Making Science Fun!

I’m a marine biologist combining my academic knowledge and my love of painting to create a science communication blog. Follow me to learn more about our blue planet!
  • The image shows a few seals laying on a haul out dock which borders a small harbor. The seal in the middle of the frame, the focus of the shot, stares off into the middle distance in a pondersome fashion. The seals behind it look relaxed, one with its head down and one with its head up, also staring off into space.
  • This image is taken from the edge of a lake. There is a medium sized rock protruding from the water in the foreground. Following the rock, the water transitions from brown/translucent (showing the rocks and sand below) to a light blue color. On the other side of the lake are pine trees, and in the distance are mountains shrouded by clouds. This photo was captured on Sitka Island in Alaska, and features the boreal pine tree forests characteristic to the area.
  • This image is a landscape photo of the seaside. The shoreline is very rocky, zigzagging in and out of frame and cradling the teal ocean, which extends out to the left of the frame. The rocks are a brownish color. It's a sunny day, and the sky is blue with some noticeable fluffy clouds. This image was taken in Brittany, France, on the Atlantic coast.
  • This image was captured from a pier (not visible in the shot) looking down on the ocean. The water is teal and milky, the visibility would be low for a scuba diver in those conditions. At the surface float big patches of giant kelp, swirling up and towards the top right of the frame, indicating a current. This image was captured in Avila Beach, California, which is along the central coast, an area famous for kelp forests.
  • This image was captured by the seaside. It is a cloudy, foggy day. The water appears to be a muted teal in front, but in the foreground is a swath of algae-covered rocks. In the very bottom of frame is a tide pool, surrounded by algae growing on the rocks. The algae is turning the rock formations a muddy greenish-brown color, and the image is muted due to the cloud cover. This image was captured at a tidepooling site in central California, near San Luis Obispo, California.
  • An image of light blue ocean water captured from a boat (not visible). The water fills the frame entirely. The water was so light in color due to silt from the glacier. This image was captured in a fjord near Nuuk, Greenland, where a land-terminating glacier carried high amounts of sediment into the water.

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A painting of a smalleye Pacific Opah. It's a blueish fish with a spherical body from a side view, with bright red fins. The mouth is almost beak-like, and a large eye looks at the viewer.An illustration of an orca by LivInSeas, done with acrylic marker. The orca is leaping to the left, its body arcing and its tail pointed downwards. The orca's belly is visible, white running down the mid section. One fin is pointed downwards, the other is out to the side. The orca has glossy yellow highlights running down its back, along the front of its dorsal and pectoral fins, and along its belly

Species Spotlight

Highlighting cool species with my original artwork. Learn more here!

A painted image by LivInSeas of a school of sardines. The background is a blue-teal gradient, featuring blue squiggles, large white spots, and smaller, colored dots. The sardines have brown fins and greyish bodies. The tops of their bodies are blue, with white dots forming a shine effect. The mid-body is pink, which transitions to a grey belly. The sardines have black dots running down their body above the pink. The bottom of the fish have slightly darker stripes and dots, which resemble scales. The sardines have dark, shiny eyes.This image features LivInSeas standing on a boat. She's wearing orange fishing overalls and an orange waterproof fishing jacket, with a navy blue ball cap on her head. It's a cloudy day, and the ocean is grey. In the background is a small mountain. She is holding two extremely large, bright orange rockfish (30 pounds each), one in each hand. At her feet is a large number of other orange rockfish.

Guides

How does a marine biologist stay sustainable? Here are my favorite tips and tricks!

The red cliffs of Helgoland. The image features tall red cliffs in the foreground, the image captured from atop the cliffs nearby. One large rock pillar looms next to the cliffs, reaching a similar height. The sky is clear and blue, with clouds on the horizon, and the sea behind is greyish blue.This image is taken from the edge of a lake. There is a medium sized rock protruding from the water in the foreground. Following the rock, the water transitions from brown/translucent (showing the rocks and sand below) to a light blue color. On the other side of the lake are pine trees, and in the distance are mountains shrouded by clouds. This photo was captured on Sitka Island in Alaska, and features the boreal pine tree forests characteristic to the area.

Info Center

Basic building blocks to better understand our world’s oceans.

This image was taken near where a lake flows into a river. It was captured on Sitka Island, Alaska, and the lake is surrounded by bright green, evergreen trees representative of the boreal forest in the region. The water is dark blue-green, reflecting the nearby trees. The sky is very overcast. In the foreground of the photo is a bright green tree, and trees of a similar color line the other bank of the river.This image was captured by the seaside. It is a cloudy, foggy day. The water appears to be a muted teal in front, but in the foreground is a swath of algae-covered rocks. In the very bottom of frame is a tide pool, surrounded by algae growing on the rocks. The algae is turning the rock formations a muddy greenish-brown color, and the image is muted due to the cloud cover. This image was captured at a tidepooling site in central California, near San Luis Obispo, California.

Science Explained

Breaking down policy and scientific articles into easily-digestible summaries.

A painted image by LivInSeas of a school of sardines. The background is a blue-teal gradient, featuring blue squiggles, large white spots, and smaller, colored dots. The sardines have brown fins and greyish bodies. The tops of their bodies are blue, with white dots forming a shine effect. The mid-body is pink, which transitions to a grey belly. The sardines have black dots running down their body above the pink. The bottom of the fish have slightly darker stripes and dots, which resemble scales. The sardines have dark, shiny eyes.

5 Steps to Sourcing Sustainable Seafood

  1. Use the Seafood Watch search feature.
  2. Use this tool to check the sustainability of wild-caught and farmed seafood options.
  3. Find sustainable Seafood Watch partner restaurants or ask restaurant staff for more information on seafood options.
  4. Check out your local seafood markets!
  5. Learn more about what factors make fisheries and aquaculture sustainable in my article below:
Sustainable Seafood Guide
This image was captured on the back of a fishing vote. Visible in the foreground is the top of a logbook, and a crossed pair of legs wearing fishing boots. The photographer is sitting in a pile of ropes. Ahead of the photographer is a railing at the stern of the boat. Two ropes with streamers trail from the back of the boat and into the water, used to deter birds while setting longlines. The water is a dark grey color. The boat is moving through a channel, with land visible on either side and behind the boat. The shores are thickly lined with green trees.

Facebook

This image was captured on a boat at sunset. The ocean is a dark blue, with a swath of reflected, orange light from the sun. On the horizon is a large mountain, rising from the water in the middle-left of the frame and running off to the right of the screen. The sun is close to skimming the mountains on the left side of the frame, turning the lower part of the sky orange. The upper portion of the sky is a soft, grey color. There is a lens flare in front of the mountain on the right side of the screen.

Instagram

A landscape photo of snowy mountains next to the ocean. This photo was captured by LivInSeas in the Nuup Kangerlua fjord in Greenland. It's sunset, and the sky is hazy with soft blue and fuzzy pink clouds. The mountains and snow are reflecting a slight pinkish hue as well. There are two main mountains visible, one on the left and one on the right side of the screen. The ocean sits in the foreground.

Pinterest

A photograph of water reflecting the sunset sky. The rippling sea surface is the focus of the photo, but hills rise from the sea in the background. The water is a purpleish blue in some parts, but reflects the black of the hills in some parts and the white/orange/pink of the sunset sky in other parts.

TikTok

The image features a woman (who is me, LivInSeas, the creator of this website) standing next to a statue of a seal. The seal statue is resting on its belly, with its flippers out for balance. Its tail and head are curled into the air, making it form a seal pose. The woman is standing next to it, cradling it with both arms. She is wearing dark blue converse, tan pants, and a lightweight black puffer coat. Her hair is medium length, just past her shoulders, and is brownish red in color. The wind is blowing it across her face, and she is smiling with her eyes nearly fully shut. The background is not very interesting, some buildings, a brick walkway, and trees.

Hello, I’m glad you’re here!

I’m a fisheries scientist-turned-seafloor ecologist. I’ve loved the ocean since I was a small child, and I’m excited to share my passion here!

About Me