H ALIBUT HERALD

November 19, 2009

Bizarre Bubbles Invade the Ocean Floor

Bubble corals are recognisable by their large, water-filled bubbles, or vesicles. Like light-loving balloons, these inflate
during the day and deflate at the night, when tentacles come out instead in search of food.

The bubbles – which are white, cream, light green or pink in colour – protect the bubble coral skeleton. Meanwhile,
the extended sweeper tentacles fight for space, and hunt prey such as plankton; stinging, capturing and killing their
targets.

Some bubble corals are also characterised by incredible fingerprint patterns, a nice touch by Mother Nature – at least
to humans, apparently keen to recognise themselves in everything they see in the world around them.
READ ON: http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/bizarre-bubbles/17088
Newborn Killer Whale Buoys Hopes Beautiful! Face-Off With a Deadly Predator

A second newborn killer whale has been spotted in the

waters off Washington state's San Juan Islands and near
Victoria.
Paul Nicklen describes his most amazing experience as a National
The calf, given the scientific designation J-46, is the Geographic photographer - coming face-to-face with one of Antarctica's
newest member of what marine scientists call J-Pod, part most vicious predators.
of a larger group of endangered killer whales called the VIEW: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxa6P73Awcg
southern residents.

The presumed mother is a 16-year-old known as J-28, or

Oceans May Trap More Carbon Than Forests
Polaris, according to the Orca Network, a non-profit whale
monitoring organization.
READ ON: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-
columbia/story/2009/11/12/bc-killer-whale-birth.html

Predatory Coral Eats Jellyfish

Marine ecosystems including seagrass meadows, mangroves and

salt marshes have a much greater capacity to trap carbon than land
carbon sinks such as forests, according to a report from the
A coral is recorded eating a jellyfish for the first time, in International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The
intriguing photographs taken by scientists. organization believes ocean ecosystems are essential to combating
READ ON: global warming.
http://www.oceanleadership.org/2009/predatory-coral- READ ON: http://www.oceansentry.org/lang-en/menu-
eats-jellyfish news/environment/2372-oceans-may-trap-more-carbon-than-
forests.html
Birds and Reptiles and Mammals, Oh My
An international scientific team has put forth a bold proposal to sequence the
genomes of 10,000 vertebrate species. The information gathered by the ‘Genome
10K’ project will aid conservation efforts ranging from monitoring endangered
species to managing fish stocks, the group says in the Journal of Heredity.

Genome sequencing costs have plunged in the last decade, making large-scale
sequencing efforts more and more feasible. So far, the Genome 10K group has
identified samples of more than 16,000 species held at universities, museums,
zoos, and research institutes around the world that could be used for the project.
The proposed collection covers 34% of all known living mammal species, 52% of
birds, 27% of amphibians, 37% of reptiles, and 13% of fishes, totalling roughly a
quarter of all documented living vertebrates.
READ ON: http://journalwatch.conservationmagazine.org/2009/11/04/birds-
and-reptiles-and-mammals-oh-my/
 Hi all,

We wanted to give staff and volunteers an opportunity to get tickets to an upcoming

event (that is sure to sell out) at a discounted price.

The 2nd Annual Ocean Wise Chowder Chowdown will feature sustainable seafood
chowders from 10 of BC’s finest chefs competing for the honour of the best
sustainable chowder in BC. Better yet, we have teamed up with 5 of the best local
micro-breweries to pair with the chowders.

Staff and volunteers are welcome to purchase tickets for the event at the special
rate of $28 (20% off) – see E-vite below.
The event will take place November 25th from 6-9pm. Please feel free to tell your
friends – regular price is $35.

To purchase tickets just click the link below

http://www.vanaqua.org/oceanwise/chowder.html

The Fair Food Project Tells Farmworkers' Stories (VIDEO)

If you eat, you rely on farmers, but you also rely on the labor of
2.5 million farm workers in the United States who earn wages
below the poverty limit ($10,000 per year) while risking their lives
in the harshest conditions in order to bring us most of the food
we eat on a day to day basis.

Photographer and writer Rick Nahmias and the California

Institute for Rural Studies have created a multimedia project
called "Fair Food: Field to Table," allowing farm workers to tell
their own stories, and featuring the voices of farm worker
advocates and producers who are pursuing solutions to creating
socially just conditions on the farm and in food businesses.
READ/WATCH ON: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-
crossfield/the-fair-food-project-tel_b_360916.html
The GOOD Guide to COP15: All You Need to Know About the Copenhagen Conference
Solar Collectors in Space Could Finally
Solve Earth's Energy Problem
The Japan Space Agency, along with Mitsubishi Electric
Corp. and IHI Corp., are getting even closer to next big
thing: harnessing the power of the sun with a solar collector
in geostationary orbit.
READ ON: http://dvice.com/archives/2009/11/solar-
collector.php
Sea Shepherd Improves Radio
Communications in Galapagos
Good communication on each island as well as inter island
communication is now possible through radios. After
several months of installing repeaters and programming
and adjusting radios, Sea Shepherd Galapagos has
officially handed over a large amount of radio
communication equipment to the National Police in
Galapagos.
READ ON: http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-
media/news-091116-1.html
If you're late arriving to the COP15 party, and need to get caught
up on what the political fuss is about, there's still time to get your
head straight: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/11/good-
has-the-goods-on-cop15.php
Or try out this “non-wonky crib sheet”:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/11/mostly-non-wonky-
cop15-crib-sheet.php
Sesame Street's Top 10 Environmental Videos
Sesame Street, Jim Henson's educational masterpiece, has been
teaching curious learners for 40 years. Among the well known songs
about the alphabet & numbers, were segments with strong
environmental messages for children around the globe.
READ ON: http://www.treehugger.com/galleries/2009/11/sesame-
streets-top-ten-environmental-videos.php
Top 5 Useful Green Gadgets That Make our
Lives Easier
The recent shift that many consumers are making toward living greener
lives has caused companies to strip away many of the superfluous bells
and whistles, resulting in some great new green gadgets!
READ ON: http://mylifescoop.com/featured-stories/2009/11/top-5-
useful-green-gadgets.html
One word: Bioplastics Five Body Parts You May Be Able to Regrow
Soon(ish)

Starfish, salamanders, and planarian flatworms share a seemingly magical trait:

the ability to regenerate body parts they've lost. While humans may never boast
quite the same ability, scientists are perfecting ways to create different types of
Every year, more than 540 billion pounds of replacement tissue using stem cells or techniques that kick-start regrowth and
plastic are produced worldwide. Much of it ends development. Thanks to their efforts, the fabled "human spare-parts kit" may
up in the world’s oceans become a reality sooner than you think.
READ ON:
At a new plant in Iowa, MIT-rooted technology http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health_medicine/4337088.html
will use bacteria to turn corn into biodegradable
plastics. Penguins Evolving Faster Than Thought A team of researchers
READ ON: collected DNA from
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2009/bioplastic penguins living in rookeries
s.html in Antarctica and from
bones of penguins that had
St. Louis Zoo Replaces lived in the same spot as
long as 44,000 years ago.
Deceased Polar Bears with Analysis reveals that the
Electronic Proxies penguins are evolving on a
molecular scale two to six
times faster than standard
calculations indicated.
READ ON:
http://www.wired.com/wir
edscience/2009/11/pengu
ins-evolving-faster-than-
thought/

Listen to VanAqua’s Jim Bolger, Executive Director of the

Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking Project on their Website!

This week employees with James Trogolo

Co. installed a family of electronic polar
bears in the zoo's empty polar bear display.
Technology wins again!
READ ON:
http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/
2009/11/st_louis_zoo_replaces_dead_po
lar_bears_with_electronic_proxies.php

The conversation ebbs and flows around the (POST) Pacific Ocean
Shelf Tracking Project and his team’s contributions to the international
Census of Marine Life.
LISTEN: http://www.postcoml.org/files/304_NGW_100309_HR2_SegD.mp3
Archival Photo

Visitors examine numbered Aquarium tanks, 1970.

Library News
For more library news, book reviews, access to our online catalogue and much more, visit us on the
aquanet: http://aquanet.vanaqua.org/IS/CRS/Lib/Pages/default.aspx

Get your up-to-the minutes news via RSS feed from the library’s What’s new pages. Currently, there are
two What’s new pages running a variety of interesting news feeds

What’s New – Animals and Nature – for news about birds, reptiles, marine mammals, and places such as
the Arctic http://aquanet.vanaqua.org/IS/CRS/Lib/Pages/WhatsNewAnimalsandNature.aspx

What’s New – Business and General – for news about business, finance, tourism, visitor experience and
marketing http://aquanet.vanaqua.org/IS/CRS/Lib/Pages/What%27sNewBGN.aspx

News on Environmental conservation and education will soon be available via the Conservation Current
http://aquanet.vanaqua.org/IS/CRS/Lib/ConservationCurrent/Pages/Default.aspx

Did you know that the Library has access to over 100 journals and magazines??
At least 80 of these are available full text online.
For a complete hyperlinked list, visit the library journals page on Aquanet:
http://aquanet.vanaqua.org/IS/CRS/Lib/Pages/Journals.aspx

As well, you can find new books and movies listed on this page of Aquanet:
http://aquanet.vanaqua.org/IS/CRS/Lib/Pages/LibraryCatalogue.aspx
 http://www.tourismcares.org/save-our-sites/polling-options

The VAHC meetings begin at 7:30 p.m. in the

Aquatic Planet classroom on the first Wednesday
of each month. Meet at the Aquaquest reception
entrance. Talks generally get going around 8 p.m.
after a hobby club Q & A session. The
talks/meetings are free to attend, but if you find
yourself coming to quite a few, a membership to
the club is always a great idea (a mere $20/year!)

DECEMBER 2ND, 2009 – LECTURE @ AQUATIC PLANET CLASSROOM, AQUAQUEST

Dolph Schluter from UBC will be doing a talk on African cichlid evolution.
Check out his website here: http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~schluter/
Events
From Earth to Ocean: Stories from Gwaii Haanas
Parks Canada has identified the waters around Gwaii Haanas National
Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site (Queen Charlotte Islands) as a
potential national marine conservation area reserve.

To present the stories of Gwaii Haanas, Parks Canada has partnered

with The Vancouver Aquarium to offer a unique speaker series open to
the public. Participation is free, though seats are limited. Each
engaging event allows audience members to explore a different aspect
of the region and understand the benefits of its protection. Starting in
September, join us to find out more about:

Session 4: Healthy oceans, healthy people

Monday December 7
Whether it’s dining out or reporting a whale sighting, your actions can make a difference to our
oceans. Join us for this special conclusion to find out what you can do to help
Each session takes place at The Vancouver Aquarium from 7 – 9 pm.
Please enter at the AquaQuest Administrative Entrance.
To confirm your seat, email: lectureseries@vanaqua.org or call 604-659-3432.
Please identify which session you would like to attend. Seating is limited.
 This group has
been working
on a mosaic
project to
beautify an
alley in the
West End. If you
are interested
in participating
in a public art
project, here’s
your chance!
Thank you every one who has donated to help fight prostate cancer you are truly awesome and should feel giddy
about what you have done to help those 1 in 6 men whom suffer this damaging cancer . I truly feel that we will know a
cure for prostate cancer in our lifetime.To those who haven’t givin yet ,well there is still a little over a week to give, so
far the mo-baleen,s have raised over 1000 bucks and quite frankly with such a stellar team, I believe we should be
able to raise at least triple that .Cmon join the team or give a few bucks ,it’s a descent thing to do and youll be
supporting your mo-bros and that makes you cool like cesar ramero (that guy had a great mo)
DONATE HERE: http://ca.movember.com/mospace/members/search/q/mo-baleen%2Cs
 http://makeitproductions.com/vancouver/welcome-to-make-it/

****************************
Exploring the Depths of Generations
Baby Boomer... Gen X... Traditionalists...
Gen Y...
For the first time in history, four
generations are together in the workplace.

Learn about each of the generational

groups, their values and experiences, and
their impact on the organization. This
informative, engaging, and fun workshop
aims to build community across
generations and explore strategies to
bridge generational gaps.

Please join us the afternoon of November 26th from 2:30 – 4pm in the Halibut room
for this interesting workshop open to all staff and volunteers.

If you are interested in attending, please let Rene know @ 3766.