By Laura Vander Meiden, RJD Intern The relationship between cleaner wrasse and reef fish has long been one of the textbook examples of mutualism, a partnership in which both individuals benefit. In this relationship, the cleaner wrasses set up “cleaning stations” where they eat parasites and dead skin cells off of willing reef fish. The […]
By Daniela Ferraro, RJD Intern Older, female fish are becoming a necessity for the continuation of trophy-fish hunting and sustainable commercial fishing. Looking at both freshwater and saltwater species, the presence of larger, more mature fish increases the productivity and stability of fish populations. Dr. Mark Hixon, of the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, refers […]
Hannah Armstrong, RJD Intern Invasive species have the potential to negatively effect normal ecological function in any environment. Marine biological invasions are increasingly common, most notably that of the Pacific red lionfish (Pterois volitans). While the lionfish invasion and its direct effects on native fish communities has been well researched, there has been little documented […]
by RJD Intern Daniela Ferraro As appetite increases, people are looking towards federally managed fisheries to provide a seafood certification system. With rising levels of overfishing, habitat destruction, and mismanagement, there has been an emphasis placed upon fishing regulations and sustainable fishing practices (Jackson et al 2001). This began with adjustments to the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries […]
By Sarah Hirth, RJD Intern There has been a growing demand for bait resources seeing that standard bait types, such as squid, herring and mackerel are also used for human consumption. As a result, bait prices have increased, thus increasing the demand for an alternative bait, one that is not based on resources used for […]
By Stephen Cain, RJD Intern It’s difficult to predict the effects of near-future ocean acidification (OA) across ecoregions and ocean habitat. The body of research has been conducted under a variability of circumstances and conditions. While evidence continues to mount for OA as a global mega trend, researchers like Christopher E. Cornwall and Tyler D. […]
By Hanover Matz, RJD Intern In this paper, the authors comment on the current conservation status of seabirds and attempts to limit seabird deaths due to by-catch. Two species of seabirds, the albatrosses and the petrels, are particularly vulnerable to the detrimental effects of fisheries such as longlining. These birds normally lay only one egg […]
By Sarah Hirth, RJD Intern With the rising popularity in social media, more and more scientists are using social media platforms for education and outreach. The case study “Can Facebook be used to increase scientific literacy?” aims to investigate how effective Facebook is when it comes to educating people about the oceans. Facebook is an […]
By Lindsay Jennings, RJD Intern There have been many interpretations and heated debates in the scientific community surrounding the trend of global fish populations. Although some advocate increasing trends, others are quick to counter with their evidence of declining trends. And while previous local and regional studies have reported heavy declines of large oceanic predators […]
By Hannah Armstrong, RJD Intern Plastics, among other pollutants, are one of the most commonly found in oceans and on beaches globally. This is mainly for two reasons: first, plastic is very durable and often low in cost, so it is universally used for consumer and industrial products, and second, plastics do not biodegrade completely, […]