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By Cherilyn Jose, June 8, 2013 8:10 am

Actress Sharon Kwok and 30,000 dried shark fins in Hong Kong: photo by Paul Hilton

This World Oceans Day I would like to reflect on the state of the oceans. There are 3 major issues facing the oceans. They are (in no particular order):

1. Overfishing
2. Climate Change
3. Pollution

1.Overfishing

*It is estimated that 90% of all large fish (and many smaller species) have been fished out of the oceans.

*According to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), 53% of the world’s fisheries are fully exploited, and 32% are overexploited, depleted, or recovering from depletion.

*There may only be 25,000 mature bluefin tuna left in all the world’s oceans.

Fishing can be too efficient with entire schools of fish being caught at once. Fishing can also be incredibly wasteful with by-catch such sea turtles, whales, and sharks when only one fish is being sought (like tuna).

Shark finning is a prime example of overfishing. It is estimated that 100 million sharks are killed a year. They are killed mainly for their fins, which is used to make shark fin soup. Sharks are top level predators, and their naturally low numbers in the wild reflect that. As a consequence, they are slow to reproduce and cannot keep up with the current levels of fishing.


2.Climate Change

Climate change includes global warming, sea level rise, and ocean acidification.

Global warming will cause the oceans to become warmer, and may substantially change ocean circulation patterns. This may disrupt natural feeding cycles and may affect the weather. Some ocean species, like coral, only have a narrow range of temperature tolerance and will die if the oceans become too warm.

Global warming will cause polar ice caps to melt, and sea level will rise accordingly. Some island nations will be flooded out of existence.

Ocean acidification occurs when the pH of the seawater decreases and becomes more acidic (think soda pop). This is because the oceans absorb about a quarter of all carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) in the atmosphere. Ocean acidification will make it harder for some animals to build their calcium based shells, and cause many species to go extinct. Ocean acidification has other deleterious effects that are just being discovered.

Sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish: photo by dep.state.fl.us

3.Pollution

Pollution can come in many forms, like untreated sewage, agricultural runoff, or sedimentation. The worst offender by far is plastic pollution. Every imaginable bit of plastic ends up in the oceans one way or another. From plastic bags, to unidentifiable microscopic bits, ocean denizens at all levels of the food chain are affected.

Possible Solutions
While the outlook for the three problems mentioned sound bleak, there is hope.

*Marine protected areas (MPAs) can help fisheries become sustainable by being a nursery for the fish caught right outside the MPA borders. Unfortunately only 1% of the oceans are protected.

*You can help by eating only sustainably caught seafood. Download the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch guide as a start.

*Curbing carbon dioxide emissions (i.e. using less fossil fuel) by using other alternative energies will help tremendously in slowing down ocean acidification.

*Driving less and using public transportation are ways to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Also consider getting solar power for your home or workplace.

*Plastic pollution is preventable, especially by cutting down the use of single use plastic bags (bring your own bags to the grocery store!), and by supporting local plastic bag bans. We can also pressure manufacturers to use only recyclable packaging.

So this World Oceans Day, please realize that everyday each one of us can make a difference in the health of our oceans!

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By Cherilyn Jose, May 27, 2013 8:11 am

Beautiful Whale by Bryant Austin

If I had to describe Bryant Austin’s book, “Beautiful Whale,” in one word, it would be *amazing*. Just looking at the photographs of whales up close is enough to make you go wow, but his accounts of how he got the pictures are just as awe-inspiring.

Austin’s visually stunning oversized coffee table book is based on the life-sized pictures he takes of whales. Taking photographs so close and in so much detail is much easier said than done. He must be within 6 feet of a whale, and he patiently waits for the whale to come to him. He also uses a large state-of-the-art 50 megapixel Hasselblad camera.

Austin’s epiphany to photograph whales came after a female humpback whale gently tapped him on the shoulder with her 15 foot, 2 ton pectoral fin (front flipper). Austin had been interacting with her calf and the ever-watchful mom wanted Austin to know that she was watching him. Austin describes the moment as seeing the “calm mindful expression of a whale’s eye looking into my own eyes.” Little did that whale know the path she would send Austin down!

In perusing the book the first time, I was awestruck by the details in each picture. Not only were the eyes soulful, but every pockmark, birthmark, and scratch told their own story about that whale. Austin covers 3 different kinds of whales in this book: the humpback whale, the sperm whale, and the minke whale.

I was privileged enough to attend Austin’s gallery showing of “Beautiful Whale” at the Museum of Monterey in Monterey, California (it runs until September 2, 2013). Although I could have spent hours staring at his life-size and length whale photographs, I only had a few minutes to indulge them with 2 young children in tow. I did take a picture of them with Enigma, a sperm whale, and of course I couldn’t get the whole 20 foot long whale in one frame!

The most amazing part of Austin’s encounters with the whales is that he waits patiently until they approach him. The results are worth his patience, but there are not many among us that could wait weeks to get the prize-winning shots.

I had first heard of Austin when I read about how he first showed his work in whaling countries like Japan and Norway. His work was well received, and this speaks volumes for the power Austin’s photographs have.

If you are a whale or animal lover, you must check out this book. Even if you are neither, I promise that at least one picture in his book will move you.

Check out Bryant Austin’s website

Visit Austin’s exhibit at the Museum of Monterey (MOM), open until September 2, 2013

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By Cherilyn Jose, May 17, 2013 8:08 am

Maui's Dolphin photo by WWF/Will Rayment

10 Endangered Marine Animals

1. Maui’s Dolphin: found off of New Zealand, only 55 individuals remain

2. Northern Right Whale: found in Atlantic Ocean, only 350 individuals remain

3. Vaquita: small dolphin found off of Baja Peninsula, Mexico, 500-600 remain

4. Mediterranean (less than 400 remain) and Hawaiian Monk Seals (approximately 1100 remain)

5. Sea Turtles: 6 or the 7 species of sea turtles are endangered (Green, Hawksbill, Kemp’s Ridley, Leatherback, Loggerhead, and Olive Ridley)

6. Staghorn Coral: has declined by 98% in the Caribbean since 1980

7. Beluga Sturgeon: hunted for their caviar (eggs), 1100 remain in the Caspian Sea

8. Coelacanth: an ancient order of fishes, considered the most endangered order in the world

9. Southern Sea Otter: up to 2,300 individuals remain

10. Bluefin Tuna: as few as 25,000 mature individuals remain

Disclaimer: There are hundreds of ocean species that are endangered (1,000′s if you consider the animals and plants we have yet to discover). I chose the top ten endangered species that I felt people might have heard of.

Sources: allaboutwildlife.com
marineinsight.com
World Wildlife Fund
wonders-world.com

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By Cherilyn Jose, May 14, 2013 11:34 am

Ocean Treasures Film Festival

This Saturday, May 18 2013 is a FREE Ocean Film Festival at Stanford University. It is called the “Ocean Treasures Film Festival.”

“We may not be able to bring the Stanford community to the ocean en masse, but through the spring Ocean Treasures Film Festival we can create an experience that brings the power of the ocean to them – an experience that fosters intimacy, education, and empowerment.” – Mel Lane Student Grant Team Leads: Lida Teneva and Cassandra Brooks

Co-sponsored by The Coastal Society – Stanford Chapter, the Center for Ocean Solutions and the Mel Lane Student Grants Program of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment

Program in brief:

IN CELEBRATION OF SALMON 12:00-2:00pm

SAVING SHARKS AND MANTAS: 6 SHORT FILMS 2:00-3:00pm

OUR GLOBAL OCEANS 3:00-7:30pm

FILM-MAKER PANEL 7:30-8:00pm
Jon Shenk – Stanford graduate and producer of The Island President
David McGuire – Director of Sea Stewards & Shark filmmaker
Cassandra Brooks – Stanford doctoral student and researcher for The Last Ocean

FILM-MAKER RECEPTION 8:00-10:00pm
Share a glass of wine and bite of cheese with the film-makers!

For more information, download the flyer: Ocean Treasures Film Festival flyer

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By Cherilyn Jose, April 25, 2013 9:00 am

Baby Emperor Penguin

1. There are 17-20 species of penguins worldwide.

2. The tallest penguin is the Emperor Penguin (3ft7in or 1.1m) which weighs 75lbs (35kg) or more.

3. The shortest penguin is the Little Blue Penguin or Fairy Penguin (16in or 40cm) which weighs 2.2lbs (1m).

4. Penguins have a thick layer of insulating feathers to keep themselves warm.

5. Penguins usually swim 3.7-7.5mph (6-12km/h) but have been clocked at 17mph (27km/h).

6. An Emperor Penguin has been measured to dive to 1,870 ft (565m) for 22 minutes.

7. Penguins can drink saltwater.

8. 1 in approximately 50,000 penguins are born with brown instead of black feathers (called isabelline)

9. A breeding colony can reach several hundred thousand penguins (King, Macaroni, and Chinstrap Penguins).

10. Only male Emperor Penguins solely incubate their eggs (other species share duties between females and males).

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By Cherilyn Jose, April 22, 2013 9:53 am

1. Eco games and apps that celebrate Earth Day @USATODAY

2. (For Earth Day) No Blue, No Green @MissionBlue & @SylviaEarle


3. Infographic: Manta Rays and Devil Rays at Risk @ProjectAware

4. Seaworld’s IPO and the Third Question of Conscience @HuffPostGreen

5. 3 years after Gulf oil spill, crews continue to clean up, scientists study environment @washingtonpost

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By Cherilyn Jose, April 10, 2013 9:55 am

Sea Otters at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

1. Sea Otters, under the (United States) Endangered Species Act of 1977, are considered “threatened with extinction.” Sea otters technically are not an endangered species.

2. Sea Otters can dive up to 5 minutes, and average 60 feet deep (but can dive up to 300 feet).

3. Sea Otters were thought to be extinct from fur hunting until a raft of up 32 individuals was found off of Big Sur, California in 1938.

4. Sea Otter senses: good vision above and below water, acute sense of taste and smell, use paws to feel for prey, groom, and use tools, use whiskers to sense vibrations in the seawater.

5. Sea Otters wrap themselves and their pups up in kelp fronds while sleeping so they do not drift away.

6. Besides predators (humans, great white sharks, killer whales), up to 40% of southern sea otters die from disease and parasites. One prevalent parasite, Toxoplasma gondii is found in cat feces (don’t flush cat litter!).

7. Sea Otters are considered a keystone species because they keep in check (by eating) the sea urchins that devour kelp (they also “help” mitigate global warming).

8. Sea Otters spend most of their day grooming, foraging, eating, and sleeping.

9. Sea Otters’ metabolic rate is 2-3x greater than other mammals their size (they must eat 25% of their body weight a day).

10. Sea Otters are related to skunks and weasels.

Please see previous post 10 Amazing Facts About Sea Otters
Most facts from seaotters.com

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By Cherilyn Jose, April 9, 2013 10:10 am

1. How to break into science writing using your blog and social media via @BoraZ

2. Manta & Mobula Ray sightings signal coastal health off of Australia via @snwa

3. Isolated coral reef surprises scientists by healing itself via @msnbc_science @LiveScience

4. Travels of Pregnant Great White Sharks Revealed via @LiveScience @Douglas_Main

5. VIDEO-@ucsc sea lion is 1st non-human mammal shown able to keep a beat -challenges theory about origins of rhythmic ability

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By Cherilyn Jose, April 3, 2013 6:51 pm

Dory announces Finding Dory, the Finding Nemo sequel!

Hi, Dory here. I am proud to announce that I’m starring in the sequel to Finding Nemo called Finding Dory! It will be released November 25, 2015 so get in line now…just kidding. At least I think that’s what it’s called. I still suffer from short-term memory loss, you know.

Finding Dory takes place one year after Marlin and I found Nemo, and it occurs off the California coast. I’m going to need lots of sweaters, as the water there is so much colder than in Australia’s coral reefs! All my friends including Nemo and Marlin will be in the movie, along with the Tank Gang (Gill, Bubbles, Deb/Flo, Bloat, Peach, Gurgle and Jacques), whom I’ve never met.

I also get to reunite with my real family, whom I haven’t seen in ages. Not that I don’t love Marlin and Nemo, but family is family.

In any case I thought I’d fill you in on what I’ve been up to since Marlin, Nemo and I returned to their anemone home. All the attention and the interviews were overwhelming, wait, that was for Ellen Degeneres, who is my voice. Or is she my conscience? Oh well, what was I talking about?

Oh yes, I moved next door to Marlin and Nemo’s anemone. Despite the rumors, Marlin and I are not shacking up. We’re just friends. Just where is that anemone again, hmm?

I go with Marlin every school day to take Nemo to Mr Ray’s class. After that we go on a swim throughout the coral reef and often meet up with Bruce, Anchor and Chum for one of their “Fish are friends, not food” meetings. Marlin also reminds me constantly of the things I forget, like where I left my keys, when my next dentist appointment is, and most importantly that we are best friends.

Life is blissful now, though part of the coral reef in which I live has become bleached. Coral bleaching is when coral almost dies, and all that is left is the stark white skeleton. What happens is that the warmer water (which can be influenced by climate change) causes the coral to either expel its algae (zooanthellae), or the algae loses its pigments, and the coral becomes bleached.

So my plea before Finding Dory comes out in 2015 is to please educate yourself about coral bleaching, as my life depends on it. I thank you for your concern, and see you in theaters soon! Love, Dory

Disclaimer: The writer of this does not work for Disney, but is just a big Dory and Finding Nemo fan!

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By Cherilyn Jose, April 1, 2013 10:26 am

1. Apps for nature (and especially fish) lovers via @fishconserve

2. Researchers unveil large robotic jellyfish that one day could patrol oceans via @sciencecodex

3. Crittercam dives into bizarre life of elusive jumbo squid via @msnbc_science @LiveScience

4. Blue Hope-An Ocean Book for the World by Sylvia Earle-Kickstarter via @SylviaEarle @kickstarter

5. Ocean plastics impact on wild sea turtles by @wallacejnichols via @elephant journal

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By Cherilyn Jose, March 26, 2013 8:08 am

1. Palau’s president has proposed to create one of the world’s largest marine reserves, roughly the size of France

2. Leatherback sea turtle nest numbers down via @SFGate

3. Bringing back the dead: A Stanford professor discusses the science and ethics of resurrecting extinct species (VIDEO) via @nytimes
4. The Earth’s Largest Ecosystem in Your Back Pocket: Deep Sea Animal ID app via @deepseanews
5. Fish protein may inhibit cancer metastasis via @ScienceDaily

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By Cherilyn Jose, March 25, 2013 8:08 am

Ann McElhatton blogs at Beach Chair Scientist. Follow her on Twitter @bcsanswers and Facebook “Beach Chair Scientist”

Ann has defined what it means to be a 21st century armchair scientist. She finds creating opportunities that make marine science accessible to the general public (those without science degrees or in the science field day-to-day) to be a very rewarding experience.

The following pictures are 5 Favorite Finds of an Atlantic Coast Beachcomber:

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By Cherilyn Jose, March 22, 2013 10:40 am

Meet One Drop of Water: picture by David Newman

Hi, I’m one drop of water. Two hydrogen atoms connected to an oxygen atom. At room temperature I’m a liquid, above boiling temperature I’m steam or vapor, and at or below freezing I’m ice. Know any other substance as cool as me? Those facts alone should make you respect me, but alas, that’s not enough. Please join me on my journey through the water cycle and around the world. I’ve been around the earth many times over the billions of years I’ve been on earth!

Let’s start with me in a drinking glass sitting on your kitchen counter. How did I get there? Well, as any school-age human child can tell you, I evaporated from another person’s cup and I rose straight up into the clear blue sky. Along with trillions of other water molecules I helped to form a cloud. I either rained or snowed down onto a mountain. If snow, I sat in a snow pack and patiently waited until springtime when I melted into a river. Whee, down the river I flowed until I reached a lake, dam, or reservoir. I was then diverted by an aqueduct to a drinking water treatment plant where I was filtered and had chemicals like chlorine and fluoride added to me. I then took an underground journey through many pipes (not as scenic as above ground!) until I reached your house. You turned on the faucet, filled your glass and voila! Here I am.

That’s the ideal story, but actually my journey was fraught with many perils. I actually contain dozens of chemical pollutants even though I was filtered and chemically “cleaned” at the water treatment plant. What are these chemicals and how did they get stuck to me? Well, it’s your fault, humans I mean. I can contain medicines, industrial waste, human waste, acid rain, and agricultural pollutants just to name a few. Did you know that human babies are born with up to 300 dangerous chemicals already in their bodies? Thanks a lot Mom!

I also left out the yucky part of what happens to me once I go down the drain from your house. It’s quite the nightmare being sloshed around a smelly sewage treatment plant, but well worth being discharged clean into a river, lake or ocean!

That’s just my journey through the developed world. In a developing country, people may urinate, defecate, bathe, wash clothes and drink water from the same river I journey down! Yuck! Not only is the water muddy but it carries diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, protozoa and parasites. I’d hate to be living downstream from all of that! But in a sense, all humans live downstream from some water source. The precious water we drink is the exact same water the dinosaurs drank, only much more polluted now.

No drop of water on earth is without the fingerprint of man. Not even the polar ice caps that man has never stepped upon are safe. Garbage from thousands of miles away washes up ashore on tropical beach islands on which only birds and scuttling crabs have ever left their footprints on.

In fact, I’ve been around longer than the dinosaurs. I first appeared billions of years ago when water first formed on earth. I once met a water molecule who claimed he came to earth on a comet. He says he saw the whole universe, but nothing compares to being hydrogen bonded with trillions of other water molecules in a pool of water. I prefer mountain lakes myself. There you slow down and enjoy life as well as the beautiful scenery. It’s not as hectic as flowing down a river, nor as monotonous as being in the ocean (unless you’re near a coral reef or kelp forest, those are happening places!).

Please celebrate World Water Day by respecting me, good ol’ H2O, and conserving me!

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By Cherilyn Jose, March 20, 2013 9:08 am

Meet Shanty the Seagull: photo by Cherilyn Jose

Hello, my name is Shanty the Seagull. Seagulls get a bad rap from humans. They have the nerve to call us rats with wings! That’s unfair not only to us, but to the rats who are at least intelligent to run all the mazes that human scientists set up.

One reason we appear filthy is because we have figured out that humans’ garbage dumps are a great source of food. One man’s waste is another animal’s treasure. This ingenuity, along with the precise aim of our guano (bird poop) has made us not so lovable. But we really are intelligent, especially for a bird.

We have figured out how to open tightly closed food such as clams and mussels. We use our aiming skills (perfected by aiming guano at human heads) to drop the unopened food from high above onto sharp rocks below.

Seagulls actually have a complex social structure, and we have different modes of communication. And you thought we were cawing just to be annoying! One seagull I knew even used a piece of bread as bait to catch a goldfish.

Our food from some garbage dumps is disappearing as humans have started to use their green food recycling bins. Some cities in the United States collect organic waste, such as food scraps, grass clippings, and food soiled paper (like pizza boxes). This green waste is taken to a commercial composting facility where it ultimately ends up as dirt.

My hope is that not all cities adopt a green waste program, but if they do, I am sure that seagulls will discover a new and easy source of food (or go back to hunting the old fashioned way, sigh).

Fun Fact: A Herring Gull can live to be 49 years old!
P.S. The “Mine, mine, mine” reference is from Finding Nemo!

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By Cherilyn Jose, March 18, 2013 8:08 am

1. Plans to extract minerals from areas of #hydrothermalvents, deep on the seabed interactive video by @BBCNews via @MBARI_News
2. Ocean plankton sponge up nearly twice the carbon currently assumed via @UCIrvine
3. Storify-ed the #CITES4sharks tweets! Read them to learn what happened at #CITES! via @WhySharksMatter
4. Learn how some scientists
are hitchhiking across the ocean to conduct research on the cheap via @BoingBoing
5. Scuba diving simulation video game released via @examinercom