Alaska's Got "The Goo"

The image you are looking at is "biological" and simply massive in size, currently floating through the Chukchi Sea between Wainwright and Barrow.

Known as "The Goo" scientists and Coast Guard officials do not have a clue to what this 25 mile slick is:

Nobody knows for sure what the gunk is, but Petty Officer 1st Class Terry Hasenauer says the Coast Guard is sure what it is not.

"It's certainly biological," Hasenauer said. "It's definitely not an oil product of any kind. It has no characteristics of an oil, or a hazardous substance, for that matter.

"It's definitely, by the smell and the makeup of it, it's some sort of naturally occurring organic or otherwise marine organism."

Something else: No one in Barrow or Wainwright can remember seeing anything like this before, Brower said.

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Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Act

How about some good news about Shark Finning? Seems the US Coast Guard is on the ball in Alaska:

JUNEAU, Alaska - The Coast Guard Cutter Acushnet temporarily terminated a fishing voyage approximately 30 miles northeast of Kodiak at approximately 2 p.m., Monday.

A boarding team from the Acushnet, a 213-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Ketchikan, Alaska conducted a routine fishing vessel inspection and found a shark fin hanging from the rigging of the fishing vessel Arctic Wave. Having a shark fin without the carcass is a violation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1996.

Upon further inspection of the vessel, it was found that the Arctic Wave had an insufficient number of immersion suits. (Editors Note: If you read through the lines here, this vessel is under suspicion of doing bad things with sharks but only has one fin on board so gets cited for the suits instead). The Acushnet contacted Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Kodiak and National Marine Fisheries Service personel and terminated the fishing trip. The Acushnet escorted the Arctic Wave back to Kodiak.

The fishing vessel was met in Kodiak by Marine Safety Detachment Kodiak and National Marine Fisheries Service personnel. The captain of the Arctic Wave was able to acquire a sufficient number of immersion suits while in port. After the Coast Guard reinspected the fishing vessel and found no other violations, the Arctic Wave was allowed to continue their fishing voyage. The fishing vessel left Kodiak at approximately 9 p.m. Monday.

Waiter,There's A Worm In My Salmon

A somewhat dis-gusting warning today about a parasitic worm that causes big problems in humans. You get these nasty critters from eating Salmon.

According to this diagram put out by the CDC-dolphins are in on it too. You should never trust a dolphin, dammit.

Anisakis simplex-In North America, anisakiasis is most frequently diagnosed when the affected individual feels a tingling or tickling sensation in the throat and coughs up or manually extracts a nematode (that's a live worm people).

In more severe cases there is acute abdominal pain, much like acute appendicitis accompanied by a nauseous feeling. Symptoms occur from as little as an hour to about 2 weeks after consumption of raw or undercooked seafood.

Here's the gross part:

"With their anterior ends, these larval nematodes from fish or shellfish usually burrow into the wall of the digestive tract occasionally they penetrate the intestinal wall completely".

What can you do to protect yourself?

1. Always cook your fish
2. Never buy fish on sale
3. Eat Kobe Beef