Marine & Freshwater Environmental Education
12% of land is protected, while only 2% of the sea is protected. That’s not proportional when you think that the ocean takes up over 70% of our planet.
Please watch this incredibly creative, punchy, entertaining, and most importantly, inspiring video from One World One Ocean. I was inspired enough to want to share it with you.
“We are the luckiest generation because we know how to solve the problem. All it takes is will.” Sylvia Earle
Hat tip to Kate Martin @GroovyGrapevine for this one!
With just ten days until Valentine’s Day, I thought I would try to uncover the most sought out after fictional marine biologist. Fill out the survey and on Valentine’s Day, the character with the most votes will be revealed.
I do recognize that this is skewed and only includes male marine biologist characters. What can I say – I’m a girl married to a man and this is my game.
The Beneath the Waves Film Festival is back for its third year and is 
currently accepting submissions!
This festival is entirely student-run and is held in conjunction with the Benthic Ecology Meeting, a scientific conference. Alexandra Warneke, a student committee member for the festival, states, “the goal is to encourage widespread science communication by inspiring people to tell stories of their science and conservation efforts”. Submissions are welcomed from any ocean enthusiast, from professional filmmakers to students to scientists. The deadline for submissions is February 24, 2012 and the festival will be held in Norfolk, Virginia in March. You do not need to be present at the festival to submit a film. To learn more about the festival and the submission process, please see our website:http://www.beneaththewavesfilmfest.org/
In honor of the Beatles (on today the 10th anniversary of George Harrison‘s death) I thought I would feature the incredibly intelligent animal from one of my favorite songs, Octopus’s Garden. The song (released in the US on September 1, 1969) was the second song written by Ringo Starr for The Beatles (but, as my husband pointed out George Harrison did help him write the song).
It’s said Ringo Starr wrote the song while on vacation with his family in Sardinia after learning octopi like to hide under rocks. Pretty cool, right? Here are five more fun facts about these amazing cephalopods that I think Ringo Starr would think are equally as fascinating:
Enjoy!
One last thing, if you have not had a chance to purchase your Octopi Wall Street t-shirt I suggest you do soon since they make great holiday gifts!
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I think there might be another great bookmark to add to your ocean facts files! Please spend some time reviewing this great new resource, a marine life encyclopedia, compiled by Oceana. Over 500 creatures, places, and concepts can be explored. The pictures are bright and colorful and the information is up-to-date and easy to digest. It seems fantastic if you want a quick answer to a question.
Even if you think you know all the answers, test yourself with this Ocean IQ quiz!
The content on the marine life encyclopedia site has been licensed to Dorling Kindersley, one of the world’s leading educational publishers.
Watch this clip from “The Other Guys” (2010) as Will Ferrell’s character schools Mark Wahlberg’s character on what would happen if a lion were to attack a tuna. Enjoy!
Oceana teamed up with artist Don Foley to produce this infographic illustrating how our delicious seafood gets from hook to the icy fish case in our local food store. Shockingly, Oceana states that “Eighty-four percent of seafood eaten in the U.S. is imported, and it follows an increasingly complex path from a fishing boat to our plates.” Check out more on the nitty gritty 5-step process here.
It certainly is an eye opener and a wake up call. I once heard Sylvia Earle say that the best way she can think of to save the oceans is to not eat seafood from them. I think I might be getting close to that orthodox and the first step might be to curb the seafood purchases from anywhere not listed as sustainable even if I know the fishery is not in trouble. To help this lifestyle change I use ProjectFishMap.
Project FishMap is an application produced by Monterey Bay Aquarium that asks you to submit information when you find a restaurant or market that advocates sustainable seafood. As the map grows we can see what spots are the gems of the neighborhood. Click here for some more marine science apps for your smartphone.
Image (c) Oceana/Don Foley.
On September 20th, the Barefoot Wines facebook page will be premiering a film directed by Jason Baffa. The movie, One Beach, is focused on inspiring people to tackle the issue of marine debris with creativity and a positive attitude. One Beach is a perfect follow-up to the International Coastal Cleanup event sponsored by Ocean Conservancy (among others) on September 17th.
At 6:30 pm EST on the day of the premiere there will be an introduction to the film by Jason followed by a questions and answers session from the cast.
Check out the trailer for One Beach below!
What advantages do horseshoe crabs have with their compound eyes (1000 tiny lens less than 1/10 of an inch in diameter)?
Discovery Education produced this video on how horseshoe crabs see as a part of the Science Investigation series. Watch to see how Dr. Robert Barlow from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute uses a CrabCam to get a glimpse into what Limulus polyphemus detects underwater and why it’s a useful view of the world.
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It’s time to get the most out of that last trip to the beach!
Whether you’re ready for a day out on the boat, lounging, beachcombing, catching some waves, or preparing a feast there is an app to get you more involved in your marine environment. Apps are not only a great way to learn something new on the fly but can be a useful tool for engaging one another in settings where you may not have common ground. (OK, at the very least apps settle many ‘discussions’.)
Here is a list of useful and rather attractive apps that can connect you to your inner marine biologist.
AUDUBON FIELD GUIDES: Audubon Fishes of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico and Audubon Fishes – A Guide to North American Fishes include photos, geographic ranges, and concise yet detailed descriptions of appearances. Coming soon is the field guide for the Mid-Atlantic shoreline. ($9.99)
OCEANOGRAPHY STUDY GUIDE: If you are into fun oceanography trivia and want to learn more about the geography of the sea than download this app. It isn’t an endless list of “did you know?” facts but rather a large range of topics with well written articles for the serious beach chair scientist. ($4.99)
OFFICIAL APP OF ISSF: The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) was founded in 2008 when leaders of industry, scientists and environmental champions voiced concern over the future of tuna fisheries. This app provides a glossary of terms, videos, and a list of the status of stocks. (Free)
SEA TURTLE APP: This app was created by the Sea Turtle Conservancy and allows you to follow read the latest on sea turtle news but much more exciting you can track the global migration of different sea turtles with interactive satellite tracking maps! (Free)
Enough sitting around – it’s time to get out there and do something:
MOBILE APP FOR IGFA: The International Game Fishing Association created an app for weigh station locations, angler rules and regulations, customizable quests, and advice for trip planning. What more does a sport fisherman need?
MARINE DEBRIS TRACKER APP: This collaboration is brought to you by the Southeast Atlantic Marine Debris Initiative. The reporting of where you find marine debris can help to focus and prioritize federal efforts. The app uses GPS and allows you minimal work of sorting through lists of common marine debris. (Free)
CRAB APP: This app is an offshoot from the marine wild lab and allows you to collect horseshoe crab species data that will be used in scientific research. Horseshoe crabs are of enormous importance to 1) the drug industry due to their blood, 2) to fisheries for bait, and 3) to migratory shorebirds for its eggs. (Free)
TIDE GRAPH: I found out that there are many, many apps out there to help you monitor the tides. Tide Graph will work for both coasts in the US and provides graphs to help you see how the tide changes over the day and the month. ($1.99)
If you are preparing a feast or gorging on some dockside seafood:
SEAFOOD WATCH: For years the Monterey Bay Aquarium has produced adorable pocket-sized regional cheat sheets so you can get a quick overview of what species are considered over fished or not in your neck of the woods. They continue to produce this application for your iPhone and use GPS tracking to discover where you are so you can get the most relevant information. (Free)
PROJECT FISHMAP: Monterey Bay Aquarium also gets you more involved by asking you to submit information when you find a restaurant or market that advocates sustainable seafood. As the map grows you can see what spots you’ve not uncovered in your neighborhood. (Free)
FISHPHONE APP: With one quick text (example: “fish salmon”) to 30644 Blue Ocean Institute will fed you intel on your species of choice. For instance, they’ll rank the sustainability and toxicity levels and send an overview of its conservation status. (Free)
SAFE SEAFOOD: This app takes information from ten different seafood rankings (including Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Environmental Defense Fund) to create its list. The app outlines choices in an easy to review “best to worst” list. I particularly like that fish with multiple different market names are listed by each of common name too. ($0.99, but 10% of the proceeds go to EDF)
I am certain I missed many wonderful apps. Please do not hesitate to email at info@beachchairscientist.com to share!
Added October 27, 2011: An app for water quality and to get the most up-to-date grade for your beach presented by Heal the Bay in California.
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