By Elana Rusnak, SRC Intern Foraging (searching for food) is a skill that animals use to provide energy for survival, growth, and reproduction. In many animals, these skills are fully developed before reproductive age, maximizing the energy put into reproduction when sexual maturity is reached. However, female bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) in Shark Bay, Western […]
By Josh Ratay, SRC intern A coming boom in commercial shipping? The potential for rapid growth of noise from commercial ships by 2030 by Kaplan and Solomon is a new study examining potential increases in oceanic noise between 2016 and 2030. Reduction of anthropogenic (human-caused) sounds from commercial shipping has long been recognized as important […]
By Casey Dresbach, SRC intern Ballast water, either fresh or salt water, and sometimes containing sediments, are held in tanks and cargo holds of ships to increase stability and maneuverability during transit. It’s advantageous in its means to stabilize, increase propeller immersion to improve steering, and to control trim and draft. Often times, cons outweigh […]
By Leila AtallahBenson, SRC masters student The issue Coral reefs are one of the most diverse, beautiful ecosystems in the world. They contain an array of marine life, swimming around magnificently colored coral. Unfortunately, due to climate change, these once thriving ecosystems are changing. Visible shifts in coral communities usually start with the increasing presence […]
By Cameron Perry, SRC intern Effective conservation measures must incorporate all stakeholders in the decision making process as well as take into account the social and political atmosphere in which they are created. Conservation measures, even with the best intentions, will fail when they do not take into account these important factors. Montemayer and Vincent […]
By Arina Favilla, SRC intern When we are hungry, all we have to do is open up the fridge and decide what we want to eat. On the other hand, when fish are hungry, they must leave the safety of their home to forage in areas where there are likely predators awaiting them. They must […]
By Shannon Moorhead, SRC Masters Student In the past several decades, it has become clear to researchers that populations of reef-building corals have suffered significant declines worldwide. In the 1970s, coral covered on average,50% of benthic habitat (the sea floor) in the Caribbean; in the early 2000s, this was reduced to an average of 10%, […]
By Abby Tinari, SRC Intern Marine protected areas (MPAs) are put in place to protect natural resources from anthropogenic impacts. They play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation and fisheries management, allowing for the protection of nurseries and breeding grounds for rare or commercially important species. Introduction MPAs attempt to maximize fishery yields while protecting […]
By Ryan Keller, SRC intern The social calls produced by sperm whales consist of three or more broadband overlapped clicks, called Codas. It is believed that certain codas are used to call certain individuals within a unit rather than a broader class of codas which are to all whales in the area. During social learning […]
By Brenna Bales, SRC Intern It is no secret that bycatch is a huge problem threatening the health of the oceans. Gillnets, longlines, and trawl nets often capture many more unintended species than what is originally sought after. In order to reduce this extremely wasteful practice, it is imperative that new systems and new technologies […]