"Red Devils"

Flotillas of jumbo squid are invading the length of the eastern Pacific Ocean, and the voracious predators may be upsetting ocean ecosystems and threatening fisheries, scientists warn. Flotillas of jumbo squid are invading the length of the eastern Pacific Ocean, and the voracious predators may be upsetting ocean ecosystems and threatening fisheries, scientists warn.

These squids are nicknamed red devils for their powerful arms and tentacles, razor sharp beaks and insatiable appetites. These squid are spreading like wild fire to all areas of the oceans. They are found off the coast of California, Alaska and Chile. They travel in packs of thousands or more and consume everything in their paths. Researchers are worried that they will greatly effect the marine environment.

Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/03/070330-giant-squid.html

Seal hunt delay

This article talks about the fact that baby seals are already dying from lack of sea ice. The largest marine-mammal hunt in the world was set to begin March 28th, and has now been postponed to later this week. Non-profit organizations say that the hunt should be canceld all together. The hold was place this year as well as last year because the ice floes where the harp seals meet to give birth and raise their pups are breaking up due to the above average temperatures we are experiencing. Because the pups don't have the swimming skills or body isulation needed to keep them safe, they are drowing or freezing. This years ice coverage is worse than that in 2002 when three-quarters of Canada's seal pups died because of the thin ice. This is apparently the worst one scientist has seen since 1981. This is the 5th year of bad ice in 7 and the common concenses is that it is due to GLOBAL WARMING!!!!! The pups are completing ice dependent. They are fed by their mothers for 12-14 days and then left alone. They need the ice to rest after fishing. They aren't great swimmers and need to be able to take a break, without ice the simply drown. The govenment is planning on decresing the quota from the proposed 335,000 to 270,000. The majority of the seals are caught off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, where the hunt is considered necessary to keep populations under control. IFAW an animal welfare group feels that this number is to high and unsustainable. They are worried the population will decline if more than 165,000 seals are caught. Records indicate that the seal population has been stable since 1994. The next survey has been moved up to 2008.

Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/04/070402-seals-hunt.html

Between 90 and 115 years old

This fish was caught in the Bering Sea, for easter dinner. Scientists believe it to be between 90 and 115 years old. The estimate came after NOAA scientists looked at growth rings in the fish's ear bone, or otolith.

The ability of the fish's reproduction was hindered by its excessive age.

The fish was hauled up from depths of 2,100ft. The fishermen were trying to catch pollock, because of the large nets that they use 10 other shortrackers were also pulled up. The fish in the picture was 44-inches long, and over 60 lbs. Her belly was large and her overies were filled with developing embyros.
This fish comes close to the oldest known limits for this species. The largest ever on record was 47 inches, and the oldest was 157 years old.

This has got to be one of the coolest things I have ever seen in my life. Not to mention one of the oldest species. The question is did this fish deserve to die? Deep net fishing is a problem all over for this very reason, fish and other species that are not of interest are caught and then killed and thrown back into the water because they have no monitary value to the fishermen. This fish didn't have to die especially with a belly full of babies. New laws or better enforcement of laws are needed to protect such amazing creature who have lived in the oceans for thousands of years. We have no right in killing such an awesome fish.

Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/04/070406-oldest-fish.html

Shark fishing once again...New thoughts

Large North Atlantic sharks are in danger. Because of the over fishing the whole marine ecosystem is paying the price. Smaller sharks are normally eaten by larger sharks. Now these smaller sharks are have become so abundant that they are destroying shellfish stocks. The shark decline follows the increasing demand for shark fin soup, which is causing some scallop fisheries to collapse entirely. The article comes out this week in Science journal and it is the first ever to show how wiping out the top-level predators impacts the rest of the food chain.

"Industrial fishing has left so few big sharks that they no longer perform their role as the top predators," said study co-author Julia Baum of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. The artilce continues with worries about rays (Cownose) which has increased 20-fold in the last 30 years, because there are so many of them, a scallop fishery has been closed down after a century. They are now worried that these smaller sharks and rays will run out of the shellfish and turn to other species.

"Herds of rays may destroy seagrass beds as they go through looking for smaller buried mollusks," Baum, of Dalhousie University, said.

People do not think about what the long term effects of the actions will be. We need to consider what damage we are doing to the marine environement, which in many ways supports our earth habitat. Stricter laws need to be enforced. Its good to know that people so close to home are helping in these difficult times and getting the news out there about what this over shark fishing is actually doing.

Source:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/03/070329-sharks-shellfish_2.html

Turtle Meat

If its not shark fins it TURTLES!!!!!!!!!!!! This controversial topic has been around since the 80's and now they are getting the meat from Turtle Farms.. The rapid expansion of these turtle farms are endangering the native species. The demand for turtle meat is so great it it now affecting populations in the United States.

"Turtle farmers buy wild-caught turtles to improve their breeding stock," Parham explained. "There is a belief that wild turtles breed better in captivity than captive-born turtles." I just understand the thinking behind eating turtle and sharks. Not in mass quantities anyways. It is one to thing to live on an island in a tribe and fish for these things but it is completely different when you have all kinds of food choices living in a place like China.

There are more than a thousand turtle farms and they are valued at more than a billion dollars US. Peter Paul van Dijk is a turtle conservation expert with the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Conservation International, who was not involved with the new survey.
He said some farms are primarily illegal laundering operations that sell wild-caught turtles as "farm raised".

To read more about Turtle farming just follow the link. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/03/070323-turtle-farms_2.html

An oldy but a "goody"

WOW!!!! Fossil remains of a crocodile-like reptile called Thalattosuchia were discovered in eastern Oregon. So far 50% of the animal including the upper leg bone and rib fragments have been unearthed.

"This creature lived in Jurassic times, so it's 150 to 180 million years old," retired University of Oregon geologist William Orr said in a press release. Orr provided expert advice to the excavation team.

The remains they assume are about 5,000 miles from where it died, so it probably lived in Japan. The reptile is the olded ever found in Oregon, and unlikely in North America, so they assume that it was carried here by plate tectonics. As the section of Earth's crust containing the fossils moved eastward, the Pacific plate collided with the North American plate, pushing the bones into the mountains.

The 6- to 8-foot-long (1.8- to 2.4-meter-long) creature, shown in an artist's conception (top), is part of a group that scientists think represents an evolutionary transition for this line of crocodilians. Features from related fossils suggest that the animals were evolving from being semiaquatic to entirely ocean dwelling.

The remains will now go University of Iowa for further study until they are displayed in the Oregon museum.

Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/03/070322-crocodile.html

20 New Species

At least 20 new species of sharks and rays have been found this week off the coast of Indonesia. These finding come after a 5 year survey done at local fish markets, in an area where there is great aquatic diversity. This sleek, spade-shaped Hortle's whipray, for example, is the newest of 17 whipray species known to live in the muddy shallows along Indonesia's shores.

"Indonesia has the most diverse shark and ray fauna and the largest shark and ray fishery in the world," said biologist William White in a statement from Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), which led the new survey.

To see photos of some of the new species just click the link below

Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/03/070301-sharks-stingrays.html