-26T21:31:00.002+02:002011-04-26T21:38:19.593+02:00

Enviros are stumbling in the war over human-caused climate change, and a new report by Matt Nisbet dissects some of the failures and recommends solutions. It's heavy reading for us eNGO types mired in the trenches. A completely predictable explosion has ensued, with defensive attacks on the messenger. If you're interested here is an even-handed summary and set of links to some of the

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-30183458023820792772011-04-25T20:32:00.001+02:002011-04-25T20:43:37.390+02:00

Is it smart to try to protect a wildlife refuge against sea level rise? What can you do, build a dike? It sounds futile, but what if the refuge is one of the last remaining homes for a critically endangered species like the red wolf? Refuge managers are facing these questions and some are deciding that they have to plan for a future that includes a rising ocean flooding vital habitat. Some

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-64707101241083521492011-04-16T17:42:00.000+02:002011-04-16T17:42:00.119+02:00

Is this the answer for sustainable aquaculture? Salmon grown in locked tanks in Montana? With feed low in fish content? Montana's Hutterites are on the cutting edge of aquaculture. It's an operation developed by SweetSpring, and it's rated super green by Seafood Watch. Sounds good to me, I wonder how their fish taste? I think I'll find one to try.

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-38213658505484901082011-04-15T14:57:00.002+02:002011-04-15T15:12:28.664+02:00

Can we eat fish or not? Fisheries scientist RayHilborn has views on the subject. I'll let him speak for himself below, but it's hard for me to accept his hope that we turn back the clock and make it easier for fishery managers to delay rebuilding of depleted fish stocks. Let Us Eat Fish By RAY HILBORN Published: April 14, 2011 Yuko Shimizu THIS Lent, many ecologically

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-13486001633206889122011-04-13T15:57:00.000+02:002011-04-13T15:59:10.441+02:00

Not every invasive species is bad; witness the outcry over the decline of invasive honeybees. Can we look past the horror stories and calls for eradication and find a reasoned view on invasions? The new science of conciliation biology aims to find means to understand and manage invaded ecosystems when invasive species bring value. Can such heresy survive? Is this a quirky, contrarian view

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-56889171422184800632011-04-12T18:44:00.000+02:002011-04-12T18:44:00.722+02:00

Great news if it works. A new framework hopes to evaluate the ecosystem effects of business decisions, and drive business decisions into the green. (The) World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) created the Guide to Corporate Ecosystem Valuation (CEV), an innovative framework designed to enhance understanding of ecosystem services like freshwater, food, fibre and natural

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-21564030713193321512011-04-11T20:42:00.000+02:002011-04-11T20:42:43.924+02:00

Who knew that blogfish would still be around after 5 years? I certainly didn't expect that longevity. A few visitors later (right), a bit of fun, some strange reactions (photo below left), and blogfish is still going strong. There's even a spin-off site, Swim Around Bainbridge. I started this site to see what new media is all about, and now I now use "new" (not so new anymore) media in my job.

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-30788421738768389202011-04-08T08:58:00.007+02:002011-04-08T09:39:49.142+02:00

Safeway, the supermarket chain, has made an impressive seafood sustainability pledge. They are working with NGO FishWise to make their pledge real and credible.They are reforming their seafood purchasing, but that's not all. To me, the most impressive part is their work outside of what they buy and sell. Safeway has sailed into some rough waters around Marine Protected Areas in California,

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-4799528989860449602011-04-07T21:21:00.000+02:002011-04-07T21:26:51.513+02:00

Lionfish look scary, and they're nasty invaders that are taking over where they don't belong. So, let's fire up the overfishing machine that has done such a good job of threatening some old favorites like Atlantic halibut and Atlantic cod. A new cookbook aims to help, the Lionfish Cookbook. Why not get people's appetites in line with conservation priorities, so that overconsumption becomes a

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-90520773338903499622011-04-06T08:28:00.000+02:002011-04-06T10:59:49.125+02:00

What do you think happens when a splashy scientific claim is debunked by a rebuttal paper? Science self-corrects and the original claim fades away? Guess again.An interesting new study says rebuttal papers have little impact on recent high-profile papers in fisheries science.The biggest problem is that most rebuttal papers are ignored compared to the attention lavished on the original claims,

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-38649483039024579392011-04-05T16:08:00.006+02:002011-04-05T16:28:42.045+02:00

The seafood nightmare just got worse. Radioactive cesium 137 has been found at harmful levels in fish in Japan. This element has a half-life of 30 years, so this contamination won't dissapate quickly like short-lived radioactive iodine.This is probably coming from the highly radioactive water spilling from the damaged reactors.According to PanOrient News:Fisheries minister Michihiko Kano said

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-69195095750774178202011-04-05T15:53:00.005+02:002011-04-05T16:05:39.057+02:00

The radioactive seafood nightmare is beginning. Radioactive fish were found today in Japan.Harmful levels of radioactive iodine were found in sand lance, small fish that feed on plankton. Later, larger predatory fish will acquire radioactivity from eating smaller fish. Radioactive iodine has a half-life of 8 days, meaning it loses radioactivity quickly. More worrisome are the longer-lasting

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-64078814613532093532011-04-05T12:14:00.003+02:002011-04-05T12:21:23.887+02:00

Endangered Leatherback sea turtles are increasing in Florida, according to reliable nest counts. The Endangered Species Act is working! Quoting a press release:The population boom of turtle nests in the Sunshine State mirrors trends observed for other Atlantic leatherback sea turtle populations and is "very encouraging news," says Larry B. Crowder, director of the Duke Center for Marine

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-46549520693564857852011-04-04T08:44:00.000+02:002011-04-04T09:13:56.487+02:00

Do you get a raise and a bonus when you screw up bigtime? If not, try a new job in the oil industry.The CEO of the company that owned the oil rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico got a raise and a bonus. And the company compounded the public relations error by declaring last year their "the best year in safety performance in our company's history." No wonder Transocean Ltd. found themselves

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-88945055796600584052011-04-03T20:54:00.001+02:002011-04-03T21:07:41.868+02:00

Our ocean future is foretold in a new book about the coast of California, that crazy, annoying place that sets trends. It's death and renewal for ocean ecosystems and ocean economies.First sea otters, then whales, and finally sardines fueled boom and bust economies that overturned people and ocean ecosystems. What elevates this story is the green economy that comes after the bust.Monterey and

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-23825088965059136622011-04-01T07:50:00.000+02:002011-04-01T08:55:10.642+02:00

A variety of human impacts threaten ocean ecosystems around Antarctica. The expected results? According to a new study, unless we change our path the Southern Ocean will face: simplification, homogenization, loss of uniqueness--the "dumbing down" of the ecosystem."Antarctica is the most isolated continent on Earth, but it has not escaped the negative impacts of human activity. The unique

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-58326576384028688282011-03-31T12:56:00.000+02:002011-03-31T14:35:23.946+02:00

Is whaling finished in Japan now that the tsunami wiped away infrastructure and perhaps the will to rebuild this beleaguered industry? People from small coastal whaling towns are reacting with shock and horror to the damage, and some don't see a future.Japan's whaling industry was already reeling before the tsunami, so perhaps it's time to let go.But others vow to continue whaling and the

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-3709677727533249922011-03-31T09:15:00.003+02:002011-03-31T09:28:39.045+02:00

It's not a health risk--yet--but it's a sign of more bad things to come. Plutonium has been found in the soil outside the broken Japanese reactor. It shouldn't be there, so some very bad things must have happened. Basically, somehow reactor fuel has escaped outside the containment structures.Traces of plutonium hint at worse problems to come. According to an expert:"We don't need to worry

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-7790977049856619132011-03-30T12:09:00.001+02:002011-03-30T12:10:12.729+02:00

Radioactive iodine is now at scary levels in the ocean near Japan's broken reactors. But we're advised not to worry because the area has been evacuated and fishing has been stopped.Also, radioactive iodine will decay quickly and become non-radioactive iodine (this is true).What this doesn't tell us is whether other radioactive elements that last longer are also leaking. One expert says that

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-56445366684435779722011-03-30T08:55:00.000+02:002011-03-30T10:26:53.988+02:00

What do you get when 28,800 rubber ducks spill into the Pacific Ocean? In the hands of a good story-teller, truth about the ocean, insight into people, and a grand organizing theory of the universe. Or at least 2 out of those 3.That's why I'm eager to read Moby Duck--The true story of 28,800 bath toys lost at sea, by Donovan Hohn. Why is this book interesting when the ocean-mapping rubber duck

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-41854127670482600992011-03-29T18:08:00.003+02:002011-03-29T18:22:50.665+02:00

Bad luck, a large eagle ray jumped out of the water and landed on top of a woman boating in Florida. And the woman had a rough day too. It ended well for the 5.5 foot, 200 pound eagle ray after it was hoisted back into the water. Oh, and the woman was fine after she managed to get our from under the thrashing fish. Her children were a bit upset after watching the surprising scene, but the

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-26554917691340638812011-03-29T10:01:00.003+02:002011-03-29T10:23:24.163+02:00

We humans have put a lot of radiocative material in the ocean over the last few decades. Here's a brief summary, thanks to Deep Blue HomeOnce we learned how to make bombs and reactors, we played with them like unknowing toddlers, spewing waste and fallout all over the world's oceans. So we do have some idea how Japan's leaking reactors can affect our oceans. We can expect radioactive fish, etc

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-2648498115305175612011-03-28T18:12:00.002+02:002011-03-28T18:12:00.417+02:00

Seafood demand is down in Japan, way down. "The fish are here, but nobody's buying," says one fish seller about business at the Tsukiji auction, Japan's premier fish market.Tsukiji is normally a busy city, with some 60,000 workers, but prices have plunged by up to 50% for some seafood products. "The drop in demand from sushi restaurants and the cancellation of weddings and banquets at hotels

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-45916435436400414912011-03-28T07:44:00.000+02:002011-03-28T07:44:00.319+02:00

Japan tries to explain the nuclear reactor crisis to kids. What do you think? … Japanese artist Kazuhiko Hachiya has made a cartoon to help ease the small minds of the nation. “Nuclear Boy” chronicles Fukushima’s reactor cracks and radiation leaks in a way that’s easily relatable to kids:The nuclear power plant has a tummy ache, and we’re trying to make sure it’s not going to take a great big

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-86985320431674802552011-03-27T21:45:00.001+02:002011-03-27T22:08:30.141+02:00

Big schools of fish make better decisions than small schools of fish. Less smoking, less risky sex, and no flirting with predators. How can this be? Is it more likely that big schools have some super-smart fish that help the group? Or is it just that numbers are helpful? If you've ever watched the behavior of fish schools being chased, you'll probably guess the answer, it's group behavior

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-89625679107395697522011-03-26T08:35:00.000+01:002011-03-26T08:40:25.241+01:00

Salmon farming kills...or does it? Time for a judge to decide. Salmon farmers have decided to sue environmental activist Don Staniford who has been pushing the message that salmon farming kills. Check out the ominous images at right, equating salmon farming and smoking. Staniford has been successfully sued before, over unproven claims about use of banned chemicals in salmon farming. Salmon

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-83228485162864741002011-03-25T12:15:00.000+01:002011-03-25T12:15:30.237+01:00

Messages broadcast by sperm whales seem to come with a speaker's signature. At least that's how it looks based on a new scientific paper about sperm whale sounds. Could it be true that whales use names?It makes sense, if you're a sperm whale listening to whale chit-chat, you want to know who's talking when you hear a juicy bit of gossip. Hey, guess who was out fooling around last night...??

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-88899153876465260902011-03-24T16:50:00.000+01:002011-03-24T16:51:54.684+01:00

Here's an amazing website that shows radiation measurements taken around the world, designed to help display the radiation problems caused by the Japanese reactor crisis.Active people responding to a crisis...quickly...when an information vacuum is scary. Go see for yourself, at rdtn.orgThank you rdtn.org!

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-11157688114446367532011-03-24T08:15:00.001+01:002011-03-24T11:04:42.877+01:00

Sea turtles eat garbage. It's not because they're stupid, it's just that our garbage looks like their food.Imagine you found a yummy-looking box of chocolates that your roommate left on the kitchen table and took a big bite only to find out it was dog poop in disguise. Yucck, that's how we trick sea turtles into doing something stupid.How much plastic can one sea turtle eat? Look at this photo

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-5827318006586324452011-03-23T21:00:00.000+01:002011-03-23T21:29:51.080+01:00

What's the best way to save fish? Start a war. Cod and haddock boomed in the North Sea while people were busy bombing and booming each other and not fishing. It's not a big surprise really, if we don't catch fish then they can grow up and accumulate in the ocean. Sort of like an MPA--an ocean refuge for fish. Of course, it hasn't escaped my attention that wars have some harmful consequences,

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22424144.post-41937138506588534232011-03-23T08:20:00.002+01:002011-03-23T10:18:27.904+01:00

In a bizarre deep-sea version of foie gras, male whalefish stuff themselves with copepods early in life to fatten their liver, and then stop eating and consume their own liver while pursuing mates. The lifestyle choice is so extreme that these perversely named small fish actually lose their stomach and esophagus while relying on energy stored in their distended liver (see photo, right). Female

Mark Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121566220326246265noreply@blogger.com3