The Fishtagger App is now available from the iTunes Store for use on the Chesapeake Bay with our partner MSSA - the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishing Association. MVF is teaming up with MSSA to support their conservation efforts on the Bay in 2013 and including the Championship on the Bay in May, 2013. Stay tuned for more news on www.mssa.net and here.
This is not surprising because the resources sector continued to grow beyond expectations. In the year ending December 2011, the value of Western Australia’s resources sector grew by more than 16 per cent to reach a new high of $107 billion, as compared to $91.6 billion recorded for the year ending December 2010. It contributed to 95 per cent of the State’s total exports of goods and directly employed more than 101,000 people. Mineral exploration reached a record level of $1.6 billion, accounting for 54 per cent of total exploration expenditure in Australia. At the end of the financial year, an estimated $138 billion was invested in resources projects under construction or in the committed stage of development, with a further $169 billion of planned or possible projects.
A Changing Delta Film Premiers at the 2013 Wild and Scenic Film Festial Nevada City, California, January 12, 2013. "Left for dead after decades of neglect, the terminus of the Colorado River in Northern Mexico was once a vibrant wetland ecosystem the size of Rhode Island. “A Changing Delta” chronicles the stories, issues, and people of the Colorado River Delta in Mexico, and what they’ve done across the border to reconnect one of the most iconic American rivers to the sea."
We have begun a long term project to document the coastal regions of the Kimberley and Pilbara in NW Australia. The region contains 32 different aboriginal clans that date back 40,000 years and has a estimated mineral wealth over $58B. It also has one of the largest humpback whale populations of over 30,000 animals. The growing conflict over cultural and environmental protection verus wealth extraction is a subject of both a citizen science project and documentary film. In this picture, the king tides in the Fitzroy Delta exceed 36 feet and create these intricate patterns in the mud flats.
Down the Colorado is a project of Colorado College students to document the human and environmental condition of the Colorado River Basin. Over two expeditions, the team traveled by kayak and raft the entire 1700 length of the Colorado River from its headwaters in Wyoming to the Sea of Cortez in Mexico.
Coastal Walkabout is a massive citizen science project started in 2012 to document the coastal and marine life in Western Australia. The goal is to engage citizens along the 4000 mile coastline to document marine life and the impact of mining, oil and gas exploration on the marine environment.
Iron Ore processing plant at the Pilbara coastal port of Port Hedland. Over 60 ore trains each day deliver ore to the port for shipping to China and India. Australia is the largest iron ore exporter in the world and Port Hedland alone exports over 200 million tons per year and is the highest tonnage port in the country. The impact of this massive operation on the marine environment is yet to be quantified and is the subject of our project with Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit in Perth, WA.
The US was the largest importer of billfish for food until the Billfish Conservation Act was signed in October, 2012. Now only Hawaii and regions of the Pacific can catch and sell billfish. We have actively funded and participated in the protection of pelagic fish including billfish, bluefin tuna and dolphinfish. Our current app project - Fishtagger - is a new citizen science tool to protect the marine ecosystem.
We completed a comprehensive aerial survey of the Henrys Fork Watershed in NE Idaho using three different aerial platforms. The resulting 10,000 images are in the public domain and document both the ecology of the river and the impact of human development. The composite photo shown here was created from 10 separate photos taken by balloon camera system.
There is a thriving illegal fish trade in the Parana River between Argentina and Paraguay. The Golden Dorado, the national fish of Argentina, is regularly caught and transported through Paraguay to fish buyers in Brazil. Even with a full time presence of the Argentina Navy, the industry continues to thrive. We have funded work to document both the poacher techniques and government and citizen response to the illegal fishing.
Colorado River Delta Restoration
Colorado River Delta Restoration Update November 2012 The US and Mexican government have approved an addition to the water treaty that governs water flow across the US border to Mexico. Thie minute will enable water allocated to Mexico to be stored in the US until it is needed and more importantly will enable the allocation …
Down The Colorado Expedition
Down The Colorado Expedition In June 2012, four adventurers started at the headwaters of the upper Colorado River in Rocky Mountain National Park and head downstream heading for the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. During their 100 day journey, the team interviewed over 50 land owners, stakeholders, government officials and concerned citizens about how the river has …
Coastal Walkabout and Citizen Science
Coastal Walkabout and Citizen Science in Western Australia The initial aim of the project is to test the utility of cost-effective social media-driven citizen science technologies in both the urban and remote parts of Western Australia. This site is meant to provide a set of directions for people interested in contributing data to the Coastal …
Arctic Row Expedition
Arctic Row Expedition Update (August 2012) Arctic Row was an ambitious attempt to be the first human powered boat to cross the Arctic Ocean and bring awareness to the impact of climate change on the arctic ice pack. The 4 man team rowed a 30 foot fiberglass boat 1,000 miles over 41 days . The expedition …
Fishtagger – available at the iTunes Store Now
Fishtagger – The App Welcome to the Marine Ventures Fishtagger App Website where the results of concerned citizen scientist/sport fishermen field efforts are presented. To download the app, click HERE. And once you have downloaded the iPhone app(android app coming), you can sign up and start recording your observations as part of a series of ongoing …
BlueCloud, Humboldt and Citizen Science
The expedition of Alexander Von Humboldt began in 1799 in France where upon a meeting with Napoleon where the new Emperor asked Humboldt if he studied plants. When Humboldt responded with an enthusiastic yes, Napoleon commented that his wife grew plants, turned and walked away never to speak to Humboldt again. Thus was the start …
James Price Point Spinners
Short film of the James Price Point Spinners with Simon Allen, Research Biologist, Murdoch University, Perth, WA. Location: Broome, The Kimberley, Western Australia
Colorado River Delta Restoration
Short film of the Colorado River Delta Restoration, Mexicali, Mexico with the Sonoran Institute and Pro Natura.
We just arrives in Broome on the day the Perth-based Woodside decied to can their $45B LNG plant construction. The battle between local folks, the traditional owners and the West Australia government ran for 7 years before yesterday. Famed environmental writer Graham Lloyd from the Australian stated it clearly below. The Kimberley is rich in …
Tom McMurray was recently interviewed by Stephen Tchudi from KZFR in Chico, CA on the radio show Ecotopia about the premier of the documentary film A Changing Delta that premiers January, 12, 2013 at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival in Nevada City, California. You can listen to the entire show here.
New Colorado River Delta Film released just as new treaty signed between US and Mexico. We are pleased to announce that our film “A Changing Delta” will premier at the 2013 Wild and Scenic FIlm Festival in Nevada City, CA on January 12, 2012. The film was written, edited and produced by Andy Quinn, Brandon …
[View the story "A question of choice... and the media heyday..." on Storify]
The Kimberley region of Western Australia is full of riches. From the 40,000 year cultural history of the Traditional Owners to the wild and now protected Montgomery Reef to the billions of dollars of iron ore, oil, gas, diamonds and coal in the ground, this remote place is the next frontier in the battle …
Andy Quinn and I have just returned from a week at Freshwater Cove, a remote fish camp near Montgomery Reef in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Home to some incredible 12 meter tides, the camp was a meet up place for us with Peter Tucker and Mark Jones of Save The Kimberley nonprofit, a …
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