by Carol Kaesuk Yoon W.W. Norton & Co. (500 5th Ave., New York, NY 10110), 2009. 344 pages, hardcover. $27.95. Reviewed by Merritt Clifton Though you may never have heard of either “taxonomy” or “cladistics,” the two central concepts in Carol Kaesuk Yoon’s 2009 opus Naming Nature, it remains a fascinating read for […]
Trump stalls elephant & lion trophy imports after meal of shark fin soup
Appointees had put elephants & lions back on trophy hit list WASHINGTON D.C.––Tweeting “Put big game trophy decision on hold until such time as I review all conservation facts,” U.S. President Donald Trump on November 17, 2017 unexpectedly suspended U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services decisions –– trumpeted by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and praised by both […]
Vaquita captures suspended after death of female of breeding age
Two captures with only frozen tissue samples to show for it (Updates coverage of November 6, 2017.) SAN FELIPE, Mexico––VaquitaCPR and SEMARNAT, the Mexican Secretariat for the Environment & Natural Resources, have indefinitely suspended attempts to bring highly endangered vaquita porpoises into a captive breeding program, Sandra Dibble of the San Diego Union-Tribune and CBS News […]
Are vaquita captures for breeding or for show? Mexican report raises question
Mexican environment secretary talks tourism SAN FELIPE, Mexico––The first-ever capture of an extremely endangered vaquita porpoise on October 18, 2017 in the Sea of Cortez, disclosed a day later, upstaged statements by Mexican environment secretary Rafael Pacchiano indicating that the capture might have been undertaken less from the hope of saving an endangered animal […]
Why did 162,000 factory-farmed salmon make a jailbreak?
Everyone is talking about the salmon, but almost no one about the interests of the fish themselves BELLINGHAM, Washington––Thousands of people around the Salish Sea have been talking about the Great Salmon Escape since August 20, 2017, when an estimated 162,000 hatchery-bred Atlantic salmon made a jailbreak from a ruptured sea pen at Cypress Island in […]
Hurricanes: most famous fatality was Molly the dolphin
Molly’s life was microcosm of marine mammal captivity history MARATHON, Florida––Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria killed more than 200-and-counting humans among them, from Barbuda to the southern end of the Coastal Bend region of Texas, but the best-known victim so far was apparently a dolphin, Molly, who was among the oldest dolphins on record. Molly […]
Hurricane Harvey hits hunters & fishers harder than wildlife
Shrimp, sea turtles, “sport fish,” teal & doves all get a break HOUSTON, Texas––As hard as Hurricane Harvey hit humans, pets, livestock, and some of the most vulnerable wildlife along the Gulf Coast of Texas and adjacent part of Louisiana, especially big birds who could not escape from the wind, early damage assessments indicate that […]
Exhibitionist shark-draggers upstaged by “reality TV” star friend
“Look, ma! No decency!” MIAMI, Florida––Long seeking social media notice by posting images of himself and friends torturing animals, Michael Robert Wenzel, 21, of Palmetto, Florida, for a few days appeared to have at last achieved the notoriety he wanted with a video posted on July 24, 2017 showing himself and pals Robert Lee “Bo” […]
Fish Feel––and even Donald Trump once said so
Concern for fish suffering rises worldwide SILVER SPRING, Maryland––Suddenly voices are rising on behalf of fish, including one of the most surprising of all. Yes, that was the voice of U.S. President Donald Trump, rarely known to express concern or compassion for anyone who doesn’t support him, discussing a People for the Ethical Treatment […]
Fishers’ riot may hasten extinction of the vaquita porpoise
Rioters damaged marine law enforcement capacity throughout the Sea of Cortez GOLFO DE SANTA CLARA, Sonora, Mexico––Wall or no wall along the Mexican border, the furious rejection of environmental regulation characterizing U.S. President Donald Trump’s first six weeks in office appears to be shared by some of the violent lawbreakers whom […]