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sbenjamins.bsky.social
Steven Benjamins
@sbenjamins.bsky.social
520 followers 930 following 7 posts
Marine ecologist with an interest in how marine megafauna interacts with offshore infrastructure and fisheries. He/him. Opinions my own. #offshorewind #marine #energy #cetaceans #elasmobranchs #bycatch #marineecology
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sbenjamins.bsky.social
Great first visit at the European Elasmobranchs Association's Annual Science Conference in #Rotterdam #blijdorp talking about flapper skates #skatespotter #EEA2025
eea2025.bsky.social EEA2025 @eea2025.bsky.social · 25d
✨ Steven is a marine ecologist with an interest in how marine megafauna interacts with offshore infrastructure and fisheries. #offshorewind #marine #energy #cetaceans #elasmobranchs #bycatch #marineecology #EEA2025 @sbenjamins.bsky.social
October 31, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
whalenerd.bsky.social
Based on interviews and archive work (Bergen/Oslo, April 2024), Peter Wilson, @sbenjamins.bsky.social and I reviewed minke #whaling around Ireland in @injournal.bsky.social Vol 41.

Funded by Percey Sladen Memorial Fund & Society for Nautical Research

www.researchgate.net/publication/...
June 8, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
theguardian.com
I’m the Canadian who was detained by Ice for two weeks. It felt like I had been kidnapped
I’m the Canadian who was detained by Ice for two weeks. It felt like I had been kidnapped
I was stuck in a freezing cell without explanation despite eventually having lawyers and media attention. Yet, compared with others, I was lucky
www.theguardian.com
March 19, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
oceanknigge.bsky.social
Shark Conservation Fund invites proposals for its small grant funding window. Up to $25,000 to support ocean policy projects aligned with:
🦈 Fisheries Management Reform
🌍 Preventing Extinctions
🌊 Identifying & Protecting Critical Habitats
Deadline 📆 #March31 ogy.de/widx
March 5, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
taotaotasi.bsky.social
Healthy Reefs Need Sharks

phys.org/news/2025-02...
Shark removal a thorny issue for coral reefs
A new study suggests that the removal of predatory fish such as sharks from coral reefs may be a key factor driving outbreaks of coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish.
phys.org
March 4, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
petercorkeron.bsky.social
Repeating this. It's not getting better.

Holds for many non-gov US scientists too these days.
petercorkeron.bsky.social Peter Corkeron @petercorkeron.bsky.social · Feb 10
Small things we can do to help US gov scientists

Journal editors - how about we don't ask US gov folks to referee manuscripts now. They have more than enough to deal with.

Other scientists - pick up that refereeing to help out.
When asked, please agree to review.

One idea
🐳🌍🦑🧪
March 4, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
jathorburn.bsky.social
We're hiring a Research Fellow at Edinburgh Napier University to join the SharkScape project, a three–year, multi-institute project involving field-based research and data analysis.

Apply now: 🔗 jobs.ac.uk/job/DLV215/r...

#MarineScience #SharkConservation #ResearchJobs
February 14, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
muellershewrote.com
REPOST if you support our federal workforce and know how dedicated they are to their jobs. Show them you appreciate them!
February 14, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
adamvaughan.bsky.social
Liz Truss called solar farms a “blight on the landscape”, but researchers have found they are actually better for birds than farmland

Solar farms in East Anglia had greater bird diversity & bird abundance than nearby arable land, a study finds

Paper here later www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
February 13, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
alerigolon.bsky.social
I was just told that I have to remove “climate” from the title of an ongoing grant if I want to keep it. And publications from that grant cannot include “climate” and other forbidden words. I can’t believe I’m writing this from the United States of America. #AcademicSky
alerigolon.bsky.social Alessandro Rigolon @alerigolon.bsky.social · Feb 6
Just received an email saying that it's not advisable to include the following words in future applications for research funding to the US DOT. Here we are.
1. Climate change 2. Greenhouse gas emissions 3. Emissions 4. Racial equity 5. Gender identity 6. Diversity, equity and inclusion 7. Environmental justice 8. Justice40 initiative
February 10, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
whysharksmatter.bsky.social
Here’s a thread of words that result in the National Science Foundation rejecting grants under the Trump administration’s bigoted and anti-intellectual executive order.

Among other things, about every shark paper I’ve ever written has included the word “female” referring to *FEMALE SHARKS*
February 4, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
karenromme.bsky.social
Bedrijven die als je niet oplet je lokatiegegevens verzamelen en daar commerciële dingen mee doen, vinden dat een overheidsorganisatie haar burgers niet rechtstreeks mag informeren en waarschuwen zonder dat te doen. Goh.
*knmi app installeert en op hoofdscherm zet*
January 25, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
rspb.bsky.social
"Everybody - wake up! It's the #BigGardenBirdwatch!"

Will you be taking part today? 👀🌳
A Robin is perched on a weathered wooden surface, its bright orange-red breast puffed up and beak wide open in full song. The blurred background creates a soft gradient of earthy tones, making the Robin stand out. With its legs firmly planted and feathers fluffed, it looks as if it’s passionately delivering an important message to the world.
January 25, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
whale-detective.bsky.social
Scientists can and should lead the charge in equity by committing to DEI work despite federal rollbacks by the Trump admin. These actions are vital for the integrity and equity of our research, sci comm, and impact on society #DEI #STEM
January 23, 2025 at 4:10 AM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
rebeccasolnit.bsky.social

Trans rights are human rights!

Pass it on
florgoth.bsky.social florgoth @florgoth.bsky.social · Jan 15
Trans rights are human rights!

Pass it on
theunorthodox.bsky.social Alex @theunorthodox.bsky.social · Jan 15
Trans rights are human rights!

Pass it on
January 15, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
palaeosingh.bsky.social
Cool functional morphology paper by Pollock et al. from @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social finds
functional optimality of puncture & stress resistance performance drove convergent #evolution of sabre-teeth in mammalian carnivores.

#Science #Paleontology #EvolutionaryBiology

www.cell.com/current-biol...
Graphical abstract showing functional optimality of puncture & stress resistance performance across the canines of mammalian carnivores. Extreme sabretooth forms cluster on the left of the morphospace in an high optimality hotspot.
January 10, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
thierryaaron.bsky.social
"Tackling climate change effectively requires a shift to a more equal society, where happiness is prioritised over consumption. It necessitates radical behavioural changes, particularly from the wealthiest, and policies that enable these changes."

theconversation.com/keir-starmer...
Keir Starmer says the UK can decarbonise without disruption – that’s neither true nor helpful
It’s the government’s job to make it easier and cheaper for people to change their lives.
theconversation.com
January 11, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
brendangodley.bsky.social
PLEASE REPOST: The fantastic conservation journal Endangered Species Research with all articles fully
#openaccess has just arrived @esr-ir.bsky.social
Please give it a follow. You wont regret it!
www.int-res.com/journals/esr...
#conservation #academicsky
🐢🌍🧪🦑 🌐🦤 🦈🐟🐠🐡
December 21, 2024 at 2:29 PM
sbenjamins.bsky.social
If you ever wanted to name an astronomical object in Earth's backyard, now's your chance: go over to the RadioLab podcast to vote for the 7 finalists to name one of Earth's quasi-moons!

www.radiolab.org/quasi-moon
Name a Quasi-moon Contest | Radiolab | WNYC Studios
Welcome to Name a Quasi Moon - a global naming contest from Radiolab and the International Astronomical Union. Vote now and make your mark on the heavens!
www.radiolab.org
December 18, 2024 at 7:59 PM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
sophielgilbert.bsky.social
For any PhDs thinking of transitioning out of traditional academia where the beans that get counted are high-impact, numerous pubs... just know that you have so many other skills that are highly valuable in other spaces! 🧪
December 14, 2024 at 10:15 PM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
brendangodley.bsky.social
Leatherback sea turtle in Japan found to have ingested plastic sheet 106 x 108 cm. Paper by Shota Deguchi et al. Copy available from [email protected] 🐢🌍🧪🦑 🦤
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#seaturtle #marineturtle #oceanplastic #marineplastic #plasticpollution
December 15, 2024 at 5:33 AM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
whysharksmatter.bsky.social
“Scientists don’t know everything and have sometimes been wrong before”

Does not mean

“random nonsense you just thought of is as likely to be correct as something overwhelmingly endorsed by experts and supported by evidence and should be treated with as much respect.”
December 8, 2024 at 7:12 PM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
jopabinia.bsky.social
True crabs keep leaving the ocean to live intertidal, freshwater, and terrestrial lifestyles. It happened up to 17 times in the last 100 million years and may still be happening 🦀🧪

academic.oup.com/sysbio/artic...
Circular timetree of crabs with pie slices colored by superfamily (Figure 2 in the paper). Simplified version with no text/labels. Line drawings of crabs arranged around the perimeter like a zodiac, with colors matching the superfamily pie slice. Figure by me, drawings by Harrison Mancke and Javi Luque
December 4, 2024 at 2:11 PM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
yolandastranga.bsky.social
Top predator status and trends: ecological implications, monitoring and mitigation strategies to promote ecosystem-based management.

doi.org/10.3389/fmar...

#MarineBiology #MarineEcology #TopPredators #MarineConservation #ocean #MarineScience
November 29, 2024 at 9:13 PM
Reposted by Steven Benjamins
rspb.bsky.social
We humbly interrupt your scroll to bring you the news that Wisdom—the world's oldest known wild bird—is breeding again, age 74.

Go on girl. 😍
A screenshot of a social media post from USFWSPacific that reads: "SHE DID IT AGAIN! Wisdom, the world’s oldest known wild bird, is back with a new partner and just laid yet another egg. At an approximate age of 74, the queen of seabirds returned to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge last week and began interacting with a male." This tweet is paired with an image of two Laysan Albatrosses at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. Wisdom, the oldest known wild bird, is shown alongside her new partner, demonstrating her enduring legacy as a remarkable seabird.
December 4, 2024 at 11:49 AM