March 2, 2009

Almost 200 Whales Stranded on Australian Island

Rescuers used jet skis, excavators and human muscle to save dozens of whales and dolphins stranded on a beach in southern Australia today, officials and news reports said.

The 194 pilot whales and half a dozen bottlenose dolphins became stranded on Naracoopa Beach on Tasmania state's King Island yesterday evening - the fourth beaching incident in recent months in Tasmania.

Strandings happen periodically in Tasmania as whales go by during their migration to and from Antarctic waters, but scientists do not know why it happens. It is unusual, however, for whales and dolphins to get stranded together... More...

(March 2, 2009. Source: The Independent, UK. Story by: Associated Press. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/almost-200-whales-stranded-on-australian-island-1635312.html)

Historical Photographs Expose Decline in Florida's Reef Fish, Study Finds

A unique study by a scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego has provided fresh evidence of fishing's impact on marine ecosystems. Scripps Oceanography graduate student researcher Loren McClenachan accessed archival photographs spanning more than five decades to analyze and calculate a drastic decline of so-called "trophy fish" caught around coral reefs surrounding Key West, Florida.

In a paper published online in January and printed in an upcoming issue of the journal Conservation Biology, McClenachan describes a stark 88 percent decline in the estimated weight of large predatory fish imaged in black-and-white 1950s sport fishing photos compared to the relatively diminutive catches photographed in modern pictures. In a companion paper being published in the Endangered Species Research journal, McClenachan employs similar methods to document the decline of the globally endangered goliath grouper fish... More...

(March 2, 2009. Source: University of California - San Diego, Science Daily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090217141813.htm)

Erosion Rates Double Along Portion of Alaska's Coast

Skyrocketing coastal erosion occurred in Alaska between 2002 and 2007 along a 64 kilometer (40 mile) stretch of the Beaufort Sea, a new study finds. The surge of erosion in recent years, averaging more than double historical rates, is threatening coastal towns and destroying Alaskan cultural relics.

Average annual erosion rates along this segment of the Beaufort Sea, which lies North of Alaska, had already climbed from about 6.1 m (20 ft) per year between the mid-1950s and late-1970s, to 8.5 m (28 ft.) per year between the late-1970s and early 2000s, the study's authors note. The most recent erosion rates reached an average of 14 meters (45 feet) per year during the 2002-2007 period, reported Benjamin Jones, a geologist with the U.S Geological Survey in Anchorage, and his colleagues on February 14 in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union (AGU)... More...

(March 1, 2009. Source: American Geophysical Union, ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090218135052.htm)

Psychedelic Bouncing Fish Classified as New Species
Frogfish with tan and peach zebra stripes discovered by scuba diving instructors in shallow waters off Ambon Island in Indonesia

A funky, psychedelic fish that bounces on the ocean floor like a rubber ball has been classified as a new species, a scientific journal reported.

The frogfish which has a swirl of tan and peach zebra stripes that extend from its aqua eyes to its tail was initially discovered by scuba diving instructors working for a tour operator a year ago in shallow waters off Ambon Island in eastern Indonesia.

The operator contacted Ted Pietsch, lead author of a paper published in this month's edition of Copeia, the journal of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, who submitted DNA work identifying it as a new species... More...

(February 27, 2009. Source: The Guardian, UK. Story by: Associated Press. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/feb/27/psychedelic-fish-indonesia)

US Denounces Iceland Whaling Move

The United States on Friday denounced Iceland's decision to go ahead with a sharply higher whaling quota, voicing concern there were not whales to sustain the hunt.

Iceland's new left-wing government said last week it will maintain an earlier decision for a quota of 150 fin and 150 minke whales this year -- a sixfold increase -- despite international calls for it to reconsider.

The US State Department said it "strongly opposes" the decision... More...

(February 27, 2009. Source: Agence France-Presse, TerraDaily. http://www.terradaily.com/reports/US_denounces_Iceland_whaling_move_999.html)

Heat Could Be Stifling Turtles' Swimming Abilities in Australia

It seems we're not the only ones struggling to adapt to the summer weather - University of Queensland researchers have found the increased temperatures may be affecting turtles too.

Zoologist Dr David Booth, from UQ's School of Biological Sciences, said green turtle hatchlings from Heron Island weren't swimming as well as usual.

"The 2008-2009 green turtle nesting season on Heron Island has seen the highest nest temperatures recorded at this site, with many nests having average temperatures above 31 degrees, and experiencing temperatures above 35 degrees during the last week of incubation," Dr Booth said... More...

(February 27, 2009. Source: The University of Queensland, ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090227095000.htm)