The area of the census ranges from Japanese to Australian waters.

Japan along with Australia have some of the world’s most diverse oceans, however thousands of the marvelous creatures in their deeps, remain unknown to man, and global warming is a major concern, suggests a newly performed census.

Both Japan and Australia are the proud owners of 33,000 some odd known species, according to a decade long scientific survey of the life in the sea, aptly dubbed “What lives in the Sea”.

However, there could be more than 200,000 species in the vast waters of Australia, which are surrounded by three oceans and four seas, which extend from the icy southern pole, to the coral-rich tropics.

“This constitutes a vast array of highly diverse habitats and ocean features, but many have received limited if any exploration,” wrote Alan Butler, from Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, who is the lead author of the work.

The majority of the 33,000 species which were noted for Australia were animals, including fish, seabirds and of course marine mammals, with an astonishing rate of new fish and shark species being found on a continuing basis. Butler has guessed that only about 20 percent of Australia’s total marine species have been discovered to date.

Life was most densely populated in the northeast, which is where the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef makes its home, and is cock full of turtles, colorful corals, dolphins and dugongs.

“Australia is of tremendous ecological interest,” explained Jessie Ausubel, a representative for the marine census. “It is advanced in creating protected marine areas, around coral reefs but also around its deep-sea areas.”

A representative of Japan’s Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Katsunori Fujikura, has commented that somewhere in the vicinity of 155,000 species have been spotted in the waters surrounding Japan, which only accounts for a mere 30 percent of all estimated life, and only 33,000 have been officially recorded on the books.

“The reason why such high diversity occurs is undoubtedly the varied environments existing in Japanese waters,” explained Fujikura.

Japan’s waters are just about 11 times larger than the land area, and they feature coral reefs, ince bound seas and trenches (which can be up to 10 kilometers deep). The strong ocean currents in the area, mean that roughly 5 percent of the species found there are actually unique to Japanese waters.

By contrast, 19 percent of New Zealand’s 17,000 marine species are found only around the isolated island state, and Antarctica’s Southern Ocean also hosts many species not found anywhere else.

“Most species in the Southern Ocean are rare, with over half of the known benthic (sea-bed) species having only been found once or twice,” explainedHuw Griffiths, a report author, from the British Antarctic Survey.

The extremely remote, and even hostile, Antarctic region is the home to 8,000 some odd recorded species, with sponges, small crustaceans, and moss animals richly represented.

However, over 90 percent of the marine environment is over one kilometer below the waves, and less thn 10 percent of the total deep-sea area has been explored, “implying there are still a great many species yet to be described” Griffiths explained.

Bighead Carp

This past June a bighead carp was reeled in near Lake Michigan, and it seems highly likely that it spent just about its entire life in the Great Lakes.

This whopper of a fish, weighing in at 9 kilograms, was reeled in in Lake Calumet on the 22nd of June this year. This was the first Asian carp which was reeled in on the wrong side of the electric barriers placed underwater strategically near Chicago to help prevent this invasive species from moving up the Mississippi River system and make its way into the Great Lakes.

Scientists at the Illinois Aquaculture Center, in conjunction with researchers at the Southern Illinois University Carbondale Fisheries, were analyzing the chemical markers in the inner ear bones of the carp and just released their results this past Thursday.

As fish mature, their bones take in the chemicals from their ambient surroundings, and will contain the unique chemical footprint of where the fish had made its home.

“It is very plausible that this fish originated in the Illinois River and then moved or was transported to Lake Calumet or Lake Michigan during the early portion of its life,” the Illinois Aquaculture center’s director, Jim Garvey commented during a session..

The assistant director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, John Rogner, has said that the results from the tests indicate that the fish may have been put into the Lake by humans.

It has been known that East Asian Buddhists sometimes let fish go as a practice of their religion.

For this reason, the sale of Asian carp has been banned in Ontario and many U.S. States, and their transporting them live across state lines is also prohibited.

Stickleback

Researchers with the University of British Columbia have witnessed one of the most rapid evolutionary cycles ever recorded amongst populations in the wild. It took just 3 short years, for the stickleback fish to develop a tolerance for frigid waters. The waters they have grown accustomed to are about 2.5 degrees Celsius lower than those that their ancestors had to endure.

The study was recently published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, and gives is some of the first concrete evidence that evolution could help populations survive the effects of global warming.

The stickleback fish originated in the oceans, however they started to make their homes in freshwater lakes and streams just after the last ice age. For the past 10,000 some odd years, both marine and freshwater sticklebacks have evolved varying physical and behavioral pattersn, making them a perfect fit to the models for Darwin’s natural selection theory.

“By testing the temperature tolerance of wild and lab-raised sticklebacks, we were able to determine that freshwater sticklebacks can tolerate lower temperatures than their marine counterparts,” explained Rowan Barrett, the lead author who hails from the UBC Department of Zoology. “This made sense from an evolutionary perspective because their ancestors were able to adapt to freshwater lakes, which typically reach colder temperatures than the ocean.”

To figure out just how quickly this adaptation happened, Barrett, along with collegues from Switzerland and Sweden, “recreated history” by taking marine sticklebacks to freshwater ponds and they discovered that in as little as 3 years, they were remarkably able to tolerate the same minimum water temperature as the freshwater sticklebacks, 2.5 degrees Celsius less that their ancestors!

Critics har been raised that this is an example of mere adaptation not evolution.

Bolivia

If you think you don’t like the cold, think of the fish! Somewhere in the neighborhood of six million fish have perished in three different rivers of Bolivia due to intense cold. This cold snap has been passing through the country for the last couple of weeks.

The situation is so dire in fact, that the authorities in the eastern Bolivian province of Santa Cruz have issued an alert. This alert came after fish had died in Grande, Pirai, and Ichilo rivers that run through the tropical region.

This is a real “environmental calamity” which was caused by the absolute lowest temperatures seen in Santa Cruz over the past 50 years, Governor Ruben Costas informed journalists.

Costas went on to say that experts in the field have discovered that the rivers are incredibly polluted by the carcasses of dead fish, and he has warned the locals not to use those waters.

This cold snap, which has had the Southern Cone of South America in it’s death grip for the past month, has caused a substantial decrease in the temperatures in both southern and eastern Bolivia. So drastic a change, that the temperature even dropped below 0 degrees Celsius.

The weather department of Bolivia has predicted that the eastern and southern parts of the country will continue to be out in the cold for the rest of the week.

How many fish species are there?

The first global census of life in the sea has logged some 230,000 species, however a ten year study on the subject performed by over 300 scientists warns of mass extinctions.

This ten year study has been the largest, most extensive study to attempt a stab at that age old question “Just how many fish are there in the sea?”

The ten year study, which was published today, is attempting to answer that question. It has analyzed the diversity, distribution and abundance of life in the world’s oceans. This study, dubbed The Census of Marine Life, hopes to give a ballpark estimate of the present marine life, and has estimated that there are more than 230,000 species living in our oceans.

“From coast to the open ocean, from the shallows to the deep, from little things like microbes to large things such as fish and whales,” explained Patricia Miloslavich of Universidad Simón Bolívar, Venezuela and co-senior scientist of the COML.
The study which was carried out also covers animals such as; crabs, plankton, birds, sponges, worms, squids, sharks and slugs.

Moe than 360 scientists from around the world got together and have spent the past ten years surveying 25 different regions, ranging from the Antarctic through the more temperate and tropical seas, to the Arctic, to attempt a head count of the different kinds of plants and animals.

The results of the study show that just about twenty percent of the marine species of the world are crustaceans such as lobsters, krill, barnacles, and crabs. Toss in Molluscs (such as squid and octopus) and fish (which include sharks) and that adds up to half of the number of species which are found in the oceans of the world.

The charismatic species often used in those ecological conservation campaigns – sea lions, turtles, whales and sea birds – make up less than 2% of the species in our world’s oceans.

Which is really interesting when you think about it.. We tend to only take notice of the species right on the surface, without really giving a second thought to those that dwell within the depths..

The surveys also pointed out the major areas of concern for the conservationist groups. “In every region, they’ve got the same story of a major collapse of what were usually very abundant fish stocks or crabs or crustaceans that are now only 5-10% of what they used to be,” explained Mark Costello of the Leigh Marine Laboratory, University of Auckland in New Zealand. “These are largely due to over-harvesting and poor management of those fisheries. That’s probably the biggest and most consistent threat to marine biodiversity around the world.”

The main threats that have been found up till now are; overfishing, degraded habitats, pollution and the arrival of invasive species. However, it was pointed out that more problems are on the horizon including; rising water temperatures, acidification thanks to global warming, and the expansion of areas unable to support life in the ocean.

Hopefully this survey will raise global awareness, and as a race, we can get together and start trying to preserve the abundant life, which is at the depths of our oceans.

The wild stock of the Mekong giant catfish are going to be driven to extinction if the hydropower dams planned for construction in the Mekong River get the go ahead, says a report recently released by the WWF (World Wildlife Fund)

The report, which was titled “River of Giants: Giant Fish of the Mekong”, writes on four of these giant catfish which make their home in the Mekong. They rank in the top 10 of biggest freshwater fish in the entire world. The Mekong River’s Giant freshwater stingray can be half the length of a bus, and weigh in at somewhere around 1,300 pounds and currently holds the title for world’s biggest freshwater fish. However, the Mekong giant catfish, now listed as critically endangered, ranks third being almost 10 feet long and weighs in at around 771 pounds.

The hydropower dam which is supposed to be constructed on the Mekong River at Sayabouly Province, northern Laos, is a serious threat to the survival of the wild stock of this magnificent catfish.

“A fish the size of a Mekong giant catfish cannot swim across a large barrier like the Sayabouly dam to reach its spawning grounds upstream,” explained the Director of WWF’s Greater Mekong Program, Dekila Chungyalpa, “Building this and other dams will lead to the collapse of the wild population of this iconic species.”

One can only hope that they put a stopper in this plan to dam up their home, and cause strife for this majestic animal.

Doctor fish in spa - by Dina Middin

The controversial use of live fish to chew away dead skin in pedicures may be banned in New York State for health and safety issues which have been proposed in a new bill.

The procedure in question was actually developed in Turkey, as a way to take care of a variety of ailments of the skin, such as psoriasis, consists of the feet being plunked into a tank of water which contains two different kinds of small fish. These rather hungry fish then proceed to eat away dead skin while leaving the healthy skin alone.

These “Fish Pedicures” are illegal in at least 14 different states, comments Senator Jeff Klein, of the Bronx and Westchester, who originally proposed the ban. The basis of the ban rests on the concern that fungal infections may be passed by unsanitized fish in unclean water. Of course the animal rights groups have jumped on the band wagon, pushing to outlaw the use of fish in pedicures as it is inhumane.

Robin Ross, the president of the New York Podiatic Medical Association, had this to say during a telephone interview: “I do not recommend it to anyone who has any diabetes or any immuno-compromised condition such as AIDS or cancer, because of the risk of infection. The fish are defecating and urinating in that water and you’re sticking your feet in it.” ”

The New York Department of State has gone on the record, saying that it is not aware of any of the 20,000 plus licensed nail salons engaging in such an activity. Apparently it is only being done on the down low, in backrooms of New York City.

Researchers have described a brand new kind of clownfish, which belongs in the skunk clown group.

Douglas Fenner, Joshua Drew, and Gerald Allen, described this new clownfish as Amphiprion pacificus in their report which was recently published in Aqua, the International Journal of Ichthyology.

Amphiprion pacificus is now being described by scientists who took a look at four specimens which were roughly 4 to 5 centimeters long, and were caught in the western Pacific Ocean, between Tonga and Wallis Island.

However, it should be noted that this “new” fish was also photographed by divers on the coral reefs in Samao and Fiji.

This new species which has been described is almost identical to Amphiprion akallopisos, which makes its home in the Indian Ocean.

Both species of fish have a slightly pinkish brown body and a white stripe along their backs.

Despite the fact that they are almost identical in appearance, genetic testing has suggeste that Amphiprion pacificus is more closely related to Amphiprion sandaracinos, an anemonefish which lives in the Western Australia and indo-Malayan region of the world.

The authors were quoted as saying: “Aside from genetic differences A. sandaracinos differs from A. pacificus in having a uniform orange colouration and the white forehead stripe extends onto the upper lip.

“There also appears to be modal differences in the number of soft dorsal and anal rays (usually 19 versus 18 and 13 versus 12 respectively for A. pacificus and A. sandaracinos).”

If you are interested in learning more about this new discovery, feel free to check out: Allen GR, Drew J and D Fenner (2010) – Amphiprion pacificus, a new species of anemonefish (Pomacentridae) from Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and Wallis Island, pp. 129-138. Aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology, Volume 16, Issue 3 – 15 July 2010.

Yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares

You like to think you’re doing the world a favor, and doing your part by making sure that can of tuna you pick up at the supermarket is “Dolphin Safe”, however, have you ever stopped to think what it might be doing to other sea life?

To properly understand the conundrum, we first need to look at the underlying history of “Dolphin
Safe” tuna.

The story goes something like this.. Way back when, a bunch of environmental activists got together and exposed those nasty tuna fisherman for the vermins they were. They were reeling in record amounts of tuna sure. But how did they find the tuna? Truth of the matter is, there are really only two ways to go about looking to tuna in the sea; rigorously searching using sonar, boats, and planes, or following around the dolphins.

No one really knows why, but dolphins tend to be associated with huge schools of tuna. So whenever a group of these tuna fishermen went out, they looked for pockets of dolphins and cast their lines.. It worked. They brought in record amounts of tuna, but they were also harming the dolphins.

We got all worked up about the poor dolphins, so the fishermen had to get creative. They now use floating objects on the ocean surface to attract the tuna, and then circle around them with a bunch of boats and reel in everything in the circle using seine nets.

Well surprise surprise… The dolphins are now safe, however any number of other species are now being caught as by-catch in bigger numbers than ever! You see, it seems that most sea faring creatures are drawn to these interesting floating things in the ocean, as they’ve never seen them before.. They go in to investigate, and BAM! They are stuck too!

So, did we REALLY do a favor by introducing “Dolphin-Safe” tuna? The dolphin isn’t endangered after all, but some of the other sea creatures being reeled in now are.. So we saved one species, but put another 100 or more at risk of extinction…

You can read a more extensive examination of the problem by visiting Southern Fried Science.

bighead carp

Permanent barrier against the invasive species of fish, will not be constructed in the Chicago area.

Governor Ted Strickland is getting about half of what he pleaded the White House to do in a July 8th letter about the Asian Carp problem. As you know, the Asian carp are entering into Lake Michigan, and if not stopped, it could become a colossal problem!

“They are going to be naming a carp commander,” explained the legislative liaison for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Trish Lanahan. “It’s important to have someone in an executive-level position at the White House.”

Time is quickly running out, giving the upper hand to the devastating pair of invading fish known as Asian Carp. These two fish are more commonly known as the bighead carp and the silver carp, and have already taken over many areas of the Mississippi River drainage after craftily escaping their fish farms a few decades ago.

Something obviously needs to be done.. However the jury is still out as to what. Something which definitely is not being considered as a viable solution, despite the opinions of Ohio executives, is building a permanent barrier at Chicago, beginning no later than the 19th of August.

Ohio, in conjunction with other great lake States, got a lawsuit on the roll Monday, which is aimed at forcing the government along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close off the canal without any further deliberation.

On Thursday, all the big players got together to announce their plans to sit down to analyze economic and environmentally friendly solutions to effectively separate the Mississippi basin from the Great Lakes at Chicago.

Neither species of the carp is though to have gotten a stronghold in Lake Michigan. If they did have a stronghold there, that would render any sort of barrier useless. If they do get themselves a stronghold, it could take a few years before the invading carp can get themselves set up in Lake Erie.

The major concern is that the carp, as with other invasive species, could spread like wildfire through ship bilge and ballast water. The dumping of ballast is not really monitored properly, and certainly not enforced.

However, Chicago isn’t the only one to show concern.

The Silver carp have been slowly creeping their way up the Wabash River in Indiana. There is a bit of wetland that separates the headwaters of the Wabash and the Maumee rivers in Indiana. Biologists from both Indiana and Ohio are examining whether or not if the flooding which occurs there, might just give the carp a chance to jump into the Lake Erie basin.

“I don’t think it’s the threat’s immediate, like Chicago,” the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s program administrator for Lake Erie, Roger Knight said. “It might be another avenue they can use to get in.”

Well if that is the attitude taken by all sides.. That the “threat is not imminent” then it will be too little too late to help get rid of this problem.. One can hope a plan of action is formulated quickly.