Sunday 24 June 2007

Sharks of the World (Princeton Field Guides)

It's finally here -- THE DEFINITIVE and COMPLETELY (yes, very literally) EXHAUSTIVE shark guide. I've just picked up my copy and it still feels like a dream. As a serious shark enthusiast, this is the book that I have always dreamed about but has never existed, until now. If you're a shark enthusiast, it would be a tragedy not to acquire this book.





Here's why:

(1) There are lavish full color illustrations of every single species of shark known today -- 404 described species and 49 as-yet-undescribed species on 64 plates, each species in oblique view (not the usual profile shot), giving invaluable information on its shape in 3 dimensions. In addition to the most popular species (such as the great white or the blacktip reef shark), the least well known are also included in this book, such as Deania quadrispinosum or Etmopterus pusillus, or new species, such as Isistius labialis or Somniosus antarcticus. There are 3 plates of 18 species of angel sharks (Squatinidae)! All 5 species of Oxynotus are included! Nine species of saw shark (Pristiophoridae)!

(2) All breath-takingly accurate illustrations are by the same artist, ensuring consistent style. Mark Dando is among the most accomplished of shark artists; his attention to detail is truly astounding. As a discriminating and accomplished fellow natural history artist, I know what I'm talking about. Having said that, please understand that the illustrations chosen for the cover, while wonderfully accurate, are not representative of the exquisite skill demonstrated in his illustrations of more colorful species, such as the ornate wobbegong (Orectolobus ornatus). Therefore, at the risk of sinking in the mire of cliche, I nevertheless urge you not to judge this book by its cover!

(3) The work is truly exhaustive, not only in the number of species depicted. Where there is sufficient variation within a species, additional color illustrations depict sexual dimorphism, juvenile forms and races. All species are presented to scale with each other and a scale bar is provided for easy size comparisons.

(4) For those with a taste for the traditional practice of depicting sharks in profile line drawings, the illustrator satisfies in the textual portion of the book. Again, every single species is beautifully presented in a fine ink line drawing from the side (or from the top in angel sharks and saw sharks). With every species is included a detailed range map, and for most species the teeth are also illustrated. For many, the ventral view of the head is also presented.

(5) The text reads like a field guide, providing detailed notes on the measurements, distinguishing features, distribution, habitat, behavior, biology and status of each species, written by leading authorities on sharks. It even includes a checklist at the end so that shark watchers can record their sightings in the field.

I am completely confident that no shark enthusiast will be disappointed in this book. Seriously folks, the editorial review provided by the publisher for this book underestimates its worth. It's truly a gem and will probably remain the definitive reference and the ultimate field guide for a long, long time.

Tuesday 19 June 2007

We Love Japan, But Whaling Breaks Our Hearts

On Valentine's Day, Greenpeace protests during the second day of the  "International Whaling Commission Normalisation Meeting." The meeting  was called by Japan and supported by pro-whaling nations. Outside the  venue, Greenpeace Japan tries to present Valentine's Day whale-shaped  chocolates to the pro-whaling delegates attending the meeting.

On Valentine's Day, Greenpeace protests during the second day of the "International Whaling Commission Normalisation Meeting." The meeting was called by Japan and supported by pro-whaling nations. Outside the venue, Greenpeace Japan tries to present Valentine's Day whale-shaped chocolates to the pro-whaling delegates attending the meeting.

Tokyo, Japan — Greenpeace activists took to the streets across the globe on Valentine’s Day to send a message of love to Japan from twenty-eight different countries, while at the same time demanding the government end high seas whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

In Tokyo, Greenpeace volunteers carried a giant Valentine’s card, addressed to pro-whaling members of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), currently meeting to discuss "normalising" the Commission, which read: "Normalization Means Protection, Not Whaling"

A fax was also sent to the Nisshin Maru – the factory ship of the whaling fleet, which read:

“We Love Japan, but Whaling Breaks Our Hearts! 69 % of your fellow Japanese do not support what you are doing in the Sanctuary and there is virtually no market for what you are producing. The "research" you have been ordered to carry out is not wanted by scientists and the meat is not wanted by the Japanese people. On this Valentine's Day, a day for spreading love, we ask once again that you leave the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary and return to port.”

Elsewhere, flowers, hearts, chocolates, kisses and romantic gondola trips were delivered by Greenpeace activists to embassies and tourists in Argentina, Australia, Denmark, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France, Germany, Fiji, Greece, Guatemala, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Paraguay, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Spain, Thailand, Uruguay and the USA.

“This is not just frivolous fun. We want to send a clear message that we are not anti-Japanese, we simply oppose whaling,” said Junichi Sato, whales campaign leader in Greenpeace Japan. “We know that 69% of Japanese do not support what their government is doing in the Southern Ocean and 95% never or rarely eat whale meat. Whaling does not belong in the 21st Century and the only way forward for the IWC is to start working for the whales and not the whalers.” Sato added.

The Greenpeace ship Esperanza is in the Southern Ocean, tracking the whaling fleet. The expedition is the last leg of the Defending Our Oceans campaign (1), to expose all threats to the oceans, which began in November 2005 by sailing to the Southern Ocean, where activists prevented 82 whales from being killed, and also forced out the companies funding the hunt, by taking peaceful direct action.

Sunday 17 June 2007

Kadavu council will work with Greenpeace on marine reserve

Radio New Zealand International

The Voice of New Zealand, Broadcasting to the Pacific; Te Reo Irirangi O Aotearoa, O Te Moana-Nui-A-Kiwa

The Kadavu Provincial Council in Fiji has approved a proposal by Greenpeace to turn the Great Astrolabe Reef into a marine reserve.

The reef is among the largest in the world and surrounds the island of Kadavu which is about 90 kilometres south of the capital, Suva.

Council chairman Ratu Josetaki Nawalowalo says villages have been creating their own little marine reserves, but monitoring those to stop poachers has been a huge problem.

But Ratu Josetaki is hoping that the partnership with Greenpeace and other stakeholders they’ll be able to get equipment that will help them monitor illegal fishing.

“Although that we could be sitting in the villages at night and watching all the bright lights out there and we couldn’t do anything about it because they are very fast and their fishing boats built for ocean fishing and we have little boats that can’t even chase these big boats nor can we do anything about it.”

Kadavu Provincial Council Chairman Ratu Josetaki Nawalowalo.

Thursday 14 June 2007

Nudibranchs and Sea Snails by Helmut Debelius

A beautiful book containing over 1020 color photos, depicting gastropods from the West Coast of the US to the Red Sea to South Africa.

Half of the book is devoted to gastropods with shells and half of the book concerned with those without shells(nudibranchs) all live and in their natural habitat. There is nothing so brightly colored as a nudibranch and to see one "swim" is pure joy. A must have for divers, aquarists and those who love nature.





Although there is some animals misidentified I find it still a good field guide and should be well received by anyone who appreciates beauty.

Monday 11 June 2007

Undersea Productions: Marine Life of Fiji & Tonga, video identification guide

Undersea Productions: Marine Life of Fiji & Tonga, video identification guide

Marine Life of Fiji and Tonga: A Video Identification Guide

Created for divers, snorkellers, aquarists and all underwater enthusiasts.

Includes 2 DVD videos that you can play on your TV or computer PLUS a 16-page reference booklet with line drawings, descriptions and helpful information.

This "V.I.D." Guide (Video ID) covers the incredible marine biodiversity of this fantastic corner of the South Pacific. Beautifully filmed and visually engaging, Marine Life of Fiji & Tonga

contains pretty much every species you are likely to see, catch or hear about when getting wet in this part of the world. Three years and more than 3000 dives in the making, this is both an essential tool and exotic entertainment.

Disc One: FISH including sharks, lionfish, gobies, angelfish, ghost pipefish, rays, eels, butterflyfish, dragonets, seahorses, barracudas, parrotfish...

Disc Two: EVERYTHING ELSE including whales, nudibranchs, corals, octopus, crustaceans, sponges, jellyfish, sea stars, sea snakes, cuttlefish...

More information here...

Saturday 9 June 2007

Technical Diving in Depth by B. R. Wienke

A long-awaited and much-needed title has just been released by BPC. "Technical Diving in Depth" by Bruce R. Wienke is the most complete and comprehensive reference work published to date on technical diving.

It contains a mixture of technical topics, with each one self-contained and developed in relationship to diving. The topics span many disciplines and focus on a number of technical arenas.

Topics Include:
Thermodynamics, pressure and density, mechanics, gas kinetics, free and dissolved phase transfer, energy and matter interactions, nucleation and cavitation, bubbles and surfactants, oxygen dose, gas mixtures, buoyancy, gauges and tanks, compressors and regulators, maladies and drugs, statistics, risk and probability, binomial distributions, waves, transport, currents, geology, oceanography, geophysics, solar energy and radiation. References and Appendix are also included.

Targeted Audience:
Technical diver, commercial diver, diving instructor, underwater researcher, doctors, hyperbaric technicians, physiologist, physicist, chemist, mathematician, engineer or biologist.



Thursday 7 June 2007

Escaping to Kadavu - A Fiji Secret

Sent: Monday, May 28, 2007 8:15 PM

Hi Richard,

Finally we have the story UP at

http://www.underwater.com.au/article.php/id/7200/

Fell free to link to it from your blog and let us know what you think.

We will be leaving for Europe in the morning and be back later in
June, but we will still be on this email address - and many others -
while we are away.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Cheers

Tim & Wandy
--------------------------------------------------------------
Tim Hochgrebe
http://underwater.com.au
"Dive in, Explore and Save!"

PO Box 1753
Byron Bay NSW 2481

Tel: +61-2-66809410
Mob: 0403-803 083
e-mail: tim@underwater.com.au

===============================================
Contributed by Wandy Hochgrebe

Part 2: Matava

Main Bure at Matava, Kadavu, FijiIt only took us 30 minutes to get to Matava by boat. Each headland we passed and each corner we turned us showed us more of the undeveloped hills of Kadavu.

Matava itself is located in a small cove and at first sight you don't see much of the resort. However, once you step on land you can see the main bure right in front. The other bures where people stay are amongst beautiful tropical gardens with all kinds of flowering bushes, papaya trees and banana trees. Narrow paved walkways meander through the grass in all directions.

We were welcomed at the little jetty by Maggie, who gave us an introduction of the resort and how the diving was conducted. Our bure was only a short stroll away and yet felt very private.

Bure in garden setting at Matava, Kadavu, FijiBasically, we were staying half-way up the hill that forms the back-drop with a stunning view over the ocean. In the distance, we could see the waves breaking on the Great Astrolobe Reef. Again, we had big bunch of fresh flowers in our room and hibiscus flowers were put everywhere.

A real luxury was that our luggage was already brought to our bure, so we didn't have to carry it ourself. I immediately took to the verandah to soak up the atmosphere with help of a cold beer...

Full article here at http://www.underwater.com.au/article.php/id/7200/

Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II

This is one of those rare books that you know within the first dozen pages it's going to be a great read and you're going to be disappointed when it ends. Robert Kurson's tremendous research combined with a great historical narrative style results in learning not only about the lives of the living players such as Chatterton and Kohler, but the dead sailors on the submarine as well.

While this is Kurson's book, you can see the extensive contribution provided by Chatterton, Kohler and others who shared the experience. This book fits beautifully with "The Last Dive", which I reviewed here a few years ago. I did learn things here, which surprised me relative to "The Last Dive". I thought they had been doing mixed-gas diving much longer on U-869 then just before the Rouse's arrival. Chapter 2 is about the dangers of wreck diving and sets the stage of what to expect throughout the remainder of the book.

Kurson makes sure the reader understands this wasn't just a bunch of treasure hunters looking for some "stuff". These guys respected this dive site as sacred resting place for these German sailors and their actions (including their own research) supported that belief. And in the end, I was right...it was a disappointment to see it end.



Wednesday 6 June 2007

Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II

This is one of those rare books that you know within the first dozen pages it's going to be a great read and you're going to be disappointed when it ends. Robert Kurson's tremendous research combined with a great historical narrative style results in learning not only about the lives of the living players such as Chatterton and Kohler, but the dead sailors on the submarine as well.

While this is Kurson's book, you can see the extensive contribution provided by Chatterton, Kohler and others who shared the experience. This book fits beautifully with "The Last Dive", which I reviewed here a few years ago. I did learn things here, which surprised me relative to "The Last Dive". I thought they had been doing mixed-gas diving much longer on U-869 then just before the Rouse's arrival. Chapter 2 is about the dangers of wreck diving and sets the stage of what to expect throughout the remainder of the book.

Kurson makes sure the reader understands this wasn't just a bunch of treasure hunters looking for some "stuff". These guys respected this dive site as sacred resting place for these German sailors and their actions (including their own research) supported that belief. And in the end, I was right...it was a disappointment to see it end.



Tuesday 5 June 2007

Pacific Marine Reserve Proposal Welcomed

GREENPEACE PROPOSES MARINE RESERVES FOR WORLD'S THIRD LARGEST ORGANISM

Suva, Fiji Islands, May 23, 2007. The Kadavu (1) Provincial Council today welcomed a presentation from Greenpeace on the benefits of turning the Great Astrolabe Reef into a marine reserve.

Kadavu Provincial Council Chairman Ratu Josateki Nawalowalo said the idea of creating a new marine reserve was a blessing and would enhance the protection of marine resources in the interest of the people of Kadavu. "For the people of Kadavu and most Pacific Islanders, the oceans and our resources are mainly what we have and own, for them to remain healthy we must all move towards marine reserves," he said. Ratu Josateki said marine reserves could also be a major attraction for ecotourists.

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Oceans campaigner Josua Turaganivalu JNR said it was an honour to be given an opportunity to present to the chiefs of Kadavu, the council and its people. "Many Pacific marine resources, including tuna, are on the verge of extinction and yet only one per cent of the ocean is protected," he said.

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Oceans Team Leader Nilesh Goundar said marine reserves have shown long lasting and often rapid increases in marine populations, their diversity and production. "Conservation mechanisms are not new to us Pacific Islanders. Despite marine reserves being closed to fishing, a network of such parks can actually benefit fisheries in a number of ways," he said.

Mr Goundar said they allow exploited stocks and damaged habitats to recover within the zones and increasingly there is evidence that they improve population sizes in adjacent fishing grounds. "But it is not just about the fish. In line with the ecosystem approach, marine reserves can and should be designed to have multiple uses. They should be established to benefit endangered and rare species or habitats, critical feeding grounds, nursery areas and migration routes," he said.

To reverse the current decline in the health of our oceans, Greenpeace is calling for 40% of the oceans to be protected by marine reserves.

Mr Turaganivalu said this was a reasonable target and necessary for maintaining healthy fisheries in the Pacific. Mr Turaganivalu said it is estimated that such a network could cost $12 billion a year - and finance would have to be provided by the international community. He said this was no more than what is spent on perfume in the U.S and E.U each year.

EDITORS NOTE
(1) Kadavu is one of Fiji's fourteen provinces, forms part of the Eastern Division and is home to the Great Astrolabe Reef which is the world's third largest living organism.
Suva, Fiji's capital, lies 88 kilometers to the north of Kadavu.