Ocean Use and Management

NO CLASS on February 28, BUT...

2012-02-15T05:58:00.000-08:00

The Faculty and Students of the Marine Affairs Program invite you to a seminar:

The Importance of Scientific Programs like the Census of Marine Life and the Ocean Tracking Network in Informing Policy

Dr. Ronald O’Dor
Professor
Biology Department, Dalhousie University

Tuesday, February 28
3-4:30 pm

Room 309
Dalhousie Schulich School of Law
6061 University Avenue

Dr. Ronald O’Dor is a Biology Professor at Dalhousie and was named Canadian Geographic’s Environmental Scientist of the Year for 2009 and is now Global Scientific Director for the Dalhousie led Global Ocean Tracking Network, a Census spin-off project. He was previously at the Consortium for Ocean Leadership in Washington, D.C. as a senior scientist for the Census of Marine Life (CoML). The Census of Marine Life was a 10 year international initiative to assess the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine life.

He earned a BA in biochemistry from the University of California Berkeley, a PhD in medical physiology from the University of British Columbia. He now uses telemetry to study cephalopod behavior, bioenergetics and physiology in nature around the world, and he was a Principal Investigator for the Aquatic Research Facility on NASA Shuttle Mission 77. He and his students founded the website, CephBase as part of the CoML Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS). He has edited volumes on cephalopod biology, from physiology to fisheries, and published more than 150 articles. He has served on many granting councils internationally, as President of the Cephalopod International Advisory Council, as an FAO consultant, and as a convener for ICES, PICES, and Expo ’98.

An ad that hits home about marine pollution!

2012-01-27T05:04:00.000-08:00

Field Trip to Bedford Institute of Oceanography

2012-01-26T10:19:00.000-08:00

Good news! The field trip to the Bedford Institute of Oceanography is now confirmed for Friday, March 2 10am-12pm. This year is the 50th anniversary of BIO so we may hear about some interesting up-coming events. Our guide will be Bruce Anderson from the Canadian Hydrographic Service and he will give us a presentation about the CHS, followed by a tour of BIO.

Big Miracle!

2012-01-24T14:00:00.000-08:00

So....saving whales should be inspirational. And it is. Wow...maybe you can get some "show what you know by what you do" action assignment inspiration from the trailer for this new film!

The Seven C's Pledge

2012-01-24T10:48:00.000-08:00

Blogger won't let me fix that broken link: so you can access the "Seven C's Pledge" by clicking here!

The Future of Canada's Commercial Fishery?

2012-01-22T09:03:00.000-08:00

Canada is blessed to be rich in natural resources, including the longest coastline in the world. It is estimated that 80,000 Canadians make their livings directly from fishing and fishing related activities. Fisheries and Oceans Canada is committed to supporting the economic profitability of those fisheries, while striving to ensure that fish stocks are healthy and abundant for future generations. The Department is modernizing the way it does business to enable the industry to address both current and future challenges. This will ultimately lead to fisheries that are more sustainable, more profitable and more globally competitive for the long term. Fisheries and Oceans Canada has already taken some important steps after considering feedback from industry, Aboriginal groups and others. But more needs to be done. The Department is talking with Aboriginal groups, the fishing industry, non-governmental organizations and fisheries experts, as well as the Canadian public. We recognize the importance of transparency as we move forward with specific elements of fisheries management modernization. We also appreciate the value that diverse perspectives can bring to the development of these policies. Together, we will build a path towards a more sustainable, stable and economically prosperous fishing industry.

Read More Here:
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/future-avenir/index-eng.htm

Scholarship Opportunity

2012-01-09T10:47:00.000-08:00

The Marine Affairs Program at Dalhousie
University and WWF-Canada are pleased to announce the attached
scholarship competition for graduates engaged in innovative solutions to
ocean conservation issues. This scholarship is made possible by a generous
gift made by Donald Sobey. The application deadline is January 31, 2012
and details are available at http://marineaffairsprogram.dal.ca/Prospective%20Students/Scholarship%20Information/Graduate_Scholarship.php.

GEOG 2315 Winter 2012

2012-01-07T05:49:00.000-08:00

Welcome to GEOG 2315 for 2012!
I will be using this blog as well as the Physical Geography of Oceans course: slowly compiling the two into one, for purposes of this course. Keep checking back, as I post content over the semester....

Another "show what you know" contributor!

2008-12-03T09:47:00.001-08:00

Show What You Know

From: cconrad,
13 minutes ago

Show What You Know

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own.

SlideShare Link

Another "show what you know" video

2008-12-02T11:24:00.001-08:00

by Ryan Newell

Good Luck on your Exam tonight

2008-12-01T04:11:00.000-08:00

Amazing "show what you know" assignments coming in...

2008-11-28T10:38:00.000-08:00

Including this short video from Nicole Ashley Aube. More to come...

Tuna conservation "mockery"

2008-11-25T17:40:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Sarah Weston for e-mailing this BBC article to me. It is an interesting (albeit sad) update on the status of the the bluefin tuna conservation efforts (or lack thereof).

In the event you might be interested...

2008-11-25T17:37:00.001-08:00

Environmental stewardship in Nova Scotia:
A review of community-based monitoring
by

Cathy Conrad, PhD
Associate Professor Geography Department Saint Mary's University

Friday, November 28 at 4:00 pm
Room 1014, Kenneth C. Rowe Management Bldg
6100 University Avenue

This presentation will draw upon experiences from the Community-Based Environmental Monitoring Network, housed within the Department of Geography at Saint Mary's University. Over 50 organized environmental stewardship organizations across Nova Scotia are actively engaged in environmental monitoring and stewardship. It has been well documented that the integration of meaningful public participation into environmental management is not only important but also critical for sustainable development and perhaps even one of the most significant developments in resource management since the beginning of the environmental movement. Based on experiences with watershed organizations in the Nova Scotia over the past four years, common benefits, challenges and recommendations for successful citizen science were compiled.

A word (or two) about Washington

2008-11-17T16:52:00.000-08:00

So I think it is fair to say that everyone had an amazing trip to Washington. I want to
thank Emma Hicks for randomly posting about the Sant Ocean Hall. I guess what she might
not have known at the time is that I like to take good ideas and literally run with them.
You only live once, right?
This was my first time in Washington and I was thoroughly impressed. One of the best experiences (well, a close second to Obama anyway), was experiencing this with a group of amazing people. I am starting to compile many of your photos and plan to prepare a proper video (accompanied by a proper soundtrack) but in the meantime, I put together a montage of some of my photos. The music gets redundant and it ends abruptly: stay tuned for something far better that will be a part of a reunion "Pictures and Pitchers" event in January. Thank you all for being great students, and for being so engaged in the learning experiences that this trip provided for us all.
-Cathy

Talk at Dal about Tuna Management

2008-10-28T07:38:00.000-07:00

The Faculty and Students of the Marine Affairs Program invite you to a
seminar:
"Regional Tuna Management in the Western and Central Pacific"
Don Aldous, MMM
Monday, November 3, 2008
12:30 - 1:30 PM
Room 3089
Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building
6100 University Avenue, Dalhousie University Campus
Abstract
The Western and Central Pacific is home for over 40% of the world's tuna resources and the Pacific Islands have traditionally been on the leading edge of cooperative management in the fishery. They were the first to recognize their individual weakness but collective strength with the opening of the Forum Fisheries Agency in 1984. They were the first to develop what has become known as a "positive list of fishing vessels" in implementing the Regional Register in 1986. They were the first to challenge the US tuna Fleet in their courts. Now they are embarking on an ambitious plan to control the fishing effort of the Distant Water Fishing Nations tuna purse seine fleet. The Vessel Day Scheme has no precedent at the international level and poses some difficult issues for the Pacific Islands as they struggle to gain maximum benefit from their resources while ensuring the stocks are sustainable.
Bio
Don Aldous is a fisheries management consultant based in Nova Scotia who has built a career in the global tuna fishery. He spent 12 years with Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the last 16 years as an independent consultant. He has been a government fisheries manager, an ICCAT Commissioner and advisor to governments in the Pacific Islands. He is also a graduate of Dalhousie's Marine Affairs program having completed his MMM in 2006. Currently he is working with Pacific organizations and governments as they implement a new regional strategy for controlling fishing effort in the entire Western and Central Pacific.
For more information, contact the Marine Affairs Program, Marine.Affairs@dal.ca, 494-3555

We're talking about sealing on Monday

2008-10-23T14:45:00.000-07:00

So when I came across this article, it was very relevant to what we will be discussing.
This is the same Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Society in Sharkwater.

Another "show what you know" opportunity!

2008-10-22T18:06:00.000-07:00

The Sackville Rivers Association will be stocking Baby Atlantic Salmon (called fall parr), and they NEED some volunteers. If you are able to participate, show up this Friday at 10 am, 24 Oct. Meet at Tim Horton's at Downsview Mall--476-6276.

Bluefin Tuna Closure

2008-10-19T07:31:00.000-07:00

Image Source: BBC

Thanks to Sarah for sending me this link.

Another up-coming talk

2008-10-15T14:40:00.001-07:00

In cooperation with Transport Canada, the DFO and Habitat and the Oceans Management Research Network are delighted to invite you to the sixth session of the Oceans Dialogue Series. This session will take the form of a scoping workshop (presentation followed by a panel discussion) on ocean noise with presenter Dr. Leila Hatch, Regional Marine Bioacoustic Coordinator, US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and panelists, Paul Topping, TC; Camille Mageau, DFO; Hugh Bain, DFO; and, Jim Theriault, Defense Research and Development Canada.

For more details, please see attached flyer and/or visit the News and Events section found on the home page of the OMRN’s website: http://www.omrn-rrgo.ca

Talk at Dalhousie this Friday

2008-10-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

"Seabed habitat mapping: Science, fiction and politics"

by Vladimir Kostylev, Habitat Ecologist Natural Resources Canada

Friday, October 17, 4:00 p.m.

6100 University Avenue, Room 1014

Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building

Everyone Welcome!

Sharkwater

2008-10-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

We have been watching Sharkwater in class this past week and I told you that I would post some links and further information and reading: so here it is! -Probably more than you need or want but the post is always here if you ever want to refer back to it for information sources. And who knows, maybe one of you will go on to work in Shark Protection, research or management!

Saving Sharks is dedicated to shark conservation: their site provides some really useful ideas about things you can do to help save sharks.

The Centre for Ocean Awareness, Research and Education (COARE) is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Its' purpose is to study our oceans and increase public awareness of the earth's marine environment through educational programs and outreach. They have a shark education and awareness program.

IEMANYA OCEANICA is a non-profit organization, dedicated to the conservation of sharks, rays and their habitats. IEMANYA is an international organization of scientists, educators and environmentalists committed to protecting marine life, especially sharks and rays, while addressing the socio-economic repercussions of conservation within the communities that depend on marine resources.I.E.M.A.N.Y.A stands for Research, Education, Management, and Advisory. They are also named after Yemanjá, the celebrated Afro-Brazilian Goddess and guardian of the sea, and mother of all life.

Bite Back: Formed in 2002, Bite-Back continues to be the UK's only organisation dedicated to the protection of sharks by reducing consumer demand for its meat and fins.

Pretoma is based in Costa Rica: you might find it interesting to learn about what they are doing there, given the significance of Costa Rica in the film.

The Shark Trust: is a UK charity dedicated to promoting the study, management and conservation of sharks, skates and rays.

The Shark Research Institute: is a multi-disciplinary non-profit scientific research organization, created to sponsor and conduct research on sharks and promote the conservation of sharks. Founded in 1991 at Princeton, New Jersey, USA, SRI has field offices in Canada, the Galapagos Islands, Honduras, Mexico, South Africa, Taiwan and the Seychelles. A new data collecting site has been established in Australia.

The Shark Alliance is a not-for-profit coalition of non-governmental organizations dedicated to restoring and conserving shark populations by improving European fishing policy. Because of the influence of Europe in global fisheries and the importance of sharks in ocean ecosystems, these efforts have the potential to enhance the health of the marine environment in Europe and around the world. Take a look at their "take action" site: there might be some inspiration for the "show what you know" assignment here. You'll learn that Oct.11-19 is European Shark Week!

Shark Savers was founded in 2007 by a group of divers who care deeply about the environment and the oceans and sharks in particular. We think the need to increase awareness of sharks and the danger they are in is critical.

And finally, CNN's Planet in Peril Series did a segment on Shark Finning. Take a look at it!

P.S. Just because it's a really great site: take a look at obviously.ca. Why? Obviously...

Google Navy

2008-10-08T18:50:00.000-07:00

I recently learned about Google's move towards establishing their computer infrastructure on boats at sea and utilizing the energy harnessed from the ocean to power their systems. Read about it here and here and here and watch the video below. What do you think about this?

R.E.E.F.

2008-10-04T16:53:00.000-07:00

While doing some of my own research for a paper I am presently writing for the journal Biological Conservation on the global "Citizen Science" movement, I came across the "Reef Environmental Education Foundation" or REEF. What a great initiative this is! You might want to take a quick look through their site to see some of things that this group is doing.

"Spanish Trawler Released"

2008-09-30T14:17:00.000-07:00

From MacLean's magazine, March 27, 1995: Read what the reports were like in the midst of the Turbot War and Canada's actions against the Estai.

You can read the full (1998) ruling by the International Court of Justice (Spain v. Canada) here.

The Judicial ruling from the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs one decade later can be found here.

An interesting and relevant thesis on the subject can be found here.