More Than Fish and Water

8 May 2011

The Ocean Lobby: Action Item: Petition to Clean the Mediterranean Sea!

theoceanlobby:

About 250 billion microscopic bits of plastic floating in the Mediterranean Sea, posing a threat to marine biodiversity, which reverberates in the food chain, experts estimate. The announcement was made by marine biologists from France and Belgium, which analyzed water samples collected in July on…

(Source: change.org)

Reblogged: theoceanlobby

5 May 2011

Giant Squid Killed by Sound

“We now have proof” sonar blasts can harm squid, expert says.

Not only does it harm giant squids, but other marine animals like dolphins and whales.

Please Read! SO interesting, and sad.

3 May 2011

(Source: satans-testicle)

Reblogged: diaryofamermaid-deactivated2012

28 Apr 2011

Penguin Numbers Plummeting—Whales Partly to Blame? Krill declines in parts of Antarctica linked to warming, whales, study says.

Penguin Numbers Plummeting—Whales Partly to Blame?

Krill declines in parts of Antarctica linked to warming, whales, study says.

27 Apr 2011

Wake up people: We have 10 years to save the Great Barrier Reef

theoceanlobby:

“TIME is not on our side: we have just 10 years to save the Great Barrier Reef.

 

That’s according to Ove Hoegh-Guldberg at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. If we continue to release CO2 into the atmosphere at current rates, within a decade we will reach a tipping point beyond which ocean warming will occur no matter what we do, reducing the reef’s chances of survival, he told delegates at the Greenhouse 2011 conference in Cairns this week.


(Source: newscientist.com)

Reblogged: theoceanlobby

27 Apr 2011

Japan dumps thousands of tons of radioactive water into sea

“In all, about 11,500 tons of radioactive water that has collected at the nuclear facility will be dumped into the sea…”

Hmmm, something about that just doesn’t sound too safe for the enviroment… or us for that matter.

27 Apr 2011

Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans) Yes, it may look pretty, but you certainly do not want to touch this animal. When the lionfish feels threatened, it pokes out it spines of venom which can protrude into the victim, causing extreme pain. This fish inhabits many coral reef and tropical habitats around the world, but not because nature put it there. Originating from the Indo-Pacific reefs, this species of fish was introduced into the other areas of the ocean by the actions of lionfish pet owners. Owners of lionfish who decided they no longer wanted their pets, simply dumped them into the ocean. The problem was that these fish have no predators where the owners dumped them, and thus a massive invasion of lionfish occurred. Because there was no natural predators of the lionfish, the conditions for survival were optimal, and the lionfish population bloomed. Now government agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are left to clean up the mess. Some scientists believe that the introductionof the lionfish into U.S. waters is irreversible, and lionfish are here to stay. So the next time you want to get rid of your pet fish, please do not dump them in the ocean, or we could have another bloom of an unwanted fish. To learn more about this invasive species you can visit: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/stories/lionfish/lion05_stop.html

Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans)

Yes, it may look pretty, but you certainly do not want to touch this animal. When the lionfish feels threatened, it pokes out it spines of venom which can protrude into the victim, causing extreme pain.

This fish inhabits many coral reef and tropical habitats around the world, but not because nature put it there. Originating from the Indo-Pacific reefs, this species of fish was introduced into the other areas of the ocean by the actions of lionfish pet owners. Owners of lionfish who decided they no longer wanted their pets, simply dumped them into the ocean. The problem was that these fish have no predators where the owners dumped them, and thus a massive invasion of lionfish occurred. Because there was no natural predators of the lionfish, the conditions for survival were optimal, and the lionfish population bloomed.

Now government agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are left to clean up the mess. Some scientists believe that the introductionof the lionfish into U.S. waters is irreversible, and lionfish are here to stay.

So the next time you want to get rid of your pet fish, please do not dump them in the ocean, or we could have another bloom of an unwanted fish.

To learn more about this invasive species you can visit:

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/stories/lionfish/lion05_stop.html

11 Apr 2011

mad-as-a-marine-biologist: Leopard Whiptail Stingray [Himantura undulata] by Mark Laita

mad-as-a-marine-biologist:

Leopard Whiptail Stingray [Himantura undulata] by Mark Laita

Reblogged: mad-as-a-marine-biologist

11 Apr 2011

mad-as-a-marine-biologist: “The Bluefin Tuna is being hunted to extinction. So, like a few other species, it would appreciate your help”.

mad-as-a-marine-biologist:

“The Bluefin Tuna is being hunted to extinction. So, like a few other species, it would appreciate your help”.

Reblogged: mad-as-a-marine-biologist

28 Mar 2011

Upside-down Jellyfish (Cassiopea xamachana) This jellyfish has many unique characteristics. The first one that most people notice is the fact that this jellyfish lives upside-down. That’s right. This jellyfish dwells on the bottom of many shallow ocean floors, upside-down. The reason it does this is because the same small organisms that live within coral (zooxanthellae) live within this organism’s tentacles where they photosynthesize and turn sunlight into nutrients. Whatever excess nutrients are left, the jellyfish uses as a food source along with other food sources such as zooplankton floating in the water column.

Upside-down Jellyfish (Cassiopea xamachana)

This jellyfish has many unique characteristics. The first one that most people notice is the fact that this jellyfish lives upside-down. That’s right. This jellyfish dwells on the bottom of many shallow ocean floors, upside-down. The reason it does this is because the same small organisms that live within coral (zooxanthellae) live within this organism’s tentacles where they photosynthesize and turn sunlight into nutrients. Whatever excess nutrients are left, the jellyfish uses as a food source along with other food sources such as zooplankton floating in the water column.