America's oldest aquarium gets a new look

 

WASHINGTON - America's oldest aquarium has a new look, and you might not know it's in an unlikely place in downtown D.C.

The National Aquarium is inside the the U.S. Department of Commerce building on 14th Street between Pennsylvania and Constitution avenues in Northwest.

The aquarium is "at the very end stage" of a makeover, with new paint and carpet and impressive new displays, thanks to a partnership with the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

"We have a feeding demonstration every day at 2 p.m., and our alligators get fed once a week on Fridays. And I have to say, it's a must-see," Executive Director Bob Ramin says.

Read Full Article: America's oldest aquarium gets a new look

Concrete and corals? | Jerusalem Post

 

 

 

For most people, the idea of concrete blocks replacing coral reefs might seem far-fetched. But for a group of marine scientists at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, it is just what the doctor ordered. Sturdy enough to last, yet porous enough to be implanted with corals, concrete is the basis for an innovative technique that may help save coral reefs in the Red Sea from further destruction from overzealous divers.

According to leading experts, more than 25 percent of the world's coral reefs have already been destroyed. The causes are varied, and they include pollution, global warming and irresponsible fishing, but another large factor is uncontrolled and careless tourism. And perhaps more alarming is the fact that although coral bleaching (the most obvious sign of sick and dying coral) has been happening since at least the turn of the last century, most of the dramatic damage has occurred over the last 20 years.

The Red Sea has a reputation for being one of the most spectacular places to dive, and Eilat attracts thousands of vacationers a year, most of whom come to dive and snorkel in the coral reefs. But the very attraction they come to enjoy is suffering from the intensive tourism, and more and more of it is disappearing every year.

Read Full Article: Concrete and corals? | Jerusalem Post

The plight of the Great Barrier Reef - On Line Opinion - 7/5/2008

 

ver the past decades there have been many stories in the media about the plight of the Great Barrier Reef.

In the '60s and '70s we all heard that the Great Barrier Reef was about to be consumed by that voracious predator, the Crown of Thorns Starfish.

In the '80s and '90s, the principal threats turned out to be sediment runoff, to nutrients, over fishing and general habitat destruction.

For me, an ancient marine scientist who has spent thousands of hours diving on the Great Barrier Reef these past 40 years, each of these threats has been of concern. But nothing comes close to the devastation waiting in the wings at the moment.

Very likely you have a feeling that dire predictions about anything almost always turn out to be exaggerations. This view is understandable. Once I also would have thought it ridiculous to imagine that the Great Barrier Reef might have a limited future as a consequence of human activity. It would have seemed preposterous that the greatest coral reef on Earth, the biggest structure made by life on Earth, could be mortally threatened by any present or foreseeable change.

Read Full Article: The plight of the Great Barrier Reef - On Line Opinion - 7/5/2008

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

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Catching corals' spectacular moment

 

The coral reefs in the tropical western Pacific are at the brink of one of the most spectacular and significant nights in their annual life cycle.

By the light of April's full moon on Sunday or, quite likely a night or two after, corals will be mating en masse.

Along the length of the island archipelago that makes up the Republic of Palau, millions of coral colonies will simultaneously release billion upon billion of eggs and sperm into the dark waters.

An hour or so after sunset, each spawning coral will discharge showers of sex cells, packaged in orange and pink blobs.

They will rise to the surface in such huge numbers that they may form oily slicks metres long.

If the sea conditions are right, spawn slicks can coalesce to be large enough to be visible from space.

Depressing need

Once on the surface, the packages burst open, liberating eggs and sperm for fertilisation.

Countless free-swimming coral larvae then develop and three or four days later, a few will have survived long enough to make it to the sea bed.

Read Full Article: BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Catching corals' spectacular moment

Nuked coral reef bounces back - earth - 14 April 2008 - New Scientist Environment

 

What does a coral reef look like 50 years after being nuked? Not so bad, it seems. Coconuts growing on Bikini Atoll haven't fared so well, however.

Three islands of Bikini Atoll were vapourised by the Bravo hydrogen bomb in 1954, which shook islands 200 kilometres away. Instead of finding a bare underwater moonscape, ecologists who have dived it have given the 2-kilometre-wide crater a clean bill of health.

"It was fascinating – I’ve never seen corals growing like trees outside of the Marshall Islands," says Zoe Richards of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies in Australia.

Richards and colleagues report a thriving ecosystem of 183 species of coral, some of which were 8 metres high. They estimate that the diversity of species represents about 65% of what was present before the atomic tests.

The ecologists think the nearby Rongelap Atoll is seeding the Bikini Atoll, and the lack of human disturbance is helping its recovery. Although the ambient radiation is low, people have remained at bay.

Read Full Article: Nuked coral reef bounces back - earth - 14 April 2008 - New Scientist Environment

Boy crabs boogie to bring females out of hiding - life - 07 April 2008 - New Scientist

Boy crabs boogie to bring females out of hiding - life - 07 April 2008 - New Scientist

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

New Coral Reef DiscoveredTaipei Times - archives

 

Much to the excitement of marine ecologists, new coral reefs have been discovered in Shanyuan Bay (杉原灣) off Taitung, a local biodiversity researcher reported on Monday.

"The Shanyuan Bay coral reefs span a broad area of water and contain a wide diversity of coral strains," said Chen Chao-lun (陳昭倫), an associate researcher at Academia Sinica's Research Center for Biodiversity.

"Coral communities can be found in waters 1km off the coastline at a depth of 8m to 10m," Chen said, adding that the coral reef located closest to the coast is only 50m away from the shore.

Chen surveyed waters in Shanyuan Bay earlier this month as part of a study of coral reef habitats in eastern coastal regions.

He recorded 110 coral strains, roughly one-third the total number of species documented in Taiwanese waters. Among them, 94 were stone corals, 11 were soft corals and five were polyp corals.

"The number indicates that Shanyuan Bay's coral diversity is similar to that around Green Island," Chen said.

Shanyuan Bay, just off the coast from Taitung City, also boasts a dense and diverse cornularia coral community in which a wealth of fish, shrimp and shell species live, a phenomenon not seen in the Kenting and Green Island areas, Chen said.

A mature, well-developed polyp coral community also exists in 3m to 5m-deep waters in the bay, another rarity for Taiwan, Chen said.

Most encouraging was that a stem of Oulophyllia bennetthae coral was discovered in the bay, Chen said, adding that it marked the first time that the coral strain normally seen in the Indian Ocean had been recorded in Taiwanese waters.

"Although this coral species is spread over a wide area, the frequency of its appearance is very low," Chen said, adding that the existence of the 1m high, 60cm-wide coral underscores the diversity to be found in Taiwan's coral communities.

Chen's study coincides with a UN global coral reefs survey, as this year has been designated the International Year of Reefs to enhance public awareness of the importance of protecting coral reefs and their ecosystems.

New Coral Reef Discovered Taipei Times - archives

Bertha, New York Aquariums Oldest Shark, Is Dead - City Room - Metro - New York Times Blog

 

Bertha, a sand tiger shark who had lived at the New York Aquarium since the 1960s and was believed to be one of the oldest sharks in any aquarium in the world, died on Saturday, the Wildlife Conservation Society announced today. She was believed to be at least 43 years old.

“There was a lot of sadness,” said Hans Walters, a marine biologist who is the supervisor of sharks and the sea cliffs exhibit at the aquarium in Coney Island in southern Brooklyn. “It was a rough decision to have to lose this animal.”

Mr. Walters explained that as a last resort, the aquarium had euthanized Bertha. “She had been in declining health over the past month or so and we had started a series of treatments for her,” he said in a phone interview. “She seemed to rally a couple of weeks ago and was doing really well, but at the end of this past week, she showed another decline. We ended up restarting treatments again. When we realized they didn’t have any effect, we knew that it was time.”

The shark was put down around 4 p.m. on Saturday. A necropsy was performed on Sunday to determine the cause of the shark’s health problems; the results are pending.

Read Full Article: Bertha, New York Aquariums Oldest Shark, Is Dead - City Room - Metro - New York Times Blog

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

Coral's addiction to 'junk food'

 

Over two hundred million humans depend for their subsistence on the fact that coral has an addiction to ‘junk food’ - and orders its partners, the symbiotic algae, to make it.

Read Full Article: Coral's addiction to 'junk food'

Giant waves break up Caribbean coral - Yahoo! News

 

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Unusually large waves churned by an Atlantic storm system have littered the beaches of Barbados with broken coral in what could be a sign of damage to reefs across the region, a scientist said Sunday.

 

Read Full Article: Giant waves break up Caribbean coral - Yahoo! News

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

Monterey Aquarium shark heading to Mexican waters - San Jose Mercury News

 

The young white shark returned to the ocean by the Monterey Bay Aquarium six weeks ago has traveled past the southern tip of Baja California, according to aquarium officials.

Scientists at the aquarium have been tracking the shark's travels with data they receive from an electronic tracking tag the shark is carrying.

The tag is delivering near real-time information on his position. The information is also available to the public online.

The male shark was released Feb. 5 after it spent 162 days at the aquarium. All three white sharks exhibited at the aquarium since 2004 have survived and thrived following their release.

"It's remarkable," said Randy Hamilton, vice president of husbandry for the aquarium. "The shark made it to Cabo in one-third the time it took the second animal to get there. To travel that far, that fast was totally unexpected. It's another reminder of just how little we know about what these animals do in the wild."

Monterey Aquarium shark heading to Mexican waters - San Jose Mercury News

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

Microsoft helps scientists study oceans, volcanoes and life's start

 

March 19, 2008 (Computerworld) Microsoft Corp. is developing software to help scientists study the ocean to learn more about undersea volcanoes, weather patterns, global warming and even where they think life on Earth may have started.

As part of the Trident Project, sensor arrays are being constructed off the western coast of Canada and in Monterey Bay off the California coast. The plan, according to Debbie Kelley, a professor of oceanography at the University of Washington, is to set up sensor arrays in oceans around the world that will feed data to scientists on water currents, temperatures, fish stocks and undersea seismic activity.

Despite the ocean depths and harsh conditions, the toughest part of the project may be handling the deluge of information the project is starting to produce -- terabytes of data daily today and even more expected as the project grows.

Read Full Article: Microsoft helps scientists study oceans, volcanoes and life's start

Grief on the reef - CNN.com

 

The world's coral reefs are under threat. Overfishing, unsustainable tourism, coastal development, pollution, the global aquarium trade and climate change are having a devastating effect on these fragile ecosystems, according to the International Coral Reef Initiative.

 

In Mexico and across the world, the fragile ecosystems of coral reefs are under threat from human activity.

The group has designated 2008 as International Year of the Reef in a bid to publicize the reefs' precarious predicament.

Meanwhile fellow conservation group, Nature Conservancy, warns that if destruction continues at its current rate, 70 percent of the world's coral reefs will have disappeared within 50 years.

A report released in January by the World Conservation Union concluded that hurricanes and rising sea temperatures in 2005 -- the hottest year since records began -- caused large-scale examples coral bleaching, in which corals lose the essential algae that coat their surfaces, devastating more than half of the Caribbean's reefs.

But human activity at ground level is having an equally damaging effect, says Paul Sanchez-Navarro, Director of Centro Ecologico Akumal, an organization that monitors the impact of development on the reefs that thrive off the coast of Mexico's Quintana Roo province. Pollution spilled into the sea by the thousands of hotels on the Mexican Riviera is "stressing" the coral reefs.

Grief on the reef - CNN.com