Fish 'N' Chips
A Monthly Marine Newsletter
September 2001 Issue

Index

From Liz
What's Up @ ReefsUK
Caught In The Net
Marine News
Chips...er...Tips
Upcoming Events
Prove It!, a Bibliography
Newsletter Disclaimer

From Liz
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/28/01

Unity Ribbon For those of you who don't know, I live in the US. Queens, New York to be exact. I used to be able to see the World Trade Center from various locations in my neighborhood. When I worked, before my son was born, I used to take the train under those Twin Towers to my job in New Jersey every single day. My husband still does. Well, did. Now his commute is slightly detoured.

On September 11, 2001 those towers came down. This isn't news to any of you I'm sure, but just typing that line makes my eyes fill up with tears. I cry for the loss of lives, for the horror of it all, for having to try and explain to my four year old that bad guys exist, that they aren't just drawings in cartoons or actors on TV and in the movies. That in real life, there are men and women so evil that they would destroy hearts and souls encased in steel and concrete. And that I don't know why.

Luckily my son hasn't asked why those buildings fell. He knows they fell, my husband, him, and I watched it all on TV that day. He saw the horror on our faces and the tears on mine. And, he sees the flags every day wherever we go and I've told him they are there because of what happened in the city, because of what happened when those buildings came down. I'm waiting for the questions about the planes, waiting for him to make the connection that people fly in planes and work in buildings and what became of them. He's a smart kid, those questions are coming and probably when I least expect it.

I should be writing about fish. I should be researching articles. Yet, here I sit pouring out my soul and all the hurt and horror in me to my faithful subscribers. I will get back to fish in a few more paragraphs I promise. In the meantime, I hope that you will forgive me for my lapse into something non-fish. I know some of you by name. I know that my small newsletter is sent to over 1200 people. I know that you come from all over the planet - South Africa, China, England, France, Canada - way too many countries to name. And those are only from the few of you that I talk to from time to time. I hope that every single one of you and the people you love are safe and sound.

I'm afraid for what the future will hold. War it seems and tighter security. That ribbon up there, the one with the red, white, and blue. It's called The Unity Ribbon (url dead 10/06/05). It's not there because I think my country is any better than yours. It's there for the people who aren't here anymore. Because, quite honestly, there isn't much more that I can do. There isn't anything that I can do to undo what happened or to make it better. So, I put up that ribbon as a reminder and a hope that no where on this entire planet does something like this ever, ever, happen again.

If you want to help, my partner Marilyn and I set up a How to Help (url dead 06/17/08) page on our site. Take care everyone. Be safe.

Visit This Month's Subscriber's Tank Showcase
Tobie Schalkwyk's Reef Tank is this month's Showcase and can be seen at http://www.marinefiends.com/showcases.html (updated 8/24/04).

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What's Up @ ReefsUK
- http://www.reefsuk.org -
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/30/01

9/4/01:

To join the ReefsUK Mailing List, send an email to post@reefsuk.org.
To join ReefsUK Chat (Email Discussion Group), visit the ReefsUK Website for instructions.

Editor's Comments:
Information in this section covers the latest happenings at Mark T. Taber's ReefsUK Web Site. Mark has given me permission to publish any information from his mailing list that I feel would be of interest to Fish 'N' Chips subscribers. So, the above, although reworded by me, should be credited to Mark or to Derek Scales who works closely with Mark on the running of ReefsUK. The dates in bold coincide with Mark or Derek's mailings and are provided as a reference.

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Caught In The Net
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/28/01

New Stuff Found

On Reefs.org (http://www.reefs.org/):

An ocean full of life on your desktop:  DALiWorld is an online virtual ocean which is full of a variety of active sea life. Once downloaded and installed, your desktop will be home to your very own piece of the ocean. Within that desktop ocean, fish will swim and school, darting on and off your screen. What makes DALiWorld unique is that when a fish is on your screen, it's actually visiting your computer, when it moves off, it does so via the Internet to another DALiWorld user's computer. Please visit the DALiWorld site at http://www.daliworld.net/index.html (url dead 10/06/05) for more information, screenshots (the details on the ocean critters are amazing!), message board, and of course to download (all platforms are supposed to be supported).

And on that note...  DALiWorld reviews are welcome! Email your thoughts and opinions to me at fishnchips@mail.com.

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Marine News
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/30/01

9/6/01 - US: Former President Bill Clinton will be honored next month for his efforts to protect the nation's oceans and coastal waters by the American Oceans Campaign. The AOC is a nonprofit environmental group. The award will be given on October 2 at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, USA. The entire news release can be found at http://ens-news.com/ens/sep2001/2001L-09-06-09.html (url dead 8/24/04).

9/7/01 - US: Dr. William Hogarth has been named as the new director of the National Marine Fisheries Service. Dr. Hogarth is a 16 year veteran of fisheries and natural resources management and was named Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries at the National Marine Fisheries Service in July 2000. In that position, he oversaw the management and conservation of marine fisheries and the protection of marine mammals, sea turtles, and coastal fisheries habitats within the United States' exclusive economic zone. The entire news release can be found at http://ens-news.com/ens/sep2001/2001L-09-07-09.html (url dead 8/24/04).

9/12/01 - Australia: Robert Hill, the Federal Environment Minister, released a report addressing the effect of land use activities on the water quality in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. The report recommends specific end-of-river pollution targets for all 26 river catchments adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef. The entire news release can be found at http://ens-news.com/ens/sep2001/2001L-09-12-02.html (url dead 8/24/04).

9/17/01 - US: RS Information Systems (RSIS) has been chosen by the National Ocean Service to perform a range of scientific and technical work that includes the use of scuba divers to support the federal agency’s National Marine Sanctuaries Division. Under the contract, certified scuba divers from RSIS will monitor coral reef and fish sanctuaries off the North Carolina coast and elsewhere for the federal agency, and RSIS technical analysts will develop and process data drawn from the work of the divers. The entire news release can be found at http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Sept01/17Sept0104.html (url dead 8/24/04).

9/20/01 - US: Research funded by the Office of Naval Research and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is trying to harness some of the power of plankton for their oceanic fuel cell called OSCAR (Ocean Sediment Carbon Aerobic Reactor). Dead plankton falls to the sea floor, deposited as organic, or reduced carbon, matter in the sediment. This organic matter is a rich and almost inexhaustible source of energy for animals and microorganisms that live at the bottom of the sea. The U.S. military is hoping to harness just a small portion of this energy to power up small remote instruments. The entire news release can be found at http://ens-news.com/ens/sep2001/2001L-09-20-09.html (url dead 8/24/04).

9/21/01 - US: An extensive national database outlining the distribution of disease associated pathogens in America's wild and free ranging fish populations was unveiled by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The entire news release can be found at http://ens-news.com/ens/sep2001/2001L-09-21-09.html (url dead 8/24/04).

9/26/01 - US: Scientists at the University of California have found that sunlight plays an important role in cycling iron in the ocean and making it available to marine life. The entire news release can be found at http://ens-news.com/ens/sep2001/2001L-09-26-09.html (url dead 8/24/04).

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Chips...er...Tips
Hands Out
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/30/01

While you shouldn't be afraid to put your hands in your tank for maintenance, etc., try to avoid the temptation to rearrange things too often. Besides disturbing your critters (your contact with corals, etc. and the constant moving might be preventing their growth), you might be introducing something to your tank that could be harmful. Your body's natural oils, perfume or hand creams you use, etc. can affect the health of your critters and the performance of your protein skimmer.

To Submit Your Tip: Send your tip via email to fishnchips@mail.com and I'll publish it in an upcoming issue of Fish 'N' Chips. I'll write it up for you or you can do it yourself if you are so inclined. Make sure you let me know if I can include your name and email address or if you'd rather go anonymous.

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Upcoming Events
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/28/01

EventStart Date/TimeEnd Date/TimeLocation Event Details, Notes, and For More Info
Aquarist Profile SurveyAug. 2000Open Ended  Info: What is the profile of a marine aquarist? Visit the #Reefs website at http://www.reefs.org/.
Mandarin SurveyJan 2001Open Ended  If you have ever kept a mandarin, please fill out this survey, even if it has died. Visit the #Reefs website at http://www.reefs.org/.
"Seahorses At Sea" Seahorse Conference and Cruise 11/26/0112/1/01Cruise leaves Tampa, Florida, USA Info: For more information, visit http://seahorsesatsea.homestead.com/Seahorsesatsea.html
2nd International Conference on Marine Ornamentals11/26/0112/1/01 Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA Info: For more information, visit http://www.ifas.ufl.edu/~conferweb/mo (url dead 10/05/05)
International Coral Reefs Conference of Paris (CIRCoP) 2/2/02
New Date
2/3/02
New Date
Paris, FranceInfo: http://www.circop.com/.

To Submit Your Event: Send your event and all the specifics (date, time, location, pricing, contact info, etc.) via email to fishnchips@mail.com and I'll publish it in all issues of Fish 'N' Chips prior to the event.

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Prove It!, a Bibliography
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/30/01

Article: Marine News

Article: Chips...er...Tips

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