New England Aquarium Fall Lecture Series September 20, 2010

The Aquarium has been providing free lectures and films by scientists, environmental writers, photographers and others since 1972. The Aquarium Lecture Series is presented free to the public through the generosity of the Lowell Institute, which has been providing funding for free public lectures at universities and museums since 1836.

Lectures are free and open to the public. Registration is requested. All programs start at 7 p.m. in the Aquarium's Harborside Learning Lab, unless otherwise noted below. Programs last approximately one hour followed by a reception.

Monday, September 20
A Wild Look at Captive Fish: Developing rearing methods for marine ornamental fishes
Andrew Rhyne, Research Scientist, New England Aquarium
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology and Marine Biology, Roger Williams University, RI

Public aquariums are an under-utilized source of high-quality larvae from the enormous variety of fish species they exhibit. Realizing the unique resources and opportunities offered by a diverse collection of animals, the New England Aquarium has recently partnered with Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island, to develop an effort to rear the many species that reproduce on exhibit. Although a program in only its infancy, we have already accomplished a major goal by rearing a species that has never been before reared in captivity. Andrew Rhyne will focus on this program and the issues of rearing fish in captivity.

Tuesday, September 28
The Sources of Methylmercury in the Ocean
Carl Lamborg, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

Mercury is a toxic metal released in the ocean by natural and human sources. However, the form of mercury entering the ocean (inorganic) is not the same form that accumulates in potentially hazardous concentrations in seafood. That other form, methylmercury, is created within the ocean by processes that are not well understood. Carl Lamborg's research is focused on identifying and understanding those biological and chemical processes that result in the methylation of mercury in the ocean, and ultimately in human exposure to this pollutant.

Monday, October 4
Medical management of sea turtles affected by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Charles Innis, VMD, Director of Animal Health, New England Aquarium

Senior rescue and veterinary staff from the New England Aquarium were among the first experts sent to field stations in the Gulf after the Deep Horizon oil spill. Join Dr. Innis as he recounts his experience being a part of a large scale sea turtle triage team.

Tuesday, October 12
Horseshoe Crab Behavior
Wan-Jean Lee, University of New Hampshire

Horseshoe crabs have been around since the dinosaurs, but much remains to be learned about their behavior and ecological roles. Although many of their behaviors appear simple, they may have complex ecological consequences. Wan-Jean Lee is focusing her doctoral research on understanding horseshoe crab behavior and how it affects the Great Bay Ecosystem.

Monday, October 25
Running Dry
Jonathan Waterman, photographer and author

Jonathan Waterman started shooting photographs on his expeditions three decades ago, but also found his calling as a writer and author. He has starred in and written films for television, including The Logan Challenge (PBS, 1991), Surviving Denali (ESPN, 1994), and Odyssey Among the Inuit (OLN, 2000). He has a new book, Running Dry, about the Colorado River. The Colorado now reaches the sea only in the wettest of years, and the Delta, once one of the greatest desert estuaries in the world, has been reduced to a veritable wasteland.

Monday, November 1
Smithsonian Ocean: Our Water, Our World
Deborah Cramer, author

Science writer Deborah Cramer will present some of the world’s finest marine photography from her book Smithsonian Ocean: Our Water, Our World. She will also discuss how all life, including ours, depends on the sea, and how we, a single terrestrial species, are changing the nature of the ocean itself.
Cramer writes about science, nature, and the environment. Currently a visiting scholar at MIT's Earth System Initiative, she is the author of Great Waters: An Atlantic Passage and Smithsonian Ocean: Our Water, Our World. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Monday, November 8

Fish out of water: examining the impacts of fishing capture and handling on sharks, rays and skates
John Mandelman, Research Scientist, New England Aquarium


It is well established that exposure to (commercial or recreational) fishing capture and handling can have profound negative impacts on the immediate and long–term physiology, physical condition and health of elasmobranch fishes (sharks, rays and skates) following release back to the wild. Because many elasmobranch populations are in reported peril, and countless species are discarded following capture, understanding the consequences of capture and handling is vitally important, and can help reveal practices to reduce those negative consequences. In this lecture, Dr. Mandelman will discuss conservation physiology, review the nature and consequences of the stressors associated with fishing capture and release, and discuss results from a composite of related studies on the topic undertaken by the New England Aquarium’s Research department. These include: the effects of commercial fishing capture on skates and spiny dogfish in the Gulf of Maine; the consequences of angling and release on juvenile lemon sharks in the Bahamas; and the effects of longline capture on coastal sharks in the western South Atlantic.

Tuesday, November 16
The Great Penguin Rescue
Dyan deNapoli, author

On June 23, 2000, a cargo ship sank off the coast of South Africa, spilling 1,300 tons of oil and putting 75,000 African penguins at risk. Some 12,500 inexperienced volunteers descended upon Cape Town to help save the imperiled birds. Dyan DeNapoli, at the time a senior penguin aquarist at the Aquarium, was one of 100 penguin experts who helped supervise the volunteers during the rescue effort. After three months of grueling labor, 95 percent of the affected penguins were successfully released back into the wild in what has been heralded as the largest and most successful rescue of animals ever undertaken. DeNapoli tells this story in The Great Penguin Rescue: 40,000 Penguins, A Devastating Oil Spill and the Inspiring Story of the World's Largest Animal Rescue.
Monday, November 22, 2010

Lobsters and their kids on the move in the Gulf of Maine
Jason Goldstein, Center for Marine Biology, University of New Hampshire


Do lobsters migrate like many birds and whales? Studies of egg-bearing lobsters indicate seasonal movement patterns that may serve to expose eggs to optimal water temperatures over their 9-to-12 month incubation period. Movements of adult lobsters can influence the timing and the location of hatching with consequences for where future fishing will be successful. Modern technology and local fisherman are contributing to knowledge about lobsters’ habits and needs.

Monday, December 13
In search of dragons
Jeremy Brodt, Aquarist, New England Aquarium

Sea dragons are masters of ornate camouflage. Their bodies are covered in frond-like appendages, giving them the appearance of a floating piece of algae or kelp. The biology of these unique fish, endemic to the temperate waters along the south Australian coastline, are still not well understood.
Jeremy Brodt will show photos and videos from his 2009 trip to Australia to observe and learn more about these charismatic fish and their habitat.