markus thompson

marine ecologist / curious biped primate: supporting marine research, conservation, and coastal B.C. indigenous guardians #marineecology #underwaterphotography

[markus thompson @markusthalassia]

FPV flight across a shoreline winterscape on Quadra Island. It's been a winter defined by scales of grey and degrees of wet (thanks El-Nino)... sometimes you just need to embrace the beauty of monochrome – in this instance at 30m/s :)

[Steven Kovacs @ngfl3333]

A larval Lobster riding the local Uber. Kona, Hawaii. #ikelite

[markus thompson @markusthalassia]

@AllchurchAlyssa @SFU_REM @SFUResearch @SFUBioSci Awesome!!! Nice work Alyssa :)

[markus thompson @markusthalassia]

@redlipblenny I've had the unmistakable feeling I was in a forest after a fresh snowfall... so maybe a flurry? a blizzard?

[markus thompson @markusthalassia]

@Scuba_Timmer haha - this is great! – I used a version of this to map the west van shoreline... you can do barrel roles at 10 knots on these things :)

[markus thompson @markusthalassia]

Just 50 years after being listed as endangered, and only 35 since the moratorium on hunting, humpbacks in the NE Pacific have recovered to > 20,000 individuals... seems like a valuable lesson in what might be possible when we leave nature to follow its own course.

#humpbackwhale

[markus thompson @markusthalassia]

@EmGLim @lmillernpr it's questions like this that make me hope twitter doesn't die!

[markus thompson @markusthalassia]

It's a rare experience to photograph wildlife that's not aware of my presence – and I can only imagine how often I am not aware of wildlife watching me! The best images almost always come with patience – when wildlife is comfortable, or in this case curious.

#wildlifephotography

[CPAWS BC @CPAWSbc]

Consultations for a marine protected area network in the Northern Shelf Bioregion, or the Great Bear Sea as we like to all it. Voice your support by sending a letter to Indigenous, BC, and federal government leaders by Nov 13!

https://t.co/h0pKYucV9m

[markus thompson @markusthalassia]

"Humans always assumed they were more intelligent than dolphins because they had achieved so much... all the dolphins had ever done was have a good time. Conversely, the dolphins believed that they were far more intelligent - for precisely the same reasons.” ~Douglas Adams!

[ESPS @emeraldsea_ps]

The team gets to travel to some incredibly beautiful locations for cleanup projects like this one near Quadra Island. These picturesque locations might look clean from above, but below the surface can sometimes lie unseen trash and debris…#ghostgear 📷 @markusthalassia

[markus thompson @markusthalassia]

@PrenticeCarolyn I think you’re doing great at your job too :)

[markus thompson @markusthalassia]

@What_a_Pisaster @KindallMurie @the_anemone_guy @BrookeWeigel only nereo can look so good tangled in a knot...

[Erica Gies / SlowWater.World @egies]

Wuikinuxv people in BC manage salmon partly by ensuring enough for bears. It reflects 1 of 7 principles to #DecolonizeConservation described in a paper by #Indigenous researchers, incl. @WilliamHousty, @DNeasloss, @JessHausti. My story in @hakaimagazine: https://t.co/kxViKj9gMX

[markus thompson @markusthalassia]

Pacific #herring spawn on #Heiltsuk hemlock ~one day before hatching (eggs = 1.1mm in diameter)… a few dozen of the 10s of millions spawned along BC’s shorelines every Spring:

[markus thompson @markusthalassia]

@CarrieSaxifrage @KyleArtelle thanks @CarrieSaxifrage! now on my reading list.

[markus thompson @markusthalassia]

If wolves - and other sentient animals - can experience aesthetics and leisure in any way analogous to how we experience nature (ie: quality of life / health) — should wilderness be conserved for more than just habitat value and species survival?

[markus thompson @markusthalassia]

@KyleArtelle bound to get something at 20 frames per second :) thanks for your persistence — and including me in the search!

[markus thompson @markusthalassia]

They played together along the shoreline, casually ate herring eggs from the intertidal, slept in the grass, and just seemed content to spend an evening in the setting sun…

[markus thompson @markusthalassia]

One of the most captivating wildlife encounters I've ever experienced. Downwind and across a small inlet we watched this wolf pack for 35 minutes; seemingly unaware of our presence for the first 20…