Bubbles in the Bathtub

Sea Turtles on Twitter

2009-11-10T17:10:54Z

Have you been wondering what the deal is with Twitter? Not sure where to start? Well, SEATURTLE.ORG has come to your rescue with a list dedicated to turtle tweets. Everybody that I can find that is talking about sea turtles on Twitter.

Do you tweet about sea turtles? Drop me a line on twitter and I will add you to the list.

And, as always, get all of the latest news and updates from the sea turtle world by following SEATURTLE.ORG on Twitter.

Turtles all the way down

2009-10-27T15:32:34Z

As told in Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time", recently overheard on TWiT, and captured on Wikipedia...

A well-known scientist (some say it was Bertrand Russell) once gave a public lecture on astronomy. He described how the earth orbits around the sun and how the sun, in turn, orbits around the center of a vast collection of stars called our galaxy. At the end of the lecture, a little old lady at the back of the room got up and said: "What you have told us is rubbish. The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise." The scientist gave a superior smile before replying, "What is the tortoise standing on?" "You're very clever, young man, very clever", said the old lady. "But it's turtles all the way down!"

Widgets Update

2009-10-19T21:32:01Z

I have updated the Image Library widget once again and added some additional options. You can use these widgets to easily add dynamic content from the Image Library on seaturtle.org in to your own web pages.

Last 10 photos

Last 10 photos in plastic category

Last 10 photos in hawksbill category

Note that you cannot put more than one photo widget on a page or they will conflict with each other.

If you are interested in including other categories from the Image Library in your website just let me know.

Similarly you can include a news widget that includes the latest sea turtle related headlines from seaturtle.org's news section.

Last 10 news headlines

You can also get nesting widgets by following these instructions from the Sea Turtle Nest Monitoring System.

How does SEATURTLE.ORG aid your sea turtle work?

2009-10-09T16:20:48Z

Calling all Turtlers!

I am looking for help in describing more specifically how seaturtle.org helps individuals and organizations around the world involved in sea turtle research and conservation.

If you use seaturtle.org, I would greatly appreciate if you could send along a short description of how one or more of the resources has helped to improve your sea turtle work. If English is not your first language, it would be great to receive a version in your first language as well!

Please note that I may use your contribution as an endorsement in seeking public support for seaturtle.org in the Giving Challenge (http://www.causes.com/seaturtle) or on the seaturtle.org website, so please let me know how you would like to be recognized (name and organization).

Please send feedback to mcoyne@seaturtle.org.

Thanks very much for your help!

The Garbage Patch goes Mainstream

2009-05-11T13:06:56Z

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is going mainstream, with a prominent mention in a mainstream television program (sort of), not to mention new entries in Wikipedia and How Stuff Works. A recent episode of a new program called Life After People on the History Channel featured the GPGP. The premise of the program is speculation about what would happen to all of our man-made constructs if people were to suddenly disappear from the face of the earth one day. Last night's episode (The Capital Threat) focused on Washington DC and Los Angeles. The Los Angeles segments followed the GPGP and noted that the patch would continue to grow for many years after people because of all of the plastic currently floating in the ocean that has not yet reached the GPGP.

The show ends with the sobering note that our plastic garbage will likely be our longest lasting legacy, outlasting our steel megastructures and monuments of solid stone. After 600 hundred years the plastic trash will have photo-degraded into smaller and more toxic elements and continue to impact wildlife long after we are gone (they even have a video vignette of a hawksbill sea turtle).

While our sudden disappearance from the Earth is unlikely, the take home message is that even if we were to completely stop using plastics today they will continue to accumulate in the environment for many years. Some significant steps are needed to gain control of plastic and mitigate the long-term price we are going to pay for our current irresponsible practices.

Photo gallery from the episode

This episode of Life After People will be airing again (all times are US eastern)...
Tonight (11 May) at 11pm
Tomorrow (12 May) at 3am
17 May at 5pm

Monster Quest damages conservation efforts

2009-03-29T18:29:31Z

The kids have been bugging us for a couple of weeks to let them watch Monster Quest (on the History Channel). So we finally gave in and watched an episode this morning called "Jaws in Illinois". Basically about how sharks have been reported upstream in fresh water rivers and lakes. Not that big a deal, as bull sharks are known to be able to move from salt to fresh water. In the end it was about 15 minutes of material (repeated over and over again) expanded in to an hour long show.

But the worst part was the extreme hyperbole playing upon the completely bogus reputation of sharks as cold-blooded killers. Indicative of the overblown drama was the line "they are invading our rivers". Never mind that the rivers don't belong to us and that sharks and many other organisms have been using them long before humans even evolved. They repeatedly suggest that humans are in mortal danger because the sharks are moving in to fresh water. Complete bunk!

Left unmentioned was that IF the sharks are increasingly moving in to fresh water it is because we have wiped out their food resources in the ocean and they are looking farther afield for food. Or perhaps they have just always been there and we didn't notice it. The truth is that shark species around the world are in trouble because we have wiped out their food sources, fisheries that target shark fins and waste the rest of the shark, and a shoot first ask questions later mentality when it comes to sharks fueled by shows like this that continue to demonize these magnificent marine creatures.

One cool tidbit of info was that scientists believe that greenland sharks live up to 200 years, the longest lived vertebrate on the planet. But in general, this show represents the worst kind of human arrogance. Hopefully the first and last episode of this show we will watch.

Education, Outreach and Collaborative Networks

2009-02-06T21:00:19Z

I was invited to speak at the Duke University Marine Lab this week as part of their Seminar Series. The PhD students invite a different speaker each week. I recorded my presentation on "Education, Outreach and Collaborative Networks", or how seaturtle.org is working to network the global sea turtle community. The presentation is included below.

Or subscribe to the Sea Turtle Multimedia Guide

Sea Turtles Navigate (Google) Ocean

2009-02-02T23:00:00Z

Google just announced an expansion of its popular Google Earth application to include seabed maps and underwater imagery. This new "Google Ocean" provides a powerful new tool for sea turtle researchers.

SEATURTLE.ORG's wildlife tracking tool allows researchers to open satellite tracks in Google Earth with the click of a button. By incorporating the sea floor in to Google Earth, Google has provided an exciting new way for researchers to visualize their wildlife tracking data.

Swim with Adelita

Take an 8-minute tour across the Pacific Ocean with Adelita the sea turtle.

Adelita was the first turtle ever tracked across an entire ocean basin using satellite telemtry...maybe even the first marine animal! Millions of kids shared her migration on the internet. Her migration helped to prove that loggerheads born in Japan cross the Pacific and feed in California and Mexico, before migrating back home to nest in Japan. She also reminds us that the oceans are connected and that we need to work together to protect sea turtles and their habitat.

]]> Aerial View of Adelita's Track

Animals and the Environment

The Gabon Olive Ridley Project aims to determine foraging strategies and oceanographic habitat, determine multi-species turtle hotspots, and assess the potential impact of fisheries on olive ridley sea turtles nesting in Gabon (West Africa). Animating the turtle tracks through time and overlaying them with sea surface temperature offers a glimple at the future potential of the new Google Earth as oceanogrphic layers are added and improved. Google Earth promises to be a valuable tool in visualizing how marine animals interact with their environment.

Peñasquita is an adult female hawksbill turtle being tracked as part of the Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative. Essentially nothing is known of the biology, distribution, abundance, or conservation needs of the eastern Pacific hawksbill. This initiative hopes to provide critical information for local and regional conservation management plans that will ultimately determine the feasibility of the turtles' recovery in this region of the world.

To learn more about these and hundreds of other projects visit SEATURTLE.ORG's satellite tracking web sites:

http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/

http://www.wildlifetracking.org/

Get the new Google Earth.

Google Bathymetry

2009-01-27T22:50:34Z

Google has added a new high-resolution bathymetry layer to Google Earth and Google Maps. In Google Maps you have to switch to satellite mode to see it. The new layer appears to be based on the NOAA NDGC ETOPO1 or Gebco global bathymetry products.

These are the same bathymetry data used in SEATURTLE.ORG's STAT and Maptool resources.

This is a very exciting development, particularly if it means we are getting closer to the release of the long rumored Google Ocean product.

Making Friends

2009-01-27T15:43:00Z

Interesting question from the Symposum organizers this morning with regard to number of countries registered for the upcoming Sea Turtle Symposium, and number of new countries. Quite interesting answer as well...

]]> Current map of countries represented (27 Jan 2009)

So far there are individuals from 86 countries registered for the Sympoisum in Brisbane Australia. This is a lot, but one Symposium has done better:24th (Costa Rica, 2004): 6825th (Savannah, 2005): 6126th (Crete, 2006): 9627th (Myrtle Beach, 2007): 7828th (Loreto, Mexico, 2008): 6929th (Brisbane, 2009): 86
Overall, 119 countries have been represented at the last five Symposia. Quite impressive.

It's no surprise that the number was so high in Crete as there were likely many representatives from countries around the Mediterranean that do not usually attend the Symposium every year. Likewise the list of countries this year is augmented by many small Pacific island nations that are not able to attend every year, as well as 13 new countries that have never attended before (these include some Pacific islands and several African countries). This is a very good development for the sea turtle community, and demonstrates the international nature of the Sea Turtle Symposium and the power of hosting the Symposium in different parts of the world.
I am looking forward to making many new friends this year and seeing even more new attendees at the 2010 Symposium in India!

Just the stats

2008-12-09T18:11:13Z

I am a bit of a numbers junkie. I was just looking at the web logs for seaturtle.org and came across some interesting numbers. Seaturtle.org continues to receive more than 2 million hits per month, but perhaps more impressive are the 50,000-70,000+ unique visitors each month. That's a lot of turtle enthusiasts!

Of these visitors about 60% are coming directly to seaturtle.org (ie they are not coming through a search engine or referred from another site). About 25% are referred by search engines (mostly google) and 15% are referred from other web sites. Want to know where your site stands?

Here are the Top 10 Sites referring visitors to seaturtle.org.

10. Marine Conservation Society UK

9. FalconTrak

8. Free Ecology Journals

7. 29th Sea Turtle Symposium

6. Bald Head Island Conservancy

5. Georgia Sea Turtle Center

4. Gumbo Limbo Nature Center

3. SCDNR Marine Turtle Conservation Program

2. Ocean Conservancy

and the NUMBER ONE referring site to seaturtle.org is....

Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center

Vote for the NAILSMA Dugong and Marine Turtle Project

2008-09-26T16:03:25Z

UPDATE2: I have it on good authority that the sign up form is now allowing non-Australian participation. So get in there and show your support!

UPDATE: It seems that the sign up form restricts participation to Australian postal codes for the time being. Will post another update if they change their policy.

Helping out a friend running a great project! Please support their cause with a vote. See details copied from message from Rod Kennett below:

Dear Colleagues

Vote for the NAILSMA Dugong and Marine Turtle Project at http://www.landcareheroes.com/meet-our-finalists/life-on-the-edge-coastcare

The Australian Indigenous delegates who participated in the Native Oceans presentation at the 2008 International Sea Turtle Symposium have been nominated for a major Australian environmental award.

The North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance’s (NAILSMA) Dugong and Marine Turtle Project (DMTP) has been nominated in the Australian National Landcare Awards for the "Life-on-the-edge-Coastcare Award" and a "People's Choice Award". The NAILSMA DMTP is the only Indigenous-run project in the Coastcare Award category.

The NAILSMA project brings together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people living along Australia’s vast northern coastline with researchers, government and non-government agencies and industry for better management of Australia's globally significant populations of marine turtle and dugong. The nomination reflects the high quality of work of Indigenous communities engaged in the NAILSMA project in developing community based initiatives for dugong and marine turtle management.

Earlier this year we won a prestigious Environmental Excellence Award from the Australian Banksia Environmental Foundation, but just missed out (to an eco-friendly shopping centre) on a Banksia People's Choice Award. The National Landcare People’s Choice Awards are open to votes from people around the world so we invite our Australian and overseas colleagues on the cturtle list to add their vote and show their support.

So if you have a few moments spare, please add your vote for the NAILSMA Dugong and Marine Turtle Project at

http://www.landcareheroes.com/meet-our-finalists/life-on-the-edge-coastcare

When you place your vote, you can also leave a message of support to the Indigenous Rangers and communities involved in the project. We will be sure to pass your comments onto them at our Project Summit taking place at One Arm Point (Kimberley, Western Australia) in a weeks time.

If you would like more information about our project or NAILSMA please visit www.nailsma.org.au

On behalf of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colleagues from across north Australia thank you for your time.

Cheers

Rod Kennett

P.S. Keep up-to-date with the latest news from NAILSMA. Visit our subscribe page and select from a range of printed publications, electronic newsletters (including our Dugong and Marine Turtle Project 'talking' e-news) and email alerts you can subscribe to. Keep up-to-date with the latest news from NAILSMA. Visit our subscriptions page and select from a range of printed publications, electronic newsletters and email alerts you can subscribe to. Visit http://www.nailsma.org.au/publications/nailsma/subscribe.html.

Wal-Mart turns up heat in war on plastic bags

2008-09-26T15:56:59Z

Possibly the biggest retailer to jump on the anti-plastic bag bandwagon. Are they really committed to the environment or is this just PR stunt?

Retail giant pledges to slash plastic bag waste by a third
http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2227033/wal-mart-turns-heat-war-plastic

GoodGuide - find safe, healthy, & green products

2008-09-23T17:47:49Z

Find healthy products for yourself, your family and the environment.

http://www.goodguide.com/

Turtle enthusiasts await word on license plate

2008-09-23T17:18:42Z

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/251/story/448512.html

Turtle enthusiasts have been waiting for almost five months for news about a proposed sea turtle state license plate.

Proceeds from sales of the $25 tags would be used to increase funding for the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island. Republican state Rep. Jerry Keen of St. Simons Island spearheaded the legislation for the plates. Gov. Sonny Perdue signed it in May.

Marketing director for the Jekyll Island Authority, Eric Garvey, says the tag needs final approval from the state Department of Natural Resources.

Garvey says if interest continues, the center should be able to reach its goal of having 5,000 turtle tags on the road within the first year.

Florida already has a very successful sea turtle license plate program. The proceeds of which support sea turtle research and conservation in Florida.

North Carolina has a similar program with the proceeds supporting the sea turtle hospital on Topsail Island.

If you live in these states, support sea turtles by getting a sea turtle license plate!