Namibia

Researchers have found a “super fish” which is actually able to not only survive, but thrive in a previously thought uninhabitable region off of Africa’s south-west coast, which also happens to be infested by jellyfish.

This “super fish” is actually helping to keep the local ecosystem going, and is single handedly helping to preserve an important fishery as well.

One of the ecosystems off the coast of Namibia, the Beguela ecosystem, was at one point is history chock full of sardines. However, overfishing of the area, and various other environmental factors have caused the population of sardines to take a nose dive, and the ecosystem became overrun with algal blooms and jellyfish swarms.

The algae has almost consumed the entire oxygen supply of the water, and the waters closer to the surface are full of jellyfish and algae.

It has been discovered that bearded gobies are making their home at the very bottom, and they are the only vertebrate to do so. The stomach contents were examined, and revealed that these bearded fish eat the dead algae which falls from the surface, and they also eat the jellyfish! This astounding discovery was made by Anne Utne-Palm, of the University of Bergen, Norway and several of her collegues.

The team of researchers also discovered that the gobies are able to survive for hours in water with extremely low oxygen levels by lowering their metabolic rate, and when they run low they pop back to the surface for more oxygen!

What a Fish!

Lionfish - A problematic invasive species that might have escaped from an aquarium in Florida to breed amd wreck havoc in the caribbean.

A paper has recently been published by Gordon Copp, Lorenzo Vilizzi, and Rodolphe Gozlan in the journal Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems which eludes to the fact that the higher the population density in England, the more likely the natural ecosystems can be tainted with pet fish.

This is not a new piece of information. It has been known for quite some time that the ecosystems which are closer to roads, fish markets and pet shops are more likely to be subjected to pet fish than those which are not close to these avenues.

The object of the study was to perform a statistical analysis to take a look at the spacial relationships between pet fish contamination and the demographics which led to these fish being released into the wild, and also to test whether or not these demographic factors are a reliable way of estimating how many alien species are introduced into these ecosystems.

The case study was carried out using an intermediate scale for all of England, dividing the country into 1500 squares of 10 square kilometers each.

The study consisted of the following data sets to be used in their analysis: non-native fresh water fish occurrences in the wild; the numbers of non-native fish imported, and demographic information such as: numbers of humans, pet shops, garden centers and fish farms per unit area.

The study found that the incidences of pet fish contamination directly co-related to the density of the human population.

If you would like to learn more check out the paper: Copp, GH, L Vilizzi and RE Gozlan (2010) The demography of introduction pathways, propagule pressure and occurrences of non-native freshwater fish in England. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 20, pp. 595–601.

Goldfish - Not the one in story.

Nick Richards, a 16 year old fishing enthusiast from the UK, reeled in a whopper of a goldfish from a lake in Poole. The fish weighs an astounding 5 lbs, which is only 2 lbs less than the world record for goldfish. By all accounts it appears to be the biggest goldfish ever caught in Britain, and the youngster is quite pleased with the catch. He had set out to catch a common carp, which happen to be in the same family as the goldfish, but instead he reeled in this golden monster.

This is quite a catch, considering that goldfish are only generally 1 inch to 9 inches long, and generally do not weigh in at any more than however they do have the habit of growing to suit their surroundings. Another reason this is such an amazing catch is that goldfish can generally only survive in tropical to subtropical waters, and any sudden changes in temperature can be potentially fatal for the fish.

When asked to comment on the catch he had this to say, “Apparently it’s the biggest ever caught in the UK. I’ve heard it weighs only 2lb less than the world record.”

I would hate to burst the kids’ bubble, but while this may be the largest goldfish in the UK, the record still goes to the goldfish discovered on the west coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea. That fish measured a staggering 2.5 meters long, by 1.70 meters tall! No weight was given for the monstrous fish, but I guarantee it was a wee bit over 7 lbs. Sorry kid, better luck next time.

That being said, no one can say for sure just how the goldfish Nick caught got into the lake, however there are a few generalized ideas which may explain the phenomenon.

It is believed that the goldfish started out as one of the prizes commonly doled out at fairgrounds in Dorset town, but was later abandoned when it got too big to live in its bowl. It is not an uncommon occurrence for prize goldfish such as these to be tossed into lakes and ponds, as the owners get bored of them, or they do not want to be bothered with finding more suitable living arrangements when they outgrow their bowl.

This is good news for fishing enthusiasts such as Nick, as they can sometimes reel in a whopper from surrounding lakes, and have a good fish story to tell. However it should be noted that the majority of the goldfish which are tossed aside as yesterday’s news, often don’t make it long enough in the wild to be considered today’s news.

It is not known what Nick plans to do with the fish, however you can rest assured it is most likely not going into his frying pan.

Lionfish

Key Biscayne, Florida – It appears that Lionfish are soon going to be a very common thing in the shallower waters off the coast of Miami. A young Lionfish was captured just off of the Key Biscayne beach this past Saturday, it is only one of five of this invasive species spotted within the last few weeks.

The Lionfish generally makes its home in the Pacific Ocean, and they are known to breed quickly, and often have voracious appetites. This means that these invading Lionfish could possibly throw the whole marine ecosystem of South Florida out of whack by them eating up baby lobsters, groupers and other species native to the reef.

The mere fact that they are present could spell trouble for this years’ lobster season, as Lionfish and lobsters have the same tastes in habitats, which include underwater crevices and holes, and they are known to be highly toxic. They are equipped with a multitude of tiny poison tipped spines, and can give you quite a nasty sting.

Steven Lutz, a local snorkeling enthusiast, managed to catch himself a baby Lionfish on Saturday while in the company of Dr. Michael Schmale, from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School for Marine and Atmospheric Science. Scientists are able to pinpoint where these Lionfish come from by running genetic tests. “I have been swimming these waters for the past twenty years and this is the first time we have seen them here,” Lutz informed, “Divers should use extra caution when grabbing for a lobster this season, or they might be in for a nasty and painful surprise.”

There is a certain kind of damsel fish, the Stegastes Nigrigans, which will actually selectively cultivate the algae they prefer to feed on. They have shown to actually encourage the growth of Polysiphonia, their preferred food, and limit the growth of other algae which they can’t digest as well. Researchers, which are writing in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology, have been investigating the algae preferences of damselfish and explore their intricate cultivating practices all across the Indo-West Pacific region.

Hiroki Hata from Ehime University, Japan, worked with a team of researchers to explore this ‘gardening’ behavior. He said, “We surveyed 320 territories of 18 damselfish species and thoroughly examined algae from each fish territory from coral reefs in Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, the Maldives, Thailand, Borneo, the Okinawa Islands, and the Great Barrier Reef. We found that although the crop alga species shifted in the West Indian Ocean, the intensive farming by damselfish was seen throughout this geographic range”.

It has been found that damselfish do not posses any organs which would allow them to process cellulose fibers, and they aren’t able to digest many species of algae. The most common type of algae they feed on is the red algae known as Polysiphonia. Unfortunately, this kind of algae is not very competitive and the damselfish lend a helping hand by killing off competing algae.

In a rather interesting turn of events, scientists have just released a robotic fish, which appears to be able to influence the behavior of other fish in the aquarium.

This “Robofish” has produced some rather interesting results in testing. Not only was it able to get three-spined sticklebacks to join its group, but it also seems to be able to influence their movements about the aquarium.

This amazing innovation was created by John Dyer, Dean Walters, and Natalie Holt, by utilizing a plaster mould and of a stickleback, and then spruced up with authentic patterns and coloring.

The Robofish is guided by pulleys and magnets located underneath the aquarium. This effectively allows the Robofish to move about in programmed patterns. In preliminary testing, Jolyon Faria and some other team members managed to get the Robofish to lead a wild stickleback away from its hiding place and then execute a right-angled turn.

It is awe inspiring to say the least. This is the first time that a robotic fish has managed to have an effect on its natural counter-parts. It is interesting to note that large groups of stickleback were less likely to follow the Robofish, but lone stickleback seemed ready to accept the leadership offered by the creation. It is not known why the Robofish would have a greater effect on lone sticklebacks as opposed to groups, but it is assumed that the lone sticklebacks took comfort in the assertiveness of the Robofish.

More research is needed, however Robofish could have some rather interesting applications in the world today.

Sounds weird? If so you haven´t heard about the ”fish mail box” in Inada Park, Kawasaki, Tama River in Japan near Tokyo. The ”fish mail box” is a 7 meter by 4 meter large concrete water tank that have been placed along the river to give people a place to drop unwanted fish. The goal of the fish box is to prevent people from releasing fish into the river, since foreign species can wreck havoc with local ecosystems.

People are encourage to call before they drop off their pets as fish can die from the shock if not acclimatized correctly, but it is is permitted to just drop off fish as well. People are also encouraged to drop off tropical invasive species they catch in the river in the fish box.

The fish left in these fish boxes are cared for by Mitsuaki Yamasaki, 51, the head of a local river fish association, before they are placed in new homes. The box is receiving about 10,000 fish a year ranging from small fish to large gars.

The Tama River has seen a lot of new species released in it in recent years during which the aquarium hobby has become even more popular in Japan than before. This has in no small part to do with the movie “Finding Nemo”, even if the increase in popularity started before the movie was released. More than 200 species of foreign tropical fish have been found in the Tama River ranging from typical aquarium fish such as guppies and angelfish to less frequently kept creatures like piranhas and arowanas, earning it the nick name the Tamazon River. Some of the tropical species have established breeding populations while others haven´t, but most species can survive the winters by staying near water treatment areas along the river.

Mitsuaki Yamasaki and other members of the local river fish association are afraid that breeding populations of gars will establish themselves in the river since more and more gars are sold and they have been found in the river. Gar species are predatory fish that could have a severe negative impact on native fish such as sweetfish . Gars are likely able to establish breeding populations in a river with the conditions of the Tama River.

It can not be denied that with over 10,000 fish received by one of these fish boxes since it opened the initiative could aid the struggle to prevent invasive species from getting a foothold in local waters, and it might be an idea that deserves being tried in other problems areas around the world, such as Florida. The only question is if projects like this could work with out the devotion and support from people like Mitsuaki Yamasaki, people who are really passionate about what they do.

Any one interested in or planning to start a similar project somewhere else is very welcome to contact us here at AquaticCommunity as we would love to document your work getting the project of the ground and running it. Leave a comment in the commentary field or send an e-mail to admin@aquaticcommunity.com.

Due to the massive Deepwater Horizon oil spill, also known as the BP Oil Spill, parts of the Gulf of Mexico is closed for both commercial and recreational fishing.

The latest update from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the United States agency responsible for handling the closure, arrived on June 7 and became effective 6 p.m. eastern time on the same day. According to this update, the prohibited area now measures 78,264 sq mi (202,703 sq km), or about 32% of the Gulf of Mexico exclusive economic zone.

Map:

As stated above, all commercial and recreational fishing is banned in the area, including catch and release. It is however still legal to transit through the area.

Since it is impossible to know the exact extent of the oil spill at any given time, NOAA has advised fishermen to refrain from fishing if they notice any oil or oil sheen, even if it is outside the prohibited zone.

For those who wish to receive information as soon as the prohibited zone is modified, there are several channels to utilize:

– Get bullentins to your inbox by sending an e-mail to SERO.Communications.Comments@noaa.gov

– Get SMS notifications. Sign up by texting fishing@gulf to 84469.

– Follow NOAA on Twitter: usnoaagov

– Visit http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/deepwater_horizon_oil_spill.htm

– Listen to NOAA weather radio

Massive amounts of dead fish are covering the beaches of Brazil and roughly 80 tonnes (175 000 lbs) have been removed from the iconic Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro.

The mass death, which seems to have occurred at sea right before the weekend, remains unexplained. Over 100 people are currently trying to rid a 4.5 square kilometer area from rotting fish carcases.
Environmental experts in Rio de Janeiro have suggested that the mass death might be caused by marine algae. The deaths are not limited to any specific species of family of fish.

Newly investigated fossils show that a type of filter-feeding fishes that aren’t closely related to today’s whales (who, of course, are mammals and not fishes) roamed the oceans during the Mesozoic Era some 170 million years ago. Previously the whales were believed to have been the first large filter feeders, but these new fossils tell a different story. See pictures here

The giant filter feeders, which have been given the name Pachycormiforms, died out at the same time as the dinosaurs. Eventually sharks began filling the vacant ecological niche some 56 million years ago, followed by modern cetaceans such as whales roughly 22 million years later.

The Pachycormiform fossils have been investigated by a team of researchers* led by University of Oxford scientist Matt Friedman, as a part of a study where both old and new fish fossils from England, Japan and the USA have been put under scrutiny. The article has been published in the journal Science.

Some of these fishes were true giants in the world of bony fishes, such as the 6 meter (20 feet) long Bonnerichthys that inhabited a seaway covering what is today the state of Kansas, USA.

“A previously described species, Leedsichthys, from the Jurassic of Europe that belongs to the same lineage that includes Bonnerichthys was even larger, likely reaching up to about 30 feet, which is the most massive bony fish of all time,” said Kenshu Shimada, co-author of the article and professor in the Environmental Science Program at DePaul University.

Bonnerichthys was first believed to have been similar to a swordfish, with numerous fang-like teeth.

“However, our close examination of the specimen showed that such a long snout and fang-like teeth were not present in the fish,” Shimada said. “Rather, with a blunt massive head, the fish had long toothless jawbones and long gill-supporting bones that are characteristic of plankton-feeding fishes.”

http://www.sciencemag.org

*– Matt Friedman, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PR, UK.

– Kenshu Shimada, Environmental Science Program and Department of Biological Sciences, DePaul University, 2325 North Clifton Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614, USA, and Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Fort Hays State University, 3000 Sternberg Drive, Hays, KS 67601, USA.

– Larry D. Martin, Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center, University of Kansas, 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA.

– Michael J. Everhart, Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Fort Hays State University, 3000 Sternberg Drive, Hays, KS 67601, USA.

– Jeff Liston,Division of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.

– Anthony Maltese, Triebold Paleontology and Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, 201 South Fairview Street, Woodland Park, CO 80863, USA.

– Michael Triebold, Triebold Paleontology and Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, 201 South Fairview Street, Woodland Park, CO 80863, USA.