Harry Breidhal - Southern Shores Program

Marine Park Update

The Whaleburger has been launched in a small town south of Tokyo. Whalemeat in barbeque sauce pressed between rice cakes. They are a bit more expensive than Macca's - quote of the day "It tastes just like any other hamburger". It may keep going as the Norwegians have a blubber mountain that they need to get rid of. They hope the Japanese will take them.

A South Eastern Australian Ocean atlas has just been released and it is free from the National Oceans Office or via email to Ester Guerzoni

Some luck guy got to survey 10,000 beaches to find the best in Australia - the Best was on Kanagaroo Island - Vivonne Bay. His favourite Victorian beaches were Bells, Port Fairy, Venus Bay, West Wingan, Bridgewater Bay.

The UK has a triumph - more than a third meet the bathing water standards. What a nice way of saying that two thrids of the beaches are crap (literally)

Surveying Southern Shores looks at the the physics and chemistry of the sea. Harry has published 100 books mostly aimed at kids and will do anything as long as it is related to the sea!

The three main themes of the southern shores program are:
Beachcombing - recording the sorts of things that come up on the beach
Biological - where volunteers survey the organisms on the beach
Water Chemistry and Physics - based on the simple tests to link back to the other parameters measured during the beachcombing and biological surveys.

Kids are a key part of the program, and they then to get involved from grade 6 - 8. Most kids really get into it - even the ones who think they are too cool.

Harry is off to Paris to talk with the rest of the world about ocean research priorities - he will be back to tell us about it afterwards.

Two Grandparents have written an open letter to Victoria to plead for the Marine National Parks - not just any Grandparents, but people that set up the first terrestrial National Parks - so what is the holdup ? Who were they - Sir Rupert Hamer and Joan Kirner - two former Permiers of the State.

The Victorian Coastal Conference passed a resoultion supporting the establishment of the Marine National Parks.

Underwater footage of a couple of the proposed Marine National Parks can be viewed on the NRE Website

Earthwatch offers pretty glamorous volunteer options - Ancient Inca civilisations, glaciers in Iceland and in our back yard - the impact of Eco tourism on the dolphins in Port Phillip Bay.

While it sounds cruizy, there area a couple of downsides:
You will have to work hard - and often at weird times
You will have to pay some of your costs.

If you are over 16 and meet some basic physical criteria (to be able to do the work) then it may be an experience not to be missed.

Earthwatch is having an Open Day on 5 May, for more information call 9682 6828

" Baby"

" Couleur cafe "

" Still Waters "

Os Mutantes

Serge Gainsbourg

Jim White

Brett tried to tell us that he is actually in Byron Bay, and that he wrote his report last Monday. We don't believe him, because he could not have predicted this weather that far out.

Sea - Vis 4 m and 18 C Sky - Blue