SeaMonster blog
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The ocean: not pristine but still wild and full of life
I was on the Outer Banks of North Carolina this week and was again reminded of how many wild places there are still left in the world, even close to home. It was very windy all week (often blowing 30-40 mph) and I had some epic ocean-kiting sessions with my new crazy friend Bill. Even…
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The return of the Seaster Bunny
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Sally and Mick take Rip Curl Pro at Bells, Australia
Sally Fitzgibbons won her second Rip Curl Pro against 4X world champ Steph Gilmore after taking out 2011 World Champ Carissa Moore in the semi. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sjys9XbUnNQ&[/youtube] [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLv43d2QgTc[/youtube] Mick Fanning beat 11 time world champ Kelly Slater in a controversial final, that many thought Kelly won based on some insane aerial work: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQNlRLB7Cyo[/youtube]
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Coast guard sinks ghost ship
SeaMonster reader Eric sent in this piece about the controversial decision by NOAA and the US Coast Guard to sink a “ghost” ship that was released from Japan by last years tsunami. It seems to me it would have been good to remove the fuel from the ship before sinking it, although maybe the fire…
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Mystery invert quiz
Annie, a recent student in my Galapagos marine ecology course sent me this photo of a lovely marine critter: Can you identify them, their habitat, and where the photo was taken? UPDATE: There you go Annie, JP and Jez both nailed it. The photo was indeed from a rocky shoreline on Maui, Hawaii and the…
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Smackdown 2012: Where’s the science?
When was the last time you heard aspirants to the post of leader of the free world holding a reasoned debate about the role of science in American society or the future of the country? Umm, I mean not counting foaming at the mouth about moving to moon colonies after slashing and burning the planet…
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Unravelling the international complications of tuna conservation
This is a repost from The Conversation by Quentin Hanich, Glenn Sant, and Sonja Fordham. The eighth meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission concluded in Guam on Friday 30 March 2012. Five hundred delegates from more than 40 countries argued for a week about how to reduce overfishing in the Western and Central Pacific tuna fisheries…
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State shark finning bans gaining traction
Bans against shark finning and export have been passed by several states and seem to be slowly gaining traction. Since most shark fishing and export of shark fins happens outside of US waters, this type of legislation is relatively ineffective in reducing a global problem. But it is a start and I think may be…
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Someone who is both a Republican and a meteorologist who believes in Climate Change!
Note, this is NOT a piece from the Onion. There does appear to actually be a human, who is both a Republican and a meteorologist who believes in Climate Change! I know – remarkable. Meteorologist Paul Douglas has a great piece on Huff Post here. Paul is politically conservative but still “believes in” human-caused climate…
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Free diving, free falling
Another of my favourite posts from the past year… [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQITWbAaDx0[/youtube] I’m still completely obsessed with this video of Guillaume Nery base jumping into – then climbing out of – Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas while holding his breath. It was filmed over 4 afternoons by Julie Gautier who was also freediving. I don’t have plans…
Got any book recommendations?