by AquaNerd | Dec 4, 2013 | Fish, Science
Ammon Covino of the Idaho Aquarium Earlier this year, Ammon Covino, who co-founded the Portland Aquarium and is the former president of the Idaho Aquarium, was arrested on charges of illegal harvesting of protected sharks and rays from Florida. After his initial arrest, he was taken into custody a second time for attempting to destroy evidence related to his case. He would go on to plead not guilty to the charges, as all criminals seem to do, but we’re happy to say that the almost year-long saga is drawing to a close. For his illegal harvesting, Covino was sentenced to one year and a day in prison and will be hit with a $10,000 fine, be forced to donate $50,000 to the National Fish and Wildlife Federation, and will be banned from working in a wildlife exhibit for a minimum of two years. While a year in the pokey might seem significant for the illegal harvesting activities, it pales in comparison to what Covino could have been sentenced to. Originally, he was up against a 20 year prison sentence and a million dollars or more in fines. According to court documents and the news stories surrounding the case, Covino went on to admit involvement in the illegal acquisition of three spotted eagle rays and a pair of lemon sharks, all of which were shipped to the Idaho Aquarium. According to the law, not only is it illegal to acquire protected livestock without specific documentation and permits, but it is also illegal to simply ship these animals by AquaNerd | Dec 3, 2013 | Events, Fish, Science
Photo Credit: Monterey Bay Aquarium/Randy Wilder We tend to shy away from Hollywood news, both in our personal lives and here on the blog, as it usually is nothing but garbage that has zero influence on our daily lives. But this story is significantly different. We’ve all heard about the recent death of actor Paul Walker, best known for his roles in the Fast and Furious franchise. What he wasn’t so widely known for was his passion for the ocean. Recently posted on the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Tumblr page, Walker originally went to school to study marine biology and was a self described “ocean addict”. Although he was eventually drawn away from his degree as he pursued acting, Paul used his influence to continually follow his original passion and even found a charitable organization, Reach Our Worldwide, which helped in disaster relief for events that occurred all over our globe. When not starring in popular car racing movies and spreading humanitarianism, Paul also served on the board of the Billfish Foundation and took part in scientific tagging expeditions of great white sharks. It truly is sad when an actor with such a heart and passion for man and animal kind loses his life so tragically. by Reef To Rainforest | Dec 3, 2013 | Events, Fish, Industry, Science
“Curse of the Caribbean”: from an oil painting by Pascal Lecocq. A frequent presence at marine aquarium and dive industry events, French artist Pascal Lecocq has departed from his usual whimsical compositions and offered his statement on the tragedy of Pterois spp. lionfishes spreading throughout the Caribbean and tropical Western Atlantic. CALLIGRAMME DE GRENOUILLE 30/ Calligram of Frog #30 by Pascal Lecocq. Click to enlarge. Known as “The Painter of Blue,” Pascal is best known for a painting called Corrida III depicting a scuba diver playing matador with Great White Shark. Here’s how the artist describes his approach to painting: Having always my head in the clouds, I’m painting an imaginary universe between outer space and the depth of the oceans, a refuge to escape the contemporary reality, I offer too to my viewers. As it happens, the traditional oil painting is my best way to share my thoughts and I try to bring it to perfection since 35 years, just to be sure the viewer will focus on the subject, not the medium. I’m increasing the layers of meaning (aesthetic, political, ecological, symbolic and allegorical), in an endless play (alliterations of words, shapes, numbers or letters) /building set (always using the Golden Ratio), not to confuse the issue or by intellectual arrogance, but on the contrary, to reach a greater majority of people able to understand the message. The transposition of the reality into an underwater world generates some humor, but hides more meanings. In addition, there’s my willing to share some knowledge and to build a better word. I want a keen viewer creating its own story from the painting or seeking the occult meaning. Therein, by intellectual game, I’m not sending a direct message, but a subtle one. I’m a painter of imagination, Surrealist, but won’t be surprised to be considered part of the Figuration Narrative. However, nobody yet cracks my Code, which will regard me as a Conceptual artist. More than considering the influences of Salvador Dali, The Mystic Lamb by Jan Van Eyck, Vermeer, The Isle of the Dead by Böcklin, think about the writings of a Georges Perec or the movies by Peter Greenaway. In fact, I’m a Postmodern painter. Besides, I attended Jean- François Lyotard’s philosophical courses, the theoretician of the Postmodernism at the Collège International de Philosophie (Paris 1986-7). Pascal Lecocq, Ph.D. His works are available as original paintings, prints, postcards and mugs at the Pascal Lecocq site and store. He will be exhibiting in the Art Basel Miami starting this weekend. Curator’s Voice Art Projects and Dr. Milagros Bello is so pleased to invite you to Digressions & Detours during the Art Basel Miami Events. The show takes place at the gallery from November 23, 2013 – January 25, 2014. Featuring for the first time Pascal’s oil paintings. OPENING COCKTAIL/GUIDED TOUR: Saturday, November 23, 2013 6-10pm with Pascal 299 NW 25th Street WYNWOOD ART DISTRICT Corner with NW 3rd Ave. One block back from Joey’s Restaurant Miami, Fl 33127, USA PH: + 1 786 357 0568 Images © Pascal Lecocq. by AquaNerd | Dec 2, 2013 | Fish, Science
Aquarium monitoring systems are becoming increasingly popular for hobbyists who are tired of testing water parameters manually with various test kits, but who are also not quite ready, or just don’t intend, to make the leap into the market of full blown aquarium control. Aquarium monitors do all of the water testing for you, but avoid all of the complex programming required to automate some of the simplest aquarium related tasks. Instead, they relay information so that the hobbyist can take care of the issues themselves. That’s where devices like the Seneye come into play. We recently got the opportunity to perform an extremely in-depth review of the Seneye monitor, and after more than a month on our nano aquarium, we’re happy to report that the monitoring device told us plenty of useful information about our aquarium and it was really simple to use. The Seneye monitor is an interesting device, to say the least. It measures pH, temperature, and ammonia, while at the same time doubling as a light meter that can measure PAR, LUX, and Kelvin. It fixes to the side of the aquarium with a suction cup, and for measuring light it can be manually turned on its side for taking measurements at various depths. LED lights indicate when the power to the unit is on, as well as any alarms for the water parameters and when the Slide, which is the disposable portion of the device that makes ammonia and pH monitoring possible, needs to be replaced. The Seneye connects to a computer and/or a power source via USB. by AquaNerd | Dec 1, 2013 | Corals, Fish, Science
Since Thanksgiving has morphed from a day of family and togetherness into one of almost pure shopping frenzy, we figured we would try to do a good rounding up of all the sweet deals from the aquarium equpiment and livestock retailers. There seems to be a lot more people involved in the sale festivities, and for the first time on a Black Friday/Cyber Monday, aquarist can enjoy some rather generous discounts on products from EcoTech Marine (via online rebate), Neptune Systems, and Reef Octopus…all of which normally have strict pricing guidelines that forces most vendors to keep their prices the same all year round. Below is our list of retailers and each of their deals spelled out in the best way we could. We tried to cover a wide array of retailers, but unfortunately there are just too many to list. List of retailer specials, in alphabetical order. AquaCave Sitewide discount to a very generous 15% this year with coupon code “BF15″. The sale excludes products from Kessil, EcoTech Marine, ProfiLux, Neptune Systems, Digital Aquatics, CoralVue, Reef Octopus, Maxspect, AquaIllumination, Vertex, Korallen Zucht, Speedwave, Sweetwater, Atlantic, and JBJ Commercial Chillers, and AquaCave gift certificates. In addition to the sitewide discounts, AquaCave also has several deeply discounted doorbusters.
