Twitter Discoveries: Bycatch.org and RJ Dunlap

I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical about Twitter for a while.  However, since jumping on the bandwagon I’ve actually found it to be an incredible source of information and news that I would never have had the time to track down on my own.  Also, it allows me to instantly put up all those nifty corners of the internet that I used to let build up until it came time for a big linkage post.  So those of you looking for more link dumps will have to follow me on that most short-form of social media, because I’m fast running out of lame link puns based on the scientific names of sharks.

That said, every so often something pops up that I feel are worthy of regular following and linkage on the sidebar here.  So I’m going to institute a semi-regular (that means updated when I damn well feel like it) series of posts called Twitter Discoveries, to highlight sites, blogs, and nerdy internet stuff that I deem worthy of bringing to your attention.  In other words, more link posts.  The links are dead, long live the links!

For the inaugural Twitter Discoveries post, let me introduce you to bycatch.org and the RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation Program.

Bycatch.org is the website of the Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction, a science-industry partnership (imagine that!) seeking to promote more selective fisheries.  They include news and events related to bycatch research, but to me the most interesting aspect of the site is a database of research papers on the bycatch problem.  You can search by year, gear type, species, or all three and it will return links to relevant papers.  While you may need to have access to some of the journals in order to read the full articles (damn you, paywalls!), you can at least get a look at the abstracts and catch a glimpse of the breadth of bycatch-reduction research, all from the comfort of home.

The second of today’s Twitter Discoveries is the website for the RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation Program at the University of Miami (which is where fellow SFS network member and friend of the blog David “WhySharksMatter” Shiffman will be going for his PhD).  There is of course a little intro to the program and some pleas for donations, but what makes this site are the interactive elements.  You can take a virtual shark-tagging expedition and simulate every step of the trip, and you can also take a look at real-time tracks of sharks tagged by the program.  While you’re there, you can also buy some swag, which also benefits the program.  I wish I had the time and programming know-how to do neat stuff like that with this ol’ blog.

The secret to both of these sites is interactivity, which helps ensure more than a passing glance by offering some kind of experience for those who want to click around.  Definitely something to keep in mind.

One comment

  1. Mark · May 31, 2011

    Thanks for the great resources!

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