Geology Newz: So much to lose

The Chinese River Dolphin is gone forever. Lesson learned? I am not sure, the human race can learn such a lesson. I have hope.

Two other cetaceans in trouble you may not have heard about:

The Irrawaddy Dolphin

 

Irrawaddy
Irrawaddy

Appearance: adorable, rounded heads, strong grey bodies.

Range: from the waters off Australia to the Bay of Bengal.

Numbers: estimated less than 1000 remaining.

Threats: fishing nets, pollutants, including poison from mining, boat collisions, dams, illegal capture for aquariums (and worse---think of the Amazon River Dolphin, see previous post)

Conservation: In Cambodia, an ecotourism program being created with support from UN along a 190 mile span of Mekong River.

 

Vaquita Porpoise (the only photos I could find were of it, dead)

Appearance: small, husky build, blunt face

Range: Sea of Cortez (Mexico)

Numbers: 150 or less remaining

Threats: fishing nets

Conservation: None yet, but a study done has proposed a program to get rid of the fishing nets and teach more sustainable fishing practices to the locals. (they are trying to raise money for this program, go to www.vaquita.org)

 

Vaquita
Vaquita
1 comment

But I fear
I have nothing to give
I have so much to lose
I have nothing to give
We have so much to lose...

(Sarah Maclachlan)

 

This also appears in:

Next Posts

Previous Posts

Comments

3
This is so sad and it was so avoidable. The human race are too busy thinking about themselves and never stop to take the time to look around [generally] - The news item i posted is evidence that this loss of life is about to escalate and spiral. This planet is not only on the slide and slipping.

Life on this beautiful planet is going to be wiped out before anyone can say happy new millennium
xmangerm
[this is good]
Thanks for continually raising my awareness. I am a much more informed human :))
Ellie
[this is good]

Have you read Sy Montgomery's Journey of the Pink Dolphin? Really great book. And BBC had some decent news a while ago:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6969226.stm

Not that it's that terrific, obviously they are still at huge risk of extinction, but maybe ecotourism can help. I'm a bit skeptical but I think it has potential...

Excellent post.

Geology Byotch
Do not give up, Karlos.
Geology Byotch
Well, thank you, from one southern food lover to another.
Geology Byotch

Cheers, woman, and do I have a course for you.

Satellite Remote Sensing Training Course for Biological Oceanographers
Cornell University
May 30 - June 13, 2008
A two-week training course is being offered in early summer to those who have modest or no prior experience with satellite remote sensing techniques. The course is methods oriented and intended to give participants the practical skills needed to work independently to acquire, analyze and visualize data derived from the SeaWiFS and MODIS missions. The course will include, to a lesser extent, instruction on working with data from other ocean satellite sensors (e.g., AVHRR, SeaWinds and Topex/Jason/ERS1-2). The course will focus a lot of attention on developing IDL programming skills and using SeaDAS. For more information about the course and application instructions: visit: www.geo.cornell.edu/ocean/satellite or contact Bruce Monger at: bcm3@cornell.edu
Ellie
[this is good]

HOW cool. Thank you, friend!!

Last week I was actually considering doing at least one project involving sharks or maybe blue whales. (the latter are top of my list at the moment) Cornell has some really rockin' courses. Will check out.

;) ****hugs***

Geology Byotch

The hammerheads are in trouble (along with so many species of whales, which I am sure you know already, but poor things...)

Remote sensing is very useful and used in a lot of species studies, and if you learn how to import it into ArcGIS, even better. (it's actually simple to do in a sense, it's when you start interpreting it that it gets tricky; I am doing just that at work, actually)

I am jealous, I want to take the course! SeaWIFs is so cool.

SandyU

"So long, and thanks for all the fish!"

(Sorry, couldn't help it - but it would be nice to think they just teleported to their orbiting spacecraft)

Geology Byotch

I do love that, I remember that....(I am a geek) I so wish. Hey, they invented reality tv to further drain our brains so they can eventually take over. And global warming is a GOOD thing, when you live in the water...

Brain the size of a planet...ha ha!

Post a comment

Already a Vox member? Sign in

You will be asked to join Vox to post this comment.