Halibut Herald November 14

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ALIBUT HERALD November 14, 2008

Bits and Bites Anjana The Chimpanzee’s Bond With Two White Tigers

READ ON: http://primatology.net/2008/10/13/anjana-the-chimpanzees-bond-with-two-white-tigers/

*Special Robot Series* Mini helicopter used to test whale health The remotely-controlled machine is flown over the whale as it surfaces to breathe expelling air through its blow hole. Gases and mucus blown out are collected in sterile Petri dishes attached to the 3.5 feet-long helicopter which are then examined to discover the health of the animal whether it is carrying any disease. Dr Karina Acevedo-Whitehouse, Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) who devised the system, said: "Scientists have always found it difficult to study diseases in whales because of their size and obligate ocean life. Most of the studies on whale pathogens have focused on dead, stranded or captive animals, which are hardly representative of the normal population. I was determined to find a way to crack this problem and eventually hit upon the idea of using a vehicle that could be flown above the animals, thus finding out more about them whilst still using a non-invasive sampling technique." READ ON/SEE VIDEO: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/3440888/Mini-helicopter-used-to-test-whalehealth.html

All Hail Robo-Jellyfish! Inspired by one of the most misunderstood animals of the marine world – the graceful jellyfish, leading electronics company, Festo have designed and created a pneumatic version of the gelatinous creature that moves remarkably like the real thing. There have been a number of other versions floating about over the past few years but none that have caught our attention quite as much as this mechanical offering. Kinda cool, but what is it for? READ ON/SEE VIDEO: http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/robo-jellyfish/3559

The Solar-Powered Robotic Automower Anyone who has ever spent an afternoon mowing lawns knows the downsides of the job: walking in monotonous straight lines with the filthy emissions of a two-stroke engine in their face, and a subway’s worth of noise to contend with. Enter Husqvarna’s Automower, a solar-powered, zeroemission lawn-Roomba that offers an attractive (albeit pricy) replacement. Like other electric mowers, the Automower is zero-emissions, and Husqvarna says that its noise levels are around 63dB - compared to 100dB for a conventional mower. If we adjust for shouts of frustration, this is likely even quieter than the Mowercycle.

READ ON: http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/11/10/automower-solar-powered-lawnmower/

The Solar Powered COM-BAT Spy Plane The aptly named COM-BATis a six-inch surveillance device that is powered by solar, wind, and vibrations. The concept was conceived by the US military as a means to gather real-time data for soldiers, and the Army has awarded the University of Michigan College of Engineering a five year $10-million dollar grant to develop it. READ ON: http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/10/31/combat-solar-powered-spy-plane/

More News Links Cops: Multi-million dollar marine life theft ring busted TAMPA, FL -- Seven adults and a juvenile are under arrest after an undercover Fish and Wildlife Commission investigation into an illegal marine life theft ring. Some of those arrested were taking marine life and exporting it to New York and Amsterdam. READ ON: http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=ccc3e8dc-f754-41fd-83154f4c6a0b44cc

Australiana #3 - Thorny devil

The spines that decorate its body are impressive and provide the lizard with a strong defence, but it's what lies between the spines that's really interesting. The thorny devil's flanks are lined with grooves that are narrow enough to channel water by capillary action. The grooves end in the creature's mouth, so the thorny devil can drink simply by standing in a puddle or waiting for the morning dew to condense on its numerous spines. READ ON: http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2008/11/australiana_3_thony_devil.php

Just How Big Is A Hydrothermal Vent? http://blogs.discovery.com/deep_se a_news/2008/11/just-how-big-is.html

Archival Photo

John the Sea Otter with Lynda Killick, 1971.

As you may know, there is a civic election on November 15. In addition to voting for the Mayor, council and school trustees, we will also be voting for Parks Board representatives. One of the great things about this is that Vancouver is the only municipality in Canada to have an elected parks board; so we have a choice in the matter. The Parks Board oversees all the parks within the city including Stanley Park which you all know affects us here at the Aquarium. To that end, I have attached a link to the candidates profiles so that can make an informed choice when marking your ballot on November 15 here in Vancouver. http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/election2008/candidate-profiles-parkcommissioner.htm

Green Team Sustainability Challenge! Enter to win great prizes!!! Participate in Ocean Wise month by eating at an Ocean Wise restaurant! Bring in your receipt(s) to win great prizes - $100 gift certificates for an Ocean Wise restaurant, as well as an Ocean-friendly cook book. Drop off your November receipts in the Green Team suggestion box in the Lounge. Please highlight the Ocean Wise item you ordered, and write your name and extension (or email) on the back of the receipt. The prize draw will happen during the first week of December. Look for a restaurant: http://www.vanaqua.org/oceanwise/

Presented by The Green Team and Ocean Wise

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Bike to Work Week is Back!!! November 17 - 23, 2008 From November 17th to 23rd workplaces will again be competing to see who can get the highest percentage of participating staff and what team can log the most commutes and kilometres. Our workplace already has a Bike to Work team – and this is a great opportunity to try biking to work in the winter, or to celebrate the fact that you already do. As a team we can work together at our workplace to create some winter-riding incentives and facilities for those of us who are committed to trying it. Why register and log my commutes? The more people that participate, the better our chances of winning team prizes! It lets others know that people CAN bike to work in the winter! There is power in numbers – the more people that register, the stronger the voice for cycling in our region. Biking to work is still good for you, good for the environment and most importantly – biking to work is fun – even in the winter!

Join our team, here's how: Go to www.vacc.bc.ca/biketowork, and register for Bike To Work Week. The registration process will step you through finding and joining a workplace team. Ours is called “Vancouver Aquarium”. OR If you're already on our team, simply sign in and confirm your intention bike to work this winter! Let's be the greenest and healthiest workplace in our region, and win some great prizes!

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November is Ocean Wise Month Dining out can make a world of difference!

Help us spread the word and celebrate sustainable seafood this November with our 1st Annual Ocean Wise Month! A number of Ocean Wise events are happening this month, so be sure to visit the Ocean Wise website at: www.vanaqua.org/oceanwise In addition you will notice Ocean Wise themed gallery programming, activities, shows and other activities throughout the aquarium. Ocean Wise Month Dine-out is happening throughout the BC Lower Mainland giving diners the chance to win 52 Ocean Wise restaurant gift-certificates, simply by choosing the Ocean Wise identified menu item from participating Ocean Wise Month restaurants. Note: Staff and their immediate family of Vancouver Aquarium and participating Ocean Wise restaurants can not enter the Dine-out draw. However the Green Team and Ocean Wise are having a Vancouver Aquarium staff only Ocean Wise Month draw – the prizes? $100 gift certificate to Chambar and a sustainable seafood cookbook! Enter by bringing in your receipt

from any Ocean Wise restaurant during November (ballot box is the “Green Team Feedback” box in the Level 2 AquaQuest lunchroom).

“Green Bite” Ocean Wise Month Fact: AVOID SNAPPER (aka ROCKFISH)

Misrepresentation and mislabeling plagues the seafood industry. False marketing names include: • Snapper, red snapper, rockcod – rockfish • Deep sea perch (once called slimehead!)- orange roughy • Chilean sea bass – Patagonian toothfish • Flake – shark • Dog salmon, rock cod – spiny dogfish

A MEAL AS OLD AS YOUR GRANDMA!

Don’t Judge a Fish by it’s Dish! (know what you

Avoid

are eating before you order)

World-wide there are over 900+ species marketed as or referred to as “snapper”. The ‘snapper’ species most commonly found on Pacific North West’s restaurant menus and in seafood markets is the majestic rockfish (Sebastes spp.).

There are 102 rockfish species in the world, 36 of which can be found in British Columbia. The majority of rockfish species are inherently vulnerable to fishing pressure due to being long-lived and late maturing with many living over 100 years of age (for example the typical lifespan of yelloweye rockfish is 114years of age and can grow to 1 metre long! The oldest rockfish ever found was a 200+ year old rougheye rockfish).

Rockfish Sustainability concerns Year-round fishery operations add further pressures to bycatch and habitat damage. High levels of Rockfish as bycatch with certain mortality are of significant concern. Commercial fisheries for live fish are growing rapidly, with rockfish being a desired target.

Increased vulnerability occurs from rockfish behaviours such as stationary habitat use, the forming of multispecies congregations, rare recruitment success and death from air embolism. Several West Coast and British Columbia rockfish populations are at historical lows due to heavy fishing.

Rockfish are generally caught with invasive bottom trawls, which are associated with high levels of bycatch of other marine species. The bottom trawl fishing method can cause detrimental damage on habitats and ecosystems, disturbing spawning and feeding grounds of many Pacific marine species. There is concern for the occurring destruction of the slow-growing and long-lived gorgonian corals, Primnoa in the North Pacific. Rockfish species are commonly associated with Primnoa, found utilizing the corals for shelter. What can you do?

The destruction of Primnoa corals is damaging rockfish habitat.

Change consumer demand and choose Ocean Wise! Support sustainable fishing practices and choose oceanfriendly option instead like BC bottom longline caught halibut.

And remember to support your local Ocean Wise restaurant! www.oceanwisecanada.org

For Sale

The Gift Shop has a new green option the next time you are thinking about buying a loved one a stuffed animal. Aurora Naturally Plush offers an eco-friendly alternative to chemically manufactured stuffed animals. Handmade in Indonesia, Aurora Naturally is made from 100% soy bean fiber and stuffed with Kapok, which is a sustainable rain forest crop. Not only are these stuffed animals eco-friendly, they are very soft and nice. Furthermore, you can educate your children about the eco-plush’s ingredients by reading The Great Kapok Tree. These stuffies come in both large and small sizes. Large: $39.99 Small: $19.99

Brand new in the Gift Shop this week, two hardcover books! Underwater Eden: 365 Days Beneath the surface of the world’s most exotic seas and oceans—from the Red Sea and the coast of Costa Rica to the Great Barrier Reef and Palau Islands—lie spectacularly diverse ecosystems that only a privileged few have had the opportunity to view up close and in person. Jeffrey Rotman has spent more than thirty years diving in these waters to capture their breathtaking beauty and the stunning richness and variety of the creatures that inhabit them. 365 Ways to Save the Earth In this book, each spread includes a breathtaking photograph of nature paired with an action the reader can take to help save the earth. It tackles subjects ranging from automobile use and recycling to shopping and leisure and health and the workplace. With 145 previously unseen images by Bourseiller and an entirely new text based on up-to-the-minute environmental research, this book is an indispensable tool for anyone hoping to take part in preserving the planet. FOUND!

POTLUCK of VANCOUVER AQUARIUM RECIPES Published in 1997, this recipe book was made by staff for staff! Just $2.99, and only 20 copies left

Events Fossils with Perry Poon from the Vancouver Paleontological Society Perry will be displaying a collection of fossils collected in B.C. Science World, on November 15 and 16 (11 AM to 3 PM). The display will feature real fossils, fossil casts, information about the Society, and B.C. fossil books. There will be fossil fish, sea shells, ammonites, trilobites, plants, and insects. Touch a 45 million year old leaf! Young visitors can make some rubs of some dinosaur skeleton or prehistoric plant and animal, and take them home as souvenirs. Also, visitors can visit the fossil exhibit, "Fins, Fangs, and Fossils", featuring full scale Tyrannosaurus rex, Edmotosaurus, and Platcarpus skeletons. There are a variety of fish, ammonites, marine invertebrates, trilobites, plants, amphibians, dinosaur parts, and a fossil Coelacanth!"

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Name That Ferry! Enter the contest to name the new SeaBus! The newest member of the TransLink “family”, the third SeaBus, will be introduced in late 2009, and as with any introduction, the ferry needs a name. For more than 31 years, two SeaBuses have carried commuters back and forth across the harbour. The Burrard Otter was named for one of the more common sights one is likely to see while crossing between Lonsdale Quay and Waterfront Station, while the Burrard Beaver was named in part for the historic steamship that served the coast between Portland and Vancouver until it ran aground in 1888. What will their new “sibling” be called? That’s up to you. Time to get out the “name your baby (ferry)” books and enter TransLink’s “Name the New SeaBus” contest. From now until November 21 at midnight, you can submit your choice for the name, and have a chance at winning three 3-zone Transit Passes, a ride on the inaugural sailing and the warm-fuzzy feeling that a name you chose will be on display daily for thousands of commuters and tourists to see. There are three ways to enter: 1. email to [email protected] 2. online at www.translink.bc.ca 3. by snailmail to “Name The New SeaBus”, TransLink, 1600 – 4720 Kingsway, Burnaby BC V5H 4N2 (look for the entry forms in your local weekly newspapers) A panel of judges will choose the best five names, which will then be sent to the TransLink Online Advisory Panel, which will vote on the best one. Anyone can join the Online Advisory Panel: log onto www.translinklistens.bc.ca for more information. When the Third SeaBus goes into service, each of the other two will, in turn, be refitted with more modern equipment and have their engines overhauled; all the while, SeaBus will be able to maintain 15-minute service during peak periods. When all three ferries are fully operational, weekday service may be increased to 10minute intervals during peak periods and 15-minute service at off-peak times, in anticipation of rising demand.

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BC TOURISM INDUSTRY AWARDS CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Do you know of a tourism business practicing industry excellence? Be sure to nominate them in one of the nine categories for the 10th Annual BC Tourism Industry Awards. Winners will be selected by a panel of judges and award presentations will take place during the BC Tourism Industry Conference on February 12, 2009 in Vancouver. Award categories: ·

Tourism industry leader of the year

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Tourism media

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Best tourism marketing campaign

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SuperHost® customer service

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Environmentally responsible tourism

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Technology in tourism

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Foresight sustainability award

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Employees first

· Sport tourism community legacy Find award nomination forms and criteria on Tourism BC's corporate website at www.tourismbc.com. Previous nominees may resubmit as appropriate. Deadline for nominations is November 2

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16th Annual BC Marine Mammal Symposium

Saturday, November 29, 2008 – 9:30am – 5:00pm Sponsored by the UBC Marine Mammal Research Unit and Whale Watch Operators Association Northwest University of British Columbia Science Visualization Room; Ground Floor, Aquatic Ecosystem Research Laboratory (AERL); 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6T 1Z4; Telephone: (604) 822-8181 Registration fee: · ·

Advanced: $0 (pre-register by Nov 21: ([email protected]) Late: $5 (cash only at the door)

Join us for presentations as well as discussion on issues that concern us all. This meeting is open to researchers, educators and businesses involved with marine mammals and anyone in one or more of these categories is welcome to attend. Please email Pamela Rosenbaum @ [email protected] before November 21, 2008, to indicate that you plan to attend. Lunch and refreshments will be provided, but we need to know how many people to plan for. There will also be a social evening (6:00-9:00 pm) where beer and pizza can be purchased. The Agenda will be distributed at the meeting. Please email Pamela Rosenbaum @ [email protected] before November 21, 2008 if you would like to make a five minute presentation about your research. Longer presentations on topics of general interest are welcomed. We would also like to know if there are any issues that should be discussed by the group at large. We look forward to hearing from you and you seeing at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 29, 2008

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The Vancouver Aquarium connection is that Marcel Gijssen, BC Waters Aquarium Biologist, rode along on part of the journey. The Long Road North is a film playing as a part of the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival. It is the beautifully shot, fascinating and funny story of Gwendal Castelan's bicycle journey from Patagonia to the Canadian Arctic. The film was an official selection of the Vancouver DOXA Documentary Film Festival, nominated for "Best of the Fest" award at France's Strasbourg Film Festival, and received the Audience Choice Award at the Townsend film festival. This is a great film and it is about "green travel" at its best. It will be shown on Nov. 20th, 7 pm (doors at 6), at the Centennial Theatre, 2300 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver. Tickets: $15 in advance, $17 at the door, available at the Theatre (604 984-4484) and at www.vimff.org. For more info and previews: http://www.longroadnorth.com/