Something Fishy

Did you hear the recent news that some of the fish we're buying from grocery stores, restaurants, and sushi bars are really not what we think they are? 

In the relentless interest of the bottom line, these establishments are selling us cheap look-alikes (can you hear me sighing?) 

It's not really a big surprise. Not long ago, I accepted surimi from a Japanese restaurant when the menu clearly read "crab."

Surimi doesn't come in a shell. Photo by Malagua via Wikimedia.

I want the truth, don't you?

Find out how to make the best choices of fish and seafood here.

If only I'd known ...

Did you know that the National Geographic Society--long known for its intrepid explorers, amazing photographers, and captivating magazine--offers Young Explorers Grants?

It's true!

In my younger days, I would have given my hair to travel the world as a Nat Geo explorer!

These grants give budding adventurers ages 18 to 25 unique opportunities to pursue research, conservation, and exploration-related project.

How fun would that be?

If you know someone who might fit the bill, find out more about the grants here. 

Paul McCartney and the Cayman Turtle Controversy

Photo by Rich007 via Wikimedia Commons

Sir Paul McCartney, former member of the The Beatles, has expressed public support for the Campaign to Stop the Cayman Turtle Farm and urged the farm to pursue a "more humane, sustainable, and profitable alternative". 

McCartney says he does not believe that there is any humane way to farm turtles.

Will the Sequester Stifle the Smithsonian National Zoo?

As March looms nearer, staff at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington D.C. are nervous about the effect the upcoming federal sequester could have on their facilities--and the animals that inhabit them.

“Our collection is a living collection,” Craig Saffoe , curator of the zoo’s big cats, told the Washington Post. “They need to be cared for every day, no matter what is happening above our heads.”

The Smithsonian plans to weather a potential five percent budget cut mainly by freezing hiring, reducing training, and delaying new construction. Some zoo projects, such as the planned acquisition of cheetahs for their research facility in Front Royal, Virginia, may have to be reconsidered.

Photo by the USFWS

A Rare Find

A few years ago, I had the good fortune to communicate with Eric Dinerstein, Chief Scientist of the World Wildlife Fund. He contributed a story called "Tigerland" to my 2005 anthology, The Back Road to Crazy. Needless to say, I've been a longtime admirer of Eric's work, both in print and in the field. 

So, I was thrilled to find that Eric has just published a new book called The Kingdom of Rarities. 
 

In this global romp through mythic lands, readers get up-close-and-personal with many of the planet's rarest creatures and come away with a new understanding of why they're rare and how conservation might be able to save them from extinction.