Hawaii Bound... Again

Apologies for the lack of posts as of late, but conservation life has been hectic lately and I've been preparing for two weeks of field work and site visits. I'm off at 6AM Sunday morning for Maui where I'll work with Hawaii Field Manager Liz Foote to launch the very first Hawaii cadre of the CORAL Reef Leadership Network.

After that, we are both hopping to the Kailua-Kona coast of the Big Island to attend the US Coral Reef Task Force meeting as well as work with stakeholders to launch a series of community-based conservation projects to reduce reef stressors in Kona. One of the favorite parts of my job is not just sparking excitement in community-based coral reef conservation, but funding it through our microgrants program.

Expect a couple of weeks of Hawaii-based reports, news, images, and (of course) coral reefs Aloha-style.

Oh, and by poll numbers, looks like yours truly will be checking the Black Water Night Dive off my life list and attempting to live blog it. It still gives me the willies, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. Oh, and those of you who pledged a donation? Stand by, just in case!

Great Ocean Blogs

I don't say this nearly enough, but I'm an enormous fan of all my ocean blogging colleagues. We are a small (but growing) cohort of the science and nature blogosphere, yet we are providing great content on ocean exploration, basic and applied ocean sciences, marine conservation, natural history, human impacts and interactions with the ocean, ocean art, music, poetry and much more. I've had the very good fortune to meet many of my ocean blog colleagues in person, moving our social network from virtual to actual.

Were it not for blogging, I'd now be unable to call people as scattered as The Beagle Project's Karen James, inverte-brat Kevin Zelnio, deep sea coral scientist Peter Etnoyer, and ocean techno-wizard Jason Robertshaw, my friends. And there are a bunch more of you I look forward to meeting eventually (Mark, with all the traveling we do there must be a way we can at least pass each other in an airport!) If we can entice and cultivate more ocean bloggers, perhaps it may be time for our own ocean blogging conference so we can do our much beloved ocean (and interests in ocean communication) justice.

Carnival of the Blue is one way to stay on top of some of the best ocean writing each month. But I've compiled a list of some of my favorite ocean bloggers whom I read daily. Is it a definitive list of all the ocean blogging out there? Certainly not. It's just a very idiosyncratic collection of blogs that I can always count on to make me think, laugh, write, or take action. So pay a visit to these great blogs and see why they should be part of your minimum daily requirements for ocean aptitude:

Uma Malla pelo Mundo
Portugese for "A Net Around the World," Lucia Malla's take on ocean conservation.

Blogfish
Mark Powell and Kate Wing comment on sustainable fisheries and other ocean conservation issues.

Cephalopodcast
Jason combines his love for oceans with his love for teaching in every post.

My Favourite Places
Pepijn Koster covers all things ocean and all things LOL cats.

The Oyster's Garter
Miriam Goldstein and Eric Wolff, marine biologist and journalist, two great minds that work great together.

The Natural Patriot
Emmett Duffy conducts research and dives on tropical reefs so you don't have to.

The New Blue
Ocean news and opinions from Jives at The New England Aquarium.

MNS Marine Group
Marine conservation, coming at you from Malaysia

Maribo
Coral scientist Simon Donner provides thoughts on the intersections between climate change, policy, and human welfare.

Climate Shifts
I'll say it again, my one stop shopping for climate change news, views and overall round-up of politics and the environment by Ove Hoegh-Guldberg.

The Annotated Budac
Budac is Malaysian for duck child. It's also the eponymous name of this blogger from Singapore with an affinity for marine life.

I'm a Chordata, Urochordata!
Jarrett Byrnes (like Miriam Goldstein, a lover of ascidians) serves up ocean science through his excurrent siphon.

Pulau Hantu
More Singapore natural history with amazing images.

The Tide Chaser
Who knew Singapore's heavily industrialized Changi Harbor had so much life? Tide Chaser's knew!

The Beagle Project Blog
If the technology existed then, Darwin would have been an ocean blogger! Ask Karen James and Peter McGrath.

Manta Blog
Yet more intertidal beauty from Singapore.

WaterNotes
Green-Marine-Conservation is Sarah's mantra.

SeaNotes
Alison Barratt and others bring you ocean voices from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Siham Is Alive
How's your Bahasa Indonesian? You'll need it for this blog from Java.

Team SeaGrass
Yes, still more ocean blogging from Singapore!

The Radula
While not a strict "ocean blog" per se, when Dorid does write about the ocean, it's always with passion.

from Archaea to Zeaxanthol
Jim Lemire teaches and blogs from Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, whose undergrad marine bio program produced yours truly (it wasn't their fault).

The Other 95%
What would ocean blogging be without Kevin Zelnio? Probably a lot more sober, but also a lot less fun! Even more spineless offerings now that Eric Heupel's on board,

Shifting Baselines
Jennifer Jacquet calls her blog a "writing lab." I call it thought-provoking reading.

The Saipan Blog
Again, not strictly ocean, but the best conservation blog coming out of Micronesia.

Deep Sea News
Craig, Peter, and Kevin are deep guys. And they know it.

Beach Chair Scientist
Ann McElhatton takes Q&A to a whole new level with a blog just perfect for students and teachers.

Blue Ventures
Find out what marine conservation and science looks like in Madagascar.

Coral Bones
Caspar Hendersen posts here less frequently, yet previous posts provide a reality check of the current coral crisis.

WATERlog
A blog from the National Aquarium in Baltimore takes on ocean education, science, and conservation.

SalmonAid 2008

No, it's not a new protein drink. SalmonAid is a Pacific coast effort to find solutions and support for a fishing industry that's been decimated by poor choices and lack of action. And it's in my backyard for the next two days.

Unless your head's been buried in the sand over the past few months, you already know that salmon season was cancelled this year from California to the Pacific Northwest. Close to 1,000 commercial fishermen have been impacted by the closure and everyone is looking for answers. SalmonAid was formulated in an effort to get groups that formerly lobbed a lot of blame at each other to gather around a cause:

By uniting commercial, tribal, and sportfishing interests with conservation organizations, chefs and restaurant owners, and the American consumer to celebrate and restore our wild salmon and healthy, free-flowing rivers, SalmonAid will inform the public about the historic, cultural, economic, dietary, and environmental benefits of healthy wild salmon populations and the threats to their continued existence.

Typical foggy and chilly Bay Area weather didn't discourage attendees. Manuel and I joined a sizable crowd to visit information booths, talk to fishers and fish conservationists, pose with a giant inflatable salmon, and quaff Sierra Nevada beer. Sounds like a perfect Saturday to me!

Enjoy some pics from our adventures today (my fave is the image of a woman chatting-up a salmon). If you're in the Bay Area this weekend, head to Jack London Square in Oakland and help support an important cause that doesn't just benefit fish, but fishers too.