Killers At The Cape

Today, I decided to go on the Dot Earth Blog. When I got there, I typed in "fish" because it is my major, and therefore holds my primary interest for the environment. There were various different articles, but one that certainly caught my eye was the one called "White Sharks Cause Stir on Cape Cod". Now, this was not the typical fish article that I was looking for, but it caught my interest. This summer, I spent a lot of time at Hyannis on Cape Cod, which is a short 40 minute boat ride from the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge in Chatham. I had been hearing gossip about the sharks through my mother and some professors, so I decided to read up on it. 

Monomoy wildlife refuge happens to be a hot spot for thousands of seals. Apparently, the great white sharks have noticed the abundance of food in this area.

Dot Earth Blog's article  discussed how Marine biologists for the state of Massachusetts tagged two of the sharks (as of September 6th, on September 8th, three more were tagged: for more information about the other tagged, visit The Boston Globe) and how beaches in Chatham were still closed due to recent shark activity. It also mentioned how great it was that Massachusetts was taking a lead on the shark research.

After reading this article about the sharks, beaches closing, and efforts to gain a greater understanding of these monsters, I thought it would be a good idea to read the comments. Honestly, I was embarassed for some people and their comments. One consisted of, ">duh duh--------duh duh------duh duh duh duh duh duh duh doodle doo ! Your gonna need a bigger boat." Honestly? Do people seriously go on well- known blogs, such as the Dot Earth Blog, and respond with stupid things like that? As I scrolled through the 18 comments under this article, I realized that only a few were slightly intelligent and not "Duhh its gunna be another Jaws duhh". Most people were civil, but they again only presented one side of the arguement. There was a lot of, "so what if the sharks are there, don't close the beaches. you are more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a shark". Well, yeah I guess thats a nice little statistic you've got there, but again, why do you think people are closing beaches? Maybe due to safety? And maybe thats why the statistic is lower, because beaches are closed when sharks are sighted. After reading through the comments, and again, only seeing a few that sounded slightly intelligent, I thought about what makes a good blog comment.

How do you accurately comment on a blog? Well, using this shark issue as an example, a good post is obviously not "haha its gunna be jaws again". That just makes you sound like an idiot. And again, a good post is "well people are just overreacting. just open the beaches". Well why are people overreacting? And what is their side of the arguement, even if you do not agree with it, it should still be presented. This all brings me to a good blog comment. A good blog comment should contain your opinion, such as, " I think it is great that Marine biologists are tagging these sharks. It is going to be highly valuable information when they retrieve the information from the tags on the sharks. These tags should further expand our understanding of the sharks, their migratory habits, and just how close they get to Chatham beaches. Though closing the beaches is terrible for all people who use the beaches and plan vacations there, it is a lot safer than not warning people. Maybe a swim at your own risk sign should be put up for those who feel the need to swim in the shark infested waters? Anyways, the tags should do great things for shark research, which would give us further information about where they travel, which would give us a better understanding as to whether or not beaches should be closed". Now, I am not saying that is perfect, but it is a whole lot better than a lot of the things I was seeing on the Dot Earth Blog's website.

So, after reading this, I think our class is doing pretty good on our blog comments back and forth, and even our posts. Good job everyone!

Yum... Nothing Like Mama's Shark Fin Soup!

On the Dot Earth blog, Andrew Revkin mentioned Palau (a Pacific country) has declared its waters a shark refuge. Celebrated by biologists for its marine life diversity, it is also harmed by an increase in illegal fishing of sharks to satisfy the appetites of some Chinese for fins. This is a tragedy not only for these large fish but also for Palau itself, as reef diving is a primary source of income there.

In brief, President Johnson Toribiong of Palau announced to the U.N. General Assembly his idea to ban all commercial shark fishing in his nation. This is supported by Carl Safina (marine biologist), who informed that Palau has actually recovered from reef bleaching – in other words, it is heaven for many aquatic species. But here's the problem with stopping shark fishing there: Palau only has one enforcement vessel to watch a zone nearly the size of Texas. Turning idealism into realism is a challenge indeed.

The issue gets juicier with the comments to the blog entry. Most of the responses were on topic, although some strayed onto that of clearcutting in the Pacific Northwest. Respondent #8 noted that only 5% of America's old growth forest remains, although we do have more forests than it did in previous years due to national parks.

Respondent #1 typed about the gorey photos in the article and is amazed that shark finning has not been made illegal across the globe. He feels shark fishermen should be “thrown in prison and confiscate their boats.” His point is emotional, not logical. Imprisoning shark fishermen is not the solution to the problem. Also, Respondent #5 stated that the Chinese and Japanese lack the desire change their palates due to their culture, and Respondent #7 feels the Chinese should aid in world biodiversity. These two people have logical, sound points, and to a extent civil (I agree with them, believe me). Many sharks are threatened or endangered or are key species in aquatic ecosystems. For these reasons alone they should be protected, as these are based on science.

As environmentalists, it is important that we do not fall off-topic and above all base our opinions on science before emotions. Emotions can always be countered. And remember, old growth forests are irrelevant when speaking of sharks!

(Article available here.)

Hi, I'm Ashley.

My name is Ashley Van Riper. If you mispronounced my name, that's ok. It happens all the time. Just remember Riper rhymes with Viper, like the snake or car. I am from Mansfield, OH. If you don't know where that is, it's about an hour and a half from Cleveland (home of the tribe!!). I decided to come to the beautiful state of Maine because my mother is from here and we took vacations up here every summer. I've been in love ever since. Maine is like a completely different world compared to where I'm from. I'm so used to lots of buildings and busy streets, then I come here and it's nothing but trees and gorgeous landscapes. It's definitely a breath of fresh air...to say the least.

I am a Sophmore this year and my major is Marine Biology. Please don't ask me what I want to do with that, because I'm really not sure just yet.

In my spare time I love photography and I love art in general, but mostly drawing. I have a couple of sketchbooks actually. Art is just a way that I can express myself without judgement. I also like to play softball and I joined Rugby last year and, suprisingly, really like it. I am also the President of the Marine Biology club as of this week, so I'm really excited to get that going. I am also really excited about this class. I think the whole concept is really interesting and most definitely different. I think it's going to go pretty well.

Well, that's me. =)