Sent 22 June 2018. Part of Little Blue Letter.

"Every once in a while,
a new technology, an old problem, and a big idea
turn into an innovation"
~ Dean Kamen
Island life 
Isle de Jean Charles in Louisiana has already lost 98% of its land to erosion, subsidence, and a rising sea. In 2016, a $48-million subsidy was given to relocate residents, effectively making them the first government-recognized climate refugees in the US. Now, a virtual reality project is aiming to preserve the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw people’s culture too. My visit with Billiot is a unique VR archive of the area's rich oral history - take a look here.
The gravel that holds up the only road connecting the Isle with the mainland has slowly eroded, leaving a precarious one-lane track.
From the darkness...
Elsewhere, new technology is lighting up dark fishing fleets. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU) has a huge impact on marine life and constitutes an estimated 11-26 million tonnes (12-28%) of fishing world-wide. Monitoring boats fishing at night has been one of many challenges, but last week Global Fishing Watch revealed a new imaging system capable of detecting vessels that fish at night.
Beyond Blue
A new ocean exploration video game was unveiled last week at the E3 gaming convention. In Beyond Blue, the player takes the role of Mirai, a research team leader that sets out on an expedition to see the ocean in a more meaningful way. Look out for its release in early 2019. In the meantime, check out the trailer.
Gif of the week
Bathroom blues
In 2016, the US male population aged 15-65 was 95 million. Using an average 3 disposable razors per month, they 3,442,320,000 disposable razors per year in the US alone. How to cut down: 1. Get an electric shaver; 2. Use a classic safety razor with disposable blades. [Ed: 3. Or just grow a beard.]
From the editor
Experts aren't sure that the Ocean Cleanup project is such a good idea. Fishing on the high seas is definitely a bad idea. Octopuses are just absolutely f*@#*ing incredible.
Little Blue Letter was curated this week by Selene Suau. Selene is a psychologist and project manager at Sea Teach in sunny Mallorca. She is passionate about bridging science, innovation and society through communication.
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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