Halibut Herald August 20

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ALIBUT HERALD August 20, 2009

Living Root Bridges

In the depths of northeastern India, in one of the wettest places on earth, bridges aren't built - they're grown. The living bridges of Cherrapunji, India are made from the roots of the Ficus elastica tree. This tree produces a series of secondary roots from higher up its trunk and can comfortably perch atop huge boulders along the riverbanks, or even in the middle of the rivers themselves. READ ON: http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/08/living_root_bridges.html

FUTURE FISH FARMS: Giant Deep-Sea Pods, in Pictures An Aquapod fish-farming cage floats at the Snapperfarm fish farm Puerto Rico in an undated photo-illustration composite image. Aquapods are composed of triangular panels covered with vinylcoated, galvanized steel netting and come in sizes from 8 to 28 meters in diameter (26 to 92 feet in diameter). MIT scientist Cliff Goudey has outfitted Aquapods with remote control propeller systems (not pictured), foreshadowing a potential future where fish cages roam clean, deep-sea waters of their own accord. Aquaculture currently produces about half of the fish eaten worldwide, but--with wild stocks waning and demand for fish increasing--seems destined to play an even bigger future role. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization warns that 70 percent of all the worlds' fisheries are exploited (barely able to replenish themselves at current catch rates), overexploited, or depleted. READ ON: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/08/photogalleries/ future-fish-farms-pictures/photo2.html?source=link_fb0819

Success Stories: Wild Atlantic Salmon!

Wow! Two great pieces of news today about endangered Atlantic salmon. Separate reports in the media this week confirm large numbers of wild Atlantic salmon unexpectedly returning to rivers on both sides of the Atlantic (Paris & NYC!) READ ABOUT BOTH: http://montereybayaquarium.typ epad.com/sea_notes/2009/08/suc cess-for-wild-salmon.html

Read up on our own John Nightingale’s blog about their amazing journey to the Arctic (in his own words!) which is finishing up just this week: http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/coldcall/default.aspx

Giant whale sharks sighted Galapagos Face Ecological Disaster Due to Tourism: Study along the Gulf Coast

Cutie Revealed!

This guy from last week was ID’d by Adria (Marine Mammals) & The Jen’s (Admissions) to be our lovely Imaq! That blubber! That smile! I should’ve known ☺ SOURCE: http://photography.nationalgeograp hic.com/photography/enlarge/belug a-whale-vancouver.html

Hurricane tracker Emicus braces for 3 Big Ones

What is 40 feet long, several tons heavy, and can be seen along the US Gulf Coast? READ ON: http://www.baldwincountynow.com/art icles/2009/08/19/local_news/doc4a8c1 d507beec727293861.txt

100 Percent of USA Fish Tested, Contain Mercury – Big Coal to Blame A new social website that tracks and tweets hurricanes will be tested this week by 3 different storms. READ ON: http://www.mnn.com/technology/comput ers/blogs/hurricane-tracker-emicusbraces-for-3-big-ones#

A federal study released Wednesday, found mercury in every fish tested at nearly 300 streams across the country. READ ON: http://www.twilightearth.com/f ood/100-percent-of-fishtested-contain-mercury-bigcoal-to-blame/

Mosquitoes brought into the Galapagos on tourist planes and boats threaten to wreak "ecological disaster" in the islands, central to Darwin's theory of evolution, a study said Wednesday. The insects can spread potentially lethal diseases in the archipelago off Ecuador's Pacific coast, used by Charles Darwin as the basis of his seminal work "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection". "Few tourists realise the irony that their trip to Galapagos may actually increase the risk of an ecological disaster," said Simon Goodman of Leeds University, one of the study's co-authors. READ ON: http://bit.ly/1SZCIv

Extreme Toilet Tech Can Flush Away Water Worries

A running toilet can use more than 6,000 gallons of water in just one day. A running toilet that overflows can cause costly water damage. The H2Orb retails for $127, but AquaOne Technologies says it does the job. It’s backed by seven patents. You can hook it up in about 10 minutes. READ ON: http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/17/extremetoilet-tech-can-flush-away-water-worries/

StatsCan says: Eat your veggies

In 2004, Statistics Canada surveyed 35,107 people to determine food and nutrient intake. All of the respondents were asked what and how much they ate and drank over a 24-hour period and a third were asked to recall their food intake for a second 24-hour period. Women consistently scored higher than men, people with higher levels of education scored higher, immigrants scored higher than people born in Canada, and 25 per cent of teenagers scored less than 50. Nearly 17 per cent of the population scored below 50, while fewer than one per cent scored more than 80. READ ON: http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/08/19/ nutrition-statscan.html?ref=rss

Joule Biotech Sun-Powered Fuel - Biofuel vs Solar PV

The premise is that the technology can take solar energy and use it to convert carbon dioxide directly into fuel. A one stop-shop to soak up carbon dioxide and produce a biofuel. Having dug into it a little, the conclusion I came to is that it’s not as radical as it sounds. It is basically directed photosynthesis: same principle as oil from algae, or biofuels. The overall efficiencies are likely to be 10 times lower than that from solar PV processes, but, in terms of where biofuels are heading, it is on the right track. READ ON: http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/17/joule-biotech-comes-out-ofstealth-%E2%80%93-but-is-it-really-that-new/

BACK 2 SCHOOL! University Textbooks Ain't Cheap - Why Not Go Digital This Year to Save $ AND Trees!

The Benefits: • Policing your wallet. At an average of $900 per student per year, textbooks ain't cheap - these options can cut costs by up to 90%. • More trees to print Miranda Rights on. In 4 years of college, students use about six trees' worth of paper for textbooks. Going for used keep more trees standing. READ ON & FIND E-TEXTBOOK SOURCES HERE: http://www.idealbite.com/tiplibrary/archives/book-em-college-week

Today's Silver Lining: Sales of Bottled Water "Have Fallen for the First Time in at Least Five Years," READ ON: http://consumerist.com/5337459/consu mers-finally-growing-some-damnedsense-not-buying-bottled-water

HEY VANCOUVER! 25 Meals Under $25

We searched the city for all that’s new, delicious, eclectic, and frugal—and unearthed some spectacular bargains… READ ON: http://www.vanmag.com/Restaurants/25_Meals_Under_ 25?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_ campaign=2009W34

Cleaner Fish Wear "Uniforms" to Advertise, Avoid Danger

Like police and nurses, cleaner fish on coral reefs wear uniforms to signal their "professions"—a tactic that also helps the fish avoid being eaten by their clients, a new study says. READ ON: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/08/090820cleaner-fish.html

Free Movie Screening of Wall-E

SCIENCE: Scripps Discovers Swimming Sea Worms that Drop 'Green Bombs'

The stranger-than-fiction worms were found in waters between 5,900 feet and 12,140 feet deep, mainly off the California coast. Measuring from 0.7 to 3.6 inches, the worms swim with clusters of bristles that act like paddles. Tiny spheres clustered near the worms' front, the fluid-filled green bombs glow intensely for several seconds when released by the animals. READ ON: http://www.nctimes.com/news/science/article_9e53d69b4712-5d98-ba0d-6e595c5950e3.html

To watch this free public outdoor screening of Wall-E, be at The Meadow (the large grassy areas Northeast of South SFU Campus Road and Gaglardi Way) at sunset (8:30pm) on Thursday, August 20th. READ ON & MAP TO EVENT: http://www.granvilleonline.ca/gr/blogs/artdarts#ixzz0Olh2wGOQ

EXCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITY for staff to visit the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre Open House on Wednesday, August 26th! Join our sponsors, donors and special guests between 2 PM and 6 PM at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre Open House for a chance to witness, first hand, efforts by MMR staff and volunteers to rehabilitate rescued harbor seals. We ask that all staff who would like to join us observe the following requests: (1) Please RSVP (select the RSVP now for this event! link below and complete your registration)

As this event falls within regular work hours, please ensure that you have your supervisor’s permission to attend if you are scheduled to work (2) Come dressed in ‘plain clothes’ (i.e. no uniforms), unless you are working or volunteering at the Centre that day • You will be required to dip your footwear in foot baths while on site, so please wear appropriate shoes (i.e. close-toed shoes; rubber boots are recommended) (3) Be aware that visitors to the MMR Centre cannot return to the Aquarium until the following day as the MMR Centre is a quarantined site •

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE!

RSVP ONLINE: https://netcommunity.vanaqua.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=204

Archival Photo

Aquarist Bill Duncan with Harbour Seal, 1964.

Library News Library user needs survey The Robin Best Library and Archives needs you! The library and archives would love to have your feedback on our collection and services. The survey is active now and will run st st from July 31 – August 21 It should take approximately 10-15 minutes of your time For your effort you will be rewarded with the knowledge that you helped to build a useful and relevant library collection…and you’ll be placed in a draw for a $25 gift certificate from Amazon. Go to the survey now Thanks for your help building our collection!

Beat the heat! Looking for a nice cool place to have a break from the sun? The library is a great place to go. We now have a third computer station that you can use to browse the catalogue or do research or check your email. Library hours are 8:00-3:30 Monday – Friday apart from the exception below. st

Friday July 31 , closed at 2pm th Friday August 7 , closed The library will be open on BC day. For more library news, book reviews, access to our online catalogue and much more, visit us on the aquanet: http://aquanet.vanaqua.org/IS/CRS/Lib/Pages/default.aspx Get your up-to-the minutes news via RSS feed from the library’s What’s new pages. Currently, there are two What’s new pages running a variety of interesting news feeds What’s New – Animals and Nature – for news about birds, reptiles, marine mammals, and places such as the Arctic http://aquanet.vanaqua.org/IS/CRS/Lib/Pages/WhatsNewAnimalsandNature.aspx What’s New – Business and General – for news about business, finance, tourism, visitor experience and marketing http://aquanet.vanaqua.org/IS/CRS/Lib/Pages/What%27sNewBGN.aspx News on Environmental conservation and education will soon be available via the Conservation Current http://aquanet.vanaqua.org/IS/CRS/Lib/ConservationCurrent/Pages/Default.aspx Did you know that the Library has access to over 100 journals and magazines?? At least 80 of these are available full text online. For a complete hyperlinked list, visit the library journals page on Aquanet: http://aquanet.vanaqua.org/IS/CRS/Lib/Pages/Journals.aspx As well, you can find new books and movies listed on this page of Aquanet: http://aquanet.vanaqua.org/IS/CRS/Lib/Pages/LibraryCatalogue.aspx

From Earth to Ocean: Stories from Gwaii Haanas

Parks Canada has identified the waters around Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site (Queen Charlotte Islands) as a potential national marine conservation area reserve. To present the stories of Gwaii Haanas, Parks Canada has partnered with The Vancouver Aquarium to offer a unique speaker series open to the public. Participation is free, though seats are limited. Each engaging event allows audience members to explore a different aspect of the region and understand the benefits of its protection. Starting in September, join us to find out more about: Session 1: Exploring the Islands Monday September 14 A virtual tour of Gwaii Haanas with stunning visual footage and presentations by the people who live, breathe and respect this extraordinary B.C. region. Session 2: Icons of the Pacific Monday October 26 A look into the history and journey of whales throughout Gwaii Haanas and why protecting these habitats benefit us all. Session 3: Changing Seascapes Monday November 16 Learn about ancient Haida villages, changing sea levels and how historical trade practices have all played a role in shaping today’s Gwaii Haanas. Session 4: Healthy oceans, healthy people Monday December 7 Whether it’s dining out or reporting a whale sighting, your actions can make a difference to our oceans. Join us for this special conclusion to find out what you can do to help Each session takes place at The Vancouver Aquarium from 7 – 9 pm. Please enter at the ‘Administrative Entrance’. To confirm your seat, email: [email protected] or call 604-659-3432. Please identify which session you would like to attend. Seating is limited.

Classified

NEXT BOOT CAMP SESSION STARTS JULY 21 2009 Are you looking to challenge yourself physically? Increase your strength and endurance? Tone up for summer? If so…...join us for boot camp! Program Description : This boot camp is a fun, functional, innovative and interactive workout session. The exercises will challenge one’s strength and endurance, improves general well-being while burning lots of calories. The workout moves quickly going from one exercise to the next with little or no rest. Open to anyone who is interested in achieving their desired health and fitness level. Participants will be taught on how to progress the exercises to meet their fitness level. Program Details : Fee : $40 per month Time : 4.30 – 5.30 pm OR 5.30 – 6.30 pm Day : Tuesday & Thursday Venue : Stanley Park If you would like to join, contact [email protected], ext. 3558 or [email protected], ext. 3587. Equipment Required : Bring your own mat, dumb bells and resistance tube.

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Events

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http://fishopolis.com

http://www.thebigwi ld.org/summerfriends-contest