“teenage geniuses and their billionaire backers aren’t going to save us, and they’re going to take us on a wild and expensive ride along the way,” says @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social about the Ocean Cleanup. My latest for @therevelator.org therevelator.org/why-ocean-cl... 🧪🦑🌎

Why The Ocean Cleanup Hasn’t Solved the Plastic Pollution Crisis • The Revelator

Global problems are rarely solved by one person or invention. The Ocean Cleanup didn’t work, for the reasons experts said it wouldn’t. What can we learn from this?

therevelator.org

REMINDER! Applications for the 2025 Asian Shark & Ray Research, Conservation, and Leadership workshop close 31 March. If you work on shark & ray conservation in Asia, this workshop may be for you! Apply at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/Asian_shar... More information at www.fishandfisheries.com/projects

Heading down to rainy #Brisbane to talk with fishers about #shark #depredation - the patterns and impacts, the potential causes, and what #sharkscience shows about potential solutions - project funded by @frdc.bsky.social #australia #sharkresearch #marinescience

Really balanced article by @australia.theguardian.com covering the growing impact of shark depredation on fishers, and how that might relate to shark numbers. Includes statements by @spinnershark7.bsky.social and I. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘They’re smart now’: Australian fishers are on tenterhooks over shark encounters. Should swimmers be worried?

Increasing run-ins between anglers and the ocean’s apex predators reflects a growing unease among beachgoers. But is widespread fear justified?

theguardian.com

Congratulations to all of the 48 project leaders receiving Save Our Seas small grants and keystone grants for 2025. Some great projects and people being funded! #sharkresearch #sharkscience #sharkconservation #marineconservation

Please enjoy part 1 of a series of blog posts written by myself and @brettfavaro.bsky.social offering our advice on how scientists can effectively speak with jouranlists about our areas of expertise. Part 2 is coming next week. Please read and share! www.southernfriedscience.com/advice-for-t... 🧪

Advice for talking to the media as a conservation scientist: Part 1

By David Shiffman and Brett Favaro. Many environmental scientists understand that there is value in communicating about their work through the media, as publicity can help raise public awareness of…

southernfriedscience.com

Heading to your first scientific conference? The F&F Lab students have written a blog post of their experiences at their first conference, with their advice for the conference season. Lab staff have also written a piece showing how their experience differs. www.fishandfisheries.com/news-blog

Just read a call for project proposals on sustainability, systematic change, coastal restoration etc. Projects should include stakeholder engagement and have measurable outcomes after one-year. One year. While well-intentioned, I don’t think these are realistic expectations for real conservation.

The world needs science for evidence based decision making. Science needs women and girls to broaden its perspectives and approaches that help drive innovation, application, and discovery.

For the nth time, scientists everywhere must understand that scientific * #evidence* is apolitical, but the *prioritization* of #science is *inherently* political (though it *used to* be non-partisan). #Politics is how free societies address #PublicHealth challenges & we *must* participate.

@anthrofuentes.bsky.social · 2y ago

If you can, do something, speak up and act up. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

The new 100 peso #banknote is out featuring the stunning #Palawan peacock pheasant. The new notes are plastic & waterproof and look awesome. The ‘butanding’ still graces the reverse side. Palawan is a jewel of Filipino 🇵🇭 #biodiversity. looking forward to returning in July for workshops 🤩

We have a new #sharkscience paper just out on working with batoids, including ethical considerations and guidance regarding the difficult choices field researchers sometimes face. This was a global collaborative with many authors, and is published as #openaccess link.springer.com/article/10.1...

If you have data from the European Atlantic that show certain areas being especially important to sharks and rays, this @iucnshark.bsky.social announcement is for you. Put your sharks and rays on the map!

Just out: the lastest edition of Shark News the bsky.app/profile/iucnshark.bsky.social IUCN #Shark Specialist Group newsletter. We have an article about our work with the PADI Global Shark and Ray Census starting at pg 80. Meanwhile, if you like sharks and rays, Shark News is full of juicy content.

Well, this finally happened! After working on sharks for over 20 years, I finally saw my first #whaleshark in the wild! We were heading to a dive site and we came across this juvenile male just cruising. We motored ahead and jumped in, and big fella just came right on by. Simply gorgeous 🤩.

We want to invite you to discover the latest 11th issue of Shark News – the official IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group (SSG) magazine.

Good news to start the week - apparently a major international study shows that regardless of what media may portray, most people trust science and scientists: theconversation.com/most-of-us-t...

Most of us trust scientists, shows a survey of nearly 72,000 people worldwide

A global new survey shows there’s no crisis of trust in scientists, as some might claim. But there are some nuances.

theconversation.com

OPEN CALL for Sharks International 2026 proposals for keynote speakers, themed sessions and panels, workshops, and side events 📢 🦈 Please submit proposals via: forms.gle/9EiKJVncMoa7... Deadline for proposals: 15th March 2025

The build continues - I’m so impressed with the thought, design, and quality control that has gone into this. Step by step, instructions are clear, everything piece fits perfectly, and the creativity behind making generic pieces fit together to create something new, well done LEGO 👏🏼

Genetic Diversity, Kinship, and Polychromatism in the Spotted Eagle Ray Aetobatus ocellatus of Fiji https://buff.ly/4gBA2i0 🌏 🦑 🧪

Genetic Diversity, Kinship, and Polychromatism in the Spotted Eagle Ray Aetobatus ocellatus of Fiji

The spotted eagle ray Aetobatus ocellatus (Kuhl, 1923) has a widespread Indo-West Pacific distribution and displays substantial population genetic structuring. Genetic data are crucial for…

buff.ly

Two days later - and I have found the time to at least open the box 🤦🏻‍♂️

This is why AI proliferation is dangerous. We're removing the critical thinking requirement behind many questions, and hoping that AI trained from imperfect data somehow knows better (spoiler: often it doesn't).

Matthew Facciani@matthewfacciani.bsky.social · 2y ago

New study finds that frequent use of AI tools encourages offloading cognitive tasks and reduces critical thinking. Higher AI usage correlated with lower critical thinking skills, especially in younger users. www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15...

I only have one week of holidays left. I’ve been meaning to make a start on this kit for months. I know people are here for shark and science content, but is anyone interested in what we do to help our minds rest and recover? Would regular updates on the build be of any interest? Comments?

Just heard of a friend grinding over the holidays on a proposal due tomorrow. We are all hard working professionals who need rest, like any other profession. Funders - setting dates in early Jan is poor practice and disrespectful of the people you want to give the best of themselves to the cause.

Reintegrating myself to the conservation science community. My name’s Rafid, a shark conservationist from Indonesia. I’m currently a PhD student @ Duke; also a Co-founder of local NGO threshershark.id which goal is to conserve sharks & communities’ livelihoods!

Possibly still the best #christmasmovie ever. Merry Christmas everyone!

Republicans may not believe in climate change, but the insurance industry does

The New York Times@nytimes.com · 2y ago

As the planet warms, insurance companies are dropping homeowners in communities they deem too dangerous because of wildfires, hurricanes and other threats. Now, for the first time, the scale of that pullback is becoming public. nyti.ms/41EOpNc

We were seeing a 98% drop in exposure over on Twitter. The censorship was so extreme we thought it best to start over somewhere else. We chose Bluesky. Help us gain our following back Follow Retweet Repeat Join the park side @altyellonatpark.org

I have been waiting to see how this would roll out. This is really troubling, preserving inshore waters for artisanal fishers is a foundational policy. Troubling also to have a 15 day submission period when everyone is off work and travelling for the holidays 🙁. Really disappointing.

Katie Matthews, PhD@katieocean.bsky.social · 2y ago

How's this for an evil just-before-the-holidays surprise. Supreme Court holds a (*terrible*) August decision until just this week. 15 days to file a petition. Over Christmas, when the country is basically offline. @oceana.bsky.social is on it. @rappler.bsky.social: www.rappler.com/philippines/...

OTN and IMOS have teamed up to draft a new guide on acoustic telemetry mooring design best practices for OBPS. If you would like to peer review our OBPS submission, please complete this Google form: forms.gle/2ipT74Xh5Uaz...