This Weekend: MACNA 2016!

Is everyone ready for this weekend? MANCA 2016 in San Diego is going to be a blast – talks by world-renowned scientists and aquarists such as Sanjay Joshi, Justin Credabel, Rich Ross, and Sonia Rowley, a reception Friday night and banquet Saturday night, and, of...

Probable Great White Shark Nursery Discovered off Long Island

OCHEARCH, an ocean research organization, has discovered a Great White nursery/birthing site in the North Atlantic, off the coast of Montauk, Long Island. Chris Fischer, the founding chairman of Ocearch (the organization behind the development) told CBS News that they had “definitely [found]the nursery, likely the birthing site.”  The find is “probably the most significant discovery we’ve ever made on the ocean,” Fischer added. Locating sites where North Atlantic great white sharks give birth and raise their young in the North Atlantic can lead to better efforts to protect and better understand these apex predators.  Great White sharks are described as “vulnerable.”  A vulnerable species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as likely to

Grand Case Bay

Upon arrival in St Martin 10 years ago, I dove into the water and stayed there for five hours. It was the first time that I had ever seen coral in the wild; I discovered more coral, fish, fanworms, and urchins every few feet – animals and creatures that I had...

The Long Island Aquarium: A Pleasant Surprise Near the Tip of the Island

If you are ever visiting NYC and have time for a day trip out on Long Island, I would highly suggest the Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center out in Riverhead as an excellent family destination. The center is about a one-hour drive from Queens on the Long Island Expressway. As an added benefit, there is a hotel right next door to the facility if you decide to spend additional time in the area. I have been to many small public aquariums during my work travels around the world, and due to its initial apparent size, I expected to spend no more than one or two hours going through the entire exhibit with my wife and seven-year-old daughter. I usually grade any attraction by the quality of the exhibits and how well it holds my daughter’s attention. I must say the Long Island Aquarium surprised me as we ended up spending up to four hours there and it was a lot bigger than I expected. My daughter was pleasantly entertained the entire time without any complaints. As you walk towards the entrance, a beautiful fountain greets you and draws you in