Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Pygmy Seahorses
"One of the smallest vertebrates in the world lives in the tropical Pacific--the pygmy seahorse. Belonging to the same genus as their larger cousins but reaching a maximum size of about an inch, its no wonder that many of these miniature species have only been discovered within the last decade. Currently there are nine known species but, with scientists and divers exploring more reefs and making better observations, surely there will be more discoveries to come. Jean-Michel Cousteau and his Ocean Futures Society team were extremely fortunate to get an up-close look at this most unlikely of creatures in the waters of Papua New Guinea. They were awed by the miracle of evolution that creates such miniature masterpieces."
MSNBC Marine News for September, 2010
Crisis Situation for New Zealand Whales:
Once again, the Nortwest Alaska's Walruses in trouble:
Attack Survivors Stand Up For Sharks:
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Scientists use hovering zeppelin to film whales - Boston.com
Scientists use hovering zeppelin to film whales - Boston.com
"Scouting boats had tracked the orca pod, as the zeppelin floated aloft. Known as the southern resident killer whales, this group was designated as endangered in 2005. They live permanently in the Puget Sound, hunting salmon and other fish. Scientists for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration mounted high definition cameras on the bottom of the zeppelin. A researcher for the Center for Whale Research also took pictures to calculate body measurements. Whales move at about 3 miles per hour, NOAA biologist Brad Hanson said, which made the zeppelin's hovering pace even more useful for observations. The researchers were able to observe about two dozen whales from the zeppelin. They watched the whales swim in tight groups, roll around each other and "spy hop," moving with their heads above water."
"Scouting boats had tracked the orca pod, as the zeppelin floated aloft. Known as the southern resident killer whales, this group was designated as endangered in 2005. They live permanently in the Puget Sound, hunting salmon and other fish. Scientists for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration mounted high definition cameras on the bottom of the zeppelin. A researcher for the Center for Whale Research also took pictures to calculate body measurements. Whales move at about 3 miles per hour, NOAA biologist Brad Hanson said, which made the zeppelin's hovering pace even more useful for observations. The researchers were able to observe about two dozen whales from the zeppelin. They watched the whales swim in tight groups, roll around each other and "spy hop," moving with their heads above water."
Shark Still Unidentified in Virginia Beach Attack
V.I.M.S.' Dr. Jack Music certain of alleged shark:
Original News Report:
Here is a related video from the Carolina Beaches taken by a father of a family of two children sighting a close encounter from a shark:
Cape Cod Times Story on Great Whites
Cape Cod Online
How about CSI's episode of a shark attack in a swimming pool:
Walruses Swarm Beaches as Ice Melts
Walruses Swarm Beaches as Ice Melts
"Thousands of walruses gathered together in a dangerous "haul out" on the coast of Alaska earlier this month. Scientists say the walruses came ashore in such large numbers because their normal habitats, Arctic ice floes, are melting." © 2010 National Geographic; video courtesy Daniel Zatz & USGS
NPR Story:
All Things Considered
Listen to the Story on NPR's Weekend Edition:
Walrus' Plight
Find our more about the Walrus:
National Geographic Walrus Page
"Thousands of walruses gathered together in a dangerous "haul out" on the coast of Alaska earlier this month. Scientists say the walruses came ashore in such large numbers because their normal habitats, Arctic ice floes, are melting." © 2010 National Geographic; video courtesy Daniel Zatz & USGS
NPR Story:
All Things Considered
Listen to the Story on NPR's Weekend Edition:
Walrus' Plight
National Geographic Walrus Page
"Biologists with the USGS say the situation can be very dangerous because walruses are easily startled, and can stampede. Some walruses, particularly calves and juveniles, can get crushed to death by larger walruses moving about. This aerial video, recorded for the United States Geological Survey, was taken from an altitude of 4,000 feet near Point Lay, Alaska. Because aircraft could prompt a stampede, there’s a no-fly zone: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asks aircraft to maintain a lateral distance of a half mile, and minimum altitude of 15-hundred feet. Walruses forage on the sea floor and usually use sea ice as a resting platform between feedings. This is the first time tens of thousands of walruses have been seen crowded together here, though similar sightings have been recorded in Russia and another area of northwestern Alaska in years past. The WWF says Arctic sea ice is at the third lowest level in recorded history. USGS is conducting more research to better understand the effects of the walrus haul-out and other changes related to climate change, and sea ice melt." - National Geographic
Photos: Poison Crab, Glass Shrimp, More Found in Korea
Photos: Poison Crab, Glass Shrimp, More Found in Korea
"Called pen shell shrimps, the tiny crustaceans—previously known in Japan and Australia—were only recently observed in South Korea, scientists announced in early September. Pen shell shrimps live in symbiotic, or dependent, relationships with clams, explained Kim Min-Ha, manager of the Korean indigenous-species project at the South Korean National Institute of Biological Resources. "We think that the clam provides shelter for a shrimp," Min-Ha said in an email interview. The institute's ongoing project to catalog animal and plant diversity on the Korean Peninsula (map) began in 2006 and will run until 2014. In the latest round of expeditions, scientists discovered 117 new species and documented 15 that had never before been found in South Korea."
"Called pen shell shrimps, the tiny crustaceans—previously known in Japan and Australia—were only recently observed in South Korea, scientists announced in early September. Pen shell shrimps live in symbiotic, or dependent, relationships with clams, explained Kim Min-Ha, manager of the Korean indigenous-species project at the South Korean National Institute of Biological Resources. "We think that the clam provides shelter for a shrimp," Min-Ha said in an email interview. The institute's ongoing project to catalog animal and plant diversity on the Korean Peninsula (map) began in 2006 and will run until 2014. In the latest round of expeditions, scientists discovered 117 new species and documented 15 that had never before been found in South Korea."
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Meet Alvin
NY Science Times Blog:
Alvin NY Times
"The most important member of the expedition, however, is the 35,000-pound, egg-shaped submersible named Alvin. Alvin has been the workhorse of the deep-ocean scientific community for more than 45 years, allowing us to explore unseen worlds thousands of meters below the surface of the ocean. To sweeten the deal, Alvin comes equipped with robotic arms and an array of sample boxes, so we can collect promising samples and continue our investigations in the relative comfort of a laboratory. Faded photographs and dusty plaques commemorating the sub’s prolific history adorn the walls of Atlantis’s library. Alvin helped recover an unexploded hydrogen bomb in 1966, took Walter Cronkite to hydrothermal vents in 1982 and explored the Titanic in 1986. It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, however. In 1967, an ambitious swordfish attacked Alvin’s foam outer layer, got stuck and was eventually cooked for dinner by the crew. A couple of years later, the sub sank during deployment and spent 10 months on the seafloor before it could be resurrected."
Deep Sea Methane Vents at Hydrate Ridge
NY TIMES Science Times Methane Ridge
Alvin NY Times
Deep Sea Methane Vents at Hydrate Ridge
NY TIMES Science Times Methane Ridge
Jeffrey Marlow writes on the NY Times blog:
"Over the next 12 days, our contingent of 24 scientists and 30 crew members will be mounting a scientific assault on Hydrate Ridge, a fascinating site 90 kilometers off the Oregon coast where methane gas flows out of the earth’s crust and into the deep ocean. Methane has a P.R. problem: In the atmosphere, the gas is a troublemaker, contributing to climate change with 25 times the heat-trapping power of carbon dioxide. But on the seafloor, it’s a lifeline, as innovative micro-organisms are able to eke out a living converting methane to carbon dioxide and using the resulting energy to grow. Where one type of organism leads, others will follow, and entire ecosystems have grown up around these methane vents: microbes, clams, stringy tube worms and a range of other exotic species. The methane vents at Hydrate Ridge are known as cold seeps, because the temperature hovers around 4 degrees Celsius — typical of the deep ocean. These conditions are in marked contrast to the flashier hydrothermal vents, where superheated water can exceed 100 degrees Celsius and plumes of “black smoke” (which is really composed of metallic minerals) billow out of the rock chimneys."
Sea Turtles Q&A
NY Times Video on Sea Turtles:
NY Times Science Times
Eleaor Sterling studied sea turtles on the Palymra Atoll in 2010:
"The acoustic tags transmit ultrasonic sounds, called “pings,” every few minutes. These ultrasonic frequencies are generally used underwater because, compared with radio frequencies, acoustic frequencies perform much better in water. We have a number of receivers deployed throughout Palmyra that “listen” for the pings when the turtles swim by the receivers. We can use this information to better understand the fine-scale movement and activity patterns of sea turtles. Our acoustic tags are 6 cm long — about the size of a stubby index finger — and weigh only 24 grams. The placement of the tag on the trailing edge of the turtle’s carapace helps minimize drag. And the epoxy we use to fasten the tag to the turtle helps reduce the drag by creating a smooth surface between the carapace and the epoxy. We apply tags only to larger animals, and previous studies suggest there are no long-term consequences in behavior or foraging habits/predation due to tagging."
The article in the NY Times:
Eleanor Sterling in Palmyra Atoll
Earlier July Post on NY Science Times blog about sea turtle work:
Eleanor Sterling in Atoll
NY Times Science Times
Eleaor Sterling studied sea turtles on the Palymra Atoll in 2010:
"The acoustic tags transmit ultrasonic sounds, called “pings,” every few minutes. These ultrasonic frequencies are generally used underwater because, compared with radio frequencies, acoustic frequencies perform much better in water. We have a number of receivers deployed throughout Palmyra that “listen” for the pings when the turtles swim by the receivers. We can use this information to better understand the fine-scale movement and activity patterns of sea turtles. Our acoustic tags are 6 cm long — about the size of a stubby index finger — and weigh only 24 grams. The placement of the tag on the trailing edge of the turtle’s carapace helps minimize drag. And the epoxy we use to fasten the tag to the turtle helps reduce the drag by creating a smooth surface between the carapace and the epoxy. We apply tags only to larger animals, and previous studies suggest there are no long-term consequences in behavior or foraging habits/predation due to tagging."
Eleanor Sterling in Palmyra Atoll
Earlier July Post on NY Science Times blog about sea turtle work:
Eleanor Sterling in Atoll
Eleanor Sterling Writes about the Atoll's Ecosystem:
Studying the Big-Brained Dolphin
NY Times Science Times:
NY Times September 21, 2010
Diana Reiss:
"Well, I observe captive dolphins in aquariums. At the moment, my laboratory is an underwater glass booth in the dolphin pool at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. I climb into it with a video camera. The animals are used to me. My goal is to understand their behaviors well enough so that I can find ways to help them tell us about their cognitive capacities. Dolphins, they have these really large, complex brains. The question is: what are they doing with them? These animals look like fish, but the behavior patterns are more like primates and elephants. They are vocal learners, like parrots and humans. What do the sounds they make mean?"
"I had learned about this fishing village in Japan, Taiji, where dolphins are herded into a small inlet and brutally slaughtered. These animals were being eviscerated and just left there to slowly die, flailing about in the sun. Well, these are the same type of dolphins I work with. I know how sensitive they are, how much pain they can feel, how a mere scratch bothers them. Few scientists were speaking out about this. So I got biologists and aquarium professionals together and we started Act for Dolphins. We went to the Japanese Embassy in D. C. to bring them scientific information about the animals. Their attitude basically was, “anything we do in our waters is our business.” I also began working with Louie Psihoyos, the film director, and that was the beginning of making the “The Cove.” It’s been shown in Japan, but that hasn’t stopped the dolphin drive."
The video below contains graphic images of the Taiji slaughter:
NY Times September 21, 2010
Diana Reiss:
"Well, I observe captive dolphins in aquariums. At the moment, my laboratory is an underwater glass booth in the dolphin pool at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. I climb into it with a video camera. The animals are used to me. My goal is to understand their behaviors well enough so that I can find ways to help them tell us about their cognitive capacities. Dolphins, they have these really large, complex brains. The question is: what are they doing with them? These animals look like fish, but the behavior patterns are more like primates and elephants. They are vocal learners, like parrots and humans. What do the sounds they make mean?"
"I had learned about this fishing village in Japan, Taiji, where dolphins are herded into a small inlet and brutally slaughtered. These animals were being eviscerated and just left there to slowly die, flailing about in the sun. Well, these are the same type of dolphins I work with. I know how sensitive they are, how much pain they can feel, how a mere scratch bothers them. Few scientists were speaking out about this. So I got biologists and aquarium professionals together and we started Act for Dolphins. We went to the Japanese Embassy in D. C. to bring them scientific information about the animals. Their attitude basically was, “anything we do in our waters is our business.” I also began working with Louie Psihoyos, the film director, and that was the beginning of making the “The Cove.” It’s been shown in Japan, but that hasn’t stopped the dolphin drive."
The video below contains graphic images of the Taiji slaughter:
Friday, September 24, 2010
Photos: Fiery Sea Slug Discovered, Lays Lacy Egg Case
Photos: Fiery Sea Slug Discovered, Lays Lacy Egg Case
See David Doubilet's Terrific Photo Gallery of Marine Sea Slugs:
National Geographic
See David Doubilet's Terrific Photo Gallery of Marine Sea Slugs:
National Geographic
Whale Sharks Killed, Displaced Due to Gulf Oil?
Read more about: Whale Shark Tracking in Gulf of Mexico
Read all about the Whale Shark and the great migration:
National Geographic Whale Shark Page
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Gulf Oil
New Estimates an Order of Magnitude Low!
Gulf Oil Spill
Top 10 Oil Spills of All-Tine on LiveScience
10 Oil Spills
7 Surprising Uses of Oil
LiveScience Uses of Oil
Gulf Oil Spill
Top 10 Oil Spills of All-Tine on LiveScience
10 Oil Spills
7 Surprising Uses of Oil
LiveScience Uses of Oil
Monday, September 20, 2010
Critics Weary of Genetically Altered Super Sized Salmon!
Super Salmon or Frankenfish? FDA Will Decide:
MSNBC Story, 2010
BBC News Reports:
Salmon Sized
Rosalind Jordan Reports:
NPR Podcast:
September 20, 2010 Podcast
"Chinook Connection: The inventors of the genetically engineered fish took a gene for growth hormone from the Pacific's Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), the biggest salmon around, and spliced it into the DNA of the Atlantic species (Salmo salar)" NPR News
Emily Sohn has the stroy on Discovery News:
Salmon Controversy
"The Food and Drug Administration has concluded that the new salmon is safe to eat and safe for the environment, suggesting that approval is likely at a hearing planned for later this month. The decision would make the fish the first genetically modified animal allowed for human consumption.
Called AquAdvantage, the fish has revived controversies that already surround genetically modified organisms. The development also raises questions about the future of the environment, the future of evolution and the future of food."- Emily Sohn
CBS News:
MSNBC Story, 2010
BBC News Reports:
Salmon Sized
NPR Podcast:
September 20, 2010 Podcast
"Chinook Connection: The inventors of the genetically engineered fish took a gene for growth hormone from the Pacific's Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), the biggest salmon around, and spliced it into the DNA of the Atlantic species (Salmo salar)" NPR News
Emily Sohn has the stroy on Discovery News:
Salmon Controversy
"The Food and Drug Administration has concluded that the new salmon is safe to eat and safe for the environment, suggesting that approval is likely at a hearing planned for later this month. The decision would make the fish the first genetically modified animal allowed for human consumption.
Called AquAdvantage, the fish has revived controversies that already surround genetically modified organisms. The development also raises questions about the future of the environment, the future of evolution and the future of food."- Emily Sohn
CBS News:
Walruses Face The Sandy Beach in Point Lay Alaska
"In recent weeks, tens of thousands of walruses have flocked to the coastline of Alaska's Chukchi Sea, an unusual occurrence that has scientists worried for their future. The behavior is a result of the widespread retreat of sea ice, critical habitat for the species, which is at its second lowest extent in the satellite record, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
According to a recent study by scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) the Pacific walrus has a 40 percent chance of being classified as vulnerable, rare or extinct by the year 2095. In arriving at this conclusion, researchers conducted population modeling to estimate the impact of a variety of factors on the species." - Sea Web Ocean Update
National Geographic's Special Issue
View the Layers of the Gulf's Marine Life:
October Issue, 2010
View the Gulf Spill Photo Gallery:
Gulf Spill
Read Sylvia Earle's Essay:
Sylvia Earle
Read the article on the wetlands:
Wetland Article
October Issue, 2010
View the Gulf Spill Photo Gallery:
Gulf Spill
Read Sylvia Earle's Essay:
Sylvia Earle
Read the article on the wetlands:
Wetland Article
Read the article on the Seafood Crisis:
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Titanic Expedition Bids Farewell
Alan Boyle writes: The Expedition Titanic crew pulled into port in Newfoundland today, ending their North Atlantic adventure earlier than planned. But this isn't the final chapter of the historic shipwreck's saga. For one thing, there are mountains of data to go through — including HD video of the site in 3-D as well as sonar readings gathered by high-tech vehicles operating two and a half miles beneath the surface of the North Atlantic. The main aim of Expedition Titanic is to create the most comprehensive maps and visual record where the ship tragically came to rest 98 years ago. The Titanic was considered "unsinkable," but it struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage and went down, taking 1,517 victims with it. The RV Jean Charcot had to leave the site late Wednesday due to the approach of Hurricane Igor, a monstrous storm stretching across 1,000 miles of the Atlantic. But researchers say they were able to get what they came for despite the forced early exit.
"Will this be the last visit to the Titanic? Not on your life. Deep Ocean Expeditions is touting a 2011 trip that features visits to the site in Russian submersibles for $40,000 per person ($5,000 if you just want to stay on the ship). The next year marks the centennial of the Titanic's sinking, and cruise packages are already being set up for the 100th anniversary. The 2012 cruises will include topside memorial services and perhaps even virtual visits to the underwater site itself, thanks to remotely operated vehicles."
Horseshoe crabs thriving in Outer Cape salt pond | CapeCodOnline.com
"They're returning," said Robert Prescott of the Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, referring to the crabs' likely presence in East Harbor, also known as Pilgrim Lake, close to 150 years ago. The East Harbor lagoon and salt marsh, about 720 acres in total that runs along Route 6, were deliberately cut off from Cape Cod Bay in 1868, creating a murky, stagnant freshwater lake plagued by fish kills, midge outbreaks, and the proliferation of non-native plants and animals, according to Seashore records. Following a 2001 fish kill, the town of Truro and the Seashore began cooperating to restore East Harbor to its ocean roots by permanently opening a culvert that connects to the bay. Since then, many native plants and animals — including horseshoe crabs — have returned."It's a refuge," Seashore resources and monitoring coordinator Megan Tyrrell said of East Harbor's importance to the crabs. Horseshoe crabs are found along the Atlantic coast from northern Maine to the Yucatan Peninsula, according to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, a 15-state agency that coordinates the sustainable use of near-shore marine resources. Along the Atlantic coast, the crabs are commercially harvested as bait for the American eel and conch fisheries. Also, medical researchers use horseshoe crab blood, without killing the animals, to help detect contaminated medical devices and drugs. The primary harvest grounds are in Delaware Bay, followed by New York, New England and the Southeast, according to the marine fisheries commission.On Cape Cod, horseshoe crabs are most plentiful at Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge off Chatham, a federal reservation where harvesting the crabs is prohibited. Crab harvesting is also prohibited in the Seashore, with penalties up to $5,000 and six months in jail, Seashore Chief Ranger Bob Grant said."
Sea Otter Attacks Hit Record Highs in California
19 sea otters were recovered in August with shark bite wounds:
Here is the 760 KFMB story on Talk Radio:
Here is the 760 KFMB story on Talk Radio:
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Mariana Trench: Back Again with Avatar 2?
"Fortunately, their so-called ‘bathyscaphe’ submarine, an extraordinary piece of Swiss-Italian-German engineering, sustained no further damage, and the explorers — Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh — lived to tell the extraordinary tale of this unique descent. Twelve men have walked on the surface of the Moon and maybe 500 have travelled into space, but only Piccard and Walsh have visited the very deepest point of the ocean, which they reached on January 23, 1960. The Challenger Deep dive was one of the most extraordinary — and surprisingly little known — feats of human exploration in history, the voyage in a submarine to a place even more extreme than the surface of most planets. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1312406/Into-deadly-deep-How-James-Cameron-plans-film-Avatar-sequel-7-miles-seas-surface.html#ixzz0zkYfvHdx"
"The 50ft-long Trieste was, in contrast, a wholly self-contained submarine, free-diving and with its own life-support systems. It was not attached to the surface in any way during its extraordinary five-hour descent to the ocean floor. The Trieste in some ways resembled an underwater airship. It consisted of two parts: a huge cigar-shaped ‘balloon’ filled with 22,500 gallons of petrol to provide buoyancy (petrol is lighter than water). Attached underneath this balloon was a tiny steel sphere, manufactured by Krupp of West Germany, just 7ft across, into which the pilots were crammed. Effectively, it worked like a hot air balloon underwater, since the petrol in the balloon was incompressible, unlike air. So even at great pressure, the petrol balloon kept its shape and the craft remained buoyant. But if the petrol in the balloon was lighter than water, how did the submarine descend? Nine tons of iron pellets were attached to the craft to make it sink — and when the pilots wanted to ascend again, they were jettisoned on to the ocean floor. During the dive, temperatures in the dank, unheated pressure sphere fell to a few degrees above zero, and the shivering pilots ate chocolate bars to conserve their strength. Oscar-winning film director James Cameron has reportedly commissioned a bespoke submarine to travel to the bottom of the Challenger Deep At 30,000ft below the ocean surface, the outermost layer of their small Plexiglas porthole cracked, sending shockwaves reverberating through the submarine. Fortunately, the thick, cone-shaped block of transparent plastic in the window held. After nearly five hours, descending at a rate of less than two knots, the Trieste settled a few inches above the floor of the lowest point on the Earth’s surface, a depth of 10,916m (35,814ft), where the crew spent 20 anxious minutes. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1312406/Into-deadly-deep-How-James-Cameron-plans-film-Avatar-sequel-7-miles-seas-surface.html#ixzz0zkZNwM2l"
Bay Area Sharks
"A landmark study released last year by Stanford University determined that this region's genetically unique white sharks begin returning from the deep ocean to Northern California in August and begin leaving in December. The area where the sharks gather - from the south end of Monterey Bay out to the Farallon Islands and across to Bodega Head - is known as "The Red Triangle," where McCosker said half of the state's shark attacks have occurred. Eleven people have been killed by sharks off the California coast, the majority of them surfers, since the first documented human attack 58 years ago. The body of a probable 12th victim was never found, so he isn't counted. McCosker said there were no verified attacks before then, probably because previously very few people surfed or went into shark-infested areas for recreation. American Indians evidently knew not to go in the water during shark season, he said. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/15/MN9P1FA20L.DTL#ixzz0zkagX5ma"
San Francisco Chronicle Article
"Kayakers were attacked by great whites on two separate occasions last month, pushing the number of verified great white shark attacks on humans in California to 102 since 1952. Numerous sightings of the giant predators have been recently reported, including the August mauling of a sea lion by an 18- to 20-footer off Pacifica. The vast majority of shark attacks in California occur between July and November, McCosker said. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgif=/c/a/2010/09/15/MN9P1FA20L.DTL#ixzz0zkaRcRD5"
CNN Alien's of the Deep
CNN's Eco Solutions Story
"CNN -- Fewer than 300 boats in the world are destroying the deep sea, the largest reservoir of biodiversity on Earth. They are wiping off the map deepwater coral reefs and sponge beds thousands of years old as they chase their lucrative quarry: a few highly priced fish, known to be extremely vulnerable to over-fishing because they are long-lived, slow-growing and late at reproducing.
The entirety of the deep-sea catch, without exception, is sold to rich industrialized countries that certainly don't need those fish. And deep-sea bottom trawling continues despite a scientific consensus that emphasizes how utterly unsustainable and destructive this fishing practice is.
In blatant ignorance of science and oblivious to common sense, bottom trawling -- or "bulldozing," as it should be called -- goes on with the complicity of our governments and our own support."
MOCNESS Finds in the Deep Gulf!
Nature Blog Article, Sept. 16, 2010
"The Torres team began its work trawling the MOCNESS and Tucker nets at a spot poetically named Standard Station, about 22 hours out from our starting point in St. Petersburg, Florida. This is just a deep spot where USF and other researchers have been doing oceanographic work for 25 years or so, meaning good records to compare against."
"The Torres team began its work trawling the MOCNESS and Tucker nets at a spot poetically named Standard Station, about 22 hours out from our starting point in St. Petersburg, Florida. This is just a deep spot where USF and other researchers have been doing oceanographic work for 25 years or so, meaning good records to compare against."
"The Torres team was out to study mainly the mesopelagic midwaters, 650 to 3,300 feet down. Torres has been studying these depths for decades, and it's where the deep oil plumes were found, so it was a logical target. GLIMPSES OF THE DEEP The main tool used on last week's expedition is called a MOCNESS, or Multiple Opening/Closing Net and Environmental Sampling System. This is a roughly 6-foot by 12-foot metal frame with about 1,000 pounds of weight on the bottom to keep it relatively vertical when dragged behind a ship. Bars drop down the frame to control separate nets so that each is open only at a specific depth."
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Extinction Threat for Dwarf Seahorse in Gulf
Scientific America Reports:
Dwarf Seahorse
"The tiny dwarf sea horse (Hippocampus zosterae), which grows to a maximum length of 2.5 centimeters, can be found only in the ocean waters off the Gulf Coast.
"All of the sea horse populations in the area will be affected, but the dwarf sea horse is at greatest risk of extinction because much of its habitat has been devastated by the spill," Project Seahorse director Amanda Vincent said in a prepared statement.
According to Project Seahorse, the dwarf sea horse is particularly vulnerable due to its small size, limited habitat, inability to migrate great distances, and low birth rate. The fish also mate for life, so the loss of even one breeding parent is doubly dangerous to the species' long-term reproductive health. The Deepwater oil spill occurred during the sea horses' primary breeding time." - Scientific America
Dwarf Seahorse
"The tiny dwarf sea horse (Hippocampus zosterae), which grows to a maximum length of 2.5 centimeters, can be found only in the ocean waters off the Gulf Coast.
"All of the sea horse populations in the area will be affected, but the dwarf sea horse is at greatest risk of extinction because much of its habitat has been devastated by the spill," Project Seahorse director Amanda Vincent said in a prepared statement.
According to Project Seahorse, the dwarf sea horse is particularly vulnerable due to its small size, limited habitat, inability to migrate great distances, and low birth rate. The fish also mate for life, so the loss of even one breeding parent is doubly dangerous to the species' long-term reproductive health. The Deepwater oil spill occurred during the sea horses' primary breeding time." - Scientific America
Mnata Ray Encounter
"What began as another exhilarating manta ray night dive off Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on an August evening in 2010, quickly turned into the theft of the century. Cameraman Travis Matteson was capturing footage for the scuba diving travel television show "Into the Drink" aboard the Kona Aggressor II. Suddenly, one of the manta's giant wings hooked his light system, and darted off with the nearly $10,000 worth of photo gear. Underwater videographer Johnny Reidt caught the entire theft on camera, and the manta, carrying the stolen photo rig, captured some amazing footage of the nighttime reef. Remarkably, the camera rig was found completely intact after an eight-minute run by the manta, just yards from the dive boat."
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Shark Stories From Month of September
Ron and Valerie Taylor Interviewed on CNN
September 8, 2010
Here is the complete story on CNN International:
CCN Taylor Story
8 Foot Bull Shark Caught in Potomac
NBC Washington, September 4, 2010
September 8, 2010
Here is the complete story on CNN International:
CCN Taylor Story
8 Foot Bull Shark Caught in Potomac
NBC Washington, September 4, 2010
National Geographic profiles the Bull Shark:
Sky News captured this video in Noosa, Queensland, Australia of a school of perhaps ~100 Tiger Sharks sharks:
Great White Shark hoax in Fox Hill Cove, Somerset, MA.:
August 26, 2010