fisheries
Northern Atlantic cod make an epic comeback
The collapse of Northern Atlantic cod was the textbook example of how overfishing can lead to a population crash. Decades after a moratorium was established, the cod are finally making a recovery. Find out why! Megan ChenI graduated with a Masters of Coastal & Marine Management from the University of Akureyri in Iceland, and am […]
Tampering with the food web: what do changes in jellyfish and menhaden populations mean for the ecosystem?
Article: Robinson, K.L., J.J. Ruzicka, F. J., Hernandez, W.M. Graham, M.B. Decker, R.D. Brodeur, and M. Sutor. 2015. Evaluating energy flows through jellyfish and gulf menhaden (Brevoortia patronus) and the effects of fishing on the northern Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsv088 Background We’ve all grown up learning “who […]
Tiny lobsters, big problems.
Larval lobsters face potentially dangerous situations, find out how they fare against a couple important environmental stressors (salinity and pH changes). Sarah GiltzI am a doctoral candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Tulane University. My research focuses on the larval dispersal and development of the blue crab in the Gulf of Mexico. When not […]
Untangling the issues with longline fishing
Longline fishing has been used for decades as a way to catch large amounts of commercial fish. Though effective in capturing target fish, longlines unintentionally snag and kill millions of other marine species. Aside from being caught themselves, marine mammals (i.e. dolphins and killer whales) may eat target fish off the hooks and destroy fishing […]
North Sea fish stick to warming shallows rather than cooling off at depth
Models based on historical survey data indicate that with long term warming trends, fish distributions in the North Sea will remain at nearly the same depths while abundances across species may change considerably. Lis HendersonI am studying for my doctoral degree at the Stony Brook University School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. My research addresses […]
Technology for Turtles: TurtleWatch Program to Protect Sea Turtles and Assist Fishermen
A technology that both benefits fishermen and helps prevent sea turtle bycatch? Yes, please! The great news is that it exists! And now, it has been updated to include leatherbacks. Read on to learn more about TurtleWatch. Rebecca FlynnI am a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (B.S.) and the University of Rhode Island […]
What would coral reefs be like without human impact?
One would think that an isolated reef ecosystem shielded from the influence of people would provide an ideal benchmark against which other coral reefs can be compared. But in a recent study, researchers found it isn’t that simple. Valeska UphamFor my fisheries and aquatic science PhD I am working on how to tank raise urchins […]
Are bigger moms better moms?
We know that larger female fish produce more eggs, but does this really mean they produce more young that grow into the next generation? Sarah GiltzI am a doctoral candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Tulane University. My research focuses on the larval dispersal and development of the blue crab in the Gulf of […]
Sunday brunch: Lox with… lice?
Lox and lice. Not a combination of critters you envision when planning your Sunday brunch. Unfortunately, an increase in drug resistant sea lice is threatening both wild and farmed salmonid populations. Sarah FullerWith academic backgrounds in oceanography, geology, and environmental education, Sarah has traveled to far reaches of the planet to learn everything she can […]
Watch out guys, pregnant whale sharks are on the loose!
Whale sharks have become an increasingly popular tourist attraction, but much of their life history remains largely unknown. This study sets off to observe whale sharks around Darwin Island to help understand more about their habitat use, population size, and seasonal appearances. And what they find is a whole lot of pregnant whale sharks. Valeska […]
Bottom trawling changes bodies: the new seafloor diet
Seafloor trawling inevitably captures more than the species it is targeting. This means that when the remaining fishes line up at the buffet table, the options they have to choose from may be different than what they like to eat. In this article, Johnson et al., investigate whether two fish species in the Irish Sea […]
The Language of Fishes
Coral reefs are composed of hundreds of different species, who all use different acoustics to communicate, just like we use different languages around the world to communicate. Researchers set out to better understand and record the language of fishes in hopes of building a species-specific soundscape of the coral reef community. Valeska UphamFor my fisheries […]
Cartilaginous Conundrum: Are Sharks and Skates Safe to Eat?
While smooth dogfish may not be on your list of favorite seafood, cartilaginous fish (mainly sharks and skates) may increasingly find their way onto your dinner plate due to the decline of more traditional fisheries. While increased demand for these species as a food item could help struggling seafood industries, recent proposals to use dogfish […]
The Ghastly Impacts of Ghost Fishing Gear
Derelict fishing traps, or DFTs, are abandoned traps that may still be actively capturing marine organisms, in a phenomenon known as “ghost fishing.” In this study, a group of scientists put together a qualitative assessment on the ecological and economic impacts these traps may be having on coastal ecosystems throughout the United States. Erin MarkhamErin […]
Beware! Shellfish are taking over the fishing industry
Overfishing has created a cascading effect in the marine food web. Once, large apex predators, such as cod, dominated the fishing industry, but now, shellfish have taken over and contribute to more than half the fisheries stock. Valeska UphamFor my fisheries and aquatic science PhD I am working on how to tank raise urchins and […]
How will climate change affect coastal fisheries production?
Forecasted impacts of climate changes on fisheries production in coastal ecosystems suggest modest changes on average with significant increases in primary production in high latitude systems and declines near the equator. Fisheries in developing nations are most at risk. However, declining productivity may be buffered by responsible management practices. Lis HendersonI am studying for my […]
It’s all about color for the rainbow wrasse
Male rainbow wrasses actively defend their territory and the amount of red light entering the water column has been found to have an effect on how aggressive these males will be towards intruding wrasses. Valeska UphamFor my fisheries and aquatic science PhD I am working on how to tank raise urchins and transplant them onto […]
You Are What Your Fish Eats: how an invasive seaweed is contributing to the decline in nutritional value of commercial fish
Invasive species are known to be harmful to native species, biodiversity, and ecosystem function. But recent research has shown that certain invasive species may be affecting the nutritional quality of your food! Gordon OberPostdoctoral Researcher, Claremont McKenna College I am currently a postdoc at Keck Sciences, Claremont McKenna College. I work with Dr. Sarah Gilman, […]
Annual fishing weir catches may be under-reported to the U.N. by Persian Gulf Nations
Scientists from the University of British Columbia who are a part of the Sea Around Us Project use Google Earth to estimate fish catches in the Persian Gulf. Their findings show that the estimated catch is up to six times greater than official figures from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Cathleen TurnerCat […]
Cooked fish: Ocean warming and global fisheries
Global fisheries are expected to change as ocean temperatures warm. A recent study by Cheung et al. uses mean temperature of catch, a metric based on species’ average thermal preferences, to determine whether fisheries are changing to include more warm-water species. Lis HendersonI am studying for my doctoral degree at the Stony Brook University School […]
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