Fish of Antarctica Threatened by Climate Change

ScienceDaily (Feb. 13, 2012) — A Yale-led study of the evolutionary history of Antarctic fish and their "anti-freeze" proteins illustrates how tens of millions of years ago a lineage of fish adapted to newly formed polar conditions -- and how today they are endangered by a rapid rise in ocean temperatures.

"A rise of 2 degrees centigrade of water temperature will likely have a devastating impact on this Antarctic fish lineage, which is so well adapted to water at freezing temperatures," said Thomas Near, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and lead author of the study published online the week of Feb. 13 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The successful origin and diversification into 100 species of fish, collectively called notothenioids, is a textbook case of how evolution operates. A period of rapid cooling led to mass extinction of fish acclimated to a warmer Southern Ocean. The acquisition of so-called antifreeze glycoproteins enabled notothenioids to survive in seas with frigid temperatures. As they adapted to vacant ecological niches, new species of notothenioids arose and contributed to the rich biodiversity of marine life found today in the waters of Antarctica.

Read on:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213154053.htm

New Theory Emerges for Where Some Fish Became Four-Limbed Creatures

ScienceDaily (Dec. 27, 2011) — A small fish crawling on stumpy limbs from a shrinking desert pond is an icon of can-do spirit, emblematic of a leading theory for the evolutionary transition between fish and amphibians. This theorized image of such a drastic adaptation to changing environmental conditions, however, may, itself, be evolving into a new picture.

University of Oregon scientist Gregory J. Retallack, professor of geological sciences, says that his discoveries at numerous sites in Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania suggests that "such a plucky hypothetical ancestor of ours probably could not have survived the overwhelming odds of perishing in a trek to another shrinking pond."


This scenario comes from the late Devonian, about 390 million years ago to roughly 360 million years ago. Paleontologist Alfred Romer, who died in 1973 after serving on the faculties at the University of Chicago and Harvard University, saw this time as a period of struggle and escape -- and important in fish-tetrapod transition -- to ensure survival.

Reporting in the May 2011 issue of the Journal of Geology, Retallack, who also is co-director of paleontological collections at the UO's Museum of Natural and Cultural History, argues for a very different explanation. He examined numerous buried soils in rocks yielding footprints and bones of early transitional fossils between fish and amphibians of Devonian and Carboniferous geological age. What he found raises a major challenge to Romer's theory.




Read more here:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111227142628.htm

Twelve New Species of Fish Found Near Bali

Denpasar. Scientists from the US-based Conservation International said they may have discovered 12 new fish species in the waters off of Bali.

“Right now the fish are being identified and classified. Hopefully by December, or at the latest by January, the names can be listed and formalized [as new species],” the group’s coral fish researcher Mark van Nydeck said on Sunday.

The unidentified species cover a number of genus and families, including the eels, damsels and coral fishes in the genus of Siphamia, Heteroconger, Apogon, Parapercis, Meiacanthus, Manonichthys, Grallenia and Pseudochromis.

Partnering with the local maritime and fisheries agency, the Bali Marine Rapid Assessment Program began in January with a survey of 33 marine locations around Bali covering depths of 10 meters to 70 meters.

The group said Bali had a high level of marine biodiversity, with more than 1,000 species of fish.

In May, Conservation International discovered eight new species of coral fishes and one new species of coral. The species were believed to be endemic to the area and had not migrated from other regions.

The study found that coral reefs in Bali had been well-preserved and their condition was significantly better than that reported in studies 20 years ago.

But some species of fish are becoming increasingly hard to find, such as sharks and groupers. The finding indicates that there has been over-fishing in the area.

More than 100 sharks are captured and killed each day in Bali, the group said, particularly the long-finned shark, which is prized for its fins.

Trading in shark fin is legal in Indonesia and can fetch up to Rp 2.5 million ($280) per kilogram.

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/twelve-new-species-of-fish-found-near-bali/478255

Two large sharks sighted off Rottnest Island

Updated October 31, 2011 19:56:07

The Rottnest Island Authority says several beaches will remain closed overnight after two five-metre great white sharks were spotted off the coast of the island.

Surf Lifesaving WA says the sharks were spotted by an aerial patrol this afternoon about 200 metres off shore.

The authority has closed beaches at Green Island and Strickland and Salmon bays.

The authority's Roland Mau has told the ABC that action was taken to protect beachgoers.
"We are, especially in light of the recent events being more precautious, so we are extending the closure overnight until next morning," he said.

"Awaiting obviously further monitoring in that area if there's further sightings and extending any closures if necessary."

Surf Lifesaving WA says a helicopter tracked the sharks as they moved in a westerly direction.

Mr Mau says shutting the beaches was the sensible move.

"To the west side of it is Strickland which is popular with surfers, and up the other side is Salmon Bay," he said.

"At this stage, we only had about six visitors enjoying the beaches, nobody in the water, and people understood what we were doing in terms of the precautionary measures we were taking."

The sighting comes just over a week after an American man was killed by a shark while diving off Rottnest.

George Thomas Wainwright was scuba diving about 500 metres off shore on the opposite side of the island at Little Armstrong Bay when he was attacked.

His body surfaced with horrific injuries.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-31/shark-sighted-rottnest/3611120?section=wa

Cichlid Male Nannies Help Out, Especially If They've Been Sneaking

ScienceDaily (Oct. 12, 2011) — Subordinate male cichlid fish who help with the childcare for the dominant breeding pair are occasionally actually the fathers of some of the offspring they help to rear, according to new research from the University of Bristol published in the online journal PLoS ONE. This sneaky paternity increases the subordinate fish's investment in the offspring in their care.

The highly social cichlid fish Neolamprologus pulcher, endemic to Lake Tanganyika in Africa, live in social groups consisting of a dominant breeding pair and between 1 and 15 subordinates of both sexes that perform brood care, territory defence and maintenance. Subordinates are often distantly related or unrelated to the dominants.

Cooperative breeding of this kind has puzzled evolutionary biologists for a long time as it is costly and often does not generate obvious fitness benefits to subordinates. In the case of N. pulcher, the main benefit for subordinates to stay in a territory of dominant breeders seems to be the protection gained against predators provided by the large group members.

Previously, it was assumed that male subordinates never achieved paternity but the Bristol researchers suspected that, due to low relatedness between dominants and subordinates, mature male subordinates would attempt to father offspring and that achieving paternity would increase their helping behaviour.
The team, led by Dr Rick Bruintjes, tested this theory by studying groups of cichlids at Kasakalawe Point, Zambia and found that while dominant females were the mothers of 99.7 per cent of all offspring, the dominant males only sired 88.8 per cent. Subordinate females did not participate in reproduction, but male subordinates successfully gained paternity in 27.8 per cent of all clutches.
Furthermore, subordinate males that sired offspring defended more rigorously against egg predators compared to similar males that did not sire offspring, and they also tended to stay closer to the breeding shelter.

The study shows that the cooperative behaviour of the subordinate male fish has a direct fitness benefit for them -- that is, producing their own offspring -- as well as such indirect benefits as safety.
Dr Bruintjes said: "This is the first evidence in a cooperatively breeding fish species that the helping effort of male subordinates may depend on obtained paternity, which stresses the need to consider direct fitness benefits in evolutionary studies of helping behaviour."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111012185628.htm

Ancient Mosaics Reveal Changing Fish Size

The dusky grouper, one of the major predators in the Mediterranean sea, used to be so large in antiquity that it was portrayed as a "sea monster," a new study into ancient depictions of the endangered fish has revealed.

"Amazingly, ancient mosaic art has provided important information to reconstruct this fish's historical baseline," Paolo Guidetti of the University of Salento in Italy, told Discovery News.

Considered one of the most flavorful species among the Mediterranean fish, the dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus) is a large, long-lived, slow-growing, protogynous hermaphrodite fish (with sex reversal from female to male). It can be found mainly in the Mediterranean, the African west coast and the coast of Brazil.

Having faced harvesting for millennia -- grouper bones have been found in human settlements dating back more than 100,000 years -- this species has been decimated in recent decades by commercial and recreational fishing. It is now categorized as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

The recovery of endangered fish species requires a careful evaluation of some key elements, such as abundance, size structure, and spatial distribution. Such evaluation usually involves comparing unfished areas with unprotected sites.

"But most such marine protected areas are too small and 'young' (established a few decades ago, at most) to provide information on 'pristine' conditions," Guidetti and colleague Fiorenza Micheli, a professor of marine ecology at Stanford's Hopkins Marine Station, wrote in the current issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.

To look farther back into the grouper's history, the researchers examined hundreds of Etruscan, Greek, and Roman paintings and mosaics depicting fishing scenes and fish.

At the end, they focused on 23 mosaics which represented groupers. In 10 of the 23 mosaics, dating from the 1st to 5th centuries, groupers were portrayed as being very large.

Indeed, the ancient Romans might have considered groupers some sort of "sea monsters" able to eat a fisherman whole, as shown in a 2nd century mosaic from the Bardo National Museum in Tunis.

The mosaics also indicated that groupers lived in shallow waters much closer to shore, and were caught by fishermen using poles or harpoons from boats at the water's surface.

"It's a technique that would surely yield no grouper catch today," said the researchers.

Although there are no known instances of dusky groupers attacking human swimmers, the art depictions are very "informative," said the researchers.

"These representations suggest that groupers were, in ancient times, so large as to be portrayed as sea monsters and that their habitat use and depth distribution have shifted in historical times," Guidetti and Micheli wrote.

Ancient Roman authors such Ovid (43 B.C. – 18 A.D.) and Pliny the Elder ((23 A.D. – 79 A.D.) reported that groupers were fished by anglers in shallow waters, where they are now rare if not completely absent.

According to their accounts, fish were so strong they could break fishing lines.

The researchers noted that grouper populations in marine reserves now show signs of returning to their historical sizes and depths, with groupers moving into shallower waters.

Achieving population abundances five to 10 times greater than those in unprotected areas of the Mediterranean, groupers in no-take reserves can reach sizes of 35-40 inches (versus 20-24 inches for groupers at fished sites).

"Ancient art provides a link between prehistorical and modern evidence and suggests that shallow near shore Mediterranean ecosystems have lost large, top predators and their corresponding ecological roles," the researchers concluded.
Rossella Lorenzi
http://news.discovery.com/history/ancient-mosaics-marine-conservation-110913.html

Researchers find plastic in more than 9% of fish in northern Pacific Ocean

The first scientific results from an ambitious voyage led by a group of graduate students from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego offer a stark view of human pollution and its infiltration of an area of the ocean that has been labeled as the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch.”

These are two lanternfish and several bits of plastic collected during the SEAPLEX voyage [Credit: J. Leicther]

Two graduate students with the Scripps Environmental Accumulation of Plastic Expedition, or SEAPLEX, found evidence of plastic waste in more than nine percent of the stomachs of fish collected during their voyage to the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Based on their evidence, authors Peter Davison and Rebecca Asch estimate that fish in the intermediate ocean depths of the North Pacific ingest plastic at a rate of roughly 12,000- to 24,000 tons per year.


Their results were published June 27 in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series.

During the SEAPLEX voyage in August 2009, a team of Scripps graduate students traveled more than 1,000 miles west of California to the eastern sector of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre aboard the Scripps research vessel New Horizon. Over 20 days the students, New Horizon crew and expedition volunteers conducted comprehensive and rigorous scientific sampling at numerous locations. They collected fish specimens, water samples and marine debris at depths ranging from the sea surface to thousands of feet depth

Of the 141 fishes spanning 27 species dissected in the study, Davison and Asch found that 9.2 percent of the stomach contents of mid-water fishes contained plastic debris, primarily broken-down bits smaller than a human fingernail. The researchers say the majority of the stomach plastic pieces were so small their origin could not be determined.

“About nine percent of examined fishes contained plastic in their stomach. That is an underestimate of the true ingestion rate because a fish may regurgitate or pass a plastic item, or even die from eating it. We didn’t measure those rates, so our nine percent figure is too low by an unknown amount,” said Davison.

The authors say previous studies on fish and plastic ingestion may have included so-called “net-feeding” biases. Net feeding can lead to artificially high cases of plastic ingestion by fishes while they are confined in a net with a high concentration of plastic debris. The Scripps study’s results were designed to avoid such bias. The highest concentrations of plastic were retrieved by a surface collecting device called a “manta net,” which sampled for only 15 minutes at a time. The short sampling time minimizes the risk of net feeding by preventing large concentrations of plastic from building up, and also by reducing the amount of time that a captured fish spends in the net. In addition to the manta net, the fishes were also collected with other nets that sample deeper in the water column where there is less plastic to be ingested through net feeding.

The new study focused on the prevalence of plastic ingestion, but effects such as toxicological impacts on fish and composition of the plastic were outside of the study’s goals.

The majority of fish examined in the study were myctophids, commonly called lanternfish because of their luminescent tissue. Lanternfishes are hypothesized to use luminescence for several purposes, including counter-illumination (thwarts predators attempting to silhouette the lanternfish against sunlight), mate attraction and identification and illumination of prey. Such fish generally inhabit the 200- to 1,000-meter (650- to 3,280-foot) depth during the day and swim to the surface at night.

“These fish have an important role in the food chain because they connect plankton at the base of the food chain with higher levels. We have estimated the incidence at which plastic is entering the food chain and I think there are potential impacts, but what those impacts are will take more research,” said Asch.

Rather than a visible “patch” or “island” of trash, marine debris is highly dispersed across thousands of miles of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. The debris area cannot be mapped from air or space, so SEAPLEX researchers collected samples in 132 net tows (130 of which contained plastic) across a distance of more than 2,375 kilometers (1,700 miles) in an attempt to find the boundaries of the patch. The region, a “convergence zone” where floating debris in water congregates, is generally avoided by mariners due to its calm winds and mild currents. The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre has been understudied by scientists, leaving many open questions about marine debris in the area and its long-term effects on the marine environment.

“This study clearly emphasizes the importance of directly sampling in the environment where the impacts may be occurring,” said James Leichter, a Scripps associate professor of biological oceanography who participated in the SEAPLEX expedition but was not an author of the new paper. “We are seeing that most of our prior predictions and expectations about potential impacts have been based on speculation rather than evidence and in many cases we have in fact underestimated the magnitude of effects. SEAPLEX also clearly illustrates how relatively small amounts of funding directed for novel field sampling and work in remote places can vastly increase our knowledge and understanding of environmental problems.”

Author: Mario Aguilera
Source: University of California - San Diego
http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2011/07/researchers-find-plastic-in-more-than-9.html

St Ives harbourmaster told of two 'shark sightings'

The oceanic whitetip shark is usually found nearer Portugal

14 June 2011

Sightings of a species of shark known to attack humans have been reported to harbour officials in Cornwall.

The harbourmaster's office in St Ives said two people on separate boats had reported seeing an oceanic whitetip shark about a mile (1.6km) offshore.

But a spokesman for the office said it was not "100% sure" yet if the creatures spotted by the fishermen were oceanic whitetips.

He said people should not "blow the reports out of all proportion".

'All is calm'

The oceanic whitetip shark is usually found far further south in deeper waters away from the coast, with Portugal being the usual northern-most reach of its habitat.

The Shark Trust said that the chances of the species being in British waters were very small and it would want to see photos or video footage before confirming a sighting.

Although the species had been known to attack humans, trust president Richard Pierce, from Bude, said there was only believed to have been one oceanic whitetip-related death within the past year in the world.

He said: "If I was swimmer in Cornwall I would not be worried."

Despite being cautious about the sighting, Mr Pierce added that it was "always exciting and interesting to get sighting reports of what may be new species to our waters".

The Mayor of St Ives Ron Tulley said that "panic hasn't struck and all is peaceful and very calm in St Ives", despite the reports.

"We've had lots of people on holiday and people relaxing on the beach with not much fear of a shark attack," he said.

Feed on plankton

"These stories do surface at intervals. If a fisherman said he saw it, then it is possible, but it does seem unlikely.

"It could have been some other creature."

Basking sharks are regular visitors to the county's shores, appearing each summer to feed on plankton.

Other species have been found washed up on the county's beaches, including a 12ft (3.8m) thresher shark, which was found in Hayle in 2009.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-13759504

Man eating shark spotted off St Ives coast

12:40pm Monday 13th June 2011

Fishermen have reporting sightings of one of the world's most aggressive sharks off the Cornish coast.

Three witnesses said they saw an oceanic whitetip in St Ives Bay.

The species is responsible for more human deaths than all other shark species combined.

The sightings were reported to the harbourmaster at St Ives.

The whitetip normally lives in warmer waters, but rising temperatures have seen several new species found in Cornish waters.

http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/camborneandredruth/9080445.Man_eating_shark_spotted_off_St_Ives_coast/?ref=mr
(Submitted by Liz R)

Feared 'Deadly Shark' Spotted Off Cornwall

Sky News – Mon, Jun 13, 2011

A species of shark thought to be to blame for hundreds of attacks on humans has been reported off the coast of Cornwall.

One sighting of an oceanic whitetip shark was made by a fisherman who said his wooden boat was rammed as he fished for mackerel.

The harbour master's office in St Ives confirmed that a second person on a separate boat had also reported seeing one of the sharks a mile off shore.

The species is blamed for many attacks on humans and brought terror to the Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh last year when a 'rogue' whitetip reportedly killed a German woman .

A spokesman for the harbour master in St Ives said they were not "100%" sure if the sharks spotted were oceanic whitetips and stressed that people should not blow the reports "out of all proportion".

The pelagic - or ocean-going - species is usually found far further south in deeper waters away from the coast, with Portugal being the usual northern-most reach of its habitat.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/feared-deadly-shark-spotted-off-cornwall-110415724.html

Monster Fish

Friday, June 10, 2011

This 420-kilogramme Koi-Koral, caught in the Bay, was being sold at Kazirdewri Bazar in the port city of Chittagong yesterday at Tk 600 per kilogramme. Photo: Anurup Kanti Das

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=189364

Shark! Dorsal fins from two 18-footers sighted near Long Island beach

Barcelo Stephen for News

A dorsal fin breaks the surface near a Suffolk County

beach Wednesday.

BY Joe Kemp
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Wednesday, June 1st 2011, 8:18 PM

Two 18-foot sharks shut down a Long Island beach Wednesday after they were spotted lurking in waters just off the coast, officials said.

A seal carcass also washed up near the East End beach, but it was unclear if it had been killed by the sharks, officials said.

Cloudy skies made it difficult to confirm the exact species of the large predators, but authorities closed the West Hamptons Dunes beach after they saw the dorsal fins poking from the ocean surface.

"My bet is that they're sharks," said West Hampton Dunes Mayor Gary Vegliante. "My hope is that they're basking [not predatory] sharks."

Reports of the sharks started Tuesday afternoon, just a day after the Memorial Day holiday, officials said.

Vegliante said that the ban will be lifted once the species of the sharks are confirmed or when they swim away, which could take a few more days.

"Once we're sure that it's safe, we'll lift the ban," Vegliante said.

The dead seal was removed from the sand where it washed ashore, and a necropsy will be performed to determine the cause of death, Vegliante said.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/06/01/2011-06-01_shark_dorsal_fins_from_two_18footers_sighted_near_long_island_beach.html

Thousands of River Thames fish killed by storm sewage

8 June 2011

Thousands of fish have died after large amounts of storm sewage flooded into the River Thames.

More than 450,000 tonnes of sewage overflowed into the river in west London when heavy rain fell on Sunday.

The Environment Agency said oxygen had been added along a 1km (0.6m) stretch of water where dead fish and sewage debris has been spotted.

Thames Water is carrying out a clear-up operation along a 12km (7.5m) stretch between Kew and Albert Bridge.

The Environment Agency said more than 250,000 tonnes of storm sewage from sewer overflows, and at least 200,000 tonnes of storm sewage from the Mogden sewage treatment works in Isleworth, was released into the river at the weekend.

Oxygenation vessels

This, combined with the current warm, dry weather and low river flows, resulted in low oxygen levels and fish deaths along a 1km stretch of the river.

Fish, including flounder, bream, roach, eel, dace and other aquatic life such as water shrimps, have been found dead.

Thames Water has put hydrogen peroxide into the water at three different locations, to add oxygen, and the agency has sent its oxygenation vessels to the area.

According to the agency's director, Howard Davidson, discharges from combined sewers happen 50 to 60 times a year and can be caused by as little as 2mm of rainfall.

Mr Davidson said that on Sunday, more than 30mm had fallen over west London.

He said: "This is a major sewage pollution incident which has caused the death of a huge number of fish.

"We are currently monitoring Thames Water's clean up efforts and assessing the full impact but unfortunately we may never know the exact numbers of fish that have died."

'Totally unsatisfactory'

Storm sewage is waste diluted with rainwater and occurs where a combined sewage network operates - one which takes both sewage from homes and businesses and rainfall run-off from roads and other hard surfaces.

Martin Baggs, from Thames Water, said: "Incidents like this are clearly totally unsatisfactory in a modern capital city and we have a major programme of work under way to sort the problem out."

Thames Water is currently reviewing responses to the first round of consultation on plans for a 20-mile (32km) "super-sewer".

The proposed Thames Tunnel would run from west to east London, broadly following the route of the river, collecting storm sewage.

If approved, construction on the tunnel would begin in 2013 and be completed by 2020.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13693265

Animal Planet's Jeremy Wade Risks Life And Limb To Capture River Monsters

Lee Speigel
First Posted: 06/ 3/11 08:25 AM ET

You don't have to travel all the way to Scotland's Loch Ness to search for a real monster. There may be one lurking in water much closer to home.

For those who doubt such things, just ask the folks who live near Mississippi's Chotard Lake. In February, a fisherman pulled a 327-pound, 8 1/2-foot-long prehistoric-looking alligator gar from the freshwater site.

One well-known angler, Jeremy Wade, doesn't know the meaning of the phrase "the big one that got away."

As host of the hugely popular Animal Planet series, "River Monsters," the 55-year-old biologist's life is a series of detective stories as he travels the world searching for unimaginable creatures that lurk in the murky depths of inland waterways.

"It starts with a crime scene or a story, and then it's an investigation," Wade told AOL Weird News from his home in England. "Following the analogy, I will have a list of suspects and will narrow it down to the prime suspect.

"I'll then apprehend the culprit and then I'll let him go. It's all about motivation and understanding, like why did this fish grab the leg of a person who was swimming in a lake?"

Wade is on a six-week trip to begin filming the fourth season of compelling adventures that would make Indiana Jones jealous. While he's obsessed with capturing the most fearsome, dangerous fish in the world, Wade introduces his audience to fascinating cultures who cautiously welcome him into their villages and lives.

He's been angling ever since his parents gave him his first fishing rod when he was around 7 years old.

"Fishing was a way for families to get their sons out of the house and out of trouble," he recalled. "I wasn't at all successful when I first started. There was just something about the whole experience -- something about a line in the water, just hanging there limp, nothing happening, and suddenly, it's alive.

"I was almost frightened to catch my first fish -- it was a very alien thing, from another world. For me, the attraction was to go back and catch something different, bigger and more demanding."

Wade's TV companion book, "River Monsters," (Da Capo Press) takes readers along on some of his more daring and dangerous journeys, revealing monster-sized fish in some of the most remote rivers and lakes on the planet.

What he finds is truly the stuff of nightmares. It's a rogues gallery that includes fearsome-looking catfish, tigerfish, piranha, alligator gar, as well as deadly stingrays, sawfish and electric eels.

One of the fish Wade set out to find was the fearsome goliath tigerfish of the Congo.

"From the accounts I'd read, it sounded completely impossible, like some giant piranha," he said. "The teeth of the fish are about 1 inch long. To put that into some kind of perspective, that is the same length of the teeth in a 1,000-pound great white shark. But this is something that actually swims up a river."

Wade is constantly reminded that while rivers of the world, like the Amazon and the Congo, are essential to people's lives, danger lurks nearby.

"If you haven't got running water in your house, you've got to go down to the river and wash your dishes, clothes, yourself, and you've got these fish, which are predatory, and they often have a reflex that can cause you to lose fingers or other parts of your body," Wade explained.

One of the more amazing pictures Wade snapped was in 1994 of an animal that's come to be known as the Amazon lake monster. At an estimated 9 feet long, the very prehistoric-looking beast appeared to have at least six humps on its back as it broke the surface of the water.

"In the end, the explanation turned out to be a bit mundane," Wade said. "I think it was a malformed, adult pink river dolphin.

"What probably happened is that it was likely caught in a fishing net and the fisherman possibly used his machete to mutilate it, and it became this mystery monster.

"I almost wished that I never knew that. But in some ways, the most important thing for me out of that whole story is the fact that I saw something in the water, nobody believed me, but the evidence of my eyes was correct -- I wasn't hallucinating."

Wade says that compared to the oceans of the world, scientists know very little about what lurks in the planet's vast number of rivers.

"Fresh water is a bit of a last frontier and, in many cases, the only way to find out what's in a river or a lake is to put a fishing line in there.

"There are fish that can grow up to 10 feet long, with a mouthful of nearly 500 teeth. And these are things that live really close to big populated areas. So if that doesn't fulfill the criteria for a monster, I'm not sure what does."

Most people go fishing to relax. What does Wade do?

"I take a break from fishing."

See more at: http://weirdnews.aol.com/2011/06/03/animal-planet-jeremy-ward-river-monsters_n_867182.html#s285370&title=River_Monsters

1 June 2011 Last updated at 00:47

Acid oceans turn 'Finding Nemo' fish deaf

By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News

Baby clownfish face a "wall of mouths" when they first arrive at the reef

Clownfish, the spectacular tropical species feted in the movie Finding Nemo, appear to lose their hearing in water slightly more acidic than normal.

At levels of acidity that may be common by the end of the century, the fish did not respond to the sounds of predators.

The oceans are becoming more acidic because they absorb much of the CO2 that humanity puts into the atmosphere.

Scientists write in the journal Biology Letters that failing to move away from danger would hurt the fish's survival.

"Avoiding coral reefs during the day is very typical behaviour of fish in open water," said research leader Steve Simpson from the School of Biological Sciences at the UK's Bristol University.

"They do this by monitoring the sounds of animals on the reef, most of which are predators to something just a centimetre in length.

"But sounds are also important for mate detection, pack hunting, foraging - so if any or all of those capacities are gone, you'd have a very lost fish," he told BBC News.

Previous research has shown that fish also lose their capacity to scent danger in slightly more acidic seawater.

The fish were put in a "choice chamber" that allowed them to swim away, or not, on hearing the noise

The team raised baby clownfish in tanks containing water at different levels of acidity.

One resembled the seawater of today, with the atmosphere containing about 390 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide.

The other tanks were set at levels that could be reached later this century - 600, 700 and 900 ppm.

The more CO2 there is in the atmosphere, the more the oceans absorb - and the more they absorb, the more acidic the water becomes.

In this experiment, the fish could decide whether to swim towards or away from an underwater loudspeaker replaying the sounds of predators recorded on a reef, with shrimps and fish that would take a small clownfish.

In water with today's levels of CO2, the fish spent three-quarters of the time at the opposite end of the tube from the loudspeaker.

But at higher concentrations, they showed no preference. This suggests they could not hear, could not decipher or did not act on the warning signals.

"The reef has been described as 'a wall of mouths' waiting to receive the clownfish," said Dr Simpson.

ACIDIFYING OCEANS

• The oceans are thought to have absorbed about half of the extra CO2 put into the atmosphere in the industrial age
• This has lowered its pH by 0.1
• pH is the measure of acidity and alkalinity
• Liquids lie between pH 0 (very acidic) and pH 14 (very alkaline); 7 is neutral
• Seawater is mildly alkaline with a "natural" pH of about 8.2
• The IPCC forecasts that ocean pH will fall by "between 0.14 and 0.35 units over the 21st Century, adding to the present decrease of 0.1 units since pre-industrial times"

"What we have done here is put today's fish in tomorrow's environment, and the effects are potentially devastating."

If it takes several decades for the oceans to reach these more acidic levels, there is a chance, the team says, that fish could adapt.

Whether that can happen is one of the outstanding questions from this research. Another is whether other species are similarly affected.

A third question is why the fish are affected by these slight changes in acidity.

There appears to be no physical damage to their ears; the team suggests there could be some effect on nerves, or maybe they are stressed by the higher acidity and do not behave as they otherwise would.

Further experiments are in train that may answer those questions.

Concern about ocean acidification has arisen considerably more recently than alarm over global warming; but already there is ample evidence that it could bring significant changes to ocean life.

The organisms most directly affected appear to be corals and those that make shells, such as snails.

Just this weekend, another team of researchers published findings from a "natural laboratory" in the seas off Papua New Guinea, where carbon dioxide bubbles into the water from the slopes of a dormant volcano.

This local acidity is too much for most corals; instead, an alternative ecosystem based on seagrasses thrives.

With carbon emissions continuing to rise, researchers predicted most reefs around the world would be in serious trouble before the end of the century.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13605113

Strange sea creature

19 May 2011

According to the Greek mythology, Hippo-campus was a fabulous sea creature with a horse’s head and a fish’s tail and it was believed that they drew Neptune’s chariot, the sea king.

But then what’s in a name? A seahorse is not a horse, instead is a fish unlike a fish. It swims almost upright with a graceful upper body. Its eyes operate independently of each other. Instead of scales it has protective bony plates and possesses a strong tail to grasp vegetation, coral or another seahorse.

There are about 40 species of seahorses in several colours and shapes, who are 5 to 30cm long, survive for one to four years. The most unique feature of these creatures is that instead of the females, male seahorses breed and may rise up to six broods in a single season.

They camouflage against their predators by changing colours or with leafy outgrowths on their body. Due to rigid armour plating, seahorses cannot move swiftly through the water thus glide along slowly. A tiny, vibrating fin at the back acts as propeller, it also helps them to regulate the volume of gases in their bodies thereby controlling their movement.

Interestingly adult male and female seahorses religiously dance every morning to confirm their bonding as well as their territorial rights. They swallow tiny crustaceans and planktons through their long tubular snorts, and anchor themselves in water with their apprehensible tails to seaweeds or other fellow beings to shun danger. Seahorses are found in the world’s warmer coastal waters ~ Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans apart from the north European waters.

Unfortunately, recent times have witnessed their dwindling numbers at a fast pace, mainly due to pollution and climate change. Another major threat is indiscriminate harvesting of the animal particularly in South-East Asia. Over 20 million seahorses are harvested each year and used in the traditional Asian medicines apart from being used as souvenirs.

Thus they are one of the endangered species and measures have been taken to improve their numbers through captive breeding, setting up of reserve marine areas and persuading fishing communities to reduce harvesting.

However, much depends upon our sensibilities and sensitivity.

bratin ghosh, Class VII
The Heritage School

http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=370089&catid=46

Basking shark sighted off Cumbrae

Published 23 May 2011 09:30

A basking shark was spotted off the Isle of Cumbrae as the Marine Conservation Society urge shark spotters to record sightings as they happen with their mobile phone.

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) said that the sharks are once again being spotted in UK coastal waters as they cruise close to the shore, hoovering up vast amounts of plankton through their gaping mouths.

Through their long-running Basking Shark Watch programme, MCS has already been alerted by the public to sightings around Land's End, off the world famous Cobb at Lyme Regis, off Donegal, Northern Ireland, at Dingle and Kerry in southwest Ireland, the Isle of Man and Scotland.

The first basking shark of the year was seen very early - reported to MCS off the island of Canna, west coast of Scotland - in January, with the next two sightings reported in March, one close to Millport, Scotland and the other close to Newlyn, Cornwall.

As with all sightings of wild animals, MCS urges caution: "These impressive creatures can grow up to 11 metres long and weigh up to seven tonnes and, although they aren't dangerous to humans, their behaviour can be unpredictable and involve sudden leaping out of the water or 'breaching'," said Dr Solandt. "Seven tonnes of flailing basking shark has real potential to spoil your day if you get too close, so we urge people to keep a safe and respectful distance from them."

In collaboration with the Shark Trust, MCS has produced the Basking Shark Code of Conduct, which provides clear guidance on how the public can behave safely around basking sharks. You can find out more at www.mcsuk.org

http://www.largsandmillportnews.com/news/roundup/articles/2011/05/23/413558-basking-shark-sighted-off-cumbrae/

Shark Discovered 100 Miles Inland

By Lori Preuitt
NBCSanDiego.com

Clovis Animal Services employees will be talking about a call that got this week for years go come.

It wasn't for a mean dog or a dead opossum. This call to this Fresno-area office was to head out to an irrigation canal after someone spotted a shark.

Clovis police said a young man first spotted a dead 3-and-a-half foot leopard shark in the water. When he pulled it out he said that it smelled like it had been dead of awhile. The find caused several people to gather around the side of the canal to see what all the fuss was about and to take some photos.

Leopard sharks are native to bays and estuaries along the California coast. Leopard sharks are abundant in Elkhorn Slough during spring and summer months, but that is about 100 miles west of where this creature was discovered. Experts say it probably could not make it that far inland on its own and that was probably someone's pet.

The animal services officers took it back to the same shelter where they take all of their deceased animals.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42997822

Boom and bust signals ecosystem collapse

28 April 2011
By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News

An experiment in a US lake suggests that ecosystem collapses could be predicted, given the right monitoring.

Researchers changed the structure of the food web in Peter Lake, in Wisconsin, by adding predatory fish.

Within three years, the fish had taken over, producing a decline in tiny water plants and an explosion in water fleas.

Writing in the journal Science, the researchers say the change was preceded by signals that could be used to predict similar collapses elsewhere.

In particular, rapid swings in the density of plants and fleas indicated the food web was unstable and about to change.

The idea that such early warning signals ought to exist is not new - but the researchers say this is the first time it has been demonstrated experimentally.

"For a long time, ecologists thought these changes couldn't be predicted," said research leader Stephen Carpenter from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, US.

"But we've now shown that they can be foreseen. The early warning is clear; it is a strong signal."

Peter and Paul

The Peter Lake food web contained four key components. Insects such as fleas ate tiny water-borne plants, small fish such as golden shiners ate the fleas, and much bigger largemouth bass ate the little fish.

Beginning in 2008, the researchers began to add more bass, and more than a thousand hatched the following year.

Sensing the threat from these predators, the golden shiners began to spend more time in the shallows or sheltering under floating logs.

Larger fleas moved in, eating the floating plants (phytoplankton).

But the changes were anything but smooth, with wildly varying numbers of fleas and phytoplankton seen at different times.

Eventually, by late 2010, the ecosystem appeared to have finalised its transition from one stable state to another.

This second state, dominated by fleas and largemouth bass, is similar to the situation that had existed for years in neighbouring Lake Paul.

This lake showed no major changes during the three years, indicating that the changes seen in Peter really were caused by the addition of bass.

Banks collapse

Many natural systems appear capable of existing in more than one stable state.

Until 20 years ago, the Grand Banks off Canada's east coast were dominated by cod - so many as to prevent the growth of other species.

Overfishing caused the cod population to collapse.

Other species have since taken their prime position, some of which predate on juvenile cod - perhaps meaning that the prized fish will never return to their former dominance.

The new research suggests it might be possible to detect signals of such a coming crash before it happened.

"Early warning signs help you prepare for, and hopefully prevent, the worst case scenario," said Jonathan Cole from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies near New York, another of the scientists involved.

"We are surrounded by problems caused by ecological regime shifts - water supply shortages, fishery declines, unproductive rangeland - and our study shows that there is promise in identifying these changes before they reach their tipping point."

The principle may have been proved, but the application would still appear to be some way away.

Monitoring any ecosystem with the intensity used at Peter Lake will be expensive, although the ever growing fleet of Earth observation satellites could help in some cases.

Even more problematic is knowing which early warning signs apply in which ecosystem.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13229211

Spelman pledges £110m to revive unhealthy waterways

13 April 2011

Otters and salmon will benefit from a £110m boost in spending on England's lakes, rivers and streams, the government has said.

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said the funds would revive "lifeless" bodies of water, allowing wildlife to flourish by tackling invasive weeds.

She also said that ministers wanted people to become more involved in caring for local waterways and streams.

Ralph Underhill, of campaign group Our Rivers, welcomed the announcement.

£92m will be provided over the next four years to combat non-native invasive weeds and clear up pollution.

Redundant dams, weirs and landings in England will also be removed.

The funding will be shared between the Environment Agency, Natural England and charities such as the Association of Rivers Trust.

This boost is earmarked for England alone because funding for waterways is devolved in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

An additional £18m will be provided this year to help farmers protect water courses near agricultural land, the government added.

Grass roots

Announcing the move, Mrs Spelman said: "The health of our rivers has come along in leaps and bounds, but we still see nasty invasive weeds and lifeless waters blight blue spaces in cities and across our countryside.

"With this funding, we'll help all our waterways and streams thrive by tackling problems that until now have been sitting in the 'too-hard' basket.

"Our new grass-roots approach to boosting healthier waterways and flourishing wildlife has local experience and knowledge at its heart."

Mr Underhill warned that the funding would not "solve all the problems overnight".

But he hailed the announcement as "fantastic news for our rivers and the wildlife they support".

"Rivers are a national asset and in the current financial climate it is great to see a new investment being made in their future," he added.

Conservation charity WWF-UK said it was delighted by the government's extra funding.

Tom Le Quesne, freshwater policy manager, said: "We recently withdrew legal action against the government which was originally taken because the previous government's 2009 plans for implementation of the Water Framework Directive did not deliver for rivers.

"We hope this funding shows the beginning of a long-term drive to improve the quality of our rivers and helping wildlife thrive."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13053394
(Via Dawn Holloway)