Bycatch (noun): Un-desirable marine life that’s caught by fishermen, and is tossed back into the sea dead or dying. Fishermen discard these fish because they are too small for regulations, or there is no market for the animal. We live in a wasteful world there’s…
Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered why we are the only planet with life? Earth is the third planet of eight that make up our solar system. Why isn’t there life on Mars, Venus or Jupiter? There are a few…
Sharks are found in every ocean on Earth, especially roaming around the high seas. Open ocean shark species consist of upper-pelagic sharks and deep sea sharks. Upper-Pelagic sharks live in the Epipelagic and Mesopelagic zones where sunlight penetrates deep and allows life to grow. These…
Maine is home to some of the most beautiful landscapes in the United States. Which is why we traveled to Acadia National Park, to experience these glacier-swept coastlines firsthand. The culture here is so deeply intertwined with lobster. Everywhere you look you see the lobster…
Recreational fishing is a truly unique sport. It puts fishermen in the middle of the natural world, and allows them to explore local marine ecosystems firsthand. So many marine biologists and conservationists, including myself, were actually first introduced to the wonder and beauty of the…
The Aegean Sea is home to a vast array of marine life including whales, dolphins, seals, sea turtles, and sharks. Not to mention all of the fish and ocean flora! But these incredible animals face threats from mankind including overfishing and plastic pollution. Plastic pollution…
The Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle Lepidochelys kempii is the world’s smallest sea turtle, growing to a maximum of 75 cm (carapace [shell] length) and 50 kg. Compared to a fully mature leatherback turtle which can exceed 2.2 m in shell length and weigh over 700 kg, the…
We see organizations doing beach cleanups all the time around the world, but so many people ask the question: Do these beach cleanups really make a difference? The unfortunate answer is NO, beach cleanups don’t make a physical difference at all for the health of our…
It’s basic knowledge at this point – our world’s climate is changing at a rapid pace thanks to mankind’s greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon from the burning of fossil fuels, methane from the cows we eat, and the destruction of habitat are all some of the…
Have you ever heard the term ‘elasmobranch’ and wondered – what kind of animal exactly is that? Here’s your answer: Elasmobranchs are a subclass of cartilaginous fish; in other words they have a skeleton that is made of cartilage instead of bone. The Subclass is…
