Researchers Find That Networking Lets Sharks Off The Hook; 'Forty-Six Thousand Sharks Could Have Been Saved'
MANOA, Hawaii -- May 24, 2016 20:59 EST
Tuna fishers who network with their competition may be able to stop thousands of sharks a year from being accidentally captured and killed in the Pacific Ocean.
Researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James ...
From Whales To Silver Foxes To Refugees: EMILY Robot Is A Lifesaver; 'a classic overnight success story years in the making'
ARLINGTON, Virginia -- May 5, 2016 19:54 EST
She's tough--capable of punching through 30-foot waves and riptides or smashing into rocks and reefs. But she's also tender, providing hope to those in peril.
Meet EMILY the robotic lifeguard--officially known as the ...
Bronze Bell Recovered From World War II Aircraft-Carrying Submarine Off Hawaiian Coast
MANOA, Hawaii -- Mar 24, 2016 20:35 EST
During a test dive last week, the Hawai'i Undersea Research Laboratory (HURL) recovered the bronze bell from the I-400 - a World War II-era Imperial Japanese Navy mega-submarine, lost since 1946 when it was intentionally sunk ...
Surprise As Study Shows Sharkskin Increases Drag By 50 Percent
STONY BROOK, New York -- Mar 15, 2016 20:47 EST
The nature of sharkskin with its riblets â€" the micro-grooved structures found in aircraft wings, wind turbine blades, and Olympic-class swimsuits â€" seems to suggest a design for speed and streamlined swimming. But a new study led by ...
Is Yours Bigger Than 18 Inches? State Of Florida Launches Lionfish Category For Record Size Catches
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Mar 14, 2016 10:19 EST
It's big, it's bold and it's invasive. But could your lionfish catch be a record?
If it is over 477 millimeters (18.78 inches) it very well could be.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) newest way of encouraging divers to ...
Study: Shark Babies Remain Strong In Future Acidic Oceans; 'Future Projections Are Still Not The Best-Case Scenario'
TOWNSVILLE, Queensland -- Mar 8, 2016 21:47 EST
Dr. Jodie Rummer from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE) at James Cook University (JCU) and her co-authors studied epaulette shark embryos as they were developing. "Overall, there were no differences between growth ...
Scientists Model How Global Warming Will Harm 'Fictitious' Fishing Towns, Find 'Inefficient Reallocation Of Wealth'
NEW HAVEN, Connecticut -- Mar 7, 2016 20:40 EST
Many studies have shown that critical natural resources, including fish stocks, are moving poleward as the planet warms. A new Yale-led study suggests that these biophysical changes are also reallocating global wealth in unpredictable, and potentially destabilizing, ways.
...
Researchers: Reef Sharks Prefer Bite-Size Meals 'Infrequently And Opportunistically'
TOWNSVILLE CITY, Queensland -- Feb 24, 2016 21:40 EST
Sharks have a reputation for having voracious appetites, but a new study shows that most coral reef sharks eat prey that are smaller than a cheeseburger.
Researchers from James Cook University's ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies examined ...
Study Finds Fish Larvae Swim Faster, Straighter In Groups; 'Group Orientation Emerges From Simple Group Dynamics'
MIAMI, Florida -- Feb 11, 2016 19:56 EST
A recent study provides new evidence that larvae swim faster, straighter and more consistently in a common direction when together in a group. The research led by scientists at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric ...
Study Finds Shark Hotspots Overlap With Commercial Fishing Locations; 'We Had No Idea [Overlap] Would Be This High'
MIAMI, Florida -- Jan 25, 2016 19:28 EST
A new study from an international team of scientists found commercial fishing vessels target shark hotspots, areas where sharks tend to congregate, in the North Atlantic. The researchers suggest that sharks are at risk of being overfished in these oceanic ...
Study: Humpbacks Unfazed By 'Complex' Fishing Net Alarms Sounds; 'We Haven't Yet Cracked The Whale Code'
SYDNEY, Australia -- Jan 21, 2016 20:04 EST
An international team lead by Macquarie researchers has found that humpback whales are not only unfazed by complex alarm sounds designed to alert them to hazards like fishing gear, they have no response to these warning sounds at all.
The ...
Hold The Pee: New Experiments Determine Effective Treatments For Box Jelly Stings
MANOA, Hawaii -- Jan 20, 2016 20:03 EST
Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa developed an array of highly innovative experiments to allow scientists to safely test first-aid measures used for box jellyfish stingsâ€"from folk tales, like urine, to state-...
Scientists Discover Nursery Ground For Sand Tiger Sharks In Long Island's Great South Bay
NEW YORK, New York -- Jan 5, 2016 18:27 EST
Scientists and veterinarians working for WCS's New York Aquarium have discovered something noteworthy in the near shore waters of Long Island's Great South Bay: a nursery ground for the sand tiger shark, a fearsome-looking but non-aggressive ...
The Carolina Hammerhead, A New Species Of Shark, Debuts; 'Outwardly Indistinguishable' From The Scalloped Hammerhead
COLUMBIA, South Carolina -- Jan 4, 2016 19:13 EST
Discovering a new species is, among biologists, akin to hitting a grand slam, and University of South Carolina ichthyologist Joe Quattro led a team that recently cleared the bases. In the journal Zootaxa, they describe a rare shark, the Carolina ...
Malaysian-Led Research Team Successfully Sequenced The Genome Of A Malaysian Fish: The Asian Arowana
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Dec 26, 2015 18:56 EST
A Malaysian-led research group from Monash University Malaysia has successfully sequenced the genome of a Malaysian fish: the Asian arowana. This is the first Malaysian fish genome to be sequenced and the first achieved by a Malaysian university. ...
Shoestring Budget Doesn't Stop URI Oceanography Student From Making Discoveries Inside Underwater 'shark-Cano'
NARRAGANSETT, Rhode Island -- Dec 17, 2015 20:07 EST
Oceanographic research expeditions can be extremely expensive undertakings, especially when the operating cost of a research ship for just one day can top $25,000. But a University of Rhode Island graduate student has figured out how to do it on the ...
Ketone Esters Eyed By Researchers To Combat Oxygen Toxicity In Deep-Water Divers
MIAMI, Florida -- Dec 8, 2015 23:17 EST
For the first time, ketone esters-oral supplements useful in epilepsy treatment-are being studied to fight seizures caused by hyperbaric oxygen toxicity, a life-threatening byproduct of breathing too much oxygen that impacts deep-water ...
UN Agency Deploys 'Fish Magnets' Along Somali Coast To Boost Sustainable Fishing
ROME, Italy -- Dec 7, 2015 22:05 EST
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), working with the European Union has completed the deployment of 25 Fish-Aggregating Devices (FADs) â€" or 'fish magnets' â€" along Somalia's 3,300 km coastline, aiming to boost the nation's small-scale artisanal fisheries and tackle ...
Study: Vessel Speed, Not Speed, Major Factor In How Much Noise From Boats That Reaches Killer Whales
SEATTLE, Washington -- Dec 2, 2015 23:07 EST
The speed of vessels operating near endangered killer whales in Washington is the most influential factor -- more so than vessel size -- in how much noise from the boats reaches the whales, according to a new study ...
Scientists: Footage Reveals New Shark Feeding Behavior; 'Sharks Modify Their Hunting Strategy' Based On Prey
ANNAPOLIS, Maryland -- Nov 5, 2015 20:19 EST
Scientists with the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (KSLOF) dove into the shark-infested waters of French Polynesia to study how sharks hunt for prey in the wildâ€"using a professional film crew. The cameramen were shooting footage ...
Minke Whale Baby Boom Off Scotland's West Coast? Highest Number Of Young Recorded Since Surveys Began
TOBERMORY, Isle of Mull -- Nov 3, 2015 20:23 EST
Sightings of juvenile minke whales off Scotland's west coast increased in 2015 to the highest ever recorded within a survey season, during marine research expeditions carried out by Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust â€" indicating either a significant increase in actual numbers ...
Research: Distressed Damsels Release Chemical Cry For Help
TOWNSVILLE, Queensland -- Oct 28, 2015 19:47 EST
Researchers at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE) at James Cook University have found that fish release a chemical 'distress call' when caught by predators, dramatically boosting their chances of survival.
Fish harbour a chemical ...
Research: Lost Poop Disrupts The Earth; Whale's 'Focculent, Liquidy Cloud' Drive Nutrient Movement
BURLINGTON, Vermont -- Oct 26, 2015 19:21 EST
Giants once roamed the earth. Oceans teemed with 90-foot-long whales. Huge land animals â€" like truck-sized sloths and ten-ton mammoths â€" ate vast quantities of food, and, yes, deposited vast quantities of poop.
A new ...
Researchers: Orange Peels May Clean Up The Ocean By Soaking Up Mercury
ADELAIDE, South Australia -- Oct 25, 2015 19:32 EST
A brand new, dirt cheap, non-toxic polymer that literally sucks mercury out of water and soil is set to become a game changer in the battle against one of the world's most reviled pollutants.
The dark red material, ...
Sportsman Sets New Maryland Snakehead Record With 17.49 Pound Catch
ANNAPOLIS, Maryland -- Oct 23, 2015 19:43 EST
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has confirmed that Michael Meade of Upper Marlboro, Maryland set a new state sport fish record with a 17.49-pound northern snakehead while fishing with bow and arrow along the marshes of Mattawoman Creek.
"...
NOAA Declares Third Ever Global Coral Bleaching Event; Bleaching Intensifies In Hawaii, High Ocean Temperatures Threaten Caribbean Corals
SILVER SPRING, Maryland -- Oct 13, 2015 21:43 EST
As record ocean temperatures cause widespread coral bleaching across Hawaii, NOAA scientists confirm the same stressful conditions are expanding to the Caribbean and may last into the new year, prompting the declaration of the third global coral bleaching event ever ...
Costa Rican NGO's Denounce Government's Irresponsible Attitude Towards Marine Conservation
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- Oct 5, 2015 21:50 EST
Stemming from the recent blockades of public highways by the fishery sector last September 2, the government agreed to a series of reckless, illegal, and unconstitutional agreements with certain members of the sector. The agreements and commitments were communicated to the ...
Study: Fish Found To Cooperate, 'Watch Each Other's Back', While Feeding; 'Complex Social Behaviors'
QUEENLAND, Australia -- Sep 27, 2015 16:23 EST
When it comes to helping each other out, it turns out that some fish are better at it than previously thought.
New research from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University has found that ...
Plastic For Dinner: A Quarter Of Fish Sold At Markets Contain Man-Made Debris
DAVIS, California -- Sep 24, 2015 18:17 EST
Roughly a quarter of the fish sampled from fish markets in California and Indonesia contained man-made debris â€" plastic or fibrous material â€" in their guts, according to a study from the University of California, Davis, and Hasanuddin University in ...
Researchers Design Fish 'Backpack' To Advance Underwater Research
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- Sep 21, 2015 23:53 EST
A new underwater stimulation system created by collaborators at New Mexico State University will assist in the study of electrical activity in aquatic vertebrates. This new technology may also help NMSU researchers reveal the connection between electricity and tissue regeneration ...
Study: Numbers Encouraging, But Shark Bites Still Problematic For Sea Otter Recovery
SANTA CRUZ, California -- Sep 17, 2015 19:16 EST
The recovery of southern sea otters appears to have taken an upturn, according to results from the annual California sea otter survey released by the U.S. Geological Survey today. Yet despite an overall increase in sea otter abundance, sharks ...
Research Shows Value Of Cadaver Dogs Locating Underwater Corpses
QUEENSGATE, Huddersfield -- Sep 11, 2015 20:13 EST
EVEN when a body is submerged in deep and murky water, a specially-trained dog can sniff its whereabouts from the surface. This incredible level of canine capability is being investigated by University of Huddersfield researcher Lorna Irish. Her ...
Scientist Solves 20-Year-Old Cave Diving Death Mystery; 'Like Having A Mudslide Underwater'
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Sep 1, 2015 23:48 EST
A decades-old mystery surrounding the death of a Florida cave diver has been solved by a simple experiment by three scientists in a lab at Florida State.
In 1991, an experienced cave diver named Parker Turner and his diving ...
Study: Female Fish Genitalia Evolved To 'Make Copulation More Difficult For Unwanted Males'
RALEIGH, North Carolina -- Aug 19, 2015 18:40 EST
Female fish in the Bahamas have developed ways of showing males that "No means no." In an example of a co-evolutionary arms race between male and female fish, North Carolina State University researchers show that female mosquitofish have ...
Engineers Identify 'Nanoscale Roughness' As Key To Keep Surfaces Dry Underwater
EVANSTON, Illinois -- Aug 19, 2015 18:23 EST
Imagine staying dry underwater for months. Now Northwestern University engineers have examined a wide variety of surfaces that can do just that -- and, better yet, they know why.
The research team is the first to identify the ideal "...
Canada's Marineland: Who Is Philip Demers aka 'The Walrus Whisper'?
NIAGRA FALLS, Ontario, Canada -- Aug 12, 2015 20:41 EST
Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of taxpayers' dollars have been spent investigating false allegations by Philip Demers that Marineland mistreats its animals and engages in criminal animal abuse. He continues to pursue the closure of Marineland, one of the ...
Study: Commercial Fishing Industry Reeling From Mental Health Crisis; 'People's Lives Are On The Line'
VICTORIA, Australia -- Aug 11, 2015 21:08 EST
Chronic job insecurity has led to a mental health crisis and high rates of suicide among Australian commercial fishers, according to a new Deakin University study published this month in Marine Policy journal.
Led by Deakin University maritime anthropologist, Dr ...
Surprise As Scientists Discover Rainbow Of Glowing Corals In The Depths Of The Red Sea
SOUTHAMPTON, United Kingdom -- Jul 6, 2015 23:38 EST
Glowing corals that display a surprising array of colors have been discovered in the deep water reefs of the Red Sea by scientists from the University of Southampton, UK, Tel Aviv University and the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences (IUI), ...
Hard To Port: Conservation Group Kicks Off Anti-Whaling Campaign In Iceland
REYKJAVIK, Iceland -- Jul 2, 2015 23:12 EST
Activists from the marine conservation group Hard To Port have launched an educational anti-whaling campaign to monitor and expose the country's whaling activities.
As the first fin whale of the season was pulled towards the whaling station for ...
Do Great White Sharks Like Beef Jerky? New Video Appears To Settle The Question
TAMPA, FL -- Jun 30, 2015 22:14 EST
A beef jerky company has put its product to the ultimate test: Would a great white shark prefer a giant beef jerky over a seal? A new video released by Oberto Beef Jerky appears to answer the question, and it ...