Full Tanks and Empty Reefs - Honolulu Magazine - September 2006 - Hawaii

 

He drives them like cattle along a fenceline of billowing, fine-mesh net—butterflyfish, damsels, yellow tangs. Slowly pumping his fins through the current, fisherman Neil Dart glides over the reef, pushing the small school into a corner of his carefully laid net. As they dart against the silvery barrier, he scoops them up one by one with a hand net, gently transferring them to small baskets for their long journey to the strange world above.

Fifty feet overhead, Dart’s compact aluminum boat, the Hawaiian Glacier, bobs in the Kona surge. On board, two big tanks hum with circulating sea water, hundreds of neat compartments inside waiting to be filled with the day’s catch, like a watery jewelry box.

Read Full Article: Full Tanks and Empty Reefs - Honolulu Magazine - September 2006 - Hawaii

PHOTO IN THE NEWS: Flat-Faced Crawling Fish Discovered

 

After countless centuries, this odd anglerfish (right) may finally be ready for its close-up.

Discovered in Indonesia in January, the species has forward-looking eyes like a human and crawls rather than swims.

These and other traits suggest the fist-size animal may represent a new family of fishes, University of Washington fish expert Ted Pietsch announced on April 2, when this photo was released. DNA tests are needed for confirmation.

Pietsch first learned of the unnamed species from dive-facility operators on Ambon island, Indonesia. "I knew it had to be an anglerfish because of the leglike pectoral fins on its sides," he said in a statement.

Read Full Article: PHOTO IN THE NEWS: Flat-Faced Crawling Fish Discovered

Reef development independent of coral diversity | Practical Fishkeeping magazine

 

The development of coral reefs is independent of coral species diversity, scientists from UK and USA have found.
In a study published in a recent issue of the journal Science, Kenneth Johnson, Jeremy Jackson and Ann Budd compared changes in coral diversity and reef development within the tropical western Atlantic over the past 28 million years using new and published fossil and stratigraphic data.
Even though coral diversity on Indo-Pacific reefs is 10 times higher than on Caribbean reefs, the rates of carbonate production and reef growth are similar.

Read Full Article: Reef development independent of coral diversity | Practical Fishkeeping magazine

Reef specialists decline when corals suffer | Practical Fishkeeping magazine

 

Scientists have confirmed that reef specialists suffer more when corals decline by studying damselfishes (pomacentrids) in the Great Barrier Reef.
The study by Shaun Wilson, Scott Burgess, Alistair Cheal, Mike Emslie, Rebecca Fisher, Ian Miller, Nicholas Polunin and Hugh Sweatman examined habitat use and specialization of pomacentrids, and determined which species are susceptible to declines in coral cover due to disturbance induced by crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci).

Read Full Article: Reef specialists decline when corals suffer | Practical Fishkeeping magazine

Giant marine life found in Antarctica - Yahoo! News

 

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Scientists who conducted the most comprehensive survey to date of New Zealand's Antarctic waters were surprised by the size of some specimens found, including jellyfish with 12-foot tentacles and 2-foot-wide starfish.

 

Read Full Article: Giant marine life found in Antarctica - Yahoo! News

Rabbit Fish To The Rescue Of The Reef

 

ScienceDaily (Mar. 21, 2008) — While rabbits continue to ravage Australia’s native landscapes, rabbit fish may help save large areas of the Great Barrier Reef from destruction.

The reason, say scientists, is the same in both cases – both rabbits and rabbit fish are efficient herbivores, capable of stripping an area of vegetation. However, in the case of the Reef, it is the vegetation that is the problem – and the rabbit fish, the answer.

“When a coral reef is weakened or damaged through human activity such as climate change or pollution or by a natural disaster like a cyclone, the coral will usually recover provided it is not choked by fast-growing marine algae,” explains Professor David Bellwood of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University

Read Full Article: Rabbit Fish To The Rescue Of The Reef

Woman killed when ray leaps onto boat | NEWS.com.au

 

AN eagle ray has leapt onto a boat off the Florida Keys and stabbed a woman with its barb, knocking her to the deck and killing her.

"It's a bizarre accident," said Jorge Pino, an agent with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The woman and her family were aboard a boat today in the Atlantic Ocean, off the city of Marathon in the Florida Keys, he said.

"A large ray jumped out of the water and collided with the victim and somehow the barb penetrated some part of her body, which caused her to fall back and hit her head on some portion of the vessel," Mr Pino said.

"We don't know exactly which one of those things caused her death."

Local media said the animal's barb had impaled the woman through the neck.  Eagle rays are common in warm or tropical waters and are often seen near coral reefs.

Woman killed when ray leaps onto boat | NEWS.com.au

Butterfly Fish Faces Possible Extinction - Science - redOrbit

 

The beautiful black, white and yellow butterflyfish, much admired by eco-tourists, divers and aquarium keepers alike, may be at risk of extinction, scientists have warned.
The case of the Chevroned Butterflyfish is a stark example of how human pressure on the world’s coral reefs is confronting certain species with ‘blind alleys’ from which they may be unable to escape, says Dr Morgan Pratchett of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University.
In a study published in the journal Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology, Dr Pratchett and Dr Michael Berumen of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (USA) warn that the highly specialized nature of the feeding habits of this particular butterflyfish – the distinctively patterned Chaetodon trifascialis - make it an extinction risk as the world’s coral reefs continue to degrade due to human over-exploitation, pollution and climate change.
“The irony is that these butterflyfish are widespread around the world, and you’d have thought their chances of survival were pretty good,” Dr Pratchett said today.
“But they only eat one sort of coral – Acropora hyacinthus – and when that runs out, the fish just disappear from the reef.”

Read Full Article: Butterfly Fish Faces Possible Extinction - Science - redOrbit

What happened to all the tropical fish?

 

Anyone who has snorkeled or dived in Hawaii for any length of time has the same reaction; what happened to all the fish? Whether you’re “born and raised,” a part-time resident, long-term visitor, recent mainland transplant or have moved here from another country, we all note the negative change in the number of colorful fish who frequent our coral reefs, as well as the degradation of the reefs themselves.
These missing fish are often called ornamental, because they are attractive, brightly colored creatures which are truly pleasant to watch and photograph. The Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens) – remember Bubbles in “Finding Nemo?” – and other ornamental fish are not only attractive, they play a vital role in coral reef health, as these herbivores naturally feed on the algae. If these little guys don’t eat the algae, the coral can be overwhelmed and we end up with algae reefs instead of coral reefs.
Another species, the Cleaner Wrasse, also known as a Blue Streak or Bridled Beauty (Labroides dimidiatus) naturally removes disease-causing parasites. Without them the reef can be rampant with life-killing parasites. Removing cleaner wrasses not only hurts the wrasses, which cannot live in home aquariums anyway, but also hurts the entire eco-system revolving around them on our coral reefs. The somewhat similar-appearing Moorish Idol (Zanclus cornutus) and the Ornate Butterflyfish (Chaetodontidae) both thrive on coral, so they can’t live except on coral reefs.
Please realize that we are not only losing fish; we are losing the coral reefs. 2008 is the International Year of the Reef. Is this how we’re celebrating the occasion in Hawaii – by watching our reefs die? Is it to be a celebration or a wake?

Read Full Article: What happened to all the tropical fish?

MontereyHerald.com : - Monterey Bay Aquarium's great white shark goes back to the ocean

 

Monterey Bay Aquarium has released its third great white shark into the wild.

The juvenile male shark was released at dawn Tuesday from a boat in Monterey Bay after being fitted with two electronic tags, said aquarium spokeswoman Angela Hains.

One tag will collect data on the shark's movements and transmit it after five months. The other tag will relay real-time data about the shark's travels for eight months, Hains said.

The five-month tag is triggered to pop free in early July to relay information about where the shark goes, how deep he dives and the water temperature he prefers, to a satellite and the data will be then posted to the Tagging of Pacific Predators Web site.

The shark arrived at the aquarium Aug. 28, said Randy Hamilton, vice president of husbandry for the aquarium, at 4 feet 9 inches long and weighing 67 pounds. By Tuesday, he had grown to 5 feet 10 inches and weighed 140 pounds.

Read Full Article: MontereyHerald.com : - Monterey Bay Aquarium's great white shark goes back to the ocean

Monitoring Reefs

 

The head of a working group that is studying ways on the restoration of impacted coral reefs and how to come up with cost effective measures has just completed a five-day monitoring assignment here in Palau, where one of the two sites of an experimental project is located.

Marine Biologist Iris Bollozos released on Tuesday Jan. 29 the progress report of the first year (Sept. 2006-August 2007) of the three-year project located in two sites, one in Bolinao town, Province of Pangasinan in Northern Philippines and another at the Luke’s Reef here in Palau.

Luke’s Reef, where 24 pallet balls were deployed by Surangel and Sons in January last year, is located somewhere between Short Drop Off and Ngel Channel. The site is outside the Rock Islands but not on the outer reef.

The pallet balls (limestone and cement) are artificial materials used for experimenting the growth of coals which scientists call as substreet component.

Bollozos said these had been proven to be efficient for restoration of coral reefs.

It was the second time that Bollozos visited the project site in Luke’s Reef since she headed the project titled " How efficacious and cost-effective are restoration interventions on reefs subject to a range of anthropogenic pressures? (Standardized Module Intervention and Monitoring Program - SMIMP): Palau/Bolinao.

The Project is under "Long-term efficacy and cost-effectiveness of restoration interventions of the Restoration and Remediation Working Group -- Coral Reef Targeted Research (CRTR) & Capacity Building for Management.

Dr. Alasdair Edwards (project chair) and Dr. Ronald Villanueva started this program last year in Palau.

Read Full Article: Marianas Variety

$150 Yellow Tangs a possibility

Check out this bill being proposed in Hawaii.

Report Title:

Fishing; Ornamental Fish; Bag Limits; No Take Category; Appropriation

Description:

Imposes bag limits on certain ornamental fish; prohibits catching of certain ornamental fish; appropriation

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	3225
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO FISHING.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. Chapter 188, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§188- Ornamental fish; bag limit; prohibition; yellow tang stock assessment. (a) There shall be a combined bag limit of twenty fish per person per day of ornamental fish, including but not limited to, yellow tang, flame angels, and butterfly; provided that the combined bag limit may include a maximum of only five yellow tang. No person shall catch, net, or trap more than the bag limit. The department of land and natural resources shall formulate an annual stock assessment of the yellow tang, beginning September 1, 2008, based upon data existing as of that date to provide an estimated inventory for preservation purposes; provided that the assessment shall be made publicly available.

(b) No person shall catch, net, or trap certain ornamental fish in a no-take category, including but not limited to, all puffer fish, all box fish, potter's angel, cleaner wrasse, all coralvores, and all eels.

(c) For purposes of this section, the term "ornamental fish" means salt water fish, usually found in or around reefs, that are commonly kept in aquariums.

(d) The department of land and natural resources shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91 for purposes of this section, including adding other types of ornamental fish."

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $100,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009 for the yellow tang fish stock assessment as provided in section 1 of this Act.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of land and natural resources for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 3. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval; provided that section 2 shall take effect on July 1, 2008.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

Sharks, 550 Fish Leave Casino For Aquarium - Connecticut News Story - WFSB Hartford

 

UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- The Mystic Aquarium has taken in 550 fish, including three blacktip sharks, after a fish tank sprung a leak at the Mohegan Sun gift shop.

Divers caught the three sharks on Wednesday so they could be taken to their new home.

"Our goal was to keep our hands away from them. Anytime you saw our hands around their body, it was from half of their body back," said Kurt Harrington, a diver.

The move required a couple of divers, a team of support and significant planning.

"It's going well. We caught the shark in the first 10 minutes, which is a good sign," said Catherine Ellis from the Mystic Aquarium. "The next two will be the next challenge."

Crews next placed the sharks in shipping containers to transport them to the aquarium via a box truck.

Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Aleesha Chaney reported everyone involved has to move quick because as soon as the divers step in the aquarium, the countdown is on and time is of the essence.

"Once we are in the tank with them, we are beginning to stress them out. So, we want them to experience stress as short of time as possible," Harrington said.

Read Full Article: Sharks, 550 Fish Leave Casino For Aquarium - Connecticut News Story - WFSB Hartford

Underwater robots help scientists study reefs

 

3:10 p.m., Jan. 25, 2008--The Caribbean island of Bonaire arguably has some of the most unspoiled coral reefs in the world. A multinational team of researchers, including two UD scientists and 16 undergrads, is taking a collaborative, high-tech approach to determine why. It is using not one, but three autonomous underwater robots to help gather data about the island's waters and reefs.

Located about 50 miles off the coast of Venezuela, Bonaire's reefs have been legally protected since 1979 and are generally much healthier than others in the region. The scientists, who want to know why that's the case, are using the robots known to the scientific community as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) because they can provide more data than ever obtained by the scientists.

That's in large part due to the AUVs' ability to operate in places and conditions where other research vessels cannot. Scientists don't even need a large ship to use AUVs; they can deploy the AUVs from the shore. Once submerged, the robots can get closer to features on the seafloor without disturbing them. Given their flexibility, AUVs are seen as the new frontier in oceanography, and this collaboration is thought to be the first of its kind.

Read Full Article: Underwater robots help scientists study reefs

World's Largest Shark Species at Risk, Expert Says

 

This is the fifth story in a continuing series on the Megafishes Project. Join National Geographic News on the trail with project leader Zeb Hogan as he tracks down the world's largest fishes.

From a spotter airplane buzzing off the coast of Baja California, it's hard to miss the dark shape of a giant whale shark moving through the emerald green waters below.

Read Full Article: World's Largest Shark Species at Risk, Expert Says

Study shows reef fish colour vision | Practical Fishkeeping magazine

 

A study published in the most recent issue of the Journal of Experimental Biology has shown that coral reef fish are capable of colour vision.
Ulrike Siebeck, Guy Wallis and Lenore Litherland trained groups of freshly-caught (held for only 3–4 days after capture) damselfish Pomacentrus amboinensis to tap a rewarded colour stimulus with their mouths at least ten times before they received a reward in the form of food introduced via a feeding tube.

Read Full Article: Study shows reef fish colour vision | Practical Fishkeeping magazine

UnderwaterTimes | New Tool Developed To Study Drifting Larvae And Juvenile Marine Species

 

Miami, Florida (Jan 19, 2008 14:37 EST) One of the most significant questions facing marine ecologists today, is just how much of an impact global variations in the environment are having on the dispersal of larval and juvenile marine species from open oceans to coral reefs. Previously, tracking how fish larvae migrate was done through direct observation by divers on older larvae found near the reefs, after they’d spent weeks to months in the plankton. This method did not permit divers to follow small larvae, diving larvae or larvae as they returned to the reefs at night. How tiny coral reef fish larvae locate the reef habitat across vast expanses of water has remained an enduring mystery.

An innovative research tool, designed by UM Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, division of Applied Marine Physics Assistant Professor, Dr. Claire B. Paris and Senior Research Associate Cedric Guigand is making the task possible on younger larvae as they move with currents. Dubbed the OWNFOR (Orientation With No Frame Of Reference) system, this drifting observational device, which resembles a kite, allows researchers to observe marine larvae naturally influenced by factors in the open ocean. The floating chamber is designed to detect and quantify the orientation of larval coral reef fish in the pelagic environment; an often pitch black void with little or no frame of reference to navigate.

The OWNFOR system is deployed at sea and drifts while videotaping the movement of a larva placed within a clear, circular arena. It will also be possible to change their immediate environment and manipulate orientation cues, such as acoustic, chemical, or magnetic fields that larvae may use to navigate. This new system will be equipped with an infrared camera that can verify the larvae’s orientation at night.

Read Full Article: UnderwaterTimes | New Tool Developed To Study Drifting Larvae And Juvenile Marine Species

Ocean Parks Help Corals Rebound: Scientific American

 

Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park in the Bahamas has existed since 1959 and been protected from fishing since 1986—but it took until now to prove that such fisheries management could actually help corals rebound.

One of the Caribbean's largest marine reserves at 171 square miles (442 square kilometers), the park has been studied as part of the Bahamas Biocomplexity Project—an effort to learn about the interaction of water, wildlife and human activity in this subtropical archipelago. As part of that project, researchers proved that grouper—a highly valuable commercial fish species—rebound in areas that are protected as marine reserves.

But "we wondered what was the net consequence of this big number of groupers inside the park," says Daniel Brumbaugh, senior conservation scientist at the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. "They could suppress parrot fish populations, allow algae to bloom more and further its competition with coral."

In fact, the smaller species of parrot fish were experiencing such detrimental predation, according to a paper in the current Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. "Their sizes were smaller inside the park than outside," Brumbaugh says. "But the larger species of parrot fish actually were the same size inside and outside, but much more numerous within the park."

Read Full Article: Ocean Parks Help Corals Rebound: Scientific American

Strange Fish Caught In Fla. Identified - Orlando News Story - WKMG Orlando

Editors Note: Don't release your freshwater or saltwater fish and animals in your area!

DUNNELLON, Fla. -- Kristine Sweet thought she had caught an oversized piranha in the Withlacoochee River because of the large teeth the fish had in its mouth.

When she brought the 12-inch long, three-pound fish ashore last Saturday, Sweet decided to ask some locals for some help identifying it.

No one knew, but some photos of the mystery catch were sent to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for help identifying it.

Read Full Article: Strange Fish Caught In Fla. Identified - Orlando News Story - WKMG Orlando

Wildlife Extra - New Species of Moray Eel discovered in the Red Sea

 

This species was discovered by Shai Einbinder during a fish course that was taking place at the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences of Eilat (IUI). The specimen was fished from 200m depth near the edge of the deep coral reef. It was described by Shai and Eran Brokovich of the IUI, with the help of the fish taxonomist David Smith from the Smithsonian in Washington DC.

They named the eel Gymnothorax Baranesi in tribute to Dr. Avi Baranes, one of the few people who have dedicated their career to research of the deep bottom of the Gulf of Aqaba, and described, together with Dr. Dani Golani (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) many new species of fish.
Surprise Discovery
This finding of a new species in only 200m in a well studied area stresses the importance of deep coral reef research. The fact that the new species was collected in an area that has been well studied for many years (and in fact, directly in front of a major marine laboratory) indicates how much we still have to learn about the marine habitat.

Read Full Article: Wildlife Extra - New Species of Moray Eel discovered in the Red Sea