The Faculty and Students of the Marine Affairs Program invite you to a seminar:

The Importance of Scientific Programs like the Census of Marine Life and the Ocean Tracking Network in Informing Policy

Dr. Ronald O’Dor
Professor
Biology Department, Dalhousie University

Tuesday, February 28
3-4:30 pm

Room 309
Dalhousie Schulich School of Law
6061 University Avenue


Dr. Ronald O’Dor is a Biology Professor at Dalhousie and was named Canadian Geographic’s Environmental Scientist of the Year for 2009 and is now Global Scientific Director for the Dalhousie led Global Ocean Tracking Network, a Census spin-off project. He was previously at the Consortium for Ocean Leadership in Washington, D.C. as a senior scientist for the Census of Marine Life (CoML). The Census of Marine Life was a 10 year international initiative to assess the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine life.

He earned a BA in biochemistry from the University of California Berkeley, a PhD in medical physiology from the University of British Columbia. He now uses telemetry to study cephalopod behavior, bioenergetics and physiology in nature around the world, and he was a Principal Investigator for the Aquatic Research Facility on NASA Shuttle Mission 77. He and his students founded the website, CephBase as part of the CoML Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS). He has edited volumes on cephalopod biology, from physiology to fisheries, and published more than 150 articles. He has served on many granting councils internationally, as President of the Cephalopod International Advisory Council, as an FAO consultant, and as a convener for ICES, PICES, and Expo ’98.

Good news! The field trip to the Bedford Institute of Oceanography is now confirmed for Friday, March 2 10am-12pm. This year is the 50th anniversary of BIO so we may hear about some interesting up-coming events. Our guide will be Bruce Anderson from the Canadian Hydrographic Service and he will give us a presentation about the CHS, followed by a tour of BIO.

So....saving whales should be inspirational. And it is. Wow...maybe you can get some "show what you know by what you do" action assignment inspiration from the trailer for this new film!

Blogger won't let me fix that broken link: so you can access the "Seven C's Pledge" by clicking here!

Canada is blessed to be rich in natural resources, including the longest coastline in the world. It is estimated that 80,000 Canadians make their livings directly from fishing and fishing related activities. Fisheries and Oceans Canada is committed to supporting the economic profitability of those fisheries, while striving to ensure that fish stocks are healthy and abundant for future generations. The Department is modernizing the way it does business to enable the industry to address both current and future challenges. This will ultimately lead to fisheries that are more sustainable, more profitable and more globally competitive for the long term. Fisheries and Oceans Canada has already taken some important steps after considering feedback from industry, Aboriginal groups and others. But more needs to be done. The Department is talking with Aboriginal groups, the fishing industry, non-governmental organizations and fisheries experts, as well as the Canadian public. We recognize the importance of transparency as we move forward with specific elements of fisheries management modernization. We also appreciate the value that diverse perspectives can bring to the development of these policies. Together, we will build a path towards a more sustainable, stable and economically prosperous fishing industry.


Read More Here:
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/future-avenir/index-eng.htm

The Marine Affairs Program at Dalhousie
University and WWF-Canada are pleased to announce the attached
scholarship competition for graduates engaged in innovative solutions to
ocean conservation issues. This scholarship is made possible by a generous
gift made by Donald Sobey. The application deadline is January 31, 2012
and details are available at http://marineaffairsprogram.dal.ca/Prospective%20Students/Scholarship%20Information/Graduate_Scholarship.php.

Welcome to GEOG 2315 for 2012!
I will be using this blog as well as the Physical Geography of Oceans course: slowly compiling the two into one, for purposes of this course. Keep checking back, as I post content over the semester....