The death of toxicology

We buried it at Donner summit last week, in a wine-drenched consensus. In its place we're ready to build green chemistry.

My toxicologist wife started it, and was joined by our friend the cell biologist. I offered the environmentalist view and one thing lead to another until we buried toxicology.

It's too late to follow the path of testing chemicals for harm, identifying the mechanism of toxicity, and then entering the regulatory dance to limit harm from the offending molecule. There are simply too many chemicals used, too little testing, and toxicity pathways are too complex. Doing toxicology these days is like scratching fleas bites on an elephant with a toothpick.

We need a new approach, focused on eliminating the use of toxic chemicals rather than cleaning up messes.

Now this leads to other thoughts, like the death of fishery management...but that's another story.

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Lamprey, the other salmon

Most people think eels are icky. Maybe that's why the eel-like lamprey are the Rodney Dangerfield of fish, and don't get no respect. Maybe they'd win some sympathy if they dropped that alternative lifestyle thing (blood-sucking parasites).

While most people know about the sad decline of salmon, the even-worse decline of lamprey has escaped notice. Lamprey are in trouble in because almost nobody cares about them. Lamprey are killed by the same things that harm salmon, but nobody builds hatcheries or fish ladders to save the lamprey.

But there may be hope for these non-sexy fish. First nations hold lamprey in high esteem and are beginning to call attention to their sad plight. Maybe it's not too late.

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Sea Stories

Here is the ocean in all its terror and its glory, refracted through an array of creative responses by poets, essayists, and photographers who are, I believe, profoundly intimate with the sea, having embodied the great watery bodies of the Earth in their work.

Where is that "here?" Sea Stories, a quarterly online journal of international ocean writing and art.

Brought to you by the good people of Blue Ocean Institute

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Carnival of the blue 3

Now up on Malaria, Bedbugs, Sea Lice, and Sunsets.

Rick MacPherson blogs oceans and more, and now leads the blue carnival into it's 3rd month. Who knew it would live that long?

Swing by and browse beyond the carnival. Maybe you can figure out what that scarlet letter "A" stands for?!

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Blogfish returns

Hey all, I'm just back from a place called Serene Lakes (really) and a totally unplugged vacation. I thought I'd have at least poooor access to the virtual world, but I didn't. So I focused on the real world and it was...Serene.

Although I felt like the Donner Party that was stranded nearby a few years back. Them without food or hope, and me without wireless access.

Now back to work. Much oceans since I left, I'll try to catch up in the next few days.

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