Shark attacks – get a grip!
Afraid of sharks? Following two month of some very wild accounts of sharks in the press, it would be hard to blame the woman/man on the street for being terrified. We shark enthusiasts, divers and the conservation-minded have followed the news about attacks in the Red Sea and other locations with muted skepticism. But we’ve also been very disturbed by some of the reaction. A couple of shark attacks on tourists in the Red Sea became the reason for the authorities to go on a shark kill mission in the region. In the past week, several people in Australia have found their spot of fame by claiming they’d encountered Bull Sharks in the flooded streets (while the stories like this one about a man forced to hide from a shark grow and become scarier, there are very few photographs to back these accounts). So why are people still so shark-phobic? Read the rest of this entry »
Green sunscreen – protect yourself, protect coral reefs
As you are heading out to your winter getaways, I thought I’d update this blog on green sunscreen. Keeping safe from the sun is important and at the same time, you want to do everything to prevent doing harm to the reefs that are so important for the health of the ocean. Read the rest of this entry »
Save the ugly – conservation’s not just for big and furry animals
UPDATED 25th November 2010
It’s hard being ugly. This is especially true if you’re an animal on the downward spiral of extinction. These animals can’t get money and attention – in the way of conservation funding and scientific research. But what are the consequences of this beauty contest in the conservation world and are the unattractive species consigned to be lost forever? Read the rest of this entry »
Twitter for the environment – using hashtags
If you’re a green-minded and new to Twitter or if you haven’t used hashtags much, you may be missing out on a useful method of organising searches and communicating your messages. Read the rest of this entry »
Shark encounters – yes please!
Once again, the news sphere is full of shark hysteria. There’s been a lot of hoopla in the press about sharks in the past week. I don’t know if it’s mid-autumn boredom, pre-Halloween excitement or just there aren’t enough stories on terrorism to meet the hoopla quota. But it’s been the usual digression to the most base human emotions and the story of an unfortunate surfer killed by a Great White in California is giving a lot of mileage.
All this is quite amusing to those of us who have encountered sharks in the water. Many shark enthusiasts spend a lot of effort and money to travel long and far to see sharks up close. Read the rest of this entry »
We’re doing our part for sustainable seafood but what about the big fish eating nations?
We may be eco-aware, know our sustainable seafood and make good responsible choices for the oceans. But we get frustrated everytime we hear about the demand coming from big consumer nations like Japan and China. It’s not just the quantity of seafood but what the people are eating (the most vulnerable species and products of cruel and inhumane practice such as whaling). Read the rest of this entry »
