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Category Archives: Science
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H1N1 in seals???
Yes, a study published this month (PLOS ONE) reports on the first H1N1 virus in marine mammals. Scientists at the University of California, Davis, detected the H1N1 virus in free-ranging northern elephant seals off the central California coast a year after the human pandemic began.… More:
Posted in Science
Tagged continental shelf, goldstein, marine mammals, northern elephant seals, wildlife health
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Marine Breeder’s Workshop 2013
You’ve seen the black shirts…this is what it’s all about. Workshop Preview by Tal Sweet Since 2010 the Marine Breeder’s Workshop has been at the forefront of captive breeding events in North America. The Workshop is part of the Marine Breeding Initiative (MBI, www.mbisite.org) and was created to bring some of the biggest names in marine ornamental fish and invertebrate captive breeding together in one place to speak about various topics related to captive breeding. MBI participants attending the workshop might be recognized for personal breeding accomplishments. The concept of the Workshop is to provide attendees with the latest information and plenty of time to interact with the speakers and other breeders in an intimate setting. MORE: Marine Breeder’s Workshop 2013… More:
Posted in Events, Fish, Science, Uncategorized
Tagged america, Atlantic, concept, cranbrook, marine, marine fish breeding, MBI workshop, michigan, NEWS, policy, science
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Cyro, The Robotic Jellyfish
Virginia Tech College of Engineering researchers have unveiled a life-like, autonomous robotic jellyfish the size and weight of a grown man, 5 foot 7 inches in length and weighing 170 pounds, as part of a U.S. Navy-funded project.… More:
Posted in Invertebrates, Science
Tagged cyro, new brunswick, salt waters, shallow coastal waters, u s navy
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Number of Unknown Marine Species Estimated to be Hundred of Thousands
Every now and again, we stumble across some news release (perhaps here) that some expedition somewhere resulted in the discovery of some new species. Most of us are intrigued by these discoveries, and should be. At a time when we are exploring the surface of other planets and probing the depths of our own oceans here on Earth, it seems wholly reasonable that one would be excited to learn that there are yet more bizarre and beautiful creatures out there to be found. What is truly mind-boggling, however, is how relatively little we have discovered so far. The very fact that scientists do not know—even roughly—how many species inhabit the planet is something Duke University conservation biologist Stuart Pimm can describe only as a “huge embarrassment.” Still, exact numbers are not as important to Pimm as are the data needed to concentrate marine conservation efforts in the right places. At a time in history when biodiversity is declining at a rate about 1,000 times faster than normal, having a clear picture of what species are in a given area and how their populations are changing is “a vital first step in making decisions about where to act.”… More:
Posted in Conservation, Science, Uncategorized
Tagged beautiful creatures, groups of animals, marine biologist, news release, stuart pimm
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ESA Testimony of Christopher P. Jury
Testimony for listing 66 coral species under the Endangered Species Act In principle, I find that listing many of the proposed coral species under the ESA is warranted, is based on the best available science, and is of value. I commend the biological review team and the other team members involved in this process for undertaking the huge amount of work involved in this process, and for navigating the monumental task of responding appropriately to the proposed listing. However, a variety of new scientific information has come to light since the period when the proposed listing was drafted which should be taken into account and, in my view, should affect the listing of several species. In addition, I must stress several critically important aspects of implementing the ESA if or when any of these species are listed. Last, coral taxonomy is in flux and I can say with certainty that much of the taxonomy will change within the next few years. These changes need to be anticipated and mechanisms thought out to accommodate substantial changes in what constitutes recognized species, and their listing status. First, allow me to make specific comments about several of the species proposed for listing which, in my view, should change the proposed listing status. Other than the species specifically discussed below I am either supportive of listing as proposed (either as Endangered or Threatened) or do not have specific views on the proposed listing of the species. As a primer to this discussion I will point to several recent studies which support a change in the proposed listing status. The first is a study by van Woesik et al. (2012). This study used an a priori trait-based analysis to estimate coral extinction risk and then compared the estimated extinction risk to actual coral extinction events in the Caribbean. They found that, rather than a random or unpredictable event (as would be expected under Neutral Theory) both extinction and persistence (i.e., the lack of extinction) were highly predictable using their trait-based analysis. The authors further applied these criteria to estimate the extinction risk for extant, modern corals. Based on these results, several modifications to the proposed listing status of several species are warranted. Second is a pair of studies by Maynard et al. (2008) and Guest et al. (2012). Chief among the threats to corals is bleaching due to thermal stress, as related to climate change.… More:
Posted in Corals, Events, Fish, Science, Uncategorized
Tagged chief, corals, count, endangered, endangered corals, gene, Hawaii, maynard, species, threatened, woesik
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Goldfish Prosthetics
Fish are often times considered part of the family, like a dog or cat. So in the case of Einstein the Fantail Goldfish the same sentiment was payed towards his inability to remain buoyant or swim. A crippling disease causes some fish to loose their buoyancy as it affects their swim bladder, and most fall victim to the crippling effects of not being able feed themselves or aerate their lungs through swimming. But in the case of Einstein the Goldfish his owner (Leighton Naylor) used some recycled aquarium parts, and a bit of ingenuity, to produce a lifejacket-like device that allows the fish to remain buoyant. The genius lies in the amount of captured gas within the airline pieces; it is enough to keep the goldfish buoyant without sending him racing to surface: Read more about the story and hear some of Leighton’s comments here!… More:
Posted in Equipment, Fish, Funny, Opinion, Science, Tanks, Too Cute, Uncategorized
Tagged Aquarium, goldfish, leighton, naylor, swim bladder
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Urchins evolve to deal with climate change
As the oceans become more acidic, many marine animals will have a harder time extracting the calcium from seawater that they need to build their skeletons. Marine biologists fear an ecological catastrophe could be imminent unless animals evolve to take up calcium more efficiently.… More:
Posted in Conservation, Invertebrates, Science
Tagged acidity, genetic change, genetic variability, marine biologists, rich water
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Comments on Endangered Species Act and Corals
16 Apr, 2013 Re: Listing of 66 Reef-Building Coral Species; Reclassification of Elkhorn Acropora palmata and Staghorn Acropora cervicornis I had been following the proposed listing for several years. It was not until the proposed rule was published that I had time to fully read the Biological Review Team’s (BRT) Status Review Report (SRR). I must admit I made the assumption that NMFS would do a fine job reviewing the topic at hand. It become apparent in my review of the BRT’s assessment that they had little to no knowledge of one of the key areas upon which the SRR is based, namely the trade in corals (including those for home aquariums, as well as dried curio items). I am writing to; 1) provide additional background and information on the trade in corals, noting some dramatic changes particularly regarding live specimens, that has been omitted from this review, 2) to question and express my concern over listing of species as endangered with almost a complete lack of any data or information. While it cannot be understated, this process is an enormous task for any agency to undertake. Reviewing the status of 82 species with ranges cover two vast regions of the World’s oceans presents challenges the authors of the ESA likely never envisioned. Corals are often not discrete populations and thus some of the petitioned “species” are of questionable status. Our current understanding of the topic is lacking and this lack of understanding makes it nearly impossible for anyone to determine with a level of certainty what a population, species or hybrid is. Our knowledge of Pacific corals is so limited that the MORE: Comments on Endangered Species Act and Corals… More:
Posted in Conservation, Corals, Fish, Industry, Invertebrates, Opinion, Science, Uncategorized
Tagged corals, curio, impa, key areas, reclassification
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Are Jellyfish Taking Over Our Oceans? Expert to Explain During Special Lecture at Birch Aquarium at Scripps
As human activities continue to take their toll on the health of ocean ecosystems, it appears one group is thriving: jellies. The combined impacts of ocean warming, overfishing, pollution, ocean acidification, and other threats are creating ideal conditions for these resilient creatures to multiply—-and take over the ocean.… More:
A Modern Guide to Buying Seahorses
Are you considering purchasing seahorses but are unsure of where to start or afraid they are too difficult? Seahorses do need a specialized setup, but are not nearly as hard to keep as they once were. Advances in breeding have given us seahorses that are fully adapted to life in the aquarium. This buying guide covers what every aquarist needs to know about purchasing healthy seahorses before making that leap. More: A Modern Guide to Buying Seahorses… More:
Back from the Dead: Remote Reef Recovers
Contrary to popular wisdom, coral reefs in remote areas have the potential to rebound from bleaching events and in time frames that marine biologists find astonishing. Isolated coral reefs can recover from catastrophic damage as effectively as those with nearby undisturbed neighbours, a long-term study by marine biologists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) has shown. MORE: Back from the Dead: Remote Reef Recovers… More:
Posted in Corals, Events, Fish, Industry, Science, Uncategorized
Tagged aims, coral excerpt, coral magazine, coral reefs, credit, indian, j.p. gilmour, marine, ocean, scientist, scott
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Reef Recovery and Isolation
In a joint AIMS/ARC Centre of Excellence media release a new study finds that isolated reefs can recover without human intervention or having the aid of nearby neighboring reefs that can assist in repopulation and regrowth. Despite any efforts by humans recovery at the Scott Reef off Australia’s northwest coast was comparably larger than nearshore reefs affected by a massive bleaching event in 1998. “The initial projections for Scott Reef were not optimistic,” says lead author Dr James Gilmour of AIMS “because, unlike reefs on the Great Barrier Reef, there were few if any reefs nearby capable of supplying new recruits to replenish the lost corals at Scott Reef.” Recent studies involving sunken logs in deep sea environments have shown the distribution ranges of many marine taxa to be quite large, so this study highlights how nearshore reefs affected by human presence can have a tougher time recovering from factors such as higher dissolved nutrient levels and increased algae cover. 
The previous notion of shorter recovery rates from isolation is put to rest with this latest study finding that the Scott Reef coral cover increased 35% over a 12 year span “Despite a 94% reduction in larval supply for 6 years after the bleaching.” The remnant colonies were able to colonize the reef quickly by rapidly regrowing and eventually connecting to one another; a phenomena not uncommon to the marine hobby! Putting a global perspective on their findings Dr Gilmour says: “We know from other studies that the resilience of reefs can be improved by addressing human pressures such as water quality and overfishing, so it is likely that a key factor in the rapid recovery at Scott Reef was the high water clarity and quality in this remote and offshore location.” Read the entire study here!… More:
Posted in Conservation, Corals, Fish, Industry, Invertebrates, Science, Uncategorized
Tagged human intervention, nearshore reefs, northwest coast, nutrient levels, water clarity
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