Michael Moore published a wonderful essay in the ICES Journal of Marine Science this winter. It’s definitely food for thought, and puts the debate against commercial whaling in an interesting perspective.
Image credit: Scott Landry
Author: nlysiak
Summer Programs at Shoals Marine Laboratory
I am teaching “Introduction to Marine Mammal Biology” at Shoals Marine Lab this summer!
Artist Spotlight – Charley Harper
BBC Ocean Giants – Humpbacks Fishing
I have enjoyed using the BBC series “Ocean Giants” in class this semester. Here is a great video clip from the series that illustrates humpback whale bubble feeding with cartoons, underwater, and aerial footage.
Museumgoers Wonder: Why Doesn’t the Whale Fall?
How does the blue whale at the American Museum of Natural History stay suspended?
Smithsonian – Women in Science
The Smithsonian has a great photostream that presents “a sampling of images documenting women scientists and engineers from around the world, most of whom were pioneers in their respective fields, or were the first women to receive advanced graduate degrees in their discipline.”
via: Miss Moss
DeepSea Challenger
Director/Explorer/Ocean Enthusiast James Cameron brought his one-man sub, the DeepSea Challenger to WHOI today. He broke the record for deepest dive earlier this year with it, while exploring the Marianas Trench. He donated it to WHOI for use in ocean science research and exploration. Straight out of the movie, Life Aquatic, James has an entourage (with official matching outfits for all the staff) and fancy vehicles. He gave a speech at a small ceremony at Dyers Dock in Woods Hole.
June was Bowhead Whale Month
After the right whale cruise on the Gunter finished (with no more small boating days and no tags deployed), I started work on sampling bowhead whale baleen plate for stable isotope ratios. I’m looking at how stable isotope ratios in bowhead whale baleen have changed over the last several decades, and what we can attribute those changes to (climate change, primary production rates, sea ice loss, etc). Leah Danny (Wheaton College ‘13), a graduate of Intro to Marine Mammals and Biology of Whales, worked with me as a Guest Student at WHOI to complete the project. Leah is pictured next to the largest bowhead whale baleen plate that we sampled, at least twice her height. There is also a photo of a baleen plate being, by me and my trusty Subaru, transported from WHOI Shipping and Receiving to the lab – notice the baleen poking through the sun roof.
NEFSC May Cruise 2013 – Shopping, etc.
It’s Day 3 on the hook, and we’re all starting to go a little stir crazy. There was no port call to Provincetown. We’ve been keeping busy by working, reading, shopping (RGT gets a new shirt!!), watching movies and Arrested Development (we’re excited to stream the new season today thanks to Chris’s fancy wireless card), and – of course – playing Peanut. Whitney and Kira are also staffing a friendship bracelet factory of 2 that rivals the production rate of a sweatshop. They are graciously making them for everyone on the team. If nothing else, you get to see pictures today that are NOT in the blue-gray color palate.
Nadine Stewart J Lysiak 