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July 17, 2009

The Scanner

Happy Friday! This week in ocean news,…nine survivors of shark attacks were in DC on Wednesday lobbying the Senate—to save sharks. They came from all over the nation to support the Shark Conservation Act of 2009, which would strengthen a ban on “finning,” where a shark’s fin is cut off and then the shark is thrown back into the water. …giant squid are invading California! 5-foot-long and 100 pound jumbo flying squid have been found in waters off of San Diego. This Humboldt squid is known to attack humans, and scientists don’t know why the squid are coming to shallower waters. …the black mystery goop that was found in the Chukchi Sea was discovered to be a type of stringy algae. Miles of this goo were spotted last week, and quickly became an “Alaskan mystery.” It didn’t fit any description or pattern, and the locals say that they have never seen anything like it before. … want to become a seal sitter? If you live in the Seattle area, you can volunteer to watch harbor seal pups. This is the time of year when seal pups are most vulnerable because they spend most of their time resting on the beaches waiting for their mothers to return. … or, if you live in the Miami, FL area, you can watch baby sea turtles being sent into the water. Happening on a weekly basis, the release is definitely a sight to see. If you aren’t in the area, check out Emily’s two blog series and photos about watching baby loggerhead sea turtles hatching and watching nesting sea turtles lay their eggs. …Aaron Peirsol has done it again! After reclaiming his world record in the 100 meter backstroke last week, Aaron broke his own world record by 0.86 seconds in the 200 meter backstroke. Finishing in 1 minute and 53.08 seconds, he beat out top swimmers Ryan Lochte and Tyler Clary. Congratulations, Aaron! Enjoy the weekend!