The day I met Edgar Hansen

So last weekend, I was chilling at home when I saw on Facebook that none other than Edgar Hansen of Deadliest Catch was to be at the grand opening of a new West Marine store in Ft. Myers.  If you know me, you know that I am a huge Deadliest Catch fan.  I've watched since season 1, and season 8 just finished.  Edgar works on the Northwestern, my favorite boat on the series.

Well, needless to say, I ran to my trusty Hyundai and headed for Ft. Myers - about a 50 minute drive from my condo.  I tried to contain my excitement as I battled traffic on US 41.  Soon, my GPS announced I was "arriving at destination".  SQUEEE! 

I walked into the store.  I must say, the new West Marine on College Parkway in Ft. Myers is quite impressive!  Lots of fun stuff for anybody who spends time on the water.  I wandered a bit until I saw a line - yup!  There he was!  I may have bounced up and down a bit.  I met a nice lady in line, and we had a good conversation almost the entire time.  She had just moved down from up north, and lives on a boat at the yacht basin in downtown Ft. Myers.  She hadn't quite adjusted to the Florida heat yet!

It was pretty cute seeing kids meeting Edgar.  Everybody was laughing as he joked around with the kids.  The wait in line wasn't bad, and it was a good experience since everyone was happy and nobody was complaining about being in line! 

Finally it was my turn!  I walked up to the table, he shook my hand and said, "Hi, I'm Edgar" at which point all coherent thought fled my mind.  I'm a scientist, for crying out loud!  I could care less about meeting A-list celebrities, sports stars, or musicians.  Well, have me meet a genuine Bering Sea crab fisherman (admittedly a good-looking one!), and apparently I swoon like a teenage girl at a Justin Bieber concert.

I finally (sort of) got my act together, and he signed autographs and took a picture with me.  And yeah, while posing for the picture, my brain was screaming, "OMIGOSH Edgar Hansen has his arm around me!!!!!!!!!"  After the picture, I told him I was so happy to meet him, and to stay safe out there.  He thanked me for coming.  He was super nice, which I was glad to see.  It would be disappointing to meet someone you look up to and find out they're a jerk!  I wish I had had the presence of mind to talk to him a little bit more, but oh well.  I was just so thrilled to meet him!

I walked around the store for a little bit with a ridiculous smile on my face.  I made the entire drive home with the ridiculous smile on my face.  My autographed postcard and toy inflatable boat that he wrote "Northwestern" on are proudly displayed in my room.

Even though I don't exactly work on the Bering Sea, I think every person who works on the water feels some sort of camaraderie with others who work on the water.  Whether you're working on Charlotte Harbor, the Atlantic Ocean, the Bering Sea, the Great Lakes, or wherever else, you have to work as a team with your crew.  You've got a common goal - to get the job done.  No matter where you work on the water, there is always the potential for danger.  Granted, Charlotte Harbor is no Bering Sea, but we still face potential hazards - lightning, boating dangers, and critters that can stab, poison, or eat you.  Whether you're working on a 24 foot mullet skiff or a 110 foot crabbing vessel, things break down, and you have to pull together to fix them.  While it can be frustrating at times, I am glad to be part of this big conglomerate of people who earn a living on the water.

Deadliest Catch is awesome.  Now shut up and fish.

Hard Truths in Rescue

Recently at the rescue, we had to put a moratorium on intakes.  We were very much at our capacity.  It's difficult, because you want to save them all.  You want every unwanted animal to be safe and cared for.  However, every rescue organization has a responsibility to know its limit.  It is the first and most important lesson that every rescuer needs to learn. 

This year has been terrible for numbers of surrendered rabbits.  We receive dump calls and emails nearly every day.  As much as we want to, we cannot take them all.  The bulk of these calls are from people who bought a rabbit on a whim, and got tired of it after a few months.

"We got the kids a rabbit for Easter, and they're not taking care of it any more."

"We bought a baby bunny, but it's started biting and it smells."

"I have a rabbit, but I'm tired of it."

"I'm getting a puppy, and I don't want to take care of the rabbit too."

Oftentimes when we explain to people that we cannot take in their unwanted pet, they become irate.  "Isn't that what you're here for?" they ask.  Sure people.  Like it's our fault that they made an irresponsible decision, and we're terrible for not fixing their mistake.  They want to feel good about getting rid of their pet.  They don't have to feel as guilty giving it to a no-kill organization as opposed to the pound.

Well, the sad truth is that we cannot take them all.  We take in the ones we can.  A lot of time, we do squeeze in "just one more" - such as a special case of a splay-leg bunny or a bunny in danger of being PTS.

What would happen if we did try to take them all?  A rescue is supposed to be a sanctuary.  It's not a forever home, but it's a means to reaching one.  An animal in a rescue should by all means be in a sanitary environment, provided daily nutritional needs, and necessary vet care.  If this cannot be provided, there is no point to taking in the animal.  It's going from one bad situation to another.

Everyone likes the feel-good stories of rescue, but the fact that we cannot save them all is one that people would rather ignore.  You are the good guy if you can take in unwanted animals, but if you have to say no, you are the bad guy.  Rescuers can feel like the bad guy when saying no.  You come to the realization though, that you are not the reason this animal is not cared for.  Rescuers saying "no" are not the problem.  They are being responsible.  It is the irresponsible decisions of people that put these animals in jeopardy in the first place.

Will the overpopulation of animals ever cease to be a problem?  I highly doubt it.  As long as there is greed, ignorance, and poor decision-making on the part of the general populace, there will be unwanted animals.  We combat it by trying to educate people.  Don't breed your rabbits or other pets.  Don't buy a bunny for Easter.  Please be a responsible pet owner and research a potential pet's needs before acquiring one.  Adopt.

When we do say no, we offer alternatives.  We try to keep animals in their homes.  Correct behavioral problems by spaying/neutering.  Provide advice for destructive behavior.  Help people understand the needs of their pet.  We offer alternatives to taking their pet to the pound.  We suggest species-specific forums to re-home pets.  Give advice if they must use Craig's List (which we don't recommend - always ask for a re-homing fee if you use a website like CL).  Sometimes, that is all we can do.

People need to be more understanding when we must say no.  If you don't like it, then make a commitment to foster.  The more foster homes there are, the more animals rescues can save.  Donate toward vet care and daily needs.  Rescuers fund much of what they do out of their own pockets, and funds are sadly limited!

Please be a responsible pet owner.  Spay and neuter pets.  Don't make impulse purchases.  Above all, get it through your head that you are taking on the care of a living, breathing, feeling creature who deserves love, attention, and a healthy environment.

And Nerds Shall Rule the World

Life at the lab has been pretty boring lately.  Fish catches have been less than stellar, and there's only so much excitement to be had at the lab.  Of course, as scientists, we get excited about some pretty nerdy things.  Last Friday, you should have heard us exclaiming over the 58mm standard length Microgobius gulosus we caught.  "Holy crap!"  "That's the biggest gulosus I've ever seen!!!"  "Put it in the bucket so we can observe it!"  Yes, we did actually put it in the bucket to observe it.  It was spectacular.  And for anyone who actually cares to know, the common name is clown goby.

They're awesome and you know it.

Well, I had some excitement at the lab.  We have had the same old LI-COR instrument since before I started working here.  It's a little persnickety at times.  It's been used and abused as only boats and saltwater can do.  We do our best to take care of things, but in the field...well, things get beat up, corroded, and bounced around.  So...*drum roll please* the agency that pays for our water sampling grant just got us a whole new setup to use!!

What is LI-COR you ask?  Okay, maybe you're not asking, but I'll tell you anyway.  The sensors measure photosynthetically active radiation (PAR).  Oooooooooh ahhhhhhhhh.  Why is this useful?  Well, in an estuary where seagrass is important, it's good to know how much light those little blades of manatee food and fish nursery are getting.  The actual data gets put into complicated equations that I don't understand.  That's for those math nerds to figure out.  I just put the stick in the water and write down the numbers.

My brand new beautiful lowering frame built by Scotty, the resident PVC genius at the lab.

My glorious new data logger.  I don't care who you are.  Pulling plastic off of new electronics is awesome.

  Yesterday, I got to take it for a spin.  I must say, it did a fabulous job of measuring photons.  We still have the old one.  It does still work, even if I have to whisper sweet nothings to it sometimes to coax it into working.  It will be nice to have a spare, since we have to send the sensors off the the company every 2 years to be calibrated.  The old one is due this year, so at least I don't have to schedule sampling trips around that!

Why do you care?  Well, you probably don't.  That's okay, because you're probably excited about things that I'm not excited about.  You should care that we're collecting this water quality data though, because it helps maintain a healthy estuary!

The LI-192 Underwater Quantum Sensor.  It accurately measures Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density!  It's cosine corrected!  It's corrosion resistant!

Turtle grass says, "Gimme photons!"

All hail the nerds.

March Madness!

Whew, it's been a long couple of days!  As usual, my days have been full of fish and furry critters.  Yesterday I finally got to go on my first sawfish sampling trip of 2012.  Lately, my work schedule has been full of water sampling.  I am in charge of the water sampling project at our lab, and our grant was just expanded - so I've been running double the amount of water trips.  That means more sampling trips, more data entry and proofing, and a lot more time prepping trips and then breaking down equipment.

But anyway...water is boring.  How about those sawfish?  We were having a rather uneventful morning.  The tide was quite low, so our first set was in a deeper area.  We had just checked the net when we received a phone call from another crew out on the water.  They were pulling 600' seines, and guess what they caught?  Yup, a little sawfish.

We hurriedly picked up the nets and motored a bit downriver to where the other crew was waiting.  They transferred the sawfish into our loving care so we could work it up and they could finish their seine trip!  The sawfish was just a little guy - less than a meter in total length.  He was very well-behaved.  We decided to name him Edwin.  Not sure why, but that's his name.  We measured him, tagged him, counted his teeth, admired him, and pulled a couple of leeches off of him, since there are people out there who want to study sawfish leeches.  SCIENCE!

We finished working him up, and then sent him on his way (after taking a couple of photos).

How cute is this little sawfish?  The tag on his 2nd dorsal will help contribute to sawfish movement data.

Come Saturday, it was time to put on the small animal rescuer hat.  I did a LOT of driving today!  My first stop was Suncoast Humane Society, where I picked up 4 ferrets who are all in need of homes.  My thanks to the fine folks of Suncoast - they are great to work with!  Next I drove up to Venice to meet another volunteer who had picked up a couple of guinea pigs from Sarasota Animal Services.  Those two needed to go up to another foster home.  I headed up to Sarasota to meet Amber, who had 2 guinea pigs to give me, since they were getting adopted!  We traded critters and continued on our respective journeys.

I ran home to grab a couple of things and print out an adoption contract, then I headed to the piggy pair's new forever home!  It was a joy meeting their new family - they were so excited and immediately fell in love with the piggy girls!  It's always so refreshing to meet people who are truly interested in giving the best care to their small pets!

My next mission was to visit Otis at Petco.  I brought him some veggies and some love!  I'm surprised he hasn't been snatched up by someone yet, because he is just the cutest little thing.

How could anyone resist this little guy?

Exhausted, I headed home.  I still had to clean my potentially pregnant foster guinea pig's cage.  Brienne was dropped off at Suncoast with 2 boys (who went up to Brandon today), so she is on pregnancy watch for a couple of months.  She is just a little cutie, but never wants to come out of her pigloo!  I still don't know if she's actually pregnant, but it seems like a good bet.  The rescue sure doesn't need any more piggies (just took in a bunch!), but baby piggies are sure cute.  So - we'll wait and see what happens!  If she does end up being preggo, I will certainly post pictures of babies!

Meet Brienne.  The million-dollar question: is she pregnant?

The rest of the month shall continue with madness!  I've got 3 water sampling trips next week, a scientific manuscript in pre-production stages, my good friend will be visiting from Orlando, and then I am helping out with our huge guinea pig adoption and rabbit awareness event at the Brandon Petco on April 1st!  Uh oh, should I be worried that it's April Fool's Day?

But the pet store said...

How many times have I spoken with well-meaning bunny parents who stare at me a confused manner when I offer up rabbit care advice, and utter the words, “But the pet store said…”  Well, I’m just going to lay it all out right here!

We all have to start somewhere.  I cringe when I think back on the bunny-care mistakes I made when I bought (yes, bought) my first bunny at a pet store 10 years ago.  I bought the pet-store suggested cage and the pet store suggested food.  Thankfully, I found a bunny-savvy vet as well as information from the House Rabbit Society, and thus began my constantly evolving knowledge of rabbit parenthood.

So, what does the pet store tell you about rabbit care that’s wrong?  Well, depends on the employees and the store, but in a lot of cases – everything.  

Let’s start with housing.  This is your rabbit’s environment – the place where she will spend a good portion of her time.  Rather important, I should say.  Unsuspecting new rabbit parents will look at the brightly-colored cages with selling points such as “Starter kit – everything you need for your new friend!” to “Deluxe rabbit home!”  Trust me, these kits are neither deluxe nor everything you need – not by a long shot.  Those “My First Home” sets that are so popular?  Utter rubbish.  They are selling points, however.  I’ve seen pet stores advertise specials in which one can purchase a “starter kit” and receive the animal for free…as if the pet is an afterthought.

“Well, what exactly is wrong with these sets?  They have everything you need, right?  That’s what the pet store said!” 

 For one thing, they are much, MUCH too small.  That tiny, cuddly baby bunny that seems to fit so well in it now?  He’s going to grow up.  Oh, the pet store said the bunny is a dwarf?  Be careful with that statement.  I’ve seen people with 7+ pound bunnies who bought them at a pet store that advertised them as dwarf rabbits.  In addition, dwarf bunnies are often more active than bigger bunnies, and need LOTS of room to run!  Of course, any bunny needs a nice, roomy home base.   You probably don’t need most of the other things that come with the “starter kit” either.  Those pine or cedar shavings?  Those can eventually cause cancer in your bunny.  The salt lick?  Worthless.  And we’ll talk about food in a minute.

“What kind of cage DO I put my bunny in?”  

Well, if you can’t let your bunny have free run of the house 24/7 (and yes, rabbits are easily litter trained – bet the pet store didn’t tell you that!), then puppy exercise pens or pens made from storage cube panels are good options – and typically cost less than a “deluxe” rabbit cage!  Don’t forget the litter box!  Oh, and don’t leave your bunny in the cage all the time.  She needs at least a couple hours of “floor time” each day.

So what’s the best thing for bunny to eat?  

“Those bags of pellets with seeds and colorful bits have words like ‘nutritious’ and 'fortified' written all over them.  That’s got to be good, right?  That’s what the pet store recommended!”  

No, no, and no!  These “nutritious” pellets will eventually kill your bunny – whether it is by choking on a seed or obesity from a diet that is too rich.  

“But…the pet store said that if I give my bunny lettuce he will get diarrhea!”  

Feeding your bunny a healthy selection of greens is part of a balanced bunny diet.  Dark leafy greens are wonderful for bunnies to eat – just stay away from iceberg lettuce.  It has no nutritional value.   New greens should be introduced slowly, but bunnies can safely eat healthy greens!

 “Well, I can still give the bunny some of those treats the pet store sells, right?  The box says that they’re a healthy snack!”  

Do those treats contain yogurt, honey, seeds, or corn?  Yes?  Keep them away from bunny!!  Once again, these treats will eventually kill your rabbit.  Don’t love your bunny to death.  

“Well, what DO I give my bunny for a treat?”  

Small amounts of fruit every once in a while will make any bunny happy!  Try giving your bunny a fresh blueberry, or a little bit of plain canned pumpkin.  Fresh herbs are also a healthy bunny treat!  Oh, did the pet store mention hay?  

“Hay?”  

I thought not.  I’ve actually come across a well-meaning new bunny parent who was told by a pet store that hay would give her bunny diarrhea.  Hay is absolutely ESSENTIAL for maintaining proper gastrointestinal health in a rabbit.  Eating hay also wears down a rabbit’s constantly growing teeth.  Rabbits MUST have good quality grass hay (not alfalfa, unless the bunny is very young).  This is the most important element of your rabbit’s diet.

“The pet store said that rabbits don’t really need to see a vet.  They only live a couple of years anyway.”

That’s another one I’ve heard…and it’s absolutely wrong.  For one thing, rabbits need to be spayed/neutered.

“You can spay/neuter rabbits??!”

Yes, and it is essential to their health and well-being.  Intact rabbits have a very high incidence of reproductive cancer, and are constantly driven crazy by hormones.  I’ll be the first person to tell you that in general, intact rabbits make terrible pets.  Altering a bunny helps with behavioral issues including aggression and spraying – oh, and that litter training I mentioned?  Probably not going to happen with an intact rabbit.  Make sure your bunny’s surgery is performed by an experienced exotics veterinarian – not just any dog and cat vet will do.  Or better yet – adopt a bunny!  Rabbit rescue groups spay and neuter their bunnies before sending them to a forever home!  Oh, and as for living a couple of years?  Spayed/neutered bunnies living in a healthy indoor environment can live 10 years or more!

“Okay, but after the bunny is fixed, they don’t really need to see a vet, right?”

Wrong again.  Bunnies should have maintenance check-ups to keep tabs on general health.  There is always the possibility of an emergency visit too – bunnies are delicate creatures, although they have a strong will to go along with it.  Did you know that a loss of appetite in a bunny should be considered an emergency?  You do now!

“Wow, the pet store didn’t tell me any of this!”

And most of them won’t.  This isn’t to say that all pet store employees have no clue about rabbits – I personally know a couple of pet store employees (who have even adopted rabbits from our rescue!) who try to combat bunny care ignorance.  I must give kudos to pet stores who are moving away from selling animals and encouraging adoption.  That being said, your best bet to obtain good rabbit care knowledge is from groups like the House Rabbit Society and rabbit rescues around the country.  Rescues are certainly not in it for profit (far from it, in fact!), and have the best interests of their bunnies at heart.

Thanksgiving - what's up with that?

So this year our family is doing Thanksgiving at my brother's place, but it comes at a price.  Most people dress up in costume for Halloween.  My brother has requested we do Thanksgiving in costume - it has been entitled "Fabulously Tacky Turkey Day".  Jealous?  You should be.  I have decided to go as Plymouth Rock.  After all, what could better commemorate the arrival of settlers, who would soon meet Native Americans and celebrate the first Thanksgiving together?  It was either that or smallpox.  I figured Plymouth Rock would be easier.

Well, this whole thing has gotten me to thinking about the real history of Thanksgiving.  Admittedly, history was not my favorite subject in elementary school.  From what I could remember of my early education, the Pilgrims came to America rather under-prepared, the Native Americans brought some food to the somber-looking white dudes, and everything was rainbows and succotash and smiles.

Since I'm now an adult and history is mildly more interesting to me, I hopped on over to the History channel website and searched "history of Thanksgiving".  Here's the synopsis:

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn't until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

So that's the short and simple version.  There are a few more items of interest.  I did remember the name "Squanto" from the history books.  Well, turns out he was a pretty interesting guy.  He had apparently previously been kidnapped and sold into slavery.  He escaped to London, and eventually made his way back on an exploratory expedition.  You'd think the man would be pretty bitter by that point, but he showed the Pilgrims how to plant crops and such.  Props to Squanto.

There is also controversy over whether this was the first "Thanksgiving" feast to be held.  There are other records of "feasts to give thanks" in 1565 and 1619.  I'm sure there are historical scholar types who argue vehemently for the 1565 feast in St. Augustine, Florida.  Sorry, history buffs.  Thanksgiving will always evoke images of Pilgrims and Indians.  I don't think the Spanish explorer edition will ever make grade school history books.  It's all rather the same to me anyway.

Fabulously Tacky Turkey Day promises to be a day of fun with my ridiculously goofy family, and planning for it has made me ponder things in my life that I am thankful for.  There are of course the big ones:  my family, my friends, my pets, a roof over my head, my health, religious freedom.  I do have a lot of other things to be thankful for..some serious, some just for fun.  My job.  My Hyundai.  Bunnies and guinea pigs.  Everyone who rescues animals.  My iPod.  Books.  Target.  Delicious food.  Music.  The ocean.  The Discovery Channel.  Harry Potter and Star Wars.  Dr. Pepper.  Contact lenses.  Humor.  Bunspace.  Facebook.  Chapstick.  Amazon.com.  Jason's Deli.  Lobster.  My aquarium and its inhabitants.  Art.  My Nintendo Wii.  My education.  The internet...without which this blog would not be possible!

So, to my fellow American readers, enjoy your holiday.  Treasure the time with your family and friends.  And to my readers everywhere, I hope you'll take a little bit of time to think about things for which you are thankful. 

Happy Thanksgiving (next week)!

"What a fish!" "Mammal." "Whatever."

The other day we were filling the boat up with gas before heading out for work on the water.  While gassing up, a lady walked up to me and said, "I wish I had your job!  You know, I almost went into marine biology."  That comment got me to thinking how many times I have heard this EXACT comment.  Apparently about 80% of America's population almost went into marine biology.

The statement is always given with such a sense of envy too.  "Oh, your job must be so fun!"  "I love dolphins!"  Then they proceed to tell me that they went into some sensible career.  The lady at the gas station went into law.  While she envied my time on the water, I must admit I envied her paycheck.  Believe me, you don't go into this job for the money.

I do believe a large portion of the population has a rather skewed view of what a marine biologist actually does.  Most people picture dolphins, ocean sunsets, coral reefs, and luxurious research vessels filled with red wine and Frenchmen.  In reality, marine biology is not glamorous.  In my career, I have pulled nets through thigh-deep mud, been mauled by biting insects on a regular basis, come home with anchovies stuck to my person, been poked and stung and bitten by all manner of creatures, had to pee up in the mangroves with giant spiders hanging above my head, sampled in all-day torrential downpours, and clog up my shower drain with drift algae and dead seagrass.  As of right now, my hands have some slices from fish gill plates, I've got the end of a fish spine stuck in my finger, and I've got several good bruises.  I wrestle with cantankerous computer programs and equipment failures.  I have strange tan lines and my work clothes will forever and always smell like estuarine mud.

The crazy thing is, I actually enjoy this stuff.  You need to be a little crazy to do this.  During my college orientation, all of the marine biology hopefuls gathered in an auditorium.  They did a rather good job of "telling it like it is".  The gist of the speech was this:  1) You're not going to be playing with dolphins. 2)You're not going to make any money. 3) No really, you're not going to be playing with dolphins. 4) No, you don't have a special connection with dolphins. 5) You will spend lots of time in the mud.  And...quite literally, half the people got up and left.  I was one of the poor suckers who stayed.  So - I don't play with dolphins, I don't make a whole lot of money, I know dolphins aren't quite as cute and cuddly as people think, and I spend lots of time in the mud.  Yup.  And I'm good with that.  Well, except maybe the money thing.

If you've ever seen "The Marine Biologist" episode of Seinfeld, then you are familiar with the title I gave this blog.  Now to leave you with one more marine biology gem from George Costanza:

So I started to walk into the water. I won't lie to you boys, I was terrified! But I pressed on and as I made my way past the
breakers, a strange calm came over me. I don't know if it was divine
intervention or the kinship of all living things, but I tell you Jerry -
at that moment I was a marine biologist!

 Here's me, giving a big "thumbs up" to marine biology: