Website Lets You "Watch" Marine Life Movements

Topp.org, the website of Tagging for Pacific Pelagics, allows viewers to "see" a variety of individual marine animals and track their movements. Track the movements of salmon sharks, shortfin mako sharks, northern elephant seals, and a black footed albatross, to name a few.

On the site, click on the icon of an animal to learn that individual's name. Click on the logo in the upper left corner of the screen to view the movements of the animal in almost real-time. You'll also see data on the surface temperature where the animal was swimming, as well as other data scientists are collecting with this ongoing project.

Also on the topp.org site, you can read up on the latest ocean news, follow the blog, see the photo of the day, and much more! For anyone interested in the ocean and marine life, this is a fun and informative site to check out.

Passport Fees to Increase

According to the May/June 2010 issue of Dive Center Business magazine, U.S. passport fees will be going up in the near future. The article says that the State Department did a cost-of-service study in 2009 and proposed the higher fees based on that study.

As an example of some of the price increases, an adult first-time passport will go from $100 to $135, and a renewal will jump from $75 to 110. Passports for those age under age 16 will go from $60 to $105.

No date has yet been set for the changes to go into effect. Please visit http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/fees/fees_837.html for updated information.

Jaws Shark Found in Junkyard

Well, it's not THE shark from Jaws, but it's a fourth mechanical shark made on the same mold as the original three that were used in the movie. The fourth one, named Bruce just like its predecessors, was recently located in a Los Angeles junkyard not far from Universal Studios. A 3D remake of Jaws is being considered, so the find came at just the right time.

Click here for a link to the full story.