Virginia catfish boom
Specimens of the invasive Blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) have now grown large enough to reach the top of the food chain in James River, Virginia. A catfish weighing 102 lbs (46 kg) was caught from the river not long ago; the largest caught freshwater fish ever to be reported from Virginian waters.
World’s first public clownfish aquarium opened in Taiwan
The world’s first public aquarium specialising in clownfish has now opened its door for visitors. The aquarium, which is located in Taitung County in Taiwan, will eventually house 1500 clown fish from 18 different species.
Giant underwater blood suckers making a comeback
Sea Lamprey spawning sites have been discovered in the River Wear at Chester-le-Street, County Durham, by local anglers. After being alerted by the fishermen, the Environment Agency found no less than 12 spawning sites, known as redds, measuring up to a metre across.
Lungfish died caught in trees
The water was released from the North Pine Dam in southeast Queensland between Monday morning and Tuesday night as heavy rains were threatening to overfill the dam.
Death sentence might be revoked for New York snakehead
Rocky, a snakehead living with its keeper Chris Deverso in New York State, might get a new lease on life.
Snakeheads are Asian predatory fishes capable of breathing oxygen from the air and move over land. They have been banned in the USA since they might wreck havoc with North American ecosystems if introduced to the wild.
Proposed spearfishing ban in the Great Barrier Reef area criticised by fellow Australian scientists
A study proposing a ban on spear guns and gill nets in the Great Barrier Reef is now being criticised by Australian scientists saying its results – which were obtained from Kenya and Papua New Guinea – aren’t relevant to the Great Barrier Reef.
Learning from the best
“Small fish may have small brains but they still have some surprising cognitive abilities”, says Dr Jeremy Kendal* from Durham University’s Anthropology Department.
Tropical 4ft moray eel caught in British waters
A moray eel species native to warm tropical waters have been caught in the considerably colder waters found off the coast of Cornwall, UK.
Fast paced evolution
We often think of evolution as something extremely slow that takes place over the course of thousands or even millions of years. The truth is however that certain adaptations can occur very quickly, sometimes over the course of just a few generations.
New wrasse described off the coast of Brazil
A new species of wrasse living off the Brazilian coast has been described by Osmar Luiz, Jr, Carlos Ferreira and Luiz Rocha. The new species has been named Halichoeres sazimai after Brazilian ichthyologist Ivan Sazima from Universidade Estadual de Campinas in São Paolo.
New species of darter described from Missouri, USA
U.S. researchers John F. Switzer* and Robert M. Wood** have described a new species of darter from the Meramec River drainage of Missouri, USA. The new species has been named Etheostoma erythrozonum and is the first known fish species endemic to the Meramec River drainage. Its common name is Meramec Saddled Darter.
Another electric knifefish described from northern South America
Brachypopomus gauderio is not the only electric knifefish recently described from South America, U.S. researchers John P. Sullivan* and Carl D. Hopkins** have described another member of the genus Brachyhypopomus and given it the name Brachyhypopomus bullocki.
New electric knifefish described
Brazilian ichthyologists Julia Giora and Luiz Malabarba have described a new species of electric knifefish and named it Brachypopomus gauderio.
Disinfectants commonly used by fish breeders increase the risk of swim bladder disorder
Several types of commonly used fish egg disinfectants increase the risk of swim bladder disorder in fish, a new study from Israel reveals.
The nanny effect
In several species of fish, such as the cichlid species Neolamprologus pulcher, it is common for subordinate females to help an unrelated dominant breeding pair raise their young. The reason behind this seemingly altruistic behaviour, known as alloparental care, has puzzled scientists for many years and one of the most widely spread hypotheses put forward has been the ‘pay-to-stay’ hypothesis. According to the ‘pay-to-stay’ rationale,