Marine & Freshwater Environmental Education
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Answers to “Test your knowledge of sea stars”
Answers to “Test your knowledge of sea stars” from December 31, 2009. True or False: Sea stars are fish. They are echinoderms, a group of invertebrates. Invertebrates have no backbones. All fish have backbones. True or False: Sea stars are closely related to sea cucumbers, sea urchins and brittle stars. True or False: Sea stars […]
How can you tell if that fin bobbing up and down in the distance belongs to a dolphin or a porpoise?
From far away you can probably only see the fin, right? The Atlantic bottlenose dolphin will have a dorsal fin that is hooked while the Atlantic Harbor Porpoise will have a triangular dorsal fin. If you are closer you will see other differences. For instance, the dolphin is about 7-12 feet as an adult while […]
How do fish give birth?
There are three general ways fish in the sea give birth to a new generation. I will start off explaining what is most familiar to us, fish that give birth to live young. This is called being viviparous. There is a structure similar to the placenta that connects the embryo to the mother’s blood supply. […]
Best of 2011 from BCS
I hope everyone welcomed the New Year with style and grace! Here is a fun list to recap the “Top 12 most popular posts written by Beach Chair Scientist in 2011”: 1. It’s as easy as A, B, Sea: Weddell Sea 2. Happy as a clam 3. Beach trivia 4. 5 facts about fish farming […]
Why does it feel like the ocean is pulling on you when your just standing in the water?
The “pull” of the water that you feel as you stand in the shallows near the shoreline is just moving water rubbing against your skin. So, why is the water moving out to sea near the beach? Several different forces push – or pull – an excess of water up onto the beach, and then […]
12 good non-fiction books about fish
Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food by Paul Greenburg (read a review here.) Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky On the Run: An Angler’s Journey Down the Striper Coast by David Dibendetto Giant Bluefin by Douglas Whynott The Last Fish Tale: The Fate of the […]
5 facts about fish farming
Here are five facts about the glory and challenges of fish farming. Fish farming and aquaculture has really stepped up due to the demand for the world’s fish consumption, but maybe not in the most sustainable manner like Linda Thornton. 1.) It’s polluting our water It seems as though large fish farm like to cram […]
How can I be a responsible fisherman?
A lot of folks these days are interested in making certain their favorite past time of fishing is going to be around for future generations to enjoy. Here is a short list of tactics to remain ethical, while still keeping fishing that ever intense sport of glory. Best practices: – Respect the space of […]
Action Project Ideas: Around the Community (5 of 5)
One idea I had when I started this website almost ten years ago was that I wanted to make science simple and accessible. I hope I have created a place where questions on anything from barnacles to whales can be answered in a knowledgeable no-nonsense or overly jargon tone. My secondary goal has also been […]
What they’re into … with Braddock Spear (Sustainable Fisheries Partnership)
It’s Tuesday and so I am sure you know by now, but this is a series I have been featuring each Tuesday this summer to get a special sneak peek at the different personalities behind the scientists, activists, and educators (including bloggers) who play an integral role in the marine science conservation field. It’s essentially […]
Resources & more …
Flickr photos …
What people are saying …
- Robert Emahiser on Why you should never walk on dunes
- Lesa on 10 brief facts on bioluminescence
- Lisa on Limulus Love
- Beach Chair Scientist on 17 facts about the wee sea potatoes
- Bernard Rejterada on 17 facts about the wee sea potatoes
- Brian on What is the difference between a summer and winter flounder?
- Inbound marketing on 15 facts about the Portuguese man-of-war that’ll have you saying “Didya know…?”
- Donnie Huckabee on Wordless Wednesday | Shell art
- John on Why you should never walk on dunes
- ItzJaylaD on What I know about whale sharks
Top posts & pages from BCS …
- Hurricane vs. Cyclone vs. Typhoon
- A House for Hermit Crab
- How to handle a horseshoe crab
- Snot's your house
- Wednesday Wisdom: Various quotes (Alaska scenes)
- A naturalist's must-see destination: Fossil Hunting at Bayfront State Park in Chesapeake Beach, MD
- Belly biology creates lasting memories
- Five awful puns about courtship in the sea
- Horseshoe crabs confirmed as members of arachnid family
- Beyond the bag: Other plastics being banned
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