management
VaquitaCPR: Trying to save the world’s most endangered marine mammal
What do you do when the species you’ve been working to save from extinction is down to fewer than 30 individuals? With only thirty vaquita porpoises left in the entire world, despite years of conservation efforts, emergency action needed to be taken in an effort to save the world’s smallest and most endangered porpoise. Julia […]
Ensuring that coral reefs sound like home
What does a coral reef sound like? The answer is more important than you might think. By playing the sounds of a healthy reef over a loudspeaker, scientists were able to attract a variety of baby fish to settle on a degraded reef, results which show how acoustic interventions are a tool that can be […]
From Animal Tracking to Conservation
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to ride on the back of a whale? Scientists now use a variety of tag technologies and tracking methods to understand the movement of marine animals from whales to sharks to birds to turtles. But how can tracking data be effectively translated into conservation policy that […]
Studying Sea Turtles: The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears and More
For this Turtle Tuesday, I’m reflecting on time I have spent studying and working for sea turtle conservation. Rebecca FlynnI am a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (B.S.) and the University of Rhode Island (M.S.). I now work in southwest Florida, contributing to the management of an estuary. I am fascinated by the […]
Smart sampling of the world’s oceans
The ocean is a big, dynamic environment – a combination that makes it incredibly challenging to efficiently study. In a new paper, Mark Costello proposes dividing the ocean into Ecological Management Units to help dictate what gets measured and when. The method could help scientists more effectively deploy their resource to explore our world’s seas. […]
Futurama: Building scenarios to sustain oceanic ecosystems and fisheries
Can we envision and safeguard the future of oceans and fisheries? Read on to learn about how experts are coming up with ways to think about the future, and our need to be prepared for all possibilities! Prabarna GangulyI’m a fourth year PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology at Northeastern University. My research focuses […]
Minimizing bycatch by maximizing incentives
What’s the best way for fishermen to avoid catching the wrong type of animal in their nets? According to this paper, there’s the way we’re doing it now, and there’s a way that allows for more flexibility and more compliance. Read on to find out more about preventing bycatch through incentives! Erin McLeanHi and welcome […]
Does long term SCUBA diving affect shark behaviour?
What happens when SCUBA divers and sharks mix? Do divers scare off sharks or attract them? Read more to find out! Megan ChenI graduated with a Masters of Coastal & Marine Management from the University of Akureyri in Iceland, and am currently working at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Ocean Education. […]
Sea lampreys: grow faster = grow male
A new study suggests that growth rate may determine if lampreys, an invasive fish in the Great Lakes becomes male or female. Read to find out more! Megan ChenI graduated with a Masters of Coastal & Marine Management from the University of Akureyri in Iceland, and am currently working at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum […]
Whale earwax: a hearing aid & time capsule
How is whale earwax essential to whales, and how can it help whale conservation? Read more to find out! Megan ChenI graduated with a Masters of Coastal & Marine Management from the University of Akureyri in Iceland, and am currently working at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Ocean Education. I am […]
Lethal Injection: Crown of Thorns Edition
Predation by crown of thorns sea stars (COTS) is one of the main causes of coral reef decline in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Death by injection of sodium bisulfate is the most commonly used method, but this requires COTS to be removed from the reef and injected many times. Is there a better way? Read […]
Picky Eaters: how the feeding preference of lobsters may be slowing the return of California kelp forests.
There is a well-documented link between increased sea urchin abundance and the overall decline of kelp forest ecosystems. Too many urchins create what are called urchin barrens, devoid of the habitat forming kelps and lacking overall community diversity. Controlling the sea urchin population is vital to kelp recovery and this can happen through natural predation. […]
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