Latest

The vagabond butterflyfish (Chaetodon vagabundus; Chaetodonitadae), that like most marine fish species, discharge gametes into the water and the larvae spend more than a month in the ocean waters.

Reef fish follow their noses

If fish and coral larvae opt to settle in coral-dominated areas instead of the degraded, seaweed-dominated reefs ecologists' efforts to restore reefs could become complicated.

With a series of experiments, a team of researchers led by Danielle Dixson from Georgia Institute of Technologyc ompared water from marine protected areas, where fishing is restricted and corals abound, to water from non-protected areas, where seaweed has largely replaced both corals and fish on the reefs.

Toadfish loud sex call keep Californians awake at night

Toadfish is the common name for a variety of species from several different families of fish which have a toad-like appearance in common. They are known for their ability to produce sound with their swim bladders.

The endless motor-like sounds are produced by their strong muscles pressing against their balloon-like bladders. They hit the bladder about 6,000 times a minute -- twice the speed of a hummingbird's wings -- and do it during a mating season that usually starts in May and ends in September. The loud hum can last for more than an hour at a time.

Whale shark aggregation found in the Red Sea

A multinational team of researcher utilized three types of satellite transmitting tags to track the movements of 47 whale sharks from 2009 through 2011. The tags, which are placed just below the dorsal fins, measure temperature, depth, and light levels of the waters the fish swim in. After several months, the tags pop off, float to the surface and beam data via the ARGO satellite system back to computers on shore.

Humpback Fluke ID project needs your help

All fluke shots will be credited to the photographer, but we will be sharing these with the scientific community and making this freely available to any researcher or organisation that would not normally have access to such resources.

Step 1

Upload to dropbox and share the link with us at scott.portelli@gmail.com

or

Send us your email address and we will add you to the shared dropbox folder http://www.dropbox.com/TongaFlukeID

Kite surfing, Oahu, Hawaii
Kite surfing, Oahu, Hawaii

Sharks may mistake some humans for birds

A case report documenting a fatal South Pacific shark attack suggests sharks may mistake recreational water users for birds. The report, published in the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, theorizes kite surfers may be at risk for such confusion. The victim, a 15-year-old kite surfing male, died after being attacked by a tiger shark in New Caledonia.

Anthias (filephoto) - one of the species used in the experiment

Fish need to decompress too

According to CAS’s Matt Wandell the chamber is fairly simple in design and can bring a fish up to to surface pressure in around 20 hours or so without adverse effects.

Aside from burst swim bladders, fish, like humans, can also get decompression sickness when exposed to rapid changes in pressure during capture.

“Bent” fish are most likely widespread in the live reef fish trade, as most of the species that have been examined were found to suffer symptoms of decompression sickness after capture from shallow depths of 10 to 15 metres.

Blue whale off Californian coast

Ships and blue whales in conflict off California

A new study in the journal Plos One has revealed blue whales assemble for long periods in the busy shipping lanes off California, raising concerns about collisions between vessels and the endangered cetaceans.

“It’s an unhappy coincidence,” said study leader Ladd Irvine, a marine mammal ecologist at Oregon State University. “The blue whales need to find the densest food supply. There’s a limited number of those dense places, and it seems as though two of the main regular spots are crossed by the shipping lanes.”

Philippine Airlines (PAL) says it has stopped flying shark fin cargoes

Philippine Airlines (PAL) says it has stopped flying shark fin cargoes, joining a number of other Asia-Pacific carriers in taking a stand for marine conservation.

The fins are used in shark fin soup, a much-valued delicacy in Hong Kong and China.

Conservationists say booming demand for such fins has put pressure on the world's shark populations, prompting calls for measures to restrict their trade.

Jet lag, also called jet lag disorder, is a temporary sleep problem that can affect anyone who quickly travels across multiple time zones.

The science of jet lag... and how best to beat it

"If you're going to be a member of the Jet Set and fly off to Katmandu for coffee with King Mahendra," wrote Horace Sutton in the Los Angeles Times, "you can count on contracting Jet Lag, a debility not unakin to a hangover. Jet Lag derives from the simple fact that jets travel so fast they leave your body rhythms behind."

UK airports initiate new security checks

Passengers flying into and out of the UK may be subject to increased in-depth security checks. Security in UK airports has been increased after potential terrorists believed to originate from within Syria and Yemen. With the worldwide summer holiday rush underway, passengers are urged to comply with the restrictions to curtail delays. Passengers leaving or entering the UK, USA, Middle East and Africa are more likely to experience the heightened security measures.