Fisheries
How much fish does it take to keep a salmon shark warm?
With a body reminiscent of its larger cousin the great white, the salmon shark chases its namesake in the cold waters of the northern Pacific – but how does it keep warm in these frigid temperatures? This week we’ll look at how much fish it takes to keep a salmon shark going. Tyler PlumI am […]
Seafood Magic: Including Fishermen in Fishery Management Policy
Seafood don’t just appear in restaurants, markets, or our bellies by magic. There are hard-working, dedicated fishermen* behind the must-have foodie experiences of delectable seafood. So where are fishermen in fisheries management policy? Rishya NarayananRishya is pursuing an M.S. in Environmental Science Communications and Media Advocacy at Northeastern University and has a B.A. in Psychology […]
Bottom trawling may irreparably damage seamount habitats
Oceanic habitats are damaged by many sources. A type of fishing, known as bottom trawling, is especially destructive to the seafloor habitats. Scientists investigated how long it might take fragile deep-sea ecosystems on seamounts to recover from bottom drawling damage. Their results are not promising. Ashley MarranzinoI received my Master’s degree from the University of […]
The Dynamic Duo: Application of Complementary BRUVs and eDNA to Marine Fish Assemblages
Innovations in waterproofing cameras and DNA analysis have led marine scientists to apply these methods in unique ways in recent decades. Through the use of BRUVs and eDNA this article looks at fish assemblages in Jurien Bay Marine Park in Western Australia to compare these methods individually and combined. When BRUVs and eDNA were both […]
Are they here or not: Severely reduced fish species can be hard to protect
New laws trying to protect the red steenbras have been put in place every few years since 1984, and yet the red steenbras is more elusive than ever in South Africa. With so much effort going in to saving the fish, why is it so hard to make a difference? Kristin HuizengaI am a PhD […]
The Gulf of Mexico Triangle: Assessing Movements of Large Pelagic Fish Across Multiple National Boundaries
Pelagic predators or difficult to manage due to their vast migrations through through multiple countries jurisdictions and international waters. In order to effectively manage these species multinational agreeements are required. However, collecting movement data for species that travel long distances is difficult to collect. Here, researchers look at the movements between countries of 8 species […]
The Evidence of Things Not Seen: eDNA and Fisheries Stocks
Unlike fields of corn or herds of cattle whose yields are easily counted, wild fish stocks are more difficult to count. The ocean is a huge place, so finding and estimating populations to set future catch limits is really hard! There may be a new way of gathering this information though—one with less impact to […]
What’s next for Air Jaws? Research Priorities for The Great White Shark
Since the beginning of Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, viewers have been mesmerized by the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). The great white shark coverage outshines the rest with television specials like the Air Jaws series filling many of the week’s time slots. There are numerous unanswered questions about its ecology, physiology, and relationship with humans. To […]
A Case of Mistaken Identity: Seafood Fraud
Sustainable seafood has recently become a hot topic in marine conservation, and scientists and conservationists advise transparency in the seafood process. However, what happens when we can’t track seafood’s journey or we’re not exactly sure about what we’re eating? Rishya NarayananRishya is pursuing an M.S. in Environmental Science Communications and Media Advocacy at Northeastern University […]
Helping the Atlantic with our Stomachs: the Lionfish Fishery
As a lover of seafood and the environment, it can be tough to find a sustainable fix for fishy cravings. Lionfish could potentially be a great way to take some pressure off of popular seafood while helping out Atlantic ecosystems– if they don’t pose a health risk to the humans eating them. Rishya NarayananRishya is […]
Hope in isolation: four small islands are defying current threats to ocean health
Would you believe me if I told you that the oceans still possessed pristine, unimpacted habitats? In an age where we are learning more and more about how multiple stresses-from climate change to increasing pollution-are hurting our oceans, one recent study has shed light on the remarkable healthy ecosystem of a group of small islands […]
Ocean to Table Mercury: a Rising Risk
For fish eaters, mercury consumption is an ever-present worry but often pushed to the backs of our minds. But the risk of mercury poisoning is only increasing as human activity introduce more mercury into the ocean and atmosphere. In their recent paper, Lavoie and his colleagues estimate how much mercury is reaching our plates through […]
Big Momma: bigger fish are better moms
What makes a fish a good mom? Read here to see why scientists now think that big fish moms are the best fish moms. Ashley MarranzinoI received my Master’s degree from the University of Rhode Island where I studied the sensory biology of deep-sea fishes. I am now working with the South Carolina DNR at […]
Heavy Metal Presence in Fish from Fresh and Coastal Waters of Ghana
Heavy metal: it’s not just an intense genre of rock music, but also an element high in density that can be incredibly toxic to humans at concentrated levels. While marine life faces many threats, an increasingly severe force has been the addition and accumulation of heavy metals in both coastal and freshwater environments. Francis Gbogbo […]
Little fish, big fish… which one poses the bigger threat?
Article: Biton-Porsmoguer, S., Bǎnaru, D., Boudouresque, C. F., Dekeyser, I., Bouchoucha, M., Marco-Miralles, F., … & Harmelin-Vivien, M. (2018). Mercury in blue shark (Prionace glauca) and shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) from north-eastern Atlantic: Implication for fishery management. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 127, 131-138. Have you ever heard the term mercury poisoning? It may not be as common as […]
Honey I shrunk the….fish?
What we know about commercial fishing’s repercussions on reef fish is more complicated than just reducing the size of their populations. Commercial fishing exploits are driving some fish species to become smaller. Read on to find out more and how marine protected areas may be critical to the recovery of exploited fish populations. Katherine BarrettKate […]
Tracking Global Fisheries with the Help of Computer Neural Networks
Fisheries are vital to global economies and to the billions of people who rely on fish for their primary source of protein. How do we track and manage these fisheries? Read how a new study looks at the global footprint of fisheries and analyzes what drives this market. Ashley MarranzinoI received my Master’s degree from […]
Baby come back: capture-induced premature birthing in elasmobranchs
Capturing pregnant elasmobranchs can induce stress-related abortions. Read more to understand why and what can be done to prevent this! Aditi TripathyHello! I am an undergraduate student majoring in Marine Biology with a minor in Acoustics at the University of Rhode Island. I am a science geek to the core, and my research interests lie […]
Snowmageddon: A lighthearted start to Marine Snow theme week
While the term “marine snow” may conjure images of an aquatic winter wonderland, some aspects of this phenomenon may not inspire a Bing Crosby song. Marine snow is responsible for transporting many of the nutrients found in the surface, sunlit waters of the ocean to depths where it becomes a significant food and nutrient source […]
How to model climate change in an Arctic food web
The climate is changing, and so are Arctic food webs. But our knowledge of how food webs respond to warmer Arctic water temperatures is incomplete, so scientists use models to help further understanding of future food web scenarios. Katherine BarrettKate is a 3rd year PhD candidate in the Biological Sciences Department at the University of […]
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