Halibut Herald March 5

H

ALIBUT HERALD March 5, 2009

Bits and Bites Still Blue

Off the shores of Costa Rica, scientists study a stronghold of whales that once hovered near extinction. If anyone missed Andrew Trites’ story-telling session on Tuesday, be sure to check out the rest of the photos from this National Geographic album to learn a little bit more about these beautiful beasts. READ ON: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/03/blue-whales/brower-text MORE PICS: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/03/blue-whales/nicklin-photography

And because we can’t all be beautiful, I present to you….

10 Most Diabolical Fish On Earth On the one hand, fish are inoffensive creatures, the majority not much to worry about... Yet there are a few species that are more loathsome to our tastes. These are creatures straight out of nightmares – some more fangs than fish; others that look like they’ve barely swum out of the primeval sludge. But though we’d like to think we’re no relation to these demons of the deep, in the evolutionary scheme of things all us land vertebrates are derived from our fishy cousins.

Top to bottom, left to right: Piranha of the Amazon; deep sea (3000 to 6000 ft) Anglerfish; Tiny deep-sea Anglerfish; Moray Eel; Green Moray Eel; Tigerfish (x2); Snakehead fish found in SE Asia, Africa, India; Fangtooth Fish; Gulper Eel.

Pink dolphin appears in US lake The world's only pink Bottlenose dolphin which was discovered in an inland lake in Louisiana, USA, has become such an attraction that conservationists have warned tourists to leave it alone. READ ON: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newst opics/howaboutthat/4927224/Pinkdolphin-appears-in-US-lake.html SEE MORE PICS: http://calcasieucharters.com/index.cfm? act=imagegallery.cfm&name=Rare+Pink +Dolphin+Photo+Gallery

Uh, We Almost Got Asteroided (the day before, the day before) Yesterday A 30-50 meter-wide asteroid just passed seven times closer to us than the moon, glowing so bright you could see it through a cloud. If it had hit the ocean, it would have tsunamied. The Sydney Morning Herald says that if it had been headed toward a populated part of the world, we would have had 24 hours to act and evacuate. Sky and Telescope says that it was about twice the altitude of our communications satellites. READ ON: http://i.gizmodo.com/5163926/uh-wealmost-got-asteroided-yesterday

Just so darn cute!

Meerkat warms up under a heat lamp at Battersea Park Children's Zoo

Good Resource for Canadians

The Public Registry is your source for news, information, and documents related to species at risk in Canada. This web site has been designed to help you better understand Canada's approach to protecting and recovering species at risk, learn about species at risk and what's being done to help them, and get involved in decision making and recovery activities. READ ON: http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/default_e.cfm

Plastic Soup (I know this sad truth has been featured before, but every time I read something new about it, I cannot help but remind everyone of it’s importance…BTW: It is estimated to have grown to twice the size of Texas now!) “Because plastic does not biodegrade but rather photodegrades into smaller and smaller particles, it gets integrated into the ecosystem. Marine life mistake the indigestible pieces of plastic for food, which then either accumulate in their stomachs or create obstructions that cause choking or starvation. Interestingly, it’s the smallest plastic particles—polymers—that are the most dangerous. Magnets for oily toxins like DDT and PCBs, the polymers absorb and concentrate these chemicals up to levels a million times higher than they would be in the ocean alone. And, tiny as they are, polymers are eaten by creatures at the bottom of the food chain; the toxic chemicals work their way up and end up right on your dinner plate.” So what can be done? According to scientists who have studied ocean pollution and the patch, trawling the ocean for all its garbage is not only impractical but would harm plankton and other marine life. Though large fragments can be collected, the polymers cannot, and the best solution now is prevention and a drastic change in the way we live. “Plastic is the lubricant of globalization,” says Moore. “We package and over-package nearly everything in plastic to ship it around the world—and there’s no way of getting rid of it. It lasts forever.” READ ON: http://www.granvilleonline.ca/gr/features/2009/03/02/plastic-soup 12 PART VIDEO SERIES ON ‘GARBAGE ISLAND’ (NOTE: Host has a potty-mouth): http://www.vbs.tv/shows.php?show=1154

Tips on Consulting for the Marine Sciences “The advantages to consulting are flexibility, diversity, and broad familiarity with people across the spectrum of the marine sciences.” READ ON: http://deepseanews.com/2009/03/tips-on-consulting-marine-science/

California aquarium blames flooding on curious octopus READ ON: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090227/ap_on_fe_st/odd_octopus_flood;_ylt=AtnXexOmS4y9DC21i32dxyMDW7oF

New Generation of Solar Cells Inspired by Plants “We looked at the ways that energy is funnelled in nature and through reverse engineering, using multiple nanoscale components, we designed and fabricated a hybrid photovoltaic device that can absorb light and efficiently convert it to electric current. These are early days but the possibilities for the application of this technology for environmentallyfriendly energy production are very exciting.” READ ON: http://earthfirst.com/new-generation-of-solar-cells-inspired-by-plants/

Killer whales in B.C. get protection READ ON: http://workcabin.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=879&Itemid=117

A Little Bird told me today is…

International Women’s Day! http://www.internationalwomensday.com/

Archival Photo

Students from NWT in the Graham Amazon Gallery. Finn Larsen, 1980.

Green News Looking for sustainable tissue paper options? Look no further! Review these handy guides the next time you need to make your big home tissue paper purchases, and be sure to purchase sustainable options! Just like our copy paper in the photo copy room, post consumer content, unbleached and recycled paper is the best for your home too! As a reminder, it is always best to choose a reusable product (e.g., cloth napkins instead of paper towel), however, these guides will help you choose the best paper products available. Greenpeace Tissue Paper Wallet Card: http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/campaigns/ forests/tissueguide The NRDC guide to Tissue Paper: http://www.nrdc.org/land/forests/tissueguide/ratings.aspx

Soft Toilet Roll Worse than Hummers and McMansions? http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/03/soft-toilet-rollenvironment.php

Sustainable Shopping Guides If you are looking for easy one-stop views of sustainable products and options, look no further: Better World Shopper Guide (comprehensive ranking of 1000s of products): http://www.betterworldshopper.com/ Ocean Wise – find a restaurant, enjoy sustainable seafood! www.oceanwisecanada.org Seafood Watch – sustainable seafood wallet cards http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx

Obama Reverses Bush-Era Endangered Species Rule President Obama has shelved a Bush-era rule that weakens protection of endangered species, he announced on Tuesday. The regulations allow agencies to decide for themselves whether projects like highways, dams and mines could harm animals and plants listed under the Endangered Species Act. The rule reduces the mandatory independent reviews that government scientists have been performing for 35 years, and prevents federal agencies from assessing whether the construction project contributes to global warming.

READ ON: http://earthfirst.com/obama-reverses-bush-era-endangered-species-rule/

Thinking about Home Renovations? Check this out to save energy and money… Missed the LiveSmart BC Lunch-n-Learn held today in the Theatre? Still looking for tips and information? Come by Heather’s desk to pick up pamphlets on the LiveSmart BC Home Improvement Incentive Guide to find out how to save energy and make money on your home renos! Or, check out these websites: www.livesmartbc.ca www.Vancouver.ca/greenhomes www.onedayvancouver.ca

MAD Architects’ City of the Future http://www.environmentalgraffiti. com/featured/mad-architects-cityfuture/8039

Events Design the Next Vancouver 'FormShift Vancouver' contest invites new ideas for a vibrant, greener, denser city. A new competition invites the world to help Vancouver imagine itself as not only a denser city, but one more green, livable and exciting to the eye. And though the contest welcomes entries from the best architects in B.C. and beyond, you don't have to be in the business of designing buildings or neighbourhoods to enter and win. READ ON: http://thetyee.ca/News/2009/02/23/FormShift/?utm_source=mo ndayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=230209 CONTEST DETAILS: http://formshiftvancouver.com/

More exciting events here: http://www.vanev o.ca/events01.ht ml Check out videos of past lectures here: http://www.sfu.c a/cstudies/scien ce/darwin.htm

Mt. Seymour Guys Night Out - Girls Ride FREE*

http://www.mountseymour.com/events

Try out this great new game now available in the Gift Shop. This innovative game encourages young and old to learn more about their impact on the environment. Regular Price: $29.99 Staff Price: $21.00

Classified