H ALIBUT HERALD

November 14, 2008

Bits and Bites

Anjana The Chimpanzee’s Bond With Two White Tigers
READ ON: http://primatology.net/2008/10/13/anjana-the-chimpanzees-bond-with-two-white-tigers/

*Special Robot Series*

Mini helicopter used to test whale health
The remotely-controlled machine is flown over the whale as it
surfaces to breathe expelling air through its blow hole.

Gases and mucus blown out are collected in sterile Petri

dishes attached to the 3.5 feet-long helicopter which are then
examined to discover the health of the animal whether it is
carrying any disease.

Dr Karina Acevedo-Whitehouse, Post-doctoral Research

Fellow at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) who devised
the system, said: "Scientists have always found it difficult to study diseases in whales because of their size and
obligate ocean life. Most of the studies on whale pathogens have focused on dead, stranded or captive animals,
which are hardly representative of the normal population. I was determined to find a way to crack this problem
and eventually hit upon the idea of using a vehicle that could be flown above the animals, thus finding out more
about them whilst still using a non-invasive sampling technique."
READ ON/SEE VIDEO: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/3440888/Mini-helicopter-used-to-test-whale-
health.html
All Hail Robo-Jellyfish!
Inspired by one of the
most misunderstood
animals of the marine
world – the graceful
jellyfish, leading
electronics company,
Festo have designed
and created a pneumatic
version of the gelatinous
creature that moves
remarkably like the real
thing. There have been a number of other versions floating about over the past few years but none that have
caught our attention quite as much as this mechanical offering. Kinda cool, but what is it for?
READ ON/SEE VIDEO: http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/robo-jellyfish/3559

The Solar-Powered Robotic Automower

Anyone who has ever spent an
afternoon mowing lawns knows the
downsides of the job: walking in
monotonous straight lines with the filthy
emissions of a two-stroke engine in their
face, and a subway’s worth of noise to
contend with. Enter Husqvarna’s
Automower, a solar-powered, zero-
emission lawn-Roomba that offers an
attractive (albeit pricy) replacement.

Like other electric mowers, the

Automower is zero-emissions, and
Husqvarna says that its noise levels are
around 63dB - compared to 100dB for a
conventional mower. If we adjust for
shouts of frustration, this is likely even
quieter than the Mowercycle.

READ ON: http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/11/10/automower-solar-powered-lawnmower/

The Solar Powered COM-BAT Spy Plane

The aptly named COM-BATis a six-inch
surveillance device that is powered by
solar, wind, and vibrations. The concept
was conceived by the US military as a
means to gather real-time data for
soldiers, and the Army has awarded the
University of Michigan College of
Engineering a five year $10-million
dollar grant to develop it.

READ ON:
http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/10/31/com-
bat-solar-powered-spy-plane/
More News Links

Cops: Multi-million dollar marine life theft ring busted

TAMPA, FL -- Seven adults and a juvenile are under arrest after an undercover Fish and Wildlife Commission
investigation into an illegal marine life theft ring. Some of those arrested were taking marine life and exporting it
to New York and Amsterdam.
READ ON: http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=ccc3e8dc-f754-41fd-8315-
4f4c6a0b44cc

Australiana #3 - Thorny devil

The spines that decorate its body are impressive and provide the lizard with a strong defence, but
it's what lies between the spines that's really interesting. The thorny devil's flanks are lined with
grooves that are narrow enough to channel water by capillary action. The grooves end in the
creature's mouth, so the thorny devil can drink simply by standing in a puddle or waiting for the
morning dew to condense on its numerous spines.
READ ON: http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2008/11/australiana_3_thony_devil.php

Just How Big Is A Hydrothermal

Vent?

http://blogs.discovery.com/deep_se
a_news/2008/11/just-how-big-is.html
Archival Photo

John the Sea Otter with Lynda Killick, 1971.

As you may know, there is a civic election on November 15. In addition to voting for the Mayor, council
and school trustees, we will also be voting for Parks Board representatives. One of the great things about this
is that Vancouver is the only municipality in Canada to have an elected parks board; so we have a choice in the
matter. The Parks Board oversees all the parks within the city including Stanley Park which you all know affects
us here at the Aquarium.

To that end, I have attached a link to the candidates profiles so that can make an informed choice when
marking your ballot on November 15 here in Vancouver.

http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/election2008/candidate-profiles-parkcommissioner.htm
Green Team
Sustainability Challenge!
Enter to win great prizes!!!

Participate in Ocean Wise month by eating at an Ocean Wise restaurant! Bring in your
receipt(s) to win great prizes - $100 gift certificates for an Ocean Wise restaurant,
as well as an Ocean-friendly cook book. Drop off your November receipts in the Green
Team suggestion box in the Lounge. Please highlight the Ocean Wise item you ordered,
and write your name and extension (or email) on the back of the receipt. The prize
draw will happen during the first week of December.

Look for a restaurant: http://www.vanaqua.org/oceanwise/

Presented by The Green Team and Ocean Wise

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Bike to Work Week is Back!!! November 17 - 23, 2008

From November 17th to 23rd workplaces
will again be competing to see who can
get the highest percentage of participating
staff and what team can log the most
commutes and kilometres. Our workplace
already has a Bike to Work team – and
this is a great opportunity to try biking to
work in the winter, or to celebrate the fact
that you already do. As a team we can
work together at our workplace to create
some winter-riding incentives and
facilities for those of us who are
committed to trying it.

Why register and log my commutes?

The more people that participate, the better our chances of winning team prizes!
It lets others know that people CAN bike to work in the winter!
There is power in numbers – the more people that register, the stronger the voice for cycling in our region.
Biking to work is still good for you, good for the environment and most importantly – biking to work is fun – even
in the winter!

Join our team, here's how:

Go to www.vacc.bc.ca/biketowork, and register for Bike To Work Week.
The registration process will step you through finding and joining a workplace team. Ours is called “Vancouver
Aquarium”.

OR

If you're already on our team, simply sign in and confirm your intention bike to work this winter!

Let's be the greenest and healthiest workplace in our region, and win some great prizes!
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November is Ocean Wise Month

Dining out can make a world of difference!

Help us spread the word and celebrate sustainable seafood this

November with our 1st Annual Ocean Wise Month!

A number of Ocean Wise events are happening this month, so be

sure to visit the Ocean Wise website at:
www.vanaqua.org/oceanwise

In addition you will notice Ocean Wise themed gallery

programming, activities, shows and other activities throughout
the aquarium.

Ocean Wise Month Dine-out is happening throughout the BC

Lower Mainland giving diners the chance to win 52 Ocean Wise
restaurant gift-certificates, simply by choosing the Ocean Wise
identified menu item from participating Ocean Wise Month
restaurants.

Note: Staff and their immediate family of Vancouver Aquarium and participating Ocean Wise
restaurants can not enter the Dine-out draw. However the Green Team and Ocean Wise are
having a Vancouver Aquarium staff only Ocean Wise Month draw – the prizes? $100 gift
certificate to Chambar and a sustainable seafood cookbook! Enter by bringing in your receipt
from any Ocean Wise restaurant during November (ballot box is the “Green Team Feedback” box
in the Level 2 AquaQuest lunchroom).
“Green Bite” Ocean Wise Month Fact:
Don’t Judge a Fish by
it’s Dish! (know what you
are eating before you
order)
Misrepresentation and
mislabeling plagues the
seafood industry. False
marketing names include:
• Snapper, red
snapper, rockcod –
rockfish
• Deep sea perch
(once called
slimehead!)- orange
roughy
• Chilean sea bass –
Patagonian toothfish
• Flake – shark
• Dog salmon, rock
cod – spiny dogfish
Rockfish Sustainability
concerns
Year-round fishery operations
add further pressures to
bycatch and habitat damage.
High levels of Rockfish as
bycatch with certain mortality
are of significant concern.
Commercial fisheries for live
fish are growing rapidly, with
rockfish being a desired
target.
The destruction of Primnoa
corals is damaging rockfish
habitat.
And remember to support your local Ocean Wise restaurant! www.oceanwisecanada.org
AVOID SNAPPER (aka ROCKFISH)
World-wide there are over 900+ species marketed as
or referred to as “snapper”. The ‘snapper’ species
most commonly found on Pacific North West’s
restaurant menus and in seafood markets is the
majestic rockfish (Sebastes spp.).
Avoid
A
MEAL AS OLD AS YOUR GRANDMA!
There are 102 rockfish species in the world, 36 of which can
be found in British Columbia. The majority of rockfish
species are inherently vulnerable to fishing pressure due to
being long-lived and late maturing with many living over 100
years of age (for example the typical lifespan of yelloweye
rockfish is 114years of age and can grow to 1 metre long!
The oldest rockfish ever found was a 200+ year old
rougheye rockfish).
Increased vulnerability occurs from rockfish behaviours such
as stationary habitat use, the forming of multispecies
congregations, rare recruitment success and death from air
embolism. Several West Coast and British Columbia rockfish
populations are at historical lows due to heavy fishing.
Rockfish are generally caught with invasive bottom trawls,
which are associated with high levels of bycatch of other
marine species. The bottom trawl fishing method can cause
detrimental damage on habitats and ecosystems, disturbing
spawning and feeding grounds of many Pacific marine
species. There is concern for the occurring destruction of the
slow-growing and long-lived gorgonian corals, Primnoa in
the North Pacific. Rockfish species are commonly associated
with Primnoa, found utilizing the corals for shelter.
What can you do?
Change consumer demand
and choose Ocean Wise!
Support sustainable fishing practices and choose ocean-
friendly option instead like BC bottom longline caught
halibut.
 For Sale

The Gift Shop has a new green

option the next time you are
thinking about buying a loved one
a stuffed animal.

Aurora Naturally Plush offers an

eco-friendly alternative to
chemically manufactured stuffed
animals. Handmade in Indonesia,
Aurora Naturally is made from
100% soy bean fiber and stuffed
with Kapok, which is a
sustainable rain forest crop. Not
only are these stuffed animals
eco-friendly, they are very soft
and nice. Furthermore, you can
educate your children about the
eco-plush’s ingredients by
reading The Great Kapok Tree.

These stuffies come in both large

and small sizes.
Large: $39.99
Small: $19.99
 Brand new in the Gift Shop this week, two
hardcover books!
Underwater Eden: 365 Days
Beneath the surface of the world’s most exotic seas
and oceans—from the Red Sea and the coast of
Costa Rica to the Great Barrier Reef and Palau
Islands—lie spectacularly diverse ecosystems that
only a privileged few have had the opportunity to view
up close and in person. Jeffrey Rotman has spent
more than thirty years diving in these waters to
capture their breathtaking beauty and the stunning
richness and variety of the creatures that inhabit
them.

365 Ways to Save the Earth

In this book, each spread includes a breathtaking
photograph of nature paired with an action the reader
can take to help save the earth. It tackles subjects
ranging from automobile use and recycling to
shopping and leisure and health and the workplace.
With 145 previously unseen images by Bourseiller
and an entirely new text based on up-to-the-minute
environmental research, this book is an indispensable
tool for anyone hoping to take part in preserving the
planet.
FOUND!
POTLUCK of VANCOUVER
AQUARIUM RECIPES
Published in 1997, this recipe book was made
by staff for staff! Just $2.99, and only 20 copies
left
Events
Fossils with Perry Poon from the Vancouver Paleontological Society
Perry will be displaying a collection of fossils collected in B.C.
Science World, on November 15 and 16 (11 AM to 3 PM).
The display will feature real fossils, fossil casts, information about the Society, and B.C. fossil books. There will
be fossil fish, sea shells, ammonites, trilobites, plants, and insects. Touch a 45 million year old leaf!
Young visitors can make some rubs of some dinosaur skeleton or prehistoric plant and animal, and take them
home as souvenirs.
Also, visitors can visit the fossil exhibit, "Fins, Fangs, and Fossils", featuring full scale Tyrannosaurus rex,
Edmotosaurus, and Platcarpus skeletons. There are a variety of fish, ammonites, marine invertebrates,
trilobites, plants, amphibians, dinosaur parts, and a fossil Coelacanth!"

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Name That Ferry!

Enter the contest to name the new SeaBus!

The newest member of the TransLink “family”, the third SeaBus, will be
introduced in late 2009, and as with any introduction, the ferry needs a
name. For more than 31 years, two SeaBuses have carried commuters
back and forth across the harbour. The Burrard Otter was named for
one of the more common sights one is likely to see while crossing
between Lonsdale Quay and Waterfront Station, while the Burrard
Beaver was named in part for the historic steamship that served the coast between Portland and Vancouver
until it ran aground in 1888. What will their new “sibling” be called? That’s up to you.

Time to get out the “name your baby (ferry)” books and enter TransLink’s “Name the New SeaBus” contest.
From now until November 21 at midnight, you can submit your choice for the name, and have a chance at
winning three 3-zone Transit Passes, a ride on the inaugural sailing and the warm-fuzzy feeling that a name you
chose will be on display daily for thousands of commuters and tourists to see.

There are three ways to enter:

1. email to seabus_name@translink.bc.ca
2. online at www.translink.bc.ca
3. by snailmail to “Name The New SeaBus”,
TransLink, 1600 – 4720 Kingsway, Burnaby BC V5H 4N2
(look for the entry forms in your local weekly newspapers)

A panel of judges will choose the best five names, which will then be sent to the TransLink Online Advisory
Panel, which will vote on the best one. Anyone can join the Online Advisory Panel: log onto
www.translinklistens.bc.ca for more information.

When the Third SeaBus goes into service, each of the other two will, in turn, be refitted with more modern
equipment and have their engines overhauled; all the while, SeaBus will be able to maintain 15-minute service
during peak periods. When all three ferries are fully operational, weekday service may be increased to 10-
minute intervals during peak periods and 15-minute service at off-peak times, in anticipation of rising demand.
 ***********************************************
BC TOURISM INDUSTRY AWARDS CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
Do you know of a tourism business practicing industry excellence? Be sure to nominate them in one of the nine
categories for the 10th Annual BC Tourism Industry Awards. Winners will be selected by a panel of judges and
award presentations will take place during the BC Tourism Industry Conference on February 12, 2009 in
Vancouver.
Award categories:

· Tourism industry leader of the year · Tourism media

· Best tourism marketing campaign · SuperHost® customer service
· Environmentally responsible tourism · Technology in tourism
· Foresight sustainability award · Employees first
· Sport tourism community legacy
Find award nomination forms and criteria on Tourism BC's corporate website at www.tourismbc.com. Previous
nominees may resubmit as appropriate. Deadline for nominations is November 2

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16th Annual BC Marine Mammal Symposium

Saturday, November 29, 2008 – 9:30am – 5:00pm
Sponsored by the UBC Marine Mammal Research Unit and Whale Watch
Operators Association Northwest
University of British Columbia Science Visualization Room; Ground Floor, Aquatic Ecosystem Research
Laboratory (AERL); 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6T 1Z4; Telephone: (604) 822-8181

Registration fee:

· Advanced: $0 (pre-register by Nov 21: (consortium@zoology.ubc.ca)

· Late: $5 (cash only at the door)

Join us for presentations as well as discussion on issues that concern us all.

This meeting is open to researchers, educators and businesses involved with marine
mammals and anyone in one or more of these categories is welcome to attend.

Please email Pamela Rosenbaum @ consortium@zoology.ubc.ca before November 21, 2008,

to indicate that you plan to attend. Lunch and refreshments will be provided, but we need to know
how many people to plan for. There will also be a social evening (6:00-9:00 pm) where beer and pizza can be
purchased.

The Agenda will be distributed at the meeting. Please email Pamela Rosenbaum @
consortium@zoology.ubc.ca
before November 21, 2008 if you would like to make a five minute presentation about your research.
Longer presentations on topics of general interest are welcomed. We would also like to know
if there are any issues that should be discussed by the group at large.

We look forward to hearing from you and you seeing at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 29, 2008

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 The Vancouver Aquarium
connection is that Marcel
Gijssen, BC Waters Aquarium
Biologist, rode along on part of
the journey.

The Long Road North is a film

playing as a part of the
Vancouver International
Mountain Film Festival. It is the
beautifully shot, fascinating and
funny story of Gwendal
Castelan's bicycle journey from
Patagonia to the Canadian
Arctic. The film was an official
selection of the Vancouver DOXA
Documentary Film Festival, nominated for "Best of the Fest" award at France's Strasbourg Film Festival,
and received the Audience Choice Award at the Townsend film festival.

This is a great film and it is about "green travel" at its best. It will be shown on Nov. 20th, 7 pm (doors at 6), at
the Centennial Theatre, 2300 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver. Tickets: $15 in advance, $17 at the door,
available at the Theatre (604 984-4484) and at www.vimff.org. For more info and previews:
http://www.longroadnorth.com/