Blogs

By Stephanie Wolek

We’ve all heard about the issues with our planet’s coral reefs—they’re being damaged by pollution, climate change, habitat loss, and a seemingly endless list of other human-driven factors. It’s easy to become discouraged when hearing about the latest coral losses and some articles have gone so far as to (mistakenly!) declare reefs dead. There’s good news and bad news. The bad news is our coral reefs are in sharp decline but the good news is that they’re not dead and can still be saved!

When articles mention coral declines, they’re usually talking about “coral bleaching” and “massive bleaching events” accompanied by scary images of ghostly reefs that lack even a semblance of life. The coral are white or gray and appear dead. Luckily, this isn’t necessarily true. We’ll take a look at what coral bleaching really means and how it affects coral.

By Nyssa Baechler

You have probably seen the many different iterations of the same signs: some ask, some tell, and some threaten by using pleasantries, profanity, or puns to get you to pick up your dog’s poop. Whether the signs make you giggle or gasp, the message is clear —Be responsible and scoop the poop! However, the entire reasoning behind the signs might not be so clear.

By Allison Brown and Nick Wehner

Source: Radio News Magazine, 1925. Adapted by Allison Brown. Obtained from Wikimedia Commons

By Mackenzie Nelson

It was a badge of honor, a trophy of a summer well-spent. The sand that collected on the floor of my car and hid in the crevices between the seats indicated how I had taken advantage of my proximity to the beach. I let it follow me home, sticking to the bottoms of my feet as I would make my way through the dunes at the end of a day in the sun. I considered vacuuming it out, but the nostalgia it invoked compelled me to leave it where it fell. Meanwhile, I had no idea I was hoarding a valuable world commodity. 

Read the rest HERE

In August 2017, a massive net pen failure released thousands of Atlantic salmon into the waters of Puget Sound. This event prompted a renewed surge of energy for the many residents, lawmakers, advocacy groups, and businesses which oppose the development of net pen salmon aquaculture in Washington. From the cancellation of Cooke Aquaculture’s Port Angeles farm lease, to the signing of a bill on March 22, 2018 to eliminate the farming of non-native finfish in state waters, the future of finfish aquaculture in Washington is beginning to look grim.

Read the rest HERE

Our cities are becoming smart cities every day, but unless our cities are clean and litter-free, we are going to face massive problems. Globally there are over 1.5 Billion Unsecured wheelie bins, these bins are massively concentrated in cities. Wheelie bins are a prominent cause behind litter pollution and are responsible for many environmental and health problems. This occurs when bins are blown over, knocked over, or over filled, the result is huge amounts of rubbish escaping into our environment, rivers and oceans. Pollution from wheelie bins cause detrimental effects to animals, wildlife, marine organisms and to our planet as a whole.

Dangerous Impacts on Marine Organisms

Every year eight million tonnes of plastic enter our ocean, BinStrap is committed to dramatically reducing this number simply by securing wheelie bin lids. BinStrap is a patented device that was designed with the intention of securing the 1.5 Billion Unsecured wheelie bins worldwide that are spilling plastic and rubbish into our environment, rivers and oceans. These bins get knocked over, blown over, overfilled and rummaged through by animals, birds, rodents and wildlife, this causes a huge mess and is massively polluting our planet.

Wheelie bin owners also have to face cleaning up spilt litter and rubbish that has often been in the bin for over two weeks, sometimes they can receive a litter fine even if they are not at fault, i.e. the bin has been blown over during the night or animals have got into the bin causing a mess.

[Posting on behalf of Diana Castillo, graduate student at Dalhousie University - please see her contact info below]

Is your institution a subscriber to the Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA)? If so, you can assist with an evaluation of this major international information resource.

Since 1971 the ASFA database has been providing access to information about the science, technology, and management of marine, brackishwater, and freshwater environments globally. Operating as an international partnership of over 60 agencies, ASFA compiles and disseminates information produced around the world and is overseen by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Accessible by subscription from ProQuest, ASFA currently contains more than 2 million records, and aims to facilitate the global dissemination of information, particularly of grey literature.

By Allison Brown

Did you know that the pharmaceuticals you take can end up in your pee? And once that’s flushed down the toilet, they can build up in aquatic environments. At the 2018 Ocean Sciences Meeting, researchers Tawnya Peterson, Brittany Cummings and Joseph Needoba discussed how freshwater and coastal marine environments near urban centers can retain dissolved drugs, and how this has the potential to biologically affect the organisms in these ecosystems.

Read the rest HERE