Category Archives: research blogging

Trawling is Not Plowing

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Chuck

This probably should have gone under the annual Southern Fried Science Week of Ocean Pseudoscience, but last week kept me busy enough to effectively prevent me from doing any writing here.  For some reason, I’ve been hearing from multiple fishermen, … Continue reading →

Posted in conservation, fisheries, fisheries management, Ocean of Pseudoscience, research blogging, wtf | 3 Comments

Spiny Dogfish Munch Viruses?

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Chuck

Editor’s Selection IconI’ve been on hiatus for a little bit as I adjust to the workload inherent in starting a PhD program (while putting the finishing touches on a thesis, but that’s neither here nor there…), so that’s my excuse … Continue reading →

Posted in research blogging, sharks, spiny dogfish, ugh... chemistry | 3 Comments

New Dogfish Species Found in Taiwanese Fish Market

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Chuck

The Order Squaliformes, home to the dogfish sharks, is one of the most diverse groups of sharks currently swimming the oceans, second only to the Carcharhiniformes in sheer number of species.  Within that order is the Family Squalidae, made up … Continue reading →

Posted in methods, mystery fish, research blogging, science, spiny dogfish | 2 Comments

Sharks of the Jersey Shore

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Chuck

Just got back from a little pre-school-year vacation visiting the Hot Girlfriend up in New Jersey, which has seen its share of shark sightings this summer.  New Jersey has a long history with sharks, what with the first high-profile string … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, research blogging, sharks, tagging | Leave a comment

101 Uses for Shark Puke Part 2: How Much Do Sharks Eat?

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Chuck

The last time I wrote about the usefulness of shark puke, I discussed a few of the less obvious uses of diet studies on sharks.  As apex predators, sharks can sample a wide variety of potential prey species, and diet … Continue reading →

Posted in ecology, fisheries management, gut contents, methods, research blogging, sharks, spiny dogfish | Leave a comment

101 Uses for Shark Puke

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Chuck

Earlier today WhySharksMatter and I had a little light-hearted smack talk about new-school (stable isotopes) vs. old-school (gastric lavage or straight-up dissection) methods of measuring the diet of sharks.  These are the things you could be privy to if you … Continue reading →

Posted in cephalopods, ecology, gut contents, methods, research blogging, sharks, spiny dogfish | 5 Comments

Reproduction: Secret Weapon of the Dogfish?

Posted on May 23, 2011 by Chuck

Spiny dogfish are one of the rare success stories in the management of shark fisheries, with the U.S. Atlantic population representing one of the few shark stocks ever to fully recover from overfishing.  At first glance this doesn’t seem to … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, ecology, research blogging, sharks, spiny dogfish | 2 Comments

Protected Sharks Still Eat Fish

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Chuck

Amid the constant talk of lowered biodiversity, invasive species, habitat destruction, global climate change, and any other examples of how thoroughly we as a species have wrecked the planet, it’s always good to hear an actual success story in conservation.  … Continue reading →

Posted in conservation, ecology, fisheries management, research blogging, sharks | 5 Comments

How to Not Catch Dogfish

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Chuck

Even the biggest fan of spiny dogfish can’t deny that these little sharks sure are great at choking up entire nets.  This is especially problematic for commercial fishermen who are trying to catch anything other than dogfish, and particularly for … Continue reading →

Posted in fisheries management, fishing, methods, research blogging, spiny dogfish | 2 Comments

Unintentional Shark Tagging

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Chuck

This might possibly be the most awesome paper about tagging fish ever. One of the handiest advances in telemetry, especially of large, highly-migratory oceanic species, has been the advent of PSAT tags.  These tags do it all: movement, depth, temperature, … Continue reading →

Posted in ecology, gut contents, research blogging, sharks, tagging | 3 Comments