tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67418854134721109152012-01-04T09:43:25.307-05:00Conversations about marine science and societyAl Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.comBlogger1511100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-66606612498625101132010-08-02T22:03:00.000-04:002010-08-02T22:03:34.268-04:00

I am moving off Blogger and onto a dedicated domain, so from now on, you can join the discussion at http://alistairdove.com/   If you liked any of the old posts and don't want to lose them, fear not; I migrated them all to the new site too.  If you prefer to get your dose of bloggy goodness by RSS, the link for that is here.  If you were a Feedburner user, you'll probably get an email from me

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-83208475771038394742010-08-02T08:07:00.000-04:002010-08-02T08:07:16.604-04:00

If you don't subscribe to Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, its well worth it.  Today they tackle jargon (click for the rest)

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-92078472413003987792010-07-29T22:14:00.000-04:002010-07-29T22:14:16.500-04:00

The last BoC was a triple header from previous winner Sarah F. and you had to get 2/3 scientific names correct.  David Gross was the first to do that, correctly identifying the first as a reticulated brittle star Ophionereis reticulata and the third as a flamingo tongue snail Cyphoma gibbosum  Nobody got the third one, which was a fireworm, Hermodice carunculata.  That's one of very few BoC's

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-7252714969391493852010-07-29T16:51:00.002-04:002010-07-29T21:11:06.298-04:00

When you want to learn about the biology of a charismatic species, any species really, sometimes you end up learning about the grosser side of life too.  Thats kind of how I came to take this picture last week in Mexico, where I and several others from the team at Georgia Aquarium have been doing research on whale sharks lately (see several other blog posts heareabouts).  It was taken during an

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-3484015757155758022010-07-26T11:09:00.001-04:002010-07-26T11:10:28.542-04:00

In an earlier post I mentioned a proposal to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission by its lobster science committee to ban lobstering in Southern New England (i.e. south of Cape Cod) for 5 years to allow the fishery to recover.  Not surprisingly, that proposal has been rejected.  An alternative motion proposing that the commission "consider" either a 75% cut in allowable landings, or a

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-16395306593971247242010-07-22T16:39:00.004-04:002010-07-22T21:36:56.192-04:00

A lot of people think science is soulless, sterile or austere in its objectivity; there’s a prevalent stereotype of the scientist as a lab nerd in a white coat, out of touch with the “real world” and with the more emotive aspects of life. That couldn’t be further from the truth, of course. Most scientists I know – me included - are motivated precisely by a profound wonder and amazement for the

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-72103814053254745602010-07-18T19:09:00.004-04:002010-07-19T00:58:32.720-04:00

I am down here with other folks from the aquarium as well as other scientists, government folks and ecotour operators for the 3rd annual Whale Shark Festival in the beautiful Yucatan location of Isla Mujeres.  Here's some short videos that might give you the flavour of whats been going on. Here's Beatrix and Rafael de la Parra from Proyecto Domino explaining the importance to Isla Mujeres of

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-85320355054512175372010-07-16T10:00:00.004-04:002010-07-16T10:00:08.842-04:00

There's a new Bit-o-Critter rule in play - if you get it right, you get to pick the next round animal(s) and stump your colleagues.  Here's Sarah F.'s trio of selections, which she picked as her reward for getting round 26 correct.  Scientific names please.  First person to get 2/3 correct in a single comment wins.

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-89708610578111737022010-07-15T17:12:00.001-04:002010-07-15T17:27:30.158-04:00

CNN is reporting that the new device put on the wellhead of the BP oil rig Deepwater Horizon appears to have stopped the leak and is holding under the pressure, at least for now.  Lets all cross fingers that this marks the end of major leaking into the Gulf of Mexico.

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-24757468845177377802010-07-15T13:29:00.002-04:002010-07-19T00:59:00.989-04:00

Things will probably get a little irregular around here over the next couple of weeks.  I'm part of a group of Aquarium folks leaving for Mexico tomorrow to participate in the Whale Shark Festival on Isla Mujeres, just near Cancun, followed by some intensive field work with colleague Rafael de la Parra, who you may remember from previous posts.  We'll be tagging animals, photographing their spot

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-41242093982543174582010-07-15T09:01:00.000-04:002010-07-15T09:01:41.901-04:00

National Geographic is hosting some nice footage of a submarine volcano in Indonesia.  The video was gathered as part of the Okeanos Explorer and its current collaborative research cruise between NOAA and the Indonesian Government The footage shows some impressive fields of stalked barnacles, an abundance of shrimp and some really cool sulfide chimneys and elemental sulfur flows.

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-1767011703656738762010-07-12T11:11:00.000-04:002010-07-12T11:11:45.648-04:00

To a recent roundup of whale shark news, I appended a sort of human interest one-liner about how “shark” is the only word in the English language that derives from a Yucatec (Mayan) Indian word – “Xoc” (pronounced like “shock”). It was just one of those factoid tidbits picked up somewhere along the line of life, maybe while working in Mexico, I don’t remember. It tickled some interest from

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-75407864171062587372010-07-09T04:34:00.000-04:002010-07-09T04:34:25.039-04:00

To explain the title a little better - most of the oceans are in total darkness all the time, and even the sunlit zone is an inky realm every night when our star visits the other side of the planet.  Accepting that we can't easily visit the bathypelagic zone (the deepest bits) without submersibles or ROV's (remotely operated vehicles), then perhaps the best feel we can get for what's happening in

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-59677032973519206722010-07-09T03:16:00.000-04:002010-07-09T03:16:04.275-04:00

OK folks, I'll take the genus name for organism in the top half of the photo, with a bonus for the other organism in the bottom half.  If you couldn't tell that this was two organisms, then there you go, I just gave you a hint. :-)

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-29432502036972191152010-07-08T16:53:00.001-04:002010-07-08T16:54:27.940-04:00

After some time, Sarah F. was able to get both of the Round 25 Bit-o-Critters.  Congrats, enjoy the warm inner glow of vanquishing your opponents. 25A was one of the more common salps, Salpa cylindrica.  As Sarah noted in her answer, salps are "pelagic tunicates that graze on phytoplankton. They can be found as asexual, solitary individuals or in long chains. Salps are also important in carbon

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-23562669348469866182010-07-07T07:37:00.001-04:002010-07-07T07:44:15.000-04:00

The Whale shark that I mentioned in yesterdays thread as having been caught in Pakistan was not claimed by the Sindh Wildlife Department (citing lack of funds) but was instead butchered and sold right off the beach.  The liver was sold for 800 Pakistani rupees and will be used to waterproof the hulls of fishing boats, and the rest of the carcass was sold for 500 rupees. How much is that in US

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-5220379938644067522010-07-06T16:28:00.002-04:002010-07-19T01:00:35.194-04:00

Photo: Bruce Carlson/Marj Awai There’s a heck of a lot going on in the world of whale sharks right now, so I thought a news roundup was in order. Blogger GrrlScientist has a nice blog post up about whale sharks right now, over at Scientist Interrupted Sad news about a whale shark that was trapped in fishing nets in Pakistan and died. I have no idea what the scientist is talking about when he

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-72256247623129398702010-07-02T11:37:00.000-04:002010-07-02T11:37:27.289-04:00

I recently experienced a moment of genuine dread regarding the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and it was neither a familiar nor comfortable feeling. What is it that invoked such a powerful feeling after a disaster that has been underway for the last 80-odd days, now? Something that struck a little close to home, of course: the first direct impact to whale sharks. You may have seen this story

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-32131111763861197142010-06-25T23:03:00.000-04:002010-06-25T23:03:47.522-04:00

Things will probably be a little quiet on here for the next week or so as I take some much needed vacation time.  In the meantime, nobody has guessed at Bit-o-Critter round 25 yet, so now's your chance to swoop in for the kill!

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-47021524788113120492010-06-23T16:20:00.001-04:002010-06-23T22:28:00.079-04:00

Below are two short videos showing some of what we got up to on a recent lightning fast trip to Mexico, footage that our AV folks spliced together from a FLIP camera I took along.  We had heard word of whale sharks gathering at one of our research sites, so I threw together a quick trip and Jeff Reid, the Aquarium's DSO, and I went down to scope it out.  It wasn't hard science this time; mostly a

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-70509007248015967052010-06-23T07:20:00.000-04:002010-06-23T07:20:14.111-04:00

OK, since yesterday's BoC went off so quickly, here's another round hot on the heels.  A double header this time.  See if you can identify the following two animals from just the bit shown.  Post your best guess in the comments section.  The winner gets bragging rights and a smug sense of self satisfaction.  First one I would like at least genus, the second one I'll accept the common or

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-37054644853083888252010-06-22T16:05:00.003-04:002010-06-22T16:13:25.013-04:00

Commenter Will Edwards just successfully identified the BoC wrasse from Round 23 as Ophthalmolepis lineolatus, or what we Aussies like to call a Maori wrasse.  I think the common name comes from the blue lines on the face and their resemblance to the facial tattoos of several Polynesian peoples.  Its a temperate rocky shore wrasse not to be confused with the humphead maori wrasse or Napoleon

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-33817409714981240692010-06-22T13:02:00.001-04:002010-06-22T13:04:05.535-04:00

Well that was quick; I guess I made it too easy.  Heather D guessed correctly that it was the beautiful Pyjama Squid, Sepioloidea lineolata.  These gorgeous little cephalopods hail from my home country of Australia, just like the wrasse in BoC 23b, which is still up for grabs.  I think technically pyjama squids are a cuttlefish because the eye is a slit not a round pupil and because the

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-85923356460972161382010-06-22T08:22:00.000-04:002010-06-22T08:22:00.284-04:00

So here's the next round of Bit-o-Critter.  I'd like a full common name, scientific name gets bonus points. We still don't have an answer on Round 23b, the wrasse-like fish.  Here's a hint, you have to think about where I'm from (Australia).  That and the photo is enough to get you to species.

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-27548167858329113982010-06-21T12:40:00.002-04:002010-07-04T15:56:16.753-04:00

My good colleague Janine Caira wrote a paper way back in 1997 about one of the strangest parasites ever recorded in an animal.  This paper has stuck with me ever since, I think because I saw the original photos when I visited the lab of one of the other co-authors George Benz, when he was with Tennessee Aquarium (he's now at Middle Tennessee State U.).  So, I thought I'd revive it for you guys;

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-45915161022581316202010-06-17T11:27:00.001-04:002010-06-18T08:14:42.531-04:00

Just five days before the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, I wrote a piece for this blog about a different oil spill in Australia, when a Chinese coal ship called the Shen Neng1 ran aground in Queensland and spilled thousands of gallons of fuel oil onto a section of the Great Barrier Reef.  The gist of that post was that, horrible though they may be, there's no great

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-74682792585641094812010-06-15T23:27:00.000-04:002010-06-15T23:27:20.232-04:00

Well the last BoC was a double header and the first one went off quickly.  Miriam got it right first time - a pycnogonid or sea spider. That just leaves the fish in 23b.  It might take you some searching to get it right, but there's enough info there for a full species ID.  Good luck!

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-60115627846728035522010-06-15T08:00:00.000-04:002010-06-15T08:00:00.337-04:00

OK folks, double header this time, and you can only guess at one of them, so make your choice carefully... 23a - general group will do 23b - full scientific name if you please

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-54872693410570228662010-06-14T20:05:00.000-04:002010-06-14T20:05:04.580-04:00

Well I really have to hand it to juliebug.  I was sure I would have stumped you guys on that last one, but no!  Julie nailed it - it was a sea pig, a bizarre deep sea holothurian, a sort of sea cucumber.  These pallid little blobs inch their way across the abyssal depths, eking out an existence on the snow of detritus raining gently down from above.  Great job Julie, truly impressive.

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-43595629810176817882010-06-14T11:57:00.002-04:002010-06-14T12:01:37.577-04:00

I've been humming and hawing about whether or not to post this, but I just can't resist.  A colleague at a university where I used to work recently retired, and the dean sent around invitations to his retirement luncheon.  Well, it seems our retiree was not leaving with the best taste in his mouth, so he sent the following (to the Entire School!).  Since he seems to care little who knows, I share

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-81422363330226541862010-06-13T16:27:00.000-04:002010-06-13T16:27:05.848-04:00

I guess they don't like the electrofisher much...

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-52045890248661997922010-06-13T10:00:00.007-04:002010-06-13T10:00:00.596-04:00

I've been part of research efforts on lobsters in southern New England on and off since 2002.  The fishery is in dire straights due to a range of problems like overfishing and infectious and metabolic diseases likely brought on by a changing climate.  But I was still surpsrised today by this article outlining a proposal to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission by its lobster science

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-36741246501865101922010-06-13T08:48:00.000-04:002010-06-13T08:48:41.005-04:00

I'm posting this video I took of a whale shark in Mexico, to test the embedding of YouTube videos in Blogger posts.

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-3819653993477172112010-06-12T10:07:00.001-04:002010-06-12T10:08:29.808-04:00

OK folks, try this one on for size.  A common name will do, this time around. Post your best guesses in the comments section, the winner gets bragging rights and the undying admiration of their fellow readers.

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-8433502616175233642010-06-12T10:01:00.002-04:002010-06-13T11:15:55.962-04:00

We have a new face in the BoC winners circle this week.  Sarah F. correctly identified the critter from round 21 as a stargazer.  That's a pretty impressive effort, because I didn't give you much to go on.  If you've never met one before, stargazers are bottom-dwelling fish that are the consummate lie-in-wait predator.  And when I say bottom-dwelling, I mean IN the bottom.  Usually all you can

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-36049863847801272872010-06-10T09:30:00.001-04:002010-06-10T09:30:00.459-04:00

This weeks victims of Dr. Dove's parasitological prattle are the students of the Diseases of Warmwater Fishes course, held by the fine folks at the University of Florida Vet School and the UF Institute for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Tropical Aquaculture lab in Ruskin.  Its a bit like AQUAVET in that students stay put and faculty rotate through, but this one doesnt include inverts or coldwater

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-47250326023671422392010-06-08T21:34:00.001-04:002010-06-08T21:34:27.613-04:00

Shell diseased lobsterOriginally uploaded by para_sight1I was going through my Flickr collection and came across this shot of a lobster, Homarus americanus, showing typical signs of epizootic shell disease. This is an emerging problem in Southern New England, wherein lobsters show these unsightly ulcers that erode down into their shells, eating away the hard parts until,all thats left is like

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-72257662513721034912010-06-08T21:27:00.000-04:002010-06-08T21:27:14.485-04:00

Juliebug identified the round 20 Bit-o-critter as the green turtle Chelonia mydas.  With that, she takes a commanding lead in the BoC stakes.  Will no-one challenge her supremacy?  Ya gotta be in it to win it folks...

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-17787515390991507832010-06-08T15:11:00.000-04:002010-06-08T15:11:34.394-04:00

This one doesnt have enough detail for species level ID, but I'll take a common name or any of several suitable scientific names.  Y'know, if you think you've got the goods...

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-74862777301128841042010-06-08T07:01:00.001-04:002010-06-08T08:54:04.139-04:00

Some really simple questions have surprisingly complex answers.  “Why is the sky blue?” ends up being all about differential absorbance of varying wavelengths of electromagnetic radiat… see, there, I’ve already wandered off into jargon land. And so it is with the question “Why is a cooked lobster red, when a live lobster is not?”.  An odd question, but its exactly that kind of “I wonder why…”

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-86736071120213076182010-06-07T13:47:00.000-04:002010-06-07T13:47:20.699-04:00

With a tip of the Pirates Hat to Veggie Tales and Family Guy for the inspiration There's a hole in the bottom of the sea, There's a hole in the bottom of the sea, There's a hole, there's a hole, There's a hole in the bottom of the sea. There's a pipe in the hole In the bottom of the sea, There's a pipe in the hole In the bottom of the sea, There's a pipe, there's a pipe, There's a pipe in the

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-89678745467548744522010-06-06T20:54:00.001-04:002010-06-06T20:59:04.220-04:00

Just returned from two weeks on the road, so I've got mounds of work to catch up on.  In the meantime, check out this interesting post over at Thomas' Plant Related Blog.  Its about Neutral Theory and why there are so many species distributed the way they are.  The ecology of diversity is one of my pet research areas, or at least, I like to think about it a lot (see earlier DTF posts about it

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-7840556089757819642010-06-04T10:00:00.013-04:002010-06-04T10:00:00.240-04:00

Off to NY today to participate the AQUAVET courses, which are a collaboration between Cornell and U. Penn vet schools that aims to train veterinary students interested in fish health.  Historically, its been held at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA, but this year its in Southampton, Long Island, at the Southampton campus of Stony Brook University (shown below).  Its a terrific

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-34673688878233497802010-06-04T09:00:00.002-04:002010-06-04T09:00:02.195-04:00

OK folks, I need a complete scientific name for this critter:

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-14910343915555024402010-06-03T21:40:00.002-04:002010-06-03T22:06:26.119-04:00

In my post about surveying pelagic species from the air in Mexico, I mentioned schools of cownosed rays, which the locals call "chuchas" (dogs).  New England Aquarium has a perfect picture to illustrate what I mean:  Beautiful, aren't they?

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-81163906572701959032010-06-03T21:23:00.000-04:002010-06-03T21:23:13.986-04:00

Juliebug correctly identified the round 19 bit-o-critter as a remora, Remora remora.  These bizarre fish use a modified first dorsal fin as a sort of sucker to hold onto other species, usually bigger things like turtles, sharks and whales.  Its actually not much of a sucker, more of a friction pad, but thats another topic for another day.  Congrats Julie!  Photo by Rene Gallo

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-61012242641178210172010-06-03T09:38:00.000-04:002010-06-03T09:38:53.992-04:00

Its easy to get discouraged about the plight of marine ecosystems and the future of all those incredible marine species that we love so much. This is especially so of late, with all the bad news about the oil spill in the northern Gulf of Mexico and the impacts that it may well have on several habitats. Consider this post, then, as your good news story for the week. I am here to tell you that

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-31195266856954434172010-05-31T09:00:00.001-04:002010-05-31T09:00:00.602-04:00

I've mentioned before that this summer I’ll be part of some whale shark field work studies in Mexico. Some of it will focus on how these amazing animals find patches of their planktonic food in the ocean. There’s a pretty good likelihood that they have an incredibly sensitive sense of smell and can detect food from miles away. They’re a bit different than toothy sharks though, because they aren’t

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-22930322517506223512010-05-30T07:57:00.000-04:002010-05-30T07:57:32.972-04:00

See if you can identify this critter, based on the bit given below.  The winner gets bragging rights and a warm inner glow.

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-52007900682008178772010-05-30T07:54:00.000-04:002010-05-30T07:54:21.359-04:00

Returned from the Eastern Fish Health Workshop in the DC area yesterday, after our flight got canceled on Friday.  It was a fantastic meeting, for all the reasons I cited in my previous post.  I've got one day at work today and then off to Mexico for field research with Mexican government colleagues this week (more about that later), but not for long, because teaching duties in NY on Friday and

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-40577935295549373952010-05-30T07:47:00.000-04:002010-05-30T07:47:58.203-04:00

Nobody guessed at BoC round 18 on the blog, although one colleague got it right on Friend Feed.  It was the eye and proboscis of a stromb, which is a big family of marine gastropod snails.  They are related to cone snails, but can always be distinguished by a ntoch on the margin of their shell that allows them to poke out the eyes and look around.  They have very engaging, almost comical eyes,

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-52919387088238120362010-05-25T10:21:00.001-04:002010-05-25T10:21:35.349-04:00

They don't muck around at this meeting. Registration is from 5-8 on Monday, then talks from 8-11. Thankfully first night is mostly short talks and you can bring beers into the lecture hall - that's my kinda conference! This morning has been all immunology. That's not normally my bag, but talented speakers can make the most arcane topics engaging. Steve Kaattari spoke about how antibodies can me

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-65883652111572059722010-05-23T11:08:00.000-04:002010-05-23T11:08:59.659-04:00

There's a special conference every year that's one of the best kept secrets in the fish world; its the Eastern Fish Health Workshop and this year its in sunny Shepherdstown WV, home of the National Fish Health Research Laboratories, which (as a quirk of history) are part of the USGS's Leetown Science Center.  I've been going ever since I came to America in 2000 and I just love it.  Why?  Well,

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-21391322832465798142010-05-21T10:28:00.001-04:002010-05-21T10:30:01.511-04:00

Just once in life I did the totally reckless thing of looking at a photo (in a Lonely Planet guide, if I remember) and saying "Thats it, I am going there, now" and then doing exactly that.  The place was Leh, which is in region called Ladakh, in the province of Jammu & Kashmir in Northern India.  Not once did I ever regret that decision; Leh was one of the most magical places I ever visited,

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-83071563436045300392010-05-20T13:07:00.005-04:002010-05-20T14:21:53.956-04:00

I was inspired by recent articles highlighting a revised calculation of the ocean’s average depth as 12,081ft, to consider the seas in a numerical light today. To that end, here’s a few random, sourced numbers and back-of-the-envelope calculations that might be food for thought: 0.87% = Amount we can see by diving from the surface (about 100ft) over the average depth 0.28% = Amount we can see by

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-89095992934860866122010-05-19T21:07:00.000-04:002010-05-19T21:07:46.743-04:00

This one's a little harder; but I think you guys are up to the challenge...

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-27572110615982594902010-05-19T20:42:00.000-04:002010-05-19T20:42:03.661-04:00

Juliebug nutted out that the critter in round 17 was a hyperiid amphipod.  Hyperiids are freaky looking things, like the sort of thing H.R. Giger might have used for inspiration for the creature from Alien.  Julie also uncovered some stories about swarming hyperiids, predatory hyperiids and parasitic hyperiids.  Check it out

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-24974578717363572292010-05-18T09:59:00.001-04:002010-05-18T11:20:01.623-04:00

Baddum-tish!  OK, they don't chew their cud, but I can never resist a good pun (although I was seriously considering "Ruminations on the way fish eat" - better?).  I just love this new paper by Gintof et al. about how fish chew, mostly because its an idea that I never would have ever considered.  Basically, they explored whether fish just bolt their food, like lizards and snakes, or whether they

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-14691624398250836462010-05-17T12:57:00.000-04:002010-05-17T12:57:34.498-04:00

A: They are both actively drawing public and legislative attention to the issue of ocean acidification.   That is, the decrease in the pH of the sea as a result of its absorbing increasing amounts of atmospheric CO2, that most pernicious of greenhouse gases.  Waterston, who is on the board of Oceana, was just testifying in DC about it, as Weaver was recently. Oh, and if you thought this post was

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-42782350997734583802010-05-17T08:15:00.000-04:002010-05-17T08:15:34.433-04:00

“If it bleeds it leads” is a common meme in the journalism field, but when it becomes the mantra of science reporting, sometimes the real message gets lost in translation. Unfortunately, so it is with a new paper from Doug Rasher and Mark Hay down the road at Georgia Tech. In their work, published in PNAS this week, they show that algae from coral reefs can have toxic effects on adjacent corals

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-34503069120595285442010-05-16T09:30:00.000-04:002010-05-16T09:30:00.171-04:00

A family will do fine today

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-60065323938259953502010-05-15T11:00:00.000-04:002010-05-15T11:00:04.888-04:00

Ed Yong at Discover Blogs has a great post up about a PLoS One paper describing how coral larvae find their way back to the reef from the plankton, using sound.  This is a remarkable ability for a tiny ciliated ball of cells, demonstrated through a nifty experiment where the scientists played sound from different directions into a dish of tubes containing coral larvae and showed that they moved

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-21982315770903822062010-05-15T09:14:00.000-04:002010-05-15T09:14:42.708-04:00

Miriam from DeepSeaNews correctly identified Glaucus atlanticus, a spectacular pelagic nudibranch.  Like a lot of neustonic animals, they are bright blue, which relates to the intense sunlight exposure they get in the top inches of the ocean.  The same blue coloration is seen in calanoid copepods, jellies and other things that live right at the surface.  This pic of Glaucus from Wikimedia

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-122216924526227742010-05-14T18:59:00.000-04:002010-05-14T18:59:02.475-04:00

As Akira so succinctly put it - Euthynnus alletteratus.  To the rest of us, that's the little tunny.  In his follow-up, Aki pointed out that the spots below the pectoral fin were the give away - no other tuna has them.

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-14872020522687703782010-05-14T18:56:00.000-04:002010-05-14T18:56:55.349-04:00

The fish people have had it way too easy lately, so here's one of "the other 95%" Remember - if you get it right, you have to follow up with some details so the rest of us learn something

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-13975275571293554282010-05-14T14:49:00.002-04:002010-05-14T14:51:27.992-04:00

Whale sharks are the largest fish in the oceans; they can grow to 20m in length and weigh many tons, although 7-9m is closer to the common average these days.  Despite their tremendous size, scientists don't know that much about them.  We know that they eat plankton and that they live in the tropical oceans throughout the world and there have been quite a few papers reporting their presence in

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-81139651252576419762010-05-10T11:00:00.000-04:002010-05-10T11:00:05.062-04:00

The second to last one stumped you all, while Akira got the last one in about 2 seconds.  Lets hope this one is in the middle somewhere.  This has enough detail for a scientific name, but a common name for the species will do.

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-24633998331523271782010-05-10T09:00:00.003-04:002010-05-15T09:17:24.515-04:00

If you ever saw the dramatic seamount scene in Blue Planet (and if you haven’t, where ya been??), then you are probably familiar with the idea that submarine mountains can attract lots of animals; as Attenborough puts it, they “create oases where life can flourish in the comparatively empty expanses of the open ocean”.  In that spectacular BBC sequence, jacks and tuna swarm an Eastern Pacific

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-20315888609357453282010-05-09T09:10:00.002-04:002010-05-15T09:19:01.708-04:00

One of the more intriguing aspects of oil spills, including the DeepWater Horizon spill currently unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico (DeepSeaNews has covered it well), is the formation of tar balls.  These are globby blobs of bitumen-like material that are found on the sea floor or washed up on beaches after a spill. There's a few theories about how they form, but the general concept is that as the

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-75296205574590290242010-05-07T11:00:00.001-04:002010-05-07T11:00:02.646-04:00

Easy enough that I need the proper scientific name...

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-4830715500691731672010-05-06T09:02:00.003-04:002010-05-06T09:05:39.225-04:00

After a youth spent on the dry side of the water (another post for another day), I have come to love SCUBA diving with a passion. I also love art and photography projects that explore the way nature reclaims all things, in time. (My wife dubbed this obsession “elegant decay” – stuff that’s falling apart and looks good doing it.) Soon there’s going to be an opportunity to combine those passions in

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-2068740305773613662010-05-05T10:30:00.000-04:002010-05-05T10:30:01.564-04:00

Twas the torpedo ray, Torpedo panthera

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-55848868453501720132010-05-04T11:00:00.001-04:002010-05-04T11:00:05.818-04:00

Carnival of the Blue is a collection of marine science blog posts from all over the web, hosted every month at a different blogger's page.  This month its at Christie Wilcox's blog "Observations of a Nerd".  Check it out! I'm on the docket to host CotB in December.  In the meantime, you can visit its perpetual home here, and marvel at the munificent magnanimity of its creators, Jason Robertshaw

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-61309490889393315172010-05-04T10:00:00.002-04:002010-05-04T10:00:04.256-04:00

My colleague Susan Perkins at AMNH has a most excellent blog that features a different parasite every day for a year.  Since the oceans have more parasites than anywhere else by far, many of her feature critters are marine.  Check out some of these marine beasties, then enjoy the rest of the collection.  There's a new one every day. Crepidostomum cooperi - a digenean (fluke) parasite of fish

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-5009458914574371172010-05-03T17:50:00.001-04:002010-05-03T17:51:43.544-04:00

OK, at long last, here's the solution for Bit-o-Critter round 12, the 6 pack of butterflyfish: A. Chaetodon plebeius - blue-spot butterfly B - Chaetodon ornatissimus - ornate butterfly C - Chaetodon meyeri - Meyer's butterfly D - Chaetodon lunula - Raccoon butterfly E - Chaetodon austriacus - Blacktail butterfly F - Parachaetodon ocellatus - Kite or six-spined butterfly Now get on over to

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-21463708876761845172010-05-02T10:30:00.001-04:002010-05-02T10:30:00.758-04:00

With tip of the cap to jfang at The Great Beyond A recent proposal to limit whaling has been rejected by Japan and Australia, for opposite reasons. Japan, which takes almost a thousand whales a year, mostly Minke, objects to the 400 annual quota, which steps down after 5 years to 200 for another 5 years. Australia, which has a long history of opposing whaling, says the proposal doesn't go far

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-76223322608886371032010-05-02T10:06:00.000-04:002010-05-02T10:06:01.700-04:00

I think we'd all love to hear from people who live on or near the gulf coast and may have observations or stories to tell about their experiences of the oil spill.

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-91034173585858776372010-05-02T10:02:00.000-04:002010-05-02T10:02:01.884-04:00

I haven't posted anything about the Gulf oil leak because others have covered it so well (see Dr. M.'s excellent timeline at DSN), but this story about a leaked coast guard report caught my eye Concern is that the leak rate could get ten times worse; if the wellhead goes then the job of fixing it also gets an order of magnitude harder.  The story sounds as though this is a distinct possibility.

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-48885651077821704042010-04-29T09:50:00.003-04:002010-04-29T09:50:00.686-04:00

I was recently told that I ought to try sardines, but I have no idea how to prepare them. Does anyone have ideas for canned sardines that I could try?

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-41991351541210450902010-04-28T09:00:00.004-04:002010-04-28T09:00:03.363-04:00

Disease is a funny old thing.  We're taught from very early on that disease agents are "bad" and that, by contrast, the infected are somehow poor and unfortunate victims of nasty evil bugs.  This is clearly a cultural bias, wherein we project our own concerns about getting sick onto all other animals; there's no real reason to think that a bacterium or virus has any less right to be here or any

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-51734638367112590972010-04-27T11:00:00.001-04:002010-04-27T11:00:07.801-04:00

This is a little spooky. Terry Hughes of the Center for Excellence in Coral Reef Studies in Australia, whom I know only vaguely, has been quoted on the topic of the Shen Neng 1, that Chinese coal ship that ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef. His somewhat dismissive tone sounds creepily like my recent rant on the subject. He said: "The [Shen Neng 1] ship grounding, in the scheme of things,

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-54137211418196772722010-04-27T10:00:00.001-04:002010-04-27T10:00:02.743-04:00

I need a scientific name.  Anyone?  Bueller? 

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-45807689995403827302010-04-26T11:00:00.002-04:002010-04-26T11:00:07.974-04:00

...here's something distinctly more marine.  A little while ago I drew attention to Andrea Marshall's paper showing that there's not one but possibly three species of manta ray (see Whats A Manta Do?).  In the preamble for that post, I drew analogy between mantas and killer whales as monotypic species; that is, the only members of their genus, a taxonomic one-of-a-kind.  Well blow me down if

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-27182605913960008002010-04-26T07:38:00.000-04:002010-04-26T07:38:19.603-04:00

I never really cared for Sigourney Weaver, despite the fact that she stars in several of my favourite movies - Alien/s, Ghostbusters & Avatar.  I don't know why, she always just seemed wooden to me (maybe I just don't recognise a stoic heroine when I see one).  Now, doubtless influenced by Cameron and his obsession with all things marine, she is going to Washington to advocate for urgent action

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-58953484454869458872010-04-25T13:07:00.001-04:002010-04-25T13:20:15.819-04:00

Its not quite marine science (hey, its my blog, so nerrr), but there's a paper in PLoS One this week where the authors describe the assembly of a genome sequence (all the DNA from beginning to end) from a single cell of a bacterium.  Normally it would take a whole bunch of cultured cells to do this, which limits genome sequencing to those bacteria that can be cultured and right now that isn't

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-14057669560393980512010-04-25T09:20:00.000-04:002010-04-25T09:20:49.117-04:00

If you guys don't subscribe to xkcd.com, you really should; the cartoons are simple, pithy and often extremely creative.  Not always laugh out loud funny, but neither was George Carlin, and he was a comedic genius.  I especially like this one; it captures that out-of-sight, out-of-mind thing that infects so many folks when it comes to the oceans.  Of course, now that I've analysed it, its lost

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-72999486712242235582010-04-22T11:26:00.000-04:002010-04-22T11:26:05.527-04:00

This round is a 6-pack for the fish-heads among you.  Between the bits, you ought to be able to get the group.  Then I need species names for all six. Critter A Critter B Critter C Critter D Critter E Critter F

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-66461060240898845322010-04-22T11:00:00.000-04:002010-04-22T11:00:10.187-04:00

Hi all, I got a bit behind while I was in NY, but am back on deck today and will be back to posting a bit more regularly.  Here's the solutions to the recent bit-o-critters. Round 9 - Six-gilled shark, Hexanchus griseus A big ol' slug of a shark, most common in the colder waters of the world.   I picked it because it always seemed odd to me that six and seven gilled sharks manage to have one or

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-12476787699891752502010-04-20T19:49:00.000-04:002010-04-20T19:49:21.832-04:00

I guess I got carried away with making bit-o-critter a little harder after everyone so quickly solved the Chrysaora.  Here's some cryptic hints for the three open rounds noone has guessed at yet: Round 9 - One more than normal Round 10 - Men are distinctly uncomfortable around this animal Round 11 - This group not discovered until 1983 I will post the solutions when I get back to Atlanta

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-49755421870166828842010-04-20T18:12:00.004-04:002010-04-20T19:43:53.419-04:00

This is one of the rooms at AMNH where type series are kept, in this case for fish. A type series is that original set of specimens lodged at a museum when a new species is first described. These are therefore very valuable specimens, in a sense irreplaceable!  Its hard not to feel the gravitas of the mission of museums when faced with something as fundamental as a type series.  We also had a

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-59121320138033359312010-04-20T09:58:00.002-04:002010-04-20T19:40:42.162-04:00

It was a long but fantastic day at the Museum yesterday.  After Bento boxes with the grad studets, I met with folks from their comparative genomics and conservation genetics group including George Amato and Rob deSalle.  Then out for refreshments with the leech lab folks and their intrepid leader and old colleague of mine Mark Siddall. We gasbagged about everything from progressive metal to the

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-88908710629579157632010-04-19T20:35:00.003-04:002010-04-20T19:50:52.350-04:00

Only at AMNH do they use bailer shells as chip bowls for doritos and salsa... (don't worry, its not an accessioned specimen)

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-48542995826398571242010-04-19T15:40:00.001-04:002010-04-19T15:40:32.663-04:00

This is what the comparative genomics folks see out their windows...

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-79698182911556993732010-04-19T12:46:00.001-04:002010-04-19T12:46:48.856-04:00

Seminar at AMNH went well. Now meeting with graduate students in the new graduate program in comparative biology.  What a great program and opportunity for students to take advantage of the collection and curatorial staff. Makes me kinda jealous. Even though its a thoroughly modern museum, The place still smells of mothballs and that makes me smile.

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-67246647902314900182010-04-19T09:00:00.000-04:002010-04-19T09:00:09.684-04:00

Lets see who really knows their inverts (no species needed for this one).

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-71985713016443509512010-04-18T21:57:00.001-04:002010-04-18T21:57:43.444-04:00

I am visiting the American Museum of Natural History to give a seminar and meet with curators on Monday. I plan to chime in as the day unfolds with pics and stories. Watch this space

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-72516438055097181652010-04-17T15:08:00.001-04:002010-04-17T15:08:59.676-04:00

Check one two, TWO!

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-74100925358060406212010-04-17T09:00:00.001-04:002010-04-17T09:00:01.384-04:00

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-25919937987968731402010-04-15T11:00:00.082-04:002010-04-15T12:29:01.385-04:00

A: When you can't see the forest for it. You may have followed some press in the last week or so about a Chinese coal ship, Shen Neng 1, that ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef and spilled some of its fuel oil.  This has caused a regular frenzy in the Aussie media and the global conservation and environmental news-o-sphere.  There have been all sorts of calls for prosecution of the shipping

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6741885413472110915.post-88819002782950649012010-04-15T09:00:00.002-04:002010-04-15T09:00:03.555-04:00

Do your worst...

Al Dovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14048245803315940129noreply@blogger.com1