Green Options

Like this post? Subscribe to our RSS feed and stay up to date.

In Mombasa, Kenya, there is a popular saying that if you have not sampled shark meat, you probably have never been to the East African coast. But it could well be a belief because I have seen people go to great lengths to afford a dish; it is a very expensive delicacy. But that is a story for another day. Let us focus on the whale shark, which is making all the news in that part of the world.

An ongoing satellite tagging expedition to the ecosystem of the world’s biggest fish is a mix of both adventure and science. I rue missing this whale shark census expedition, running from February 18 to March 2, conducted in a safari setting!

Dr. Brent Stewart, a marine biologist at the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute in San Diego, California, is conducting the expedition with local collaboration from the East African Whale Shark Trust (EAWST) to study the ecology of whale sharks along the Kenyan coast. Local experts, Volker Bassen and Nimu Njonjo, have ensured public participation in the annual project at a small fee; this adds to the adventure in research and education and a huge exciting step for Kenya’s marine ecology conservation efforts.

A green-energy ocean glider has cruised back and forth between the islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix more than 20 times since its launch in December. Being tested by researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Webb Research Corporation, the robotic glider uses ocean heat to warm wax-filled tubes that then expand to generate mechanical energy that drives the [...]