By Danielle Edelman
Blogs
OpenChannels has a team of dedicated bloggers addressing targeted aspects of ocean planning and management, including communication, technology, ocean uses, and more. Our bloggers are experts in the field, drawing from their own knowledge and experience.
The OpenChannels community can also benefit from your knowledge and experience. We appreciate the diversity of perspectives in this field and welcome the use of OpenChannels for sharing these views. Do you have a perspective on ocean planning you would like to share? We'll help you do that right now: just click the button above and follow the prompts. If you are interested in blogging but have questions, please email Raye Evrard at raye [at] octogroup.org. We look forward to your contribution!
The OpenChannels Team
By Danielle Edelman
A few weeks ago, I found myself sitting behind a table covered in bottles of sea water, pH-test kits, and posters with pictures of pitted and dissolving snail shells. I had a coffee in one hand and a bowl of steamed clams and mussels in the other. As I looked around at the booths next to mine, I spotted a family with two kids. I smiled and asked “would you like to do a science experiment?” The two kids glanced at my booth, then looked away and walked with their parents toward the ice cream stand.
By Katie Keil and Kaitlin Lebon
This story is part III of the Simply Science Series, where we’re delving into research conducted in our own backyard
By Katie Keil
On April 26, 2018, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an application for a genetically engineered (GE) salmon facility in Indiana, paving the way for “frankenfish” to be commercially produced on US soil for the first time. These “frankenfish”, containing genetic information from three different species, were first demonstrated in 1989 but have had difficulty garnering consumer support.
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