By Megan Buras, SRC intern Today plastic is everywhere, from grocery stores to health products and even the shoes on our feet. The massive amount of plastic used daily, and its improper disposal have led to the accumulation of these plastics in the environment. Once plastic debris enters the ocean, it “breaks down into microplastics […]
By Adrianna Davis, SRC intern The fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is the second-largest baleen whale (Figure 1). They can grow to be up to 85 feet in length and 80 tons. Their large size made the fin whales a target for commercial whalers in the mid-nineteenth century, ultimately reducing their population (NOAA Fisheries). Currently, fin […]
By Emma Schillerstrom, SRC intern We often hear about light pollution as a threat to sea turtle nesting success and hatchling survival. Artificial light near beaches discourages females from nesting, disorients hatchlings toward landing sites where they cannot survive, and can even increase the activity of predators that target their offspring (Silva et al., 2017) […]
By Meagan Ando, SRC intern The oceans on our planet are intricate, expansive, and provide a home for many organisms while maintaining a delicate balance that makes this environment so inhabitable. However, in recent times, many anthropogenic effects have been threatening them, one of which is the infamous plastic water bottle. Single-use plastic water bottles […]
By Peter Aronson, SRC Intern Following regulations can be vital for conservation, yet the world’s realities place pressure onto people, which can incentivize non-compliance. This undermines conservation work and the positive ecological outcomes achieved by it. In the ocean specifically, short bursts of illegal fishing can negate the effects of decades of protection, especially for […]
By Megan Buras, SRC Intern To set historical baselines for conservation actions, scientists are using new tactics to involve fishers in marine management. Gaps in long-term scientific data about species abundance and diversity can lead to mismanagement of exploited ecosystems. Scientists from the University of Aberdeen interviewed 53 fishers in three different ports of northern […]
By Nina Colagiovanni, SRC intern As technology advances in today’s world, scientists are becoming more aware of the benefits of data gathered from platforms like YouTube. Research conducted by Sbragaglia et al. collected YouTube videos relating to recreational fishing of four species of grouper: dusky (Epinephelus marginatus), white (Epinephelus aeneus), goldblotch (Epinephelus costae) and dogtooth […]
By Adrianna Davis, SRC intern The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the world’s largest extant fish species (Figure 1). Whale sharks are solitary animals; however, they aggregate where there is high availability of copepods, fish eggs, and crab larvae, which are staples of the whale shark’s broad diet (Legaspi et al. 2020). The elusiveness of […]
By Konnor Payne, SRC Intern Coral reefs exist because the environment around them gives them the means to survive. These conditions are also the perfect environment for seaweeds, which compete with the corals for space. Worldwide, there have been recorded occurrences of transitions from coral to seaweed dominance. Researchers at the University of California Santa […]
By John Proefrock, SRC Intern When you think of organized crime your mind probably drifts towards the mafia and cartel or the dramatized versions of these organizations that show up in TV shows and movies. So, it may come as a shock to some that there is a direct threat from organized crime to the […]