Carnival of the Blue 37

On this World Ocean Day, let us celebrate our ocean world and take note that June 11, 2010 is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Jacques Cousteau, one of our great ocean heroes.

Much of my ocean love and commitment was formed watching The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau as a young boy, and I'll never forget the intense excitement of each new episode. Thank you Mr. Cousteau!

Thanks also to Jacques' needly friend (top left) who lives on my desktop and reminds me daily to enjoy the ocean instead of just studying, protecting, or otherwise working there.

And now the fun begins with our once in a while ocean quiz. What links World Ocean Day, Jacques Cousteau, and World Cup football (soccer for you Americans)? We’ll get to that interesting and little known story just below, but first to the business at hand, this month’s Carnival of the blue.

Carnival 37 marks the 3rd year of Carnival of the Blue, first seen on World Ocean Day 2007. This month’s hosts and posts are not only the same salty bloggers from that first carnival showing up again, there has been a bit of a changing of the guard, something I’ll choose to view as a sign of vitality in the ocean blogging sphere.

Of course, some denizens of the deep have been kicking around for a long time, like Deep-Sea News and their authoritative Anatomy of an ecological catastrophe series, including Miriam’s What to expect in the Gulf and Kevin Z’s What to expect in the deep Gulf. Sorry Miriam, it looks like Kevin goes deeper.

With more on the oil spill, blogfish and your goggled host wonders whether oil spill cleanup is doing more harm than good, and GrrlScientist explores the proper response to oiled birds, clean or kill? at Living the Scientific Life.

More oily blogging from Jeremy at The Voltage Gate who looks for lessons from the aftermath of the largest oil spill in history, in Saudi Arabia following the Gulf war.

Typically offbeat, even on the subject of oil spills, The Southern Fried Scientist informs us that unguided deep-sea research is essential for national and global security. You'll have to judge for yourself whether he's making any sense. With even more Southern Fried Science (which BTW has to be one of the best blog names ever) Bluegrass Blue Crab asks who wins the Gulf smackdown in Oil Spill vs. Dead Zone.

Jason Goldman at The Thoughtful Animal wonders if whales and dolphins should have "human rights," and also in the category of comparing us to ocean animals, Zen Faulkes asks if octopuses feel pain as deeply as mammals on NeuroDojo...which brings up the least important question of the day, what is the actual true plural of octopus? Any definitive answers from the cephalopodists amongst us?

What does a fish see when it looks in the mirror? BioLoser Wendy Ouriel has a surprising answer, one that seems remarkably human.

If you're getting tired of thinking by now, go to your ears and have a listen to Marah Hardt's humpback whale experience, and you'll be gland you clicked the link.

Or you can vicariously visit with:

-the abundant and interesting stormy petrel with Nate at the Drinking Bird,

-Limulus polyphemus, the crab that may have saved your life, with Matthew Wills at Backyard and Beyond,

-Green nudists with Susannah at Wanderin' Weeta--you'll never guess who she caught coming out of their shell,

-sandbar sharks, with WhySharksMatter of Southern Fried Science,

-whale sharks, Belize's Gentle Giants, on Oceana's The Beacon,

-some lovely tide pool anemones, including the one with perhaps my favorite animal name of all time, Anthopleura elegantissima, with Jill on Count Your Chicken! We’re Taking Over!

-the prodigal frog (huh, what's that?) with Darcy on Of Winds and Water,

Or, if you're tired of wonderful ocean animals, you can try visiting a beautiful beach, with Derek Miller on penmachine.com

Now about that Jacques Cousteau quiz...probably most of you don't know that Jacques was actually quite a footballer in his day. In fact, Jacques even showed his resourcefulnes early in life when he invented a new piece of football gear after sustaining a minor but painful injury. His football gear is still widely used, just like the aqualung, but you wouldn't know it now that the name has been anglicized from the original name, the "Jacques Strap."

And on that salty note, time to let you know that next month's carnival of the blue will be at the highly informative and thoroughly functional Water Words That Work. Got a wet post you want included? Use the handy BlogCarnival submission form or submit posts directly to dotoftheblue@gmail.com

Tweet

Carnival of the blue 34

For this month's best of ocean blogging, check out Carnival of the Blue 34 at Southern Fried Science. Wow, I never thought I'd be recommending anything that was "Southern" and "Fried." Give me my arugula salad and gruyere cheese please.

Tweet

Blogpoisson

Here's the big news, the rebirth of blogfish is here.

Blogfish has moved to Switzerland, land of fondue and trains that run on time. Blogpoisson will continue as a personal blog, but drawing from my experiences as a person traveling the globe to work on sustainable seafood. How is this possible? Thanks to the good graces of the fine creature top right.

Blogfish lives, and swims in some new waters. Vive le Blogpoisson!

Just for fun, here's a photo of the Blogpoisson boos playing in the snow of St. Cergue in the Jura mountains with "Uncle Renaud" and Nelson of the fabulous Smith family that has adopted us as new found relatives. Oh, and the view of Mt. Blanc from our balcony, life is rough en Suisse.

Tweet

Ocean plastic study--watch it as it happens

Are you dismayed by reports of plastic garbage in the ocean? Wanna peak over the shoulders of scientists as they explore and study the problem? Here's your chance to watch science unfold in real time.

In case you haven't yet heard about the problem of plastic in the ocean, here's a nice CNN story on Seaplex, including a little bit of debunking. The plastic accumulation is NOT a giant floating island or anything so dramatic. It's a lot of plastic, but even in the middle of it, you might not see anything visible to a human eye while standing on the deck of a boat. What is the reality, what's the hype?

Go to Seaplex Science's website or twitter feed to watch the action as it happens. Poke my friend Miriam Goldstein as she leads the expedition and drags the scientific world, kicking and screaming, towards real-time reporting of results.

Wow, I'm on the edge of my seat. And hey, isn't that a giant vampire squid?!


View SEAPLEX in a larger map

Tweet

Back in the saddle

Thanks for those cards and letters, and no I didn't get eaten on my swim around Bainbridge Island.

I've been busy the last month, exploring some exciting new futures. More on this later as things develop. For now I'll just say I enjoyed the mussels in Brussels.

One new thing, I've been invited to do some blogging on SeafoodSource.com, a seafood industry e-newsletter. Come on by for a look.

Tweet

Carnival of the blue 25

On this World Oceans Day, it's a singular pleasure to host Carnival of the Blue 25, a movable feast of ocean blogging. Featuring the best ocean bloggers doing their very best to write the best posts, it's just the best.

Now here's a fish to get you in the mood and because fish are the best.



Fish are way better than dolphins, because rising star Miriam Goldstein will tell you that dolphins are infanticidal, violent predators if you swing by The Oyster's Garter or is it Double X? I can't keep up with all of her outlets.

Fish are so great that people want to cut their fins off just to get a piece of the action, even in Brazil, according to Lucia Malla in her post on shark finning in Brazil

In fact, fish are so great that people want to eat the last bluefin tuna, preferably raw and served by a fancy chef. What should a fancy chef like Nobu do when fishy activists make a stink? Sam Fromartz gathered the views of a crop of sages at Chews Wise

That's right, fish are just the best and even a bunch of really nice pictures of silly birds can't begin to compare, even if they're incredible photos of Kelp Gulls from Capetown, by Charlie Moores. OK, these are good and if they were fish they'd be the best.

Which fish are the best? Hard to say, but certainly the luckiest ones are the fish that live in MPAs, since MPAs work in Hawaii according to Rick MacPherson.

And even though Susannah at Wanderin' Weeta shows us how worms are tenacious, they're still not the best like fish.

If you want to see some fish, who ya gonna call? Probably the Johnson-Sea-Link, which just happens to need saving and Kevin Zelnio is taking names of the people who want to help save this venerable submersible, which may be the best submersible but it's certainly not quite up to the standards of fish.

This bad news about JSL is more than matched by some good news for sharks in Florida on Southern Fried Science, thanks to Why Sharks Matter. That seems redundant, actually, sharks matter because they're the best.

Urchins are pretty good, especially when there's going topless involved, and you can see the whole business at i'm a chordata! urochordata, on a post that is sure to show up on the wrong kind of google searches.

Turtles ain't bad, especially if you're looking at green sea turtles in Hawaii like Bobbie and Jerry.

Now here's a fish that's really the best, the magnificent peacock flounder--master of camouflage.

The best thing you can do with fish is don't be a dummie and catch too many. Here's some schoolin' on overfishing by Kelsey Abbott of mauka to makai, which she'll also explain to you if you just go on over and read it.

And what happens if you can't read or don't bother, and end up running out of fish? That's really the worst says Caspar Henderson over at Barely Imagined Beings. It's so worst that it will cause at least 100 million hungry people to march as coral reefs disintegrate -- and that's on a good day!

If that's not worst enough, then try on the Undersea mining bummer which says, oh too bad, undersea mining ain't going anywhere fast, from new celebrity The Saipan Blogger, who's probably famous enough to get punk'd.

Fish are the best, but boats are not bad and most of us can always use a lift, so stop by Sea Notes and get a lift from Blue Boat Home.

Oh yeah, you probably need another fish picture since fish are just the best and on World Oceans Day you probably deserve at least 2 fish pictures from my vacation...

Here's proof that fish are just the best, look at this coexistence baby--big fish and little fish living together in harmony--it doesn't get any better than that. A lesson for world peace, fish going all Obama on us:


But not all fish are soooo awful nice, here's the word from a staunch sergeant major



get off yer ass and go read the blogs, dammit, they're really the best.

Tweet

If a pteropod flaps its wings...

in Bainbridge, what effect does that have elsewhere?

Watch this video to find out. AND...here's the interesting part...this is part of a new web technology test, SmallRivers. If you want to check it out, click the "flip" button at the bottom of the video.

Remember, you saw it here first Jason.

Tweet

200,000 visits to blogfish

Thanks to YOU, blogfish logged visit number 200,000 on Sunday morning. Who knew we'd be at it things long together, you and me?

Here's how I celebrated the blessed event (photo at right). The water was a balmy 48F, visibility 8-12 feet, calm wind, and overall it was a great swim.

Here's a photo (below) of the ocean off Fletcher Bay on Bainbridge Island, on this perfectly calm day, with the Olympic Mountains just peeking out of the clouds in the background.



Now let's dig in and build ocean connections even higher, on our way to the next 200,000 visits!!

Oh, just for fun, visit number 200,000 came from Salt Lake City at 6:36 am PDT.

Tweet

Carnival of the blue 24

Check out this month's best of ocean blogging at SeaNotes.

That's right, it's carnival time again, and Carnival of the Blue makes it's monthly return to the blogosphere. This month's greatest hits of ocean blogging features fantastic visuals, photos of a dolphin, sea cucumber, a barreleye fish (wow), a Humongous leatherback sea turtle (the size of a Volkswagen beetle?), and my favorite, the geoduck (left).

Next month's carnival will be right here at good ol' blogfish.

Tweet

Southern Fried Screeds

If you want to know where to find two guys that look at things from the bottom, head on over to Southern Fried Science.

Now I don't like fried things, the south baffles me, and I once burned myself on a particularly nasty science, so there's nothing about this blog that attracts me. Yet I can't quite turn away. They're young and brash (I know I met one of them and I can tell what kinds of friends he has) but at the same time, they're not old and shy like me. They have stupid ideas even while not being very smart. But ultimately, somehow, they do that blog thing by frying up something worth eating.

For example...

First Why Sharks Matter fondles his passions by describing "5 things worse for the planet than global warming." Oh yeah, he thinks dolphins suck too.

Then the Southern Fried Scientist blasts off over "what the hell happened to the environmental movement?" He's wrong of course, with everything he says until the end when he comes around to being right. Now how did he do that?

It's the best of blogging, where people spout spume and after the mess has settled a bit you look at it and see the image of Darwin on a tortilla and go "whoa."

Tweet

Carnival of the blue 23

Is now live at Deep Sea News. Check out this month's "best of" ocean blogging.

Tweet

It's not good bye, just see you later

Dear blogfish people,

I have not been eaten by mechanical sharks. No, I have simply been changing jobs, moving about, and learning the magic of HTML. By which I mean, hiring people who know about HTML to help me set up my new blog The Coastal Shelf. Some of these tech people will even accept drawings of diatoms as barter (especially if they are drawn on cocktail napkins, placed under drinks). Stop by and visit my posts on ocean science and policy. It's going to be a big year for the oceans, and they need all the bloggers they can get. Especially now that their fish are all hopped up on drugs.

--Kate


Note from Mark: I'm going to miss you, Kate. Please note that blogfish will continue as a one-man-band (again)!

Tweet

Carnival of the blue 22

Carnival of the Blue (best of ocean blogging) is now bigger and better than ever! Check out the new Podcast of the Blue, and other features such as new ocean bloggers. Way to go Rick!

It's at Malaria, Bedbugs, Sea Lice, and Sunsets.

Tweet

Science Online 09 and the ocean of the unknown

For nearly 3 years now blogfish has been swimming boldly into the ocean of the unknown---the blogosphere. It hasn’t been easy out near the edge of the world, there are scary monsters lurking in the mare icognita. Thanks to Science Online 09, it don't seem so bad no more.

Swimming alone into the blogosphere is an uncertain thing. Will anyone care, will there be a response? Will it be all negative, high risk and little reward?

Right now is a tough time to look at that question. I’m getting some negative feedback that makes me question the value of blogging the ocean. But there is reason to be optimistic in the face of challenges, and thank goodness for the timing of my new reward.

I’m coming home from Science Online 09. I've had a great time meeting the people who are leading the online revolution in science communication. It's been incredibly helpful to hearing a wide variety of opinions on how science is best presented in the modern world of facebook and anti-intellectualism.

It’s been an inspiring chance to learn from some real experts and pioneers. People who have been presenting science through new media since before most of us heard the term.

-Journalists who can tell us about the norms of the profession and how the new channels of communication create new situations that stretch the boundaries of what's OK.

-Editors with long experience as arbiters who reveal the tensions playing out in some of the hoary and hallowed institutions that referee scientific truth.

-Practicing scientists who want to escape the strictures of the academy, and touch directly the consumers of science with some of their opinions as well as data.

There’s a place in this community for the blogfishes of the world. As we swim through this mare incognita, it turns out to be not so incognita as it might seem.

I’m here, for better or for worse. I’ve swum out into the unknown, with a great faith in the rightness of reaching out through whatever means are available. And now I know there is a great community of explorers that are willing and able to help.

So the blogfish feels a little less exposed, and a little more confident. Why not keep at it? There’s no going back anyway, no matter what I might wish.

As Jason Robertshaw said, everyone’s online personna exists, like it or not. Better to seize control and not let others do the job instead.

One highlight for me was meeting many people that I've seen in the virtual world of ocean science communication, but never met in person. People likeRick MacPherson of Malaria, Bedbugs, Sea Lice, and Sunsets. He's sharp and a good storyteller, and already a great friend. Jason Robertshaw of cephalopodcast.com provided endless deadpan humor along with peeks into his magic bag of tech tricks. Kevin Zelnio of Deep Sea News proved he has the stamina of Alvin and questionable taste in alcohol, although some of the blame for the choice of beverages may go to Southern Fried Scientist. With those two on board, deep sea biology is going somewhere, I'm just not sure where. It was great to see Miriam Goldstein of Oyster's Garter again, and also Sheril Kirshenbaum of Intersection.

I know I'll forget someone if I try to make a list, but here's at least a good start on thanking the new people I met who aren't fortunate enough to be very wet and salty. Thanks for helping the blogfish!!

Bora (of course he needs no other identifier), Grrl Scientist who runs Living the Scientific Life, Dr. Free Ride who provides Adventures in Ethics and Science, Mike Bergin who must've seen 10,000 birds, Karen James who's making the Beagle sail again, James Hrynyshyn who lives on an Island of Doubt too far from the coast, Greg Laden who covers everything, and a host of others.

Now I can exhale.

Tweet

Carnival of the blue 19

This month's best of ocean blogging is live at WaterNotes. Stop by and have a read, and say hi to your host Sarah.

Tweet

Carnival of the blue 18

Is now live at Deep Sea News. Stop by for the best in ocean blogging.

Tweet

Carnival of the blue 17

It's a cephalopod-fest this month over at Cephalopodcast.com, where carnival of the blue (the best in ocean blogging) meets International Cephalopod Awareness Day.

I'm all for cephalopod education, but I'm not sure we need a special day when we all focus on making cehpalopods aware.

Tweet

Grey Goose and (sea) cucumbers

Friday night the drinks were strong, Blue Planet was on, and the locals were looking curiously at the science bloggers and fans talking about deep-sea habitats and hit counts. Somehow, no one has yet posted pictures of the event and I really thought Andrew would be over his hangover by now, but see my first sentence.

Since Zooillogix is in recovery, I will beat them to the news of the prehistoric giant killer goose. Maybe if today's albatrosses had a fifteen-foot wingspan and "pseudo-teeth" they would be better able to avoid fishing lines. Or maybe they'd just eat the boats. An ocean with scissor-tooth sharks and fanged geese would be something to see, preferably as your own a well-armored critter rather than a soft, tasty mammal.

Tweet

Carnival of the blue 16

Go to The Saipan Blog for this month's ocean blogging special. Comes complete with appetizer, beverage, and dessert.

Tweet

Response to Greenpeace ocean dumping action

Early returns show Greenpeace losing by a landslide among ocean science bloggers. Craig of Deep-Sea News and Miriam of Oyster's Garter both weigh in with criticism for Greenpeace's recent ocean dumping.

Craig awards Greenpeace the "Not Having the Faintest Idea of What They Are Doing Award" and Miriam of Oyster's Garter points out that Greenpeace just put prime invasive species habitat in a sensitive area. Oops.

Phil Kline of Greenpeace offered a comment to my original post. I love ya, Phil, but I'm not buying the rationale. These boulders may do more harm than good, and I doubt that they'll be effective protection.

Nevertheless, I welcome Phil's response to my original post, and here he explains in his own words:

"There is a critical need to implement a network of fully-protected marine reserves and sustainable fisheries management in order to help reverse the dramatic decline in the ecosystems of the North Sea. The Sylt Outer Reef provides a perfect example of how we are failing to give our oceans the protection they require. The area has been officially recognized as being an important site for a variety of marine life and warranting protection under European environmental law and yet destructive activities are still allowed in the area ensuring that the environmental and conservation objectives can never been achieved. Our action was intended to give real protection to the site that is currently a 'paper park.'

The principle of non-violence is core to Greenpeace’s ethos and is borne out by our long history of successful non-violent direct action to protect the environment. This principle of non-violence is shepherded within Greenpeace by sound science and judgment. The fisherman were alerted to our presence and it was determined that the boulders would not be unsafe to vessels operating in the area. The boulders, however, were big enough to serve as an effective obstacle to the beam trawlers that strip mine the ocean floor in the area. This action is on par with the placing of similar obstacles to protect vital seagrass meadows as practiced in the Mediterranean.

By protecting this area, we have the opportunity to protect an ecosystem at its heart and publicly defend the need for an integrated marine management system that will allow sustainable fishing so that generations to come can enjoy the bounty of the seas.

Sadly there appears to be a general denial by government and the fishing industry about the highly damaged state of the North Sea and our oceans globally despite the mass of scientific evidence. The fishing industry is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the marine environment and urgent action is required if we are to prevent further collapses in stocks of commercially valuable fish and major ecosystem shifts. Please join us in protecting this area:

http://members.greenpeace.org/action/start.php?action_id=193

Phil Kline, Senior Oceans Campaigner, Greenpeace and former commercial fisherman"

Maybe we need some activists to board Zodiacs and drive themselves under Greenpeace's crane to stop the ocean dumping!

Tweet