Using Local Fisher’s Knowledge in Marine Conservation
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 […]
How Recreational Fishing Videos are Aiding Management Efforts
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 […]
Behavior modifications in whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) suggest a need for tourism management intervention
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 […]
Corals and Seaweed: The Fight for Dominance
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 […]
Crime on the High Seas: How Organized Crime Could Hinder a Sustainable Ocean Economy
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 […]
Advances in Understanding Grey Seal Pup Behavior
By Emma Schillerstrom, SRC Intern Grey seals are pinnipeds which inhabit the North Atlantic Ocean. They were once popularly hunted, and until 1967, grey seal numbers in the North Sea had dwindled to near absence for centuries (Peschko, et al., 2020). Today, the population counts are steadily rising, and they are protected under the Marine […]