From the Editor’s Desk: Benefits of Bottom Trawling and Other Assorted Fairy Tales
From the Editor’s Desk: Benefits of Bottom Trawling and Other Assorted Fairy Tales avatar

By , on December 7th, 2010 9 comments   Conservation & Environment, Editor's Desk, Fishing   , , , , , ,  

Apparently there is a study underway that is setting out to empirically determine the ole adage that trawling is bad for the environment, as reported by New Scientist (link to pdf). This is a tale that has been handed down orally from generation to generation of conservationists. Sometimes when a story is repeated many times, . . . → Read More: From the Editor’s Desk: Benefits of Bottom Trawling and Other Assorted Fairy Tales

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(Sieve) Size Matters
(Sieve) Size Matters avatar

By , on October 27th, 2009 8 comments   New Research, Organisms   , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  

The sieve: a marine community ecologist's best friend. Enter the sieve. It is a marine biologists best friend, saving hours of sorting and enabling quantification of fauna. In fact you can get these miracle workers at McMaster-Carr for a mere $40-50. You take good care of these puppies and they will last several graduate student’s . . . → Read More: (Sieve) Size Matters

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Benthic Rover, Benthic Rover
Benthic Rover, Benthic Rover avatar

By , on September 15th, 2009 7 comments   Vessels and Equipment   , , , , , , , , , , ,  

This computer drawing shows some of the key components of the Benthic Rover. Image: © 2008 MBARI Send that data right over. The absolute coolest gadget to hit deep-sea science is is the Benthic Rover, the deep-sea equivalent of the Spirit and Opportunity. The Benthic Rover, the brain child of deep-sea biologist Ken Smith, and . . . → Read More: Benthic Rover, Benthic Rover

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Nerve Toxins In The Deep
Nerve Toxins In The Deep avatar

By , on March 23rd, 2009 One comment   Conservation & Environment, New Research, Organisms   , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  

Some of the species in the genus Pseudo-nitzschia are nasty little diatoms. They produce domoic acid, a neurotoxin typically to blame for all sorts of marine vertebrate deaths. Alfred Hitcocks’s 1963 film “The Birds” dramatizes a bird attack incident blamed on domoic acid. Human consumption of shellfish that has filtered Pseudo-nitzschia leads to amnesic shellfish . . . → Read More: Nerve Toxins In The Deep

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