Sent 23 February 2018. Part of Little Blue Letter.

"We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean.
But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something."
~ Mother Teresa
Turtle power
The 38th International Sea Turtle Symposium kicked off this week in Kobe, Japan. The symposium began with a traditional prayer, led by a Shinto priest. Participants have already heard about how relocating turtle eggs to hatcheries in Malaysia has slowed population decline, and how employing poachers to protect nesting sites can be a win-win: providing gainful employment, while reducing the risk of turtle nests being plundered. 

This is just a taste of possible solutions to conservation problems being offered up for discussion. You can follow along at #ISTS38_Kobe, where turtle enthusiasts around the globe will be live tweeting various sessions (including a scientist wearing flippers while giving a presentation).

Gif of the week
No matter how difficult the task, just keep swimming
Little blue action
Ocean opportunities
  • National Geographic is offering $450,000 for technological innovations for enforcing marine protected areas (MPAs). You can hear about it here.
  • PhD Marine Spatial Planning Training School in Belfast, April 11–13. Deadline is in 2 days, so get your applications in fast!
From the editor
I just read this article about horseshoe crabs, and the unregulated harvesting of their unique blue blood for biomedical applications (fascinating, but not for the faint-hearted). Container deposit schemes reduce marine litter (obviously). Debt for dolphins: The Seychelles' ambitious plan to designate huge MPAs in exchange for debt relief is coming along nicely. The winners of Underwater Photographer of the Year - truly incredible. The overall winner is a panoramic photo of a British World War Two shipwreck, SS Thistlegorm, loaded with Norton 16H motorbikes. And schooling above... Soldierfish.
 
 

Little Blue Letter was curated this week by Aneika Angus. Aneika is a Small Island Development State Ocean Protector at a Governmental Agency. Her interests include working with various local entities to spread ocean awareness of critically endangered marine life.

Editing etc. by Glen Wright. Glen is a researcher studying marine governance, the high seas, and ocean energy. He is a drinker of tea, lover of the sea, and an Oxford comma user. Glen recently published Academia Obscura: The Hidden Silly Side of Higher Education. 
 

 

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