Shifting Baselines Blog

1/23 - Got Mercury? The place to find out

In case you don't know gotmercury.org, you probably should.

New reports add ahi sushi to the list of things not to eat, especially if pregnant

1/19 - Attack of the Echizen Monsters: Japanese sing the jellyfish and bacteria blues

Its been three years sing we started singing about it -- "jellyfish and bacteria, that's what you get when the ocean is infer-e-yah." Now the Japanese are ready to join the chorus. And yet ... this article attributes their increase in jellyfish populations, not to over-fishing, but to global warming. How con-veeen-e-yant.

No, this is not another Photoshop job from Ty Carlisle -- they weigh up to 440 pounts

1/19 - Shrinky-dinks: Yet another fish species shows size reduction (whale sharks)

Here's a report by the BBC about whale sharks off Australia getting smaller.

Fishes of the World: The more you look, the smaller they get.

1/18 - A Tragedy: A great wildlife filmmaker is murdered

Don't know if you've ever seen "Mysterious Castles of Clay," but it is truly one of the top five all-time greatest nature documentaries. Joan Root, who along with her former husband Alan Root, made it, was murdered in Kenya last week at age 69. There are so few original nature filmmakers in the world. Its a sad loss.

Joan Root: the world has lost a great original nature filmmaker

1/17 - A Great Performance: Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace take a bow in Southern Seas

After chasing the Japanese whaling fleet for a month across 4000 km of the southern ocean, the Sea Shepherd ship, Farley Mowat, has taken a bow and headed back to home port.

Whaler's dread: Captain Paul Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd

1/10 - The Power of Negativity! 250,000 people show that it actually IS possible to stop bad fishing regulations

I love it when people say, "Don't be so negative." But what if you said that to the 250,000 people who submitted comments on the insufficiently conservation-minded revisions to national fishing policy. Most of their comments were so negative that NOAA has halted the whole process to reassess things and presumably improve the legislation. Congratulations to National Environmental Trust on helping to spearhead this entire effort. Mission accomplished! (for the time being)

1/9 - Firing the Imagination: Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace bring drama (and a can opener) to ocean conservation

As the world of ocean conservation has settled over the past decade into the mud flats of politics, bureaucracy, focus groups, and political correctness, there are a couple of groups of warriors still out there waging the battle in a way that can stir the public's heart. Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace are combatting whaling the old fashioned way -- by actually being seen doing something, which is very good for media and the general public. In case anyone has forgotten.

So this week they're taking a giant can opener to a Japanese whaling ship to open that sucker like a tin of sardines. Yes, its important that we put lots of effort into politics and diplomacy, but without a little drama like this, the whole movement just gets so dull that nobody cares. Here's to these two groups.


At sea collision and "The Can Opener"

1/6 - Planktonic Memories: Yet another case of shifting baselines in N. Pacific zooplankton?

Sediment cores collected from the seafloor off Southern California suggest that plankton populations in the Northeastern Pacific have changed significantly since the early 1900s, and that the changes closely parallel a general warming trend starting at that time.

Tiny fossils, in the brine, make me happy, make me feel fine

1/3 - Here's to 2006: THE YEAR OF THE DODO!

Coming Soon: what we've been slaving over for the past 8 months, the documentary feature film, "Flock of Dodos: the evolution-intelligent design circus." It's going to be an interesting year. Check out the new website at: www.flockofdodos.com

And if you're wondering what the intelligent design issue has to do with shifting baselines, the answer is, "Everything." Stay tuned.

Attack of the dodos!