Scrum For Coral

Would you mess with these coral conservationists? Hells no!

Thought I'd post a few snaps of Rich, Anja, and Bryan from our San Francisco Program team sporting the colors of Fiji's Kubulau District rugby team. We just received a box with both shirts and duffle bags that were part of a Coral Reef Alliance microgrant to the district. We're hoping that the new shirts, emblazoned with both the marine protected area and CORAL logos, will help raise the profile of the MPA, create a sense of pride and identity for some of the young men of the 11 Kubulau villages, and perhaps provide some leverage to help stem reports of fish poaching by villagers who feel the MPA--and partnering in conservation efforts--has not yet demonstrated enough tangible benefits.

We already have reports of renewed buy-in from village leaders, and the team played a prestigious Fiji-wide match in their new uniforms. I think they look great and it demonstrates some of the many different avenues we could explore in community-based conservation.

No, Tell Me What You Really Think

I could use your help. We have been fortunate here at the CORAL headquarters to have been approached by a video production company that's offered us their pro bono services in developing a promotional video spot, primarily to be used in fundraising and awareness raising. This is a first for us and we are certainly no experts in this sort of strategic messaging. What you see above is their first pass, beta version of the spot.

I've watched it a few times now and it doesn't really speak to me or make me jump out of my seat. I'd welcome any and all feedback of what you think. But please, no comments about my shiny head. Due to genetics beyond my control there's nothing I can do about that.

Also, it's a little grainy because it's been super-compressed to fit on YouTube, but I can assure you the final product will be widescreen and high definition.

Thanking you in advance!

Crafting Coral Cuddly

I have a colleague who firmly believes that our job in coral reef conservation would be a lot easier if we weren't dealing with faceless, amorphous bags of carbonate depositing jelly but instead had a cute, almost cuddly iconic organism which we were working to conserve. Case in point, look at the traction forest conservationists made with the adorable, Give a hoot, Don't pollute, Woodsey the Owl. Woodsey spoke not just for owls, but for trees, ants, termites, skunks, brown trout, slime molds, and presumably symbiotic mycorrhizae as well.

The world of marine conservation is not without its exemplars of effective, cuddly marketing to capture that ever elusive emotional connection to the natural world. Consider, for example, what SeaWorld has done for whale conservation.

In Hawaii, conservationists have attempted to capture interest and empathy with giant, walking, cardboard trigger fish:

Even cute shark mascots have been employed by conservationists to add a sympathetic face to otherwise aloof sharks in order to combat the incredibly devastating practice of shark finning:

But for coral conservationists, how do you make this...

...appear cute, cuddly, and deserving of your attention and support?

Which is not to say that some have not tried. In his book, Hawaiian Coral Reef Ecology, my friend and colleague Dave Gulko offered readers a cute coral character named "Super Stomach." Though I think "Captain Polyp" might have been a better name. Can you imagine the confusion that name might have caused among gastroenterologists?


In Indonesia, the Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management Project (COREMAP) created the cartoon character Si Umbu, (image to the left) short for Terumbu Karang (coral reef). Si Umbu took the form of a happy child with shaggy hair that was supposed to resemble the coral Montipora digitata. His body and hands take the form of Acropora aspera, while his legs are supposed to look like Leptoria phrygia. Got that kids?

The Si Umbu propaganda states that "Si Umbu is always smiling, symbolizing healthy and happy reefs in a clean environment." Having spent some time among Indonesia's troubled coral reefs, I'm gathering that Si Umbu's rosey disposition is more of an idealized outlook rather than reality-based. Either that or Si Umbu is on maximum doses of Prozac. And in case you're worried that Si Umbu may be lonely, fear not. Plans are underway to launch a new female character, Reefa, who will join Si Umbu in several comic strip adventures.

It appears that COREMAP has been experimenting in coral mascots for some time. I was able to locate another attempt at anthropomorphic coral on a few of their websites. This second mascot (succinctly called "Maskot") appears to be a little less mobile than Si Umbu, so the creators were smart to add a fishy friend to keep him (her? it?) company.

Finally, in celebration of International Year of the Reef 2008, Japan has pulled out all the stops in creating a coral mascot everyone could love. Seen here (left) and in the collection of characters at the top of this post, the playful (might I suggest mischievous) boy with the coral-do is primed to capture the attention of young and old during international IYOR celebrations. While the mascot was referred to by name at the IYOR launch in DC, I can't for the life of me remember... so let's call him coral head for now. Whatever his name, he has that Pokemon, cutsie thing going on and I can't imagine it will be long before coral-head will be emblazoned on children's bento boxes, backpacks, and collectible trading cards across Japan and beyond. There are plans to introduce new coral head characters over the year to keep the IYOR excitement going.

Will any of this translate into greater understanding of coral reef threats and ultimately effective conservation? I think it's too early to tell. But if such marketing has the potential to bring coral reefs to the table in the broader understanding of critical environmental issues then I'm willing to forgo skepticism.

SeaWeb Launches Too Precious To Wear Campaign

Look at the material in the above image. It's lustrous. It's exquisite. It's red and pink coral--the harvested raw material for high-end jewelry and delicate, carved artifacts. It's also a seriously threatened species. If you recall some of my posts from last summer, shouts of joy quickly turned into cries of frustration when red and pink coral (known by the genus Corallium) was first granted trade protection at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, and then suddenly stripped of its protection thanks to an eleventh-hour, closed-door filibuster by nations complicit in the coral trade. What's a conservationist to do?

If you're like me, you get behind SeaWeb's Too Precious To Wear campaign and help build increased awareness around this important issue. While I was in DC last week for a week of coral conservation meetings, SeaWeb launched its Too Precious To Wear campaign in New York City. Aided by the celebrity power of Julia Louis-Dreyfus (she'll always be Elaine to me!) and leading fashion and home designers, SeaWeb kicked-off this ambitious campaign to raise awareness of corals and the threats to their survival and show how the fashion and design industries, as well as consumers, can safeguard these imperiled marine species.

SeaWeb secured the financial support and commitment of The Tiffany & Co. Foundation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to begin the process of changing perceptions and attitudes. Just as similar campaigns raised public awareness about the trade in ivory and fur (which had drastic implication for the survival of critically endangered elephants and fur species such as tigers) and effectively eliminated the international trade in these products, Too Precious To Wear targets high-end jewelry manufacturers and consumers through educational messaging that provides sustainable alternatives to critically depleted red and pink corals.

While I certainly had my hands full in DC with meetings, I wish I could have made the New York launch. But thanks to a little serendipity, I got to experience it vicariously at last Friday's International Year of the Reef mini-symposium at the Mexican Cultural Institute. There, I finally had the chance to meet SeaWeb's Corals Program Manager, Liz Neeley. Liz was fresh from the New York launch and presented an overview of the campaign for attendees. As an aside, she was also looking fierce in a room full of coral conservationists who tend to be a bit couture challenged.

One aspect of the campaign Liz described that I find particularly creative is that SeaWeb has successfully partnered with companies committed to providing faux-coral or coral-inspired alternatives to the real thing. One such company, Chantecaille Beaute, produces a coral-inspired compact (pictured above) that's not only stunning (stunning in price, too), but a portion of the proceeds go towards programs to aid in the preservation of coral reefs against the detrimental effects of global warming. Talk about Making it work!

Do I have a problem with weaning people's cravings for coral jewelry or trinkets from the genuine article onto imitations? Shouldn't an informed public not covet threatened species in the first place? I guess I take a pragmatic approach. If a campaign like Too Precious To Wear can not only educate but--more importantly--change consumer demand then I'm all for it. I suspect we'll always find inspiration from the natural world. If creative minds can satisfy our cravings for natural designs with intelligent, sustainable alternatives that preserve that which inspired us in the first place, then it's a no-brainer.

That's A Moray Monday

With Christopher Taylor happily distracted from morays with his recent Scleritome Week on his blog, I can reposition MBSL&S as your one-stop-shopping destination for moray trivia. (I hope Chris knew I was kidding when I called him a Kiwi git last week. I love Kiwi's, particularly in salads and dressed with a little balsamic vinegar.)

This week's moray is a threatening looking fellow. And its common name doesn't help with public relations.

Longfang Viper Moray
Enchelycore canina or also Echelynassa canina

This snaggle-tooth eel occurs worldwide in tropical and temperate seas--from the central and western Pacific, to tropical eastern Pacific. The Enchelycore genera consists of a group of eels with large, arched mouths and numerous needle-like teeth--often with fang-like (canine) teeth. The Longfang Viper is typically scaleless in appearance, and has a recorded maximum length of approximately 3 meters, making it both scary-looking and big.

Adult specimens are typical benthic dwellers, generally found in shallow water among rocks and coral heads. It inhabits areas with strong surge such as outer reef flats and reef fronts. Like most moray's they are more active at night and hide in holes and crevices during the day. While vicious in appearance, they are reclusive and will likely bite only if provoked. The Longfang Viper moray feeds mainly on crustaceans, cephalopods, and small fishes. In regions where they occur, they are widely used as food, but a few large specimens may be ciguatoxic.

The Viper Moray's most notable feature is its arching jaws that exhibit a nasty looking set of teeth even when their mouths remain shut. My favorite quote from an online fish database is, "This eels dentition deserves respect." Well said. Their stocky bodies vary from dark brown to maroon and occasionally display a light mottled pattern. However, their menacing mouths easily set them apart from other species. The Viper moray's posterior nostrils (located in front of, and above the eye), are large and surrounded by a fleshy rim.

DC In 45 Minutes

I had 45 minutes free on my last day in DC last Friday, so rather than nap in Georgetown (which is what I needed) I caught a $15.00 cab over to The Mall to soak in that capital vibe. It was a beautiful, cold late afternoon and I had a chance to stroll The Mall in relative solitude. I guess the cold and rush hour kept tourists at bey. I got to hop back to the Smithsonian for a light-speed swing through the Dinos again and the Rocks and Minerals Hall, out the back door to climb the steps of the National Archives, cruise down Constitution Ave. to the Capital, then back up The Mall to the Washington Monument. Stuff I haven't done since I was but a child. Thought I'd share some snaps.

Year Of The Reef Gets An Official Launch

I know I'm a couple of days late on this post, but I wanted to be sure to comment on the official launch of International Year of the Reef (IYOR) at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington DC last Friday, January 25. Following welcoming remarks by Mexican Ambassador to the United States Arturo Sarukhan, a mini-symposium was conducted where guest speakers outlined international activities to highlight and celebrate IYOR throughout the next year. Yours truly presented a flashback of our activities during the first IYOR in 1997 as well as a forecast of the next 12 months of coral reef conservation activities that will link to public education and outreach.

Want to find out how to celebrate IYOR where you live? Then click over to the awesome IYOR 2008 website to find a calendar of events and ways to get involved. And while there, be sure to pause a moment to mentally thank the incredible efforts of Francis Staub, IYOR 2008 coordinator for the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI). Thanks for all your work, Francis!

On other IYOR fronts, Angelo Villagomez sent me this photo from Saipan of himself (looking great in a CORAL shirt) while posing with CNMI Division of Environmental Quality Manager Fran Castro--Point of Contact for the US Coral Reef Initiative--with CNMI Lt. Governor Tim Villagomez on the day that 2008 was declared the International Year of the Reef in the CNMI.


And from Hawaii, CORAL Field Manager Liz Foote sent this photo of Kuhea Paracuelles, Environmental Coordinator with the Office of the Mayor, and Maui Ocean Center's Kate Zolezzi from the Maui County IYOR launch. Liz was there as well and got to showcase a brand new set of educational signage which CORAL helped design and fund and will soon be installed at snorkel destinations and hotels throughout the island.

Dispatches From An ICRI Meeting

Home again, home again after a week in DC for meetings. As I'm certain many of you have asked yourself, "I wonder what goes on at an ICRI General Meeting," I thought I'd provide a much needed service and give you a peek inside the inner sanctum of international coral conservation.

The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) is a partnership among governments, international organizations, and non-government organizations with the purpose of preserving coral reefs and related ecosystems. ICRI was announced at the First Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity in December 1994, and at the high level segment of the Intersessional Meeting of the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development in April 1995. ICRI was originally initiated by the governments of Australia, France, Japan, Jamaica, the Philippines, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Additional partners from governments, United Nations organizations, multilateral development banks, environmental and developmental NGOs, and the private sector have subsequently joined the original founders and are currently collaborating in the Initiative.

The organization I work for has been an ICRI member from the very start. Although ICRI is an informal and voluntary partnership where decisions are made by consensus, it still follows guidelines of procedure that look and feel very much like typical committee structure. ICRI has a rotating secretariat, a collaboration between a developed and developing coral nation with coral interests, and meetings are overseen by co-chairs from this secretariat. Until 2009, the ICRI secretariat is the governments of the USA and Mexico. There are delegations in attendance from departments of state or other relevant government departments as well as environmental NGO representatives and multilateral organizations like the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The World Bank is also an ICRI member as it funds numerous coral reef conservation projects globally. Observers, that is non-members, are welcome to attend the ICRI meetings and represent NGOs, private sector, funders, or any other interested party.

When you get this many nations in attendance in one room and things are bound to get bureaucratic. And ICRI is no exception. Sure, all members sit around a collection of tables facing one another. We all have microphones and can comment on any part of the proceedings. Yet while conservation is the order of the day, it would be disingenuous to suggest that politics and personalities were not part of the order of business. The governmental delegations call a lot of the shots, with a decided volume of discussion emanating from the "power" nations--USA, France, Australia, Japan, Mexico. That's not to say that delegations from Indonesia, Palau, Netherlands Antilles, and other coral interests are lesser participants. On the contrary. But there's a certain, "Take it or leave it" feeling one gets when, say, the US contingent makes it comments. And while the NGOs probably collectively outspend all the nations combined on conservation, the comments I observed at this meeting tended to be more recommendations, advice, or support to national plans.

Like many large, intergovernmental efforts ICRI appears to be more potential than actuality. There are some very impressive outcomes that have resulted from this body (a global coral reef monitoring network, an international action network that links many different organizations, scientists, and tools, and a network to prioritize coral conservation in the Indian Ocean) but with this many nations around the table and in the face of such overwhelming coral threats it is baffling that funding for conservation remains a top-level problem among the nations in attendance. Still, that ICRI exists and continues (even with some dysfunction) is encouraging. I suspect that the next couple of years will be telling as to the efficacy and future of this international effort. The coral reef crisis has never been more severe and small island nations depending on healthy coral reefs will (and should) become the dominant voices at meetings like ICRI as they represent the front lines of crisis. How ICRI will respond, and what actions may result, could potentially determine the futures of reefs and the local communities that depend upon them.

Night At The Museum

I'm back on East Coast Time again and in DC for the annual meeting of the International Coral Reef Inititiative, or ICRI for short. There's a week full of meetings, discussions, break-out sessions, and planning for International Year of the Reef as well as an opportunity to meet friends and colleagues in the coral conservation world. Today's only event was a reception under the great rotunda of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. There, in the shadow of the big stuffed elephant and in the presence of the Hope Diamond, coral conservationists gathered from around the world for yummy cheesy nibbly things, good wine, and great conversation. It's so great and re-energizing to be surrounded by this many talented and dedicated conservations all working towards the same objectives.

I don't think I've ever changed into evening attire so quickly. I arrived late afternoon (rush hour), hit the taxi stand, urged the driver to make good time, checked in at my Georgetown hotel, and then bolted to my room to strip, dress, and flag yet another taxi to the Mall.

Bonus points to the Smithsonian for leaving their dinosaur and ancient oceans wing open for us. I got to tour sights I haven't seen since I was a kid. A few of my favorite pics are attached here. We also heard word that the great Ocean Hall, a new wing at the Natural History Museum touted to be the best museum exhibition on the ocean ever seen, is on schedule for a Summer 2008 opening. I can't wait to see this new exhibit as it will be featuring an innovative suspended or "floating specimen" display of many marine organisms in the collection.

That's A Moray Monday: The Scooped Edition

No pretty pics of eels posed naturally in stunning reef settings this week. It's all about formalin-fixed specimens under harsh lighting since this Moray Monday showcases Gymnothorax baranesi, a newly discovered moray species from the Red Sea. It's a species so fresh off the taxonomic presses that it doesn't even yet boast a common name. As far as I know of, there aren't even any easily accessible images of this fish in the wild.

Jason at Cephalopodcast tipped me off to the news last week and I figured I'd get around to featuring the eel on the next Moray Monday. But science blogging is a cut-throat enterprise folks and not a place for laggards. Christopher Taylor of the blog Catalog of Organisms carpe'd his dium and posted a blog report on the discovery on his blog last Friday. While I had hoped to regard Christopher as a blogger friend, he will unfortunately be now known as the Kiwi git who scooped me. Only kidding, Christopher. Sort of.

Seriously though, Christopher provides a great description and link to the monograph of the holotype (pictured in the face close-up and somewhat curled specimen). The image of the species (below) is of a described paratype. The newly discovered species is known only from the northern parts of the Red Sea, Gulf of Aquaba region.

I've Been Cloverfelt!

Cloverfielded? I saw the movie! In the face of all the hype, this flick still delivered. The creature wasn't what a lot of speculation (including mine) surmised. But that's just fine since it was still an entertaining, if not somewhat seasickness-inducing romp. Minor spoiler alert for the rest of the post.

Phil over at Bad Astronomy provides an excellent review (and I agree with all his nit-picking). The only nit I might also pick is how a seriously injured main character near the finale is somehow able to outrun the other characters. But this is not a movie to attempt to hold the creators to reality.

As to the beast(s), the big monster sort of resembled a bigger, crawling Rancor from Return of the Jedi. I still don't know from whence this monster came--no clear evidence that I could discern from the film as to whether it came from the ocean, from space, or somewhere else. The little critters/parasites/offspring had this Uropygid meets creatures from Starship Troopers thing going on. I'll look forward to the DVD release to be able to see more.

2008 Science Blogging Conference Swag Score

A van shuttle, two planes, a bad airport sandwich, six tiny packs of peanuts, and about 3600 miles later I'm back in San Francisco after the 2008 Science Blogging Conference. I've got a little less than 24 hours to relax, unpack, spend some quality time with my man, before repacking and boarding yet another plane to head right back east to DC for a week of meetings. Yeah, I know I should have stayed there. But the DC gig fell into my lap kind of late and I couldn't piece together a new fare that didn't cost an arm and a leg. So it is what it is.

Before I unwind, I wanted to be sure to share some of my favorites from the conference swag grab. That's right, it's not just celebrities who score gift bags at events. And while there were no complimentary week vacations in Telluride or sauna packages for two in these bags, our particular brand of swag appealed to the inner blog geek. Case in point, regard my much coveted freebies (last image at bottom of post) from Karen James at The Beagle Project. So thanks all you Science Blog sponsors for the great take-aways. I even did my part to contribute some CORAL swag to the masses as well. Here's a small sample of some of my plunder:

I always need airport reading!
Something tells me Bora chose the color.
Yet more reading.
Batteries not included.
Free trade. Free mug.
I think this is a death ray.
No, I won't sell you my lolly.

Can You Tell I Haven't Seen Snow In A While?

Then again, this is supposed to be North Carolina. I'm (hopefully) headed home today from the 2008 Science Blogging Conference. So far, my flights are on schedule. But before I start packing, here are a few snaps from outside the hotel. It's frigid outside, so you'll excuse me if the camera is blurry from shivering.

Salted Sidewalks
How much you wanna bet people don't own ice scrapers here?
Mr. Buns chilling his buns.

Changing Minds Through Science Communication: My 2 Cents On A Panel On Framing Science

So before turning in for the night, I thought I should jot down some of my initial reactions to one of the final presentations at the 2008 Science Blogging Conference here in North Carolina. Despite the commitment to an "unconference" format, this plenary session was a rather typical panel discussion with a moderator, three speakers, and a session of Q&A. If this was "unconference," I remain unimpressed. Regardless, it was the big draw session of the event as it had the closest thing to a celebrity appearance with the inclusion of Chris Mooney as one of the presenters. Mooney is co-author of the blog The Intersection as well as a freelance writer and the author of two books, The Republican War on Science and Storm World. Joining Mooney as presenters were Sheril Kirshenbaum, the other half of The Intersection and a marine biologist at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke, and Jennifer Jacquet, author of the blog Shifting Baselines and a Ph.D. candidate with the Sea Around Us Project at the UBC Fisheries Centre.

Their session was titled Changing Minds Through Science Communication: A Panel on Framing Science. To be honest, it seemed very little time was paid to the framing science part, with most of the effort spent at plugging the Science Debate 2008 efforts of Mooney, Kirshenbaum and others. Which is all well and good, but perhaps make that part of the title? I would think that's good framing?

The first speaker up, Jennifer Jacquet, spent the most time of the three focused on the issue of framing. Her premise seemed to be that science is losing the battle for public attention and interest due to the media's preoccupation with news of Brittany Spears custody battles or her last weekend bender. I thoroughly agree that we have a problem when front page news is focused on Anna Nicole Smith and climate change news is buried somewhere in the Lifestyles Section (if it appears at all). I think it would have been great to hear her (or the other panelists) ruminate a little on the "chicken or the egg" side of the equation. In other words, is the media feeding a prurient interest that was always there (or emerging) or did the media itself create this preoccupation. I suspect it's not a neat either/or dichotomy, but it would still have been a fascinating discussion.

Next up, Kirshenbaum presented what I can only describe as a lead-in for Mooney's 15 minutes. She gave a bit of chronology on where Science Debate 2008 came from and why it was an important opportunity. I must admit to being underwhelmed. Again, this was supposed to be unconference, or Conference 2.0, or some other cutting-edge, experimental, breaking-down-the-walls-of-convention type of event. You might imagine my surprise when she approached the podium and began reading, verbatim, her entire presentation from paper. Huh?! I mean it was replete with appropriate "Uhms" and inflection to create the illusion of extemporaneous speech, but she totally phoned this one in.

Finally, Mooney took the podium. He sketched out the landscape of science writers over the past several generations. While he agreed that "popularizers" of science such as Stephen Jay Gould, E.O. Wilson, Carl Sagan, and others sold a lot of books and raised the level of science discussion, he thinks that the discussion was mostly to an audience either predisposed to science or already receptive. To Mooney, the real challenge in front of us is bridging the gap to an audience either unreceptive or down right hostile to science. Using the analogy of his blog title, he said that such bridging of worldviews only happens through what he calls intersection collisions--opportunities for discussion and understanding when science-rich and science-absent issues meet. The examples of the teaching of evolution, science and religion, and climate change were raised as exemplars of such collisions. For me, this was the most engaging segment of the session, and again it would have been nice if Mooney had taken the discussion a bit further to describe what "Post-Collision Landscape" might look like. But instead, he went back to more Science Debate 2008 plugging before wrapping up for the Q&A.

Mooney is a polished and obviously gifted speaker. He's pretty good at self promotion too, as every one of his Powerpoint slides had the cover of his books in the upper-right corner. He's not too hard on the eyes either. But I have to give this session a C+ for delivering on what was promised as well as not really honoring the spirit of the conference's format. If I'm reading the unconference philosophy correctly, it's that the sum of the expertise of the people in the audience is greater than the sum of expertise of the people on stage. You didn't get that from this panel. It seemed at least to me to be more about bestowing pearls of wisdom over investing in a socratic dialogue.

One notable moment during Q&A is worth mentioning. A representative from the local MSNBC affiliate spoke up about how we as a science community can whine all we want about how the media doesn't pay attention to science, but we should realize this is not only reality and that there's nothing we can do to change it, but that there's more of this to come in the future. Media is big business and news about Brittany, and Paris, and Anna Nicole sells. I must admit that I think the newscaster thought she was speaking to a room full of scientists only. Actually, I'm not quite certain what the fuck she was talking about. Of the science bloggers in that room, some were scientists, but many (perhaps most?) were not. Even if it was a room full of just scientists, when did it become a forgone conclusion that the general public is not interested in science? Maybe people have problems with the politicization of scientific issues or when science threatens individual worldviews or hopes, but show me a child that isn't a natural scientist.

And if blogging is anything, I think that it IS an adaptive response to the black hole of media science coverage. It's writers (yes some of us are scientists) taking matters into our own hands and filling the void left by media's neglect of our work and values. Will big media change? I dunno, but this room was filled with people who were neither seeing the long-term prospects as futile nor were they sitting on their hands. They're (yeah, I hope I'm among them too) writing about science and maybe even changing (maybe even reframing?) opinions and minds at the same time. Certainly an honorable and worthy enterprise.

Real-Time Blogging In The Marine Sciences

While the spirit was willing to post real-time during the 2008 Science Blogging Conference in North Carolina, apparently the server was weak. While I noticed a lot of bloggers with internet access, I couldn't seem to capture a millimeter of bandwidth until just now.

We've had cold rain all day here in Research Triangle Park, but you wouldn't know it from the volume of cheer at the conference. I'm told over 200 science bloggers are in attendance today, which is amazing. While I'm a relative newcomer to this community (MBSL&S turned one year old last summer) I recognized quite a few faces over coffee this morning. Of course I happily reconnected with Bora, one-half of the catalyst for this event, and he was his usual hyper-caffeinated/nicotined self. And while I haven't met others before face-to-face, I recognized a lot of names from favorite blogs.

It wasn't long before I bumped into my co-presenters, Peter of Deep Sea News, Kevin of The Other 95%, Karen of The Beagle Project, and Jason of Cephalopodcast. That's Peter and Karen (in black) in the image to the left. It was great to make the in-flesh connection with people I've interacted with for over a year, and it wasn't long before we got deep in conversation.

After a welcome and intro by Bora and Anton Zuiker, we immediately launched into our session Real-Time Blogging in the Ocean Sciences (affectionately referred to by Kevin as RTB). I'm not sure what to conclude from the relatively small turnout for our session (maybe 13 participants plus 5 presenters). Ocean blogging is niche blogging within the science blogging world, so that certainly self-selects. Perhaps the "real-time" focus was confusing or unclear? Maybe the other concurrent topics were far more compelling (but how could that be possible!). Whatever the case, we still had an engaged and active discussion. Keeping true to the spirit of the "unconference" format, we consciously steered away from being talking heads in favor of a more socratic method. I think it worked as we certainly had no lulls in the dialogue.

We discussed what "real-time" blogging means; does real-time blogging afford any unique offerings to the scientific enterprise--in other words, when we blog on the process of science as it's happening, what does the reader gain over reading scientific reports or scholarly/technical outcomes of scientific research. I've gotten into the habit of describing this as "showing people how we make the sausage." Based upon the consensus of our participants, blogging that shows readers more of the process and behind-the-scenes is very valuable and desirable.

We also discussed some real-time pitfalls that might occur. Jennifer Jacquet of Shifting Baselines made a good point that, for her, blogs where personality overshadows the content or message can be off-putting. While that's not just a pitfall reserved for real-time bloggers, I think it's certainly a balancing act between being engaging/entertaining while staying on-point with whatever it is we're hoping to convey. We also talked about the challenge of finding or referencing what is being written in ocean blogs as a true resource to both a scientific and general readership. Blog carnivals like Mark Powell's Carnival of the Blue certainly go a long way in this regard, but we also discussed how these carnivals aren't necessarily all that's being written... it's all that's being submitted for a carnival aggregation.

Sadly, we ran out of time long before we ran out of other topics to discuss. But I think my colleagues would agree it was a fun session and certainly gave me more ideas to ponder and explore in my blog. If you want to re-live our session (virtually), thanks to the amazing efforts of Jason and his technology dog and pony show, you can watch his streaming recording of the discussions by following the links for our session wiki page (near the bottom of the page). That's Jason setting-up in the pic to the right (sorry for the crappy pic). Thanks Jason!

I just finished a session on adding interactivity to blogs, which I hoped would inspire me to bump up the dialogue a bit over the next year. More about that later after I have some time to process. I'm awaiting the start of the final panel discussion on framing science in the world of blogs, so I hope to have something interesting to relay later today.

Finally, from the "Oh Shit!" department, it's snowing in earnest outside. I've come to understand this is rare for North Carolina. Lucky me! Anyway, stay tuned to find out if my entire weekend will be spent in beautiful, snowy Raleigh-Durham instead of my comfy home (I'm scheduled to fly out Sunday morning). If I'm stranded, perhaps I can figure out the controls on my SleepNumber bed at the hotel.

Calm Before The Storm?

It's official... I've had less drama traveling to some malaria-infested backwater of Indonesia than I just experienced in a day of travel to get to Raleigh-Durham from San Francisco for the 2008 Science Blogging Conference. Granted, after a few good Thai beers, it's all starting to fade in memory... the 3AM ride to the airport, the 40 minute delay when the plane had to taxi back to the gate to swap incorrect luggage, the 5-minute sprint through a mile of Atlanta airport to make my connection, and now, after getting here, we have the looming threat of a winter weather advisory that may interrupt the conference proceedings tomorrow. I suspect that means less than an inch of snow, but this is North Carolina where the only road hazards locals learn to deal with are suicidal possums.

I haven't had a chance yet to track down my colleagues with whom I'll be presenting tomorrow. Sounded like Kevin, our team leader, had some drama of his own making. Silly boy missed his first flight and raised the specter that he may have to bail on the conference. The latest email update indicated he was able to find a standby seat and was due to arrive in Raleigh-Durham late afternoon. Which is all good news since it saves me having to fly up to State Park to beat the man with his own arm for getting us all out here without a session organizer.

After arrival and settling-in a bit, I splashed some water on my face and then met up for a dinner of Thai food with Randy Kramer, professor of environmental economics in the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke. For the past several years, Randy has served as Chair of the Program Committee at CORAL. Randy's research focuses on ecosystem valuation, water resource economics, and the economics of biodiversity and natural resource management in developing countries. He's been tremendously generous with his time and expertise in helping me think through more than just a few tricky conservation challenges in my work. I've been lucky to work with and learn from Randy in a professional capacity, and I'm very fortunate to now think of him as a friend. I wanna be like Randy!

Our session, Real-Time Blogging in the Marine Sciences kicks off bright and early tomorrow, so I'm off for some well earned sleep. Stay tuned for updates throughout the day (assuming there's wireless access).

Made In Taiwan

It's 3AM and I'm wide-awake, all packed, and awaiting my shuttle to SF airport so I can attend the Science Blogging Conference in North Carolina. I'm not excited at the moment, but I should be able to muster-up a passable imitation of excitement by the time I get to Atlanta before the next leg to Raleigh-Durham. It's way too early to think, let alone write something substantive. I plan to do a bunch of real-time blogging once I get there. But until I can land in a new time zone, I'll leave you with a very interesting report appearing in the current issue of Science that describes other humans in transit.

The expansion into, and colonization of, isolated islands throughout Oceania is almost unbelievable to comprehend. This region of the South Pacific was the last area of the world to be settled by people. Imagine crossing thousands of miles of uncharted ocean in open seacraft with no guarantee that land even existed at the other end of your journey. Just as puzzling as the drive behind human curiosity and exploration has been determining the ancestry of these earliest Polynesians. Compelling anthropological evidence suggested Polynesians could trace their origins to Melanesian cultures in Papua New Guinea. Other studies suggested different ancestry. Recent genetic analysis has offered the most definitive answer yet. A study led by anthropologist Jonathan S. Friedlaender of Temple University in Philadelphia indicates that Polynesians bear a much closer relationship to aboriginal inhabitants of Taiwan than to the Melanesian groups who occupied New Guinea and surrounding islands from 50,000 to 30,000 years ago.

Thorn In My Side

Up until about the late 1950's, Acanthaster planci--the Crown-of-Thorns seastar, a natural coral predator--were a rarity off the coast of Australia. By the early 1960's, their population had blossomed, with some scientists debating the cause but linking it at one time or another to familiar troublemakers, including global warming, overfishing, pesticide use, and atomic testing. Some reputable scientists at the time even dismissed the Crown-of-Thorns outbreaks as a hoax, claiming that most coral reefs were in no danger. This was clearly not the case. This once-obscure seastar destroyed enormous swaths of coral reefs all over the Pacific. In What is Natural, a fascinating historical account of the early years of this predator outbreak, author Jan Sapp writes, Facts, theories, values, and politics were so entangled in the controversy that it was often as difficult for us to separate them as it was for scientists to separate anthropogenic from natural change.

The spiny, poisonous Crown-of-Thorns mystified biologists, injured tourists (I've only had a tiny spine tip in my hand and it was excruciating), and destroyed coral at an alarming rate. By 1970, Crown-of-Thorns (or COTs as they are unaffectionately called by those of us in the "biz") infestations were laying waste to reefs from Australia to Guam. Thirty-eight years later, debates still rage over whether, and to what degree, human activity causes the starfish booms. Independent of all the speculation, Crown-of-Thorns outbreaks continue. I've received calls for help from seastar-stricken stakeholders in every Indo-Pacific project site in which I work. Certainly, controls such as seastar removal campaigns can be very effective but by the time an outbreak is detected, a lot of damage has already occurred. In areas of heavy infestation, coral mortality can be as high as 95%. Some of the most likely smoking guns as catalyst for Crown-of-Thorns outbreaks include predator imbalances (over-harvesting of seastar predators such as Napoleon Wrasse and Triton Trumpet conch) though increased sea surface temperatures as trigger to spawning events has also been tossed around.

A report this week indicates that a new outbreak of Crown-of-Thorns is occurring in Indonesia, directly in the heart of the Coral Triangle--the area between Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands which contains the highest coral diversity and density on the planet. Researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies fear the outbreak is caused by poor water quality and could be an early warning of widespread reef decline.

Young Crown-of-Thorns seastars eat encrusting (coralline) algae which is common on the reef. At about six months of age, they start to eat hard coral and begin to grow more rapidly. Over the next two years, the seastar can grow from about 1 cm to about 25 cm in diameter. When there are few Crown-of-Thorns, they tend to be hidden under corals during the day and move into the open to feed at night. They feed mainly on specific coral species that they prefer, and may not eat the entire coral colony. As a result, a reef can recover quite rapidly from low levels of coral feeding. Some reefs seem to support small populations of Crown-of-Thorns seastars for many years, with only a small reduction in coral cover.

But when seastars are in large numbers, there is intense competition for food and most corals will be eaten, including less-favored species such as soft corals, algae, gorgonians and other encrusting organisms. The seastars aggregate during outbreaks and stay in the open, feeding night and day. During a severe outbreak, there can be several Crown-of-Thorns per square meter and they can kill most of the living coral in an area of reef, reducing coral cover from the usual 25 - 40% of the reef surface to less than 1%. Such a reef can take 10 years or more to recover its coral cover.

Like most seastars, the Crown-of-Thorns is called an extraoral feeder since in order to feed it forces its stomach through its mouth. This membranous structure is positioned around the irregularities of the coral with the help of the seastar's tube feet. The stomach then secretes an enzyme which breaks down the coral tissue, unlocking the major energy reserves of the coral. This material is then transported by cilia to the stomach lining where it is absorbed. The feeding process may take from 4-6 hours. Once digestion is completed the stomach is retracted and the seastar moves along leaving behind the empty, white coral structure.

Who Puts The Oooh In Shampoo Fish Scales?

Remember Prell shampoo? I know I'm dating myself on this one. In fact I'm not even certain Prell is still in existence. Being follicularly challenged, it's been quite some time since I strolled down the shampoo aisle. Be that as it may, Prell was/is a shampoo notable mostly because of its trademark viscosity (why this would matter beats me) as well as its opalescent green color. It truly was almost hypnotic to watch the immiscible shimmering colors in the shampoo move about in the tube. I recall that as a child my family had a seemingly endless supply of Prell on hand. It was the 70's, after all, and Prell did wonders for my parted-down-the-middle-and-feathered-back look, but that's a story for another time.

Prell got it's characteristic opalescent shimmer from the addition of crystalline guanine that was suspended in the viscous shampoo solution. Yes, that guanine...one of the five main nucleobases found in the nucleic acids DNA and RNA (the others being adenine, cytosine, thymine, and uracil.) When crystallized, guanine forms rhombic platelets composed of multiple, transparent layers that have an extraordinarily high index of refraction that partially reflects and transmits light from layer to layer, thus producing a pearly luster.

Since it makes for such appealing eye candy, it wasn't long before commercial applications became widespread. In the cosmetic industry, crystalline guanine is used as an additive to various products (including shampoos) where it provides the pearly iridescent effect. It is also used in metallic paints and simulated pearls and plastics. It also provides shimmering luster to eye shadow and nail polish.

So why am I taking the time to discuss Prell and crystallized guanine on an ocean blog? Well, I just finished a fascinating bit of news from Science Daily that describes a new report in the American Chemical Society's journal Crystal Growth and Design on how tiny crystals of guanine also provide the iridescent sparkle seen in fish skin that can help some fish blend in with shimmering water. A team of researchers in Israel has found that fish optimize the shape of these crystals, inhibiting the growth of guanine crystals into boxy prisms in favor of growing them into thin, stacked plates parallel to the fish's scales. This adaptive response creates an iridescent glow providing camouflage in light-dappled water surfaces. How fish are able to selectively inhibit biogenic crystal growth is still not understood.

The researchers looked at the skin of Japanese Koi. Japanese Koi are a highly prized ornamental, domesticated variety of the common carp closely related to goldfish. Koi naturally display an amazing variation in scale coloration and degree of scale iridescence. As a result of domestication and deliberate hybridization, there is a limitless level of variation possible in koi. Perhaps because of their variation and beauty, koi color and iridescence is no longer limited to fish scales but has made the transition to human skin as well.

Cloverfield Monster Finally, Finally, Really Revealed

A battle scene from the film. Turns out the Cloverfield monster does have ocean origins. It's a sea cucumber! I'm stunned, frankly. What can't Hollywood special effects accomplish?. Anyway, below is also a shot of the presumed "monster parasites" that play a key role in the film.


Allegedly.

That's A Moray Monday: The Characters Thus Far

Since I took a break from my Moray Monday routine, I thought I might do a quick recap before diving back into the moray madness again. Weekly features can be more work than you initially realize, but since I do indeed like morays (and apparently so do some readers) I plan to keep the series going until I either run out of eels or run out of motivation.

So a quick recap of what we've seen thus far:

On the video front, we have seen evidence of profound human stupidity around moray eels; A Green Moray takes on an octopus; And some well deserved moray attacks as a result of harrassment.

Being dedicated to a multidisciplinary approach here at MBSL&S, we featured some original lyrics for the classic, romantic hit, That's a Moray.

I even found a way to slip Nick Nolte and a zombie/shark death match into Moray Monday's.

As far as species descriptions, I've already presented a veritable buffet of slippery delights:
Peppered Moray
Tiger Snake Moray
Zebra Moray
Dragon Moray
Chain Moray
Green Moray
Caribbean Spotted Moray
Fimbriated Moray
Snowflake Moray
Blue Ribbon Eel
And even Flotsam and Jetsum

We've even had a special post describing the amazing and recently discovered jaw-within-a-jaw of morays. My post and description of the scientific report from Nature scooped a lot of other blog commentary from the "bigger" blogs like Pharyngula and The Loom. But we here at MBSL&S are above such bragging. We are not, however, above referring to ourselves in the plural!

Next week, a brand new moray species recently described from the Red Sea (hat tip to Jason over at Cephalopodcast).

A Lot Of Bul

One of my all time favorite Pacific coral destinations is the island Republic of Palau. I love its friendly and diverse people and rich culture. I love the language and food. I love that it's small enough a place to feel that I've actually gotten to know it. And I love it's spectacular underwater vistas. I'd be hard pressed to think of anywhere that matched Palau on so many different levels. Perhaps because of its abundance of natural and cultural beauty, Palauans have been eager to protect an identity that can too easily be lost.

However one particularly stunning island system in the Palauan archipelago just missed-out on some much needed protection. Last week, Palau's Senate killed a bill to designate the Ngemelis Islands as a National Heritage site. The islands and area have become embroiled in a heated dispute between Koror State legislature and President Tommy Remengesau Jr. and the tourism industry. Ngemelis (pronounced Nem-uh-LEESE) Islands comprise the southern terminus of the greater Palau lagoon. Ngemelis is a tremendously popular dive and snorkel destination, with at least four of the top dive spots in the world. Jacques Cousteau himself labeled Ngemelis' Big Drop Off as his favorite dive spot of all time. This stunning reef complex of crystal clear water, shallow coral garden platforms, sheer coral walls, and big, abundant fish is the stuff of legend.

Koror State wants to open the area to fishing. But President Remengesau and the Ministry of Tourism say fishing within 100 yards of the world famous dive sites may jeopardize their marine environment and attractions. President Remengesau had told Koror State Governor Yoshitaka Adachi that designating the area a national heritage site would be the first step in "granting it the world-wide recogntion it deserves and making it eligible for international funding and technical assistance."

The bill would have sought to prohibit all fishing within one mile of the island chain and 1,000 yards from any designated dive site. But the Senate rejected the President's approach to overcoming the Koror State laws regarding the Ngemelis Islands as an infringement upon the constitutional rights of individal states and lands. While still too early to tell how President Remengesau will counter this setback, it might still be possible for Palau's traditional Council of Chiefs to have some impact by declaring a bul around Ngemelis.

Palau's practical experience with ecosystem management extends back thousands of years. The traditional practice of bul is an important example. Bul (similar to a taboo or tabu designation) involves the Council of Chiefs placing reef areas off limits to fishing during known fish spawning and feeding periods. This respects vulnerabilities in the ecosystem while ensuring that there will be robust fish to catch during other times of the year. This traditional bul system has become the basis for Palau's network of protected areas and its new Protected Area Network (PAN) law. Micronesia is home to much of the world's coral biodiversity -- Palau alone has 1300 species of fish and 700 species of corals across its islands. It's this rich diversity that has inspired Palau's President Tommy E. Remengesau Jr.'s commitment to conservation as well as his establishing the Micronesian Challenge.

In partnership with The Nature Conservancy, President Remengesau formed a challenge to his neighbors to follow Palau's example of setting aside 30% of nearshore marine, and 20% of forest ecosystems for conservation by 2010. Palau already has that amount in reserve, though not all of it is yet enforced.

Mirabile Dictu

In the latest startling development in the vicious attack on Liz' arm by a rogue Portuguese Man of War at Midway Atoll, the face of Jesus has allegedly appeared in the nematocyst-swollen welts on her forearm. Pilgrims from throughout the Pacific Rim are allegedly said to be converging on Maui this week for a chance to pray before Liz' appendage. Bidding has allegedly already begun on eBay for the rights to purchase Liz' radius and ulna upon her demise to be distributed in the international religious relic trade.

Asked for her reaction, Liz immediately responded,

When the Man of War's tentacles touched my arm and the stinging cells fired into my flesh, little did I know that it would touch my heart as well.

Allegedly.

What Doesn't Kill You Can Still Make You Curse Like A Mother%#&@er

Poor Liz! As I mentioned last week, Liz Foote, CORAL's Hawaii Field Manager, was on Midway Atoll conducting some field work. Well, she's back on Maui again, and sent me a few snaps of Midway: the good, the bad, and the ugly. The ugly happens to be a painful souvenir of welts from an encounter with a Portuguese Man of War. Ouch!

Man of War stings are nothing to take lightly. Known locally as `Ili Mane`o, Pa`imalau, Palalia or Pololia, and to the scientific community as Physalia sp., the Man of War is a pelagic cnidarian infamous for their very painful, powerful stings. The Man of War ranges or occurs most commonly in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Pacific and Indian oceans, and the northern Atlantic Gulf Stream, although it can be found in warm seas throughout the world. It is sometimes found floating in groups of thousands. Physalia physalis is the only widely distributed species. P. utriculus, commonly known as the Bluebottle, frequently occurs in Hawaii, in the Pacific and Indian oceans.

The sting of Physalia is very painful and can cause serious effects, including fever, shock, and interference with heart and lung action. The nematocystic sting toxin secreted from the tentacles of the Man of War, a mixture of enzymes, is a neurotoxin about seventy-five percent as powerful as cobra venom. The toxins contain a complex mixture of polypeptides and proteins including a soup of bio-molecular compounds including various hemolytic (blood cell-bursting), cardiotoxic (heart muscle toxic) and dermatonecrotic (flesh destroying) toxins.

The most common result of contact with the Man of War - the residual whip-like, red wavy, stringy welts on the skin from contact with the blue tentacle - is a painful eruption. You can see this classic welting in the image at the top of this post. The lesions can last for minutes to hours, and the rash may progress to hemorrhage or ulceration. Recurrent episodes of welting and swelling may last four to six weeks at the site of envenomation. Liz has bad luck with stinging invertebrates (both aquatic and terrestrial) so I know this is the last thing she needs right now. Feel better soon!

Liz at the Midway clinic with a fresh copy of All Stings Considered:


Liz' arm atop images of Man of War stinging tentacles:


Liz posing with Susan Scott, author of All Stings Considered:

Who You Calling A Mermaid?

In what has become an all too common occurrence, I'm sitting in my office on a Sunday as I try to get a jump on the next couple of weeks of work. I leave Friday morning for North Carolina to attend the Science Blogging Conference where I'll be co-presenter of a session called Real-time Blogging in the Marine Sciences. I'll be joining forces with a distinguished cohort of other ocean bloggers who I am meeting face-to-face for the first time. It should be a blast. But then I return to San Francisco long enough to change my underwear before re-boarding a plane back to Washington DC for the International Coral Reef Initiative annual meeting and official launch of International Year of the Reef. Yeah, so it's gonna be a busy couple of weeks.

Anyway, since it's Sunday, none of the Peets Coffee stores are open in the neighborhood. If you're a coffee addict and unfamiliar with Peets, I suggest you get online and place an order of these deeply roasted (some might say slightly burned) beans. Once you get hooked on the full frontal assault of this Bay Area roast, there's no going back to weak, watery coffee. But in a pinch, I can stave off caffeine withdrawl with substandard coffee (like Starbucks) by fortifying it with a couple shots of espresso.

But coffee snobbery and addiction is not the point of this post. What got me writing was that in between sips, I took note of the Starbucks logo closely for the first time. Sure, I recognize that "Starbuck" was Captain Ahab's first mate in the book Moby-Dick. And I'm not blind to the fact that the Starbucks icon is a mermaid. Or is it? In the logo, a long-haired woman appears to be holding two fishy tails. That's not the canonical mermaid. A little snooping was in order.

A quick dash to Wikipedia and a few other online sources indicates that what Starbucks is using as their trademark identity is in fact a Melusine. Melusine (or Melusina) is a figure of European legends and folklore, a feminine spirit of fresh waters in sacred springs and rivers. She is usually depicted as a woman who is a serpent or fish (much like a mermaid) from the waist down. She is also sometimes illustrated with wings, two tails, and sometimes referred to as a nixie. Curiously, the name Melusine is not just a category of creature, but the actual name of an individual from whom the "species" is later labeled. The Melusine has become a rather common icon for heraldry throughout Europe.

There are quite a few literary versions of the Melusine, ranging from Scottish heritage to Germany. The Encyclopedia Mythica, an amazing online resource, tells my favorite story of Melusine from Medieval France, circa 1394. It's my stand-out favorite primarily because of it's classic fairy-tale beginning of "meet and marry" as well as its cast of bizzare offspring (with hilarious nicknames).

As the tale goes, once upon a time the fairy, Melusine, was the daughter of the fairy Pressyne and King Elynas of Albany. She became the fairy Queen of the forest of Colombiers in the French region of Poitou. One day, she and two of her subjects were guarding their sacred fountain when a young man, Raymond of Poitiers, burst out of the forest. Melusine spent the night talking with Raymond, and by dawn, they were betrothed, but with one condition. Melusine requested that Raymond promise that he would never see her on a Saturday. He agreed, and they were married.

Melusine brought her husband great wealth and prosperity. She built the fortress of Lusignan so quickly that it appeared to be made by magic. Over time, Melusine built many castles, fortresses, churches, towers and towns, each in a single night, throughout the region. She and Raymond had ten children, but each child was flawed. The eldest had one red eye and one blue eye, the next had an ear larger than the other, another had a lion’s foot growing from his cheek, and another had but one eye. The sixth son was known as Geoffrey-with-the-great tooth, as he had a very large tooth. In spite of the deformities, the children were strong, talented and loved throughout the land.

One day, Raymond’s brother visited him and made Raymond very suspicious about the Saturday activities of his wife. So the next Saturday, Raymond sought his wife, finding her in her bath where he spied on her through a crack in the door. He was horrified to see that she had the body and tail of a serpent from her waist down. He said nothing until the day that their son, Geoffrey-with-the-great tooth, attacked a monastery and killed one hundred monks, including one of his brothers. Raymond accused Melusine of contaminating his line with her serpent nature, thus revealing that he had broken his promise to her.

As a result, Melusine turned into a fifteen-foot serpent, circled the castle three times, wailing piteously, and then flew away. She would return at night to visit her children, then vanish. Raymond was never happy again. Melusine appeared at the castle, wailing, whenever a count of Lusignan was about to die or a new one to be born. It was said that the noble line which originated with Melusine will reign until the end of the world. Her children included the King of Cyprus, the King of Armenia, the King of Bohemia, the Duke of Luxembourg, and the Lord of Lusignan.

And now, Melusine can hold the Carmel Macchiato and Soy Chai Latte to her bare bosom as her latest malformed progeny. The legend continues.

Oddest Spectator Sport Ever?

The past two weeks of winter storms, rain and hurricane-strength winds pelting the Bay Area has translated into some monster waves along the coast. And our local surf mecca/meat-grinder we call Maverick's has been seeing busier than usual surfer traffic and press coverage. The SF Chronicle is running a story today about this weekend's big wave surf contest that expects to see some of the world's best surfers braving 30 foot wave faces. Certainly not the biggest waves to be seen at Maverick's famous break, but still nothing to pooh-pooh.

However watching a surf contest at Maverick's is a bit of a challenge. Coastal Highway 1, particularly around Half Moon Bay and Princeton-by-the-Sea (the home of Maverick's) is an awful, log-jammed stretch of road on an average weekend. With a big surf competition, it's a nightmare. There's practically no parking once you get there, and the viewing area really isn't ideal as the waves break more than a mile from the beach. Attempting to get a better view by scaling the sheer cliffs along the beach often leads to the secondary Maverick's spectator sport of witnessing surf fans tumbling down the sandstone marine terrace. Some particularly avid fans have taken to watching surf contests from a boat, but that comes with a hefty price tag. In all, the complex logistics at Maverick's makes for a strong disincentive to be a surf spectator.

Enter the oddest twist I've yet seen to surfing as a spectator sport: The Stadium Surf Party. AT&T Park (although it will always be Pac Bell Park to me)--home of the SF Giants-- will play venue to the apparent throngs of surf nuts who absolutely must have their surf competition, albeit in the comfort of stadium seating and armrests with beer cup holders. The SF Chronicle reports today that this "viewing party" at AT&T Park, where the waves will be roughly life-size on the stadium's 130-by-30-foot, high-definition jumbo screen, is the only way to go. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Concessions including alcohol will be served, and in-and-out privileges will be granted.

If you check out the comments already logged on this story, readers have mixed feelings. Some readers think the stadium venue is brilliant and are already vying for Club Level seating. My favorite comment from a fan of stadium surfing sums it up nicely:

Only $20 for an event like this! They charge more to watch a bunch of un-educated morons to throw and/or kick a ball around! And these morons get paid way more than the surfers, which are much more exciting to watch!

Other readers are not as enthused and have labeled the event "sell-out surfing" and "suck central." One reader goes right for the jugular,

A buncha white trash, culture killing, thrill seeking, wannabe NASCAR fans trading their insulated beer can holders for a brand new surf shop hoody, and waiting for someone, anyone, to eat it on a monster wave.

Ouch!

My sense is that if spectators want to watch surfing in a communal atmosphere and in relative comfort (and are willing to pay for the expense) than what's the harm? It seems rather elitist to claim that only real surf fans are "worthy" to be present at Maverick's, especially considering the complex logistics of getting there and actually seeing anything. I'll certainly be curious to see what sort of turnout the stadium gets for this event.

Midway? More Like Midwow!

Damn you, Liz! I'm green with envy! This week, CORAL's Hawaii Field Manager Liz Foote is "working" on Midway Atoll with a team of other lucky researchers who get a rare opportunity to conduct field work in the new Papahanamokuakea Marine National Monument (also known as the Northwestern Hawaiian islands).

She's spending time enjoying the company of oodles (I believe that is the technical term) of Laysan Albatross. I got my fill of Albatross during my stint in the Galapagos Islands a few years ago, but I still think they are adorable. How can you not fall for birds with eyebrows? Seventy-one percent of the world's Laysan Albatross population nests on Midway. In 1996, about 387,854 breeding pairs of Laysan Albatross nested on all three islands of Midway Atoll (Sand: 182,574; Eastern: 203,871; and Spit: 1,409). I presume that number has increased. I also presume that the stench of acrid bird guano must be... pungent. I'm still jealous.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

I just noticed that I missed publishing a great comment I received on a past post about our Hawaii campaign to eliminate fish feeding within marine protected areas throughout the islands. The overlooked comment deserves its own post, so I'm reprinting it below. I've also asked my Hawaii Field Manager, Liz Foote, to provide a guest followup:

Luis Calderon said...
I applaud the efforts of CORAL and their partners in this campaign to end the feeding of wild fishes. However, I find it somewhat strange that neither CORAL nor this article acknowledges the pioneering efforts of another NGO, The Marine Safety Group (based in Florida) in this regard back in 2000. That group was the first to wage an active (and highly publicized) campaign to stop fish feeding by divers and dive operators, and despite fierce and well-funded opposition from the dive industry trade organization (DEMA) were able to successfully convince the State of Florida to pass a law that prohibits the feeding of all marine wildlife. Kudos to both organizations!!

Liz' Comment:
Thanks for your appreciation of and interest in this effort! We are just at the beginning stages of this campaign, and as it has started locally in Hawaii, we are now in the process of connecting with like-minded colleagues on a worldwide basis. We certainly want to acknowledge similar efforts, and join forces with others in order to have a greater impact. We are aware of a 2000 paper, "A Case for Regulation of the Feeding of Fishes and Other Marine Wildlife by Divers and Snorkelers" by Bill Alevizon, which I believe is associated with the effort you mention. I actually emailed the Executive Director of Reef Relief, DeeVon Quirolo, earlier this year, to get more information on the article's works cited and to obtain contact information for Dr. Alevizon, since the paper was posted on the Reef Relief site, but he did not have that information at hand. I still hope we can connect with Dr. Alevizon, and perhaps you will be able to help us do so.

In any case, our effort is a three-pronged approach, focusing on the demand-side, supply-side, and on leveraging support for legislative action.

In order to educate Hawaii's visitors, we're integrating messages into the outreach materials we're producing as part of the "Changing Tides Education & Outreach Campaign." We hope these efforts will lead to less demand for the product, and less engaging in the practice by visitors.

For the supply-side, we established the Fish-Friendly Establishment decal for shops to display, and the Fish-Friendly Business Alliance (FFBA) online directory on the CORAL website. The FFBA highlights the businesses that don't sell fish food or promote the practice in any way. Having the decal in the store's window or by the register provides an opening for discussion with the visitors that enter dive or snorkel shops. I have talked to some of the FFBA members that are currently displaying the decal, and they have told me stories of people coming in to their shop and asking for fish food. The staff can point to the decal and explain why they don't sell fish food or promote it. It provides yet another venue for education, and an opportunity for the business to promote itself.

As far as legislation goes, a fish bite postcard campaign was designed to collect visitor and resident feedback about the issue, that can be compiled and used to support legislative action. The postcard responses can also be used to demonstrate to retailers that many of their customers don't support the practice of fish feeding.

As I mentioned, we hope that other coral reef destinations get inspired and excited by what we are testing here in Hawaii. We've already heard that reef managers in Belize and Saipan might be interested in replicating our process. Imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery!

Finally, you may also want to check out some recent press we received here on Maui.

Liz Foote
CORAL Hawaii Field Manager

All Coral, All The Time

Just 11 days into 2008 and it's already shaping-up to be a very busy year. The United Nations has already designated 2008 to be International Year of the Potato, International Year of Sanitation, the International Year of Planet Earth (which lasts for 3 years), and the International Year of Languages. Zut alors! If you're lucky enough to live in Greece, you get to celebrate Year of Feta. The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums met in Budapest last summer and declared 2008 to be The Year of the Frog to draw attention to imperiled amphibians worldwide. And of course, an estimated 1,321,851,888 citizens of China will ring in the 2008 lunar calendar as Year of the Rat.

But for most of my colleagues, 2008 is first and foremost International Year of the Reef. As I've commented before, International Year of the Reef (or IYOR) is a worldwide campaign to raise awareness about the value and importance of coral reefs and threats to their sustainability, and to motivate people to take action to protect them. The December 14 Issue of Science effectively framed the crisis facing global coral reef systems. The grim prognosis for reef decline summarized by the authors tells a story not only of habitat loss, but cultural and financial collapse as local coral reef communities who have relied upon healthy reefs for their survival are forced to seek new homes and livelihoods. And economies that have depended upon healthy reefs for tourism, the planets largest industry and employer, will suffer the decline of revenue as tropical reefs disintegrate in acidified oceans.

I'll be in Washington DC at the end of the month for the official launch of IYOR 2008 as part of the general meeting of The International Coral Reef Initiative. This launch will allow partners to showcase IYOR activities taking place around the world, and allow participants to meet, share, brainstorm and coordinate regarding their ongoing IYOR plans. In my line of work, every year is Year of the Reef, but this international focus during 2008 can play a valuable role in helping raise more general public awareness of reef threats and reef connections to everyday life.

The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) is serving as the coordinating body for the 2008 IYOR. ICRI is a partnership among governments, international organizations, and non-government organizations. This alliance works to preserve coral reefs and related ecosystems by implementing several international conservation conventions and agreements. The secretariat of the Initiative rotates through those nations--both developed and developing--that possess coral reef resources. The secretariat is currently co-hosted by the governments of Mexico and the United States.

Beautify CNMI Beautifies San Francisco... Sort Of

My Kwanzaa presents came a little late this year! I found a big, mysterious box on my desk today with the most postage stamps I've ever seen. Turns out to be a box-load of Beautify CNMI t-shirts from Angelo Villagomez, my Saipan-based, Chamaole (half Chamorro, half Haole) conservation counterpart in the CNMI. That's CORAL Mesoamerican Program Manager Rich and Program Associate Anja sporting the pool table green shirts.

Google "Saipan" and you're bound to find Angelo's blog or any of a thousand other ways he's making his mark. The man is a dynamo and catalyst for local environmental conservation, cultural preservation, and scoring as many pictures as possible with scantily-clad Asian go-go girls.

I sent some CORAL t-shirts over to Angelo a few months ago so he provided a little quid pro quo, as long as I could send him photos of our staff in Beautify CNMI shirts while riding the cable cars or standing in front of other San Francisco landmarks. As soon as our deep freeze thaws a bit, we'll head outside in t-shirts for a few happy snaps.

Thanks a bunch, Angelo!

Anja hogging all the Beautify CNMI stickers:

Yours truly contemplating posting Beautify CNMI stickers across all the Mitt Romney for President posters in the neighborhood:

A Shot Of Schadenfreude, With An Irony Chaser

Write about climate change and rising sea levels forcing Pacific island communities to seek the safety of higher ground and you get silence. But speculate on some fictional monster in an upcoming Hollywood blockbuster and people go ape shit. Thanks to a shout-out by Craig over at Deep Sea News about my Cloverfield ruminations, I received a spike of visits to my site today. But with it also came an unbelievable volume of pissy, whining, and mostly anonymous nitpickers desperately in need of dates readers who just needed to let me know how wrong I got it. This despite the fact that I prefaced it all with an admission that my post was based on internet rumors.

Since I have comment moderation enabled, I've been able to spare you the creative use of expletives that have been tossed my way––though I must admit it's been a while since I've been called a "dick wad". What can I say to what I only presume to be a cohort of tetchy 18-32 year old male readers who appear to have so much invested in the outcome of a movie? I think the inimitable Denny Crane Captain Kirk William Shatner said it best:

Cloverfield Monster Has Deep Sea Origin?

Okay, so I'm a total dweeb, but I'm caught-up in all the hype in the run-up to the release of Cloverfield, a new big-action monster movie that opens on January 18. The movie has been benefiting from a lot of internet viral marketing and much of the buzz has been surrounding speculation on what exactly is trashing the Big Apple in the movie. If you believe the rumor-mill, the movie is allegedly pitching an environmental cautionary tale that involves some sort of evil and arrogant deep sea mining corporation that awakens a marine monstrosity. Hey, prick up your ears Nautilus Minerals!

For the first time, a few drawings have appeared that allegedly depict the monster. By the look of things, we have ourselves some sort of arthropod crossed with a baleen whale (yeah, that makes evolutionary sense). Interestingly, the sketch indicates that the beast is riddled with arthropod-ish ectoparasites that may also play minor monster roles in the flick. Is it just me or do the parasites look a lot like giant ocean isopods (Bathynomus giganteus)? Oh man, will this make some people happy.

Fish Forever (I Hope)

Considering the deplorable state of ocean fisheries, as a conservationist I should probably do my best to turn you on to the wonderful world of tofu rather than suggest eating more seafood. But I live in the real world. Besides, I'm not suggesting you eat more seafood. Just make more informed choices. So it's with excitement that I'm sharing one of my favorite presents received this year, Fish Forever: The Definitive Guide to Understanding, Selecting, and Preparing Healthy, Delicious, and Environmentally Sustainable Seafood by Paul Johnson.

Fish Forever is first and foremost a resource guide to sustainable seafood, and secondarily, a cookbook. There are about 15 pages on basics: making stocks, preparing a whole fish for cooking, tools for cooking seafood, and pantry ingredients for recipes. The majority of the book is organized by seafood type, from anchovy to wahoo. Each dish type is prefaced by general information on the type of seafood, how to prepare and cook it, and is followed by recipes. The last pages are particularly fascinating with interesting appendices of fishing methods, fishery health, and environmental pollutants and seafood parasites. (If you simply want to be turned-off from fish-eating entirely, you could just start with the section on nematodes.)

This beautiful book would be just as well suited to your coffee table as it would your kitchen. The 438 pages are chock-full of great illustrations and a full-color section of photos shows seafood from the net to the plate. What I particularly like is that the author didn't forget that people (fishers and fishmongers) are responsible for getting seafood into your hands, and that human element is displayed in the photos and narrative.

Fish Forever contains lots of valuable info on sustainable seafood and what to know and look for when making a choice. Want to know how to limit trimethylamineoxide (TMAO) in your next batch of skate wings? Or how to make authentic home-made dashi? Rest assured this book has the answers. The seafood resources are wonderful, making this a great reference––in addition to, say, the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Guide––when choosing which sustainable seafood to buy. It is also great reading and can almost be read cover to cover, skipping recipes. A nice gift for seafood-lovers.

Fish Forever has received some not-so-good reviews primarily focusing on the accessibility of some of the species featured. Here in San Francisco, accessibility to great sustainable seafood isn't much of an issue, but I can see where a reader in Peoria may have a challenge finding Sea Robin. But other than a few unusual species, readers shouldn't have too much trouble finding sustainable choices in their hometown markets.

Bon appetit! And if anyone wants a great recipe for Squid and Chickpea Tagine with Harissa and Preserved Lemons, give me a buzz!

New Year... Hopefully Renewed Interest?

Happy 2008 to all! It's been some time since I've posted to my blog due to a combination of end of year business, project planning, board meeting, and just the usual holiday distractions. I'd be lying, however, if I didn't admit that my finger has been hovering over the blog's delete button over the past few weeks.

I initially started blogging as a more sophisticated means of journaling. I've kept a written journal of my field work for as long as I can remember. On my shelf in my office are journals from the Galapagos, Honduras, Canada, Florida, Micronesia, Hawaii, Fiji, Papua New Guinea... a long roll call of the many places I've been fortunate to visit. I've recorded my thoughts, ideas, impressions, frustrations, and tried to describe the sights, sounds, and smells of my field work. Though not an artist by any stretch of the imagination, I've here and there attempted to sketch a fish, bird, flower, shell, or vista that caught my interest. In all, I have some 15 journals that I've filled with my ramblings.

With the blog, I thought I'd have a more convenient way of consolidating my thoughts in one handy, albeit virtual, location that can be accessed practically anywhere. Plus, I could immediately save photos of my travel that have previously lived on miscellaneous CD's scattered around the home and office. While I've always maintained that I journal with or without an audience, the blog environment allowed me to broadcast my focus of coral conservation, as well as a peculiar hodgepodge of leftist political agenda, queer observations, and other commentary to anyone who bothered to read. I've never been much of a "joiner" and the idea of virtual social networks like MySpace, Friendster, or the other online communities holds little attraction to me. So imagine my surprise as I found myself part of a microverse of ocean science/conservation bloggers.

Even in this small cadre of ocean blogs, there seemed to be a niche for every conceivable affinity. Whether you're looking for fish, marine inverts, deep abyss, policy, technology, climate change, or seafood, there's a blog for you. Which is all well and good, but I've been dwelling on whether my particular contributions to the blogosphere are value added for me. It's a time intensive process to write what I would consider to be an interesting, readable post. Don't get me wrong, I certainly write a fair share of extemporaneous light humor, reaction, or opinion posts. But I try to mix it up now and then with deeper analysis or commentary. Plus when in the field, I try to share the daily workings of conservation in action. This is certainly more time consuming and requires more planning than simply journaling bulleted impressions in a notebook.

I suppose what I've been dwelling on over the past few weeks has been my return on investment. I see some of the popular blogs that not only wrangle baffling volumes of reader traffic, but also successfully engage readers in dialogue. To be sure, some of these bloggers have the added advantage of a somewhat taller soapbox than I can boast. And for me, blogging is not part of a job description that already keeps me occupied up to 12 hours a day and through all too many weekends. And my boyfriend would be the first to admit that I spend far too much time already at the computer.

I'm providing this context as neither an excuse nor as a call to sympathy. Lots of bloggers are juggling full-time jobs while maintaining excellent sites. Since this is my public journal, I'm merely providing some details and backstory on my lack of recent internal incentive to post. I'm not quite certain I've fully reconciled how I feel about my commitment to continuing this electronic experiment. But like I said at the start, I'd be journaling with or without a blog. And for now I think I'll keep the experiment running.