DarWIN, not DarLOSE!

I’ve always thought the comedic talents of both Dana Carvey and Charles Darwin were highly underrated. Dana Carvey is “DARWIN” – watch more funny videos

Thoughts on North Carolina’s Gill Net Issues

It’s been a hot topic in this state for a while that gill nets are both important to the commercial fishing industry and highly controversial.  I personally know a couple people involved in this debate, and have been following it with some interest, though I…

Feeding Habits Analysis: Pizza Toppings

In my last post about the things I’m finding in shark puke, I discussed the presence of menhaden in the diet of spiny dogfish.  These fat, oil-rich fish make quite a nutritious meal, and it usually only takes a handful of them (or chunks of…

Dogfish Where They’re Really Not Supposed to Be

Earlier I posted about spiny dogfish sticking around in parts of North Carolina when the conventional wisdom says they should be heading north (and I’m still looking for more dogfish stories from the Beaufort/Morhead City area).  Well, it seems now that spiny dogfish aren’t content…

Dogfish Diets and the Influence of Holden

I can never get enough of this picture.  Photo by Andy Murch. As always, I have spiny dogfish and what they’re eating on the brain, and the Menhaden of History post over at Southern Fried Science and Kevin Z’s challenge to the marine blogosphere got…

Feeding Habits Analysis: Tasty Menhaden Morsels

This week I finally got to start diving into my dogfish stomach contents, and the results so far have been nice and gory.  The post up at Southern Fried Science about the Menhaden of History really brought home the importance of these humble oily fish…

How the Oil Spill Affects Fisheries

Kevin Z over at Deep Sea News has an interview with fisheries biologist Dave Kersetter that explains how the oil spill in the Gulf may affect (and is already affecting) the area’s fisheries.  This should be required reading for anyone following the subject, and be…

Spiny Dogfish Where They’re Not Supposed to Be

It’s been brought to the attention of myself and others in my lab that spiny dogfish have been turning up in North Carolina waters south of Cape Hatteras in the past couple weeks.  According to the conventional wisdom they should all have been heading north…

I Live!

Yeah, it’s been a while.  I’ve finally dug my way out from under the end of the semester mess and after exams tomorrow I’ll be a free man for the summer (at least until I start teaching).  As I take a break from studying to…