Research: Fish Facing Reflections Become Feisty But Fearful; 'It Seems Like Something They Don't Understand'
Palo Alto, California - May 17, 2010 21:48 EST
Fish become feisty but fearful when facing themselves in a mirror, according to two Stanford biologists. "It seems like something they don't understand," said Julie Desjardins, a postdoctoral researcher in biology and lead author of a paper describing the study, to...

Prehistoric Fish Extinction Paved The Way For Modern Vertebrate; Unknown Event 'Created A Completely Different World'
Chicago, Illionois - May 17, 2010 21:01 EST
A mass extinction of fish 360 million years ago hit the reset button on Earth's life, setting the stage for modern vertebrate biodiversity, a new study reports. The mass extinction scrambled the species pool near the time at which the first...

Research: Baby Corals Swim Home By Following The Sounds Of Reefs; 'Sound Stirs Up Water Molecules'
Bristol, U.K. - May 14, 2010 19:18 EST
Baby corals find their way home in their first days as free-swimming larvae by listening to the noise of animals on the reef and actively swimming towards it, an international team of researchers working in the Caribbean has discovered. These...

Scientists Worried As Invasive 'Tunicate' Appears In Oregon's Coastal Waters; 'Now The Clock Is Ticking'
Corvallis, Oregon - May 13, 2010 14:26 EST
An aggressive, invasive aquatic organism that is on the state's most dangerous species list has been discovered in both Winchester Bay and Coos Bay, and scientists say this "colonial tunicate" – Didemnum vexillum – has serious economic and environmental implications. Its...

Peter Hughes Resigns From Peter Hughes Diving And The Dancer Fleet; Named President Of Newly Created DivEncounters
Miami, Florida - May 13, 2010 14:15 EST
Peter Hughes recently announced his resignation as President of Peter Hughes Diving, Inc. and the Dancer Fleet. Having built the live-aboard dive boat company from scratch over the past 25 years, Hughes reluctantly knew he had to sell...

Odyssey Marine Exploration Files Appellate Brief In 'Black Swan' Case With The U.s. Court Of Appeals
Tampa, Florida - May 11, 2010 21:34 EST
Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. (NasdaqCM: OMEX) has filed its Appellate Brief in the "Black Swan" case with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. In the brief, Odyssey demonstrates that the district court erroneously dismissed the case by...

Great White Shark Released By Monterey Aquarium Dies Off Baja Coast; 'Not All Of Them Survive'
Monterey, California - May 11, 2010 21:27 EST
The young great white shark that was returned to the wild by the Monterey Bay Aquarium last November died after she was caught in a fishing net off Baja California. She is the only one of the five white sharks...

Research: Chemicals From Seaweed Can Kill Coral On Contact; 'This Is A Growing Problem'
Atlanta, Georgia - May 10, 2010 21:05 EST
Field studies have shown for the first time that several common species of seaweeds in both the Pacific and Caribbean Oceans can kill corals upon contact using chemical means. While competition between seaweed and coral is just one of many...

Epidemic This Year? Check The Lake'S Shape; 'Physics Gets The Epidemic Going'
Bloomington, Illionois - May 8, 2010 18:36 EST
Of all the things that might control the onset of plankton disease epidemics in Michigan lakes, the shape of the lakes' bottoms might seem unlikely. But that's indeed the case, according to a paper published in the May issue of...

Lake-Bed Trails Tell Ancient Fish Story; 'The One That Got Away 50 Million Years Ago'
Atlanta, Georgia - May 6, 2010 15:16 EST
The wavy lines and squiggles etched into a slab of limestone found near Fossil Butte National Monument are prehistoric fish trails, made by Notogoneus osculus as it fed along a lake bottom, says Emory University paleontologist Anthony Martin. "This is a...

Five Teams Heading To Finale Of 'Next Generation' Shark Tournament; 'We're Making History Here'
Sarasota, Florida - May 5, 2010 21:55 EST
Five teams won the right this weekend to compete in the final round of the Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge - an innovative shark tournament uniting sport fishing, science, business and humane interests as never before. The Challenge is a...

NASA Announces Next Undersea Exploration Mission Dates And Crew
Washington, D.C. - May 4, 2010 22:35 EST
NASA will send two astronauts, a veteran undersea engineer and an experienced scientist into the ocean depths off Florida's east coast this month to test exploration concepts and learn more about working in an unforgiving, treacherous environment. The 14th expedition...

Scientists Investigate Ocean Floor Minerals On Deep-Sea Volcanoes; 'We Are Providing Robust Science'
Auckland, New Zealand - May 4, 2010 22:29 EST
NIWA's research vessel Tangaroa will set sail next week to explore the minerals potential of deep-sea volcanoes of the Kermadec Arc, 200 km north-east of Auckland. On this trip, the mineral wealth of the Kermadec Arc will be probed and scanned...

Synchronized Swimming For Submarines: Engineers Study Schooling Fish To Improve Motion Coordination In Unmanned Vehicle Teams
College Park, Maryland - May 4, 2010 21:58 EST
Nature shows and Caribbean vacation commercials often depict a school of fish moving as a single entity to avoid obstacles and elude prey. Engineers hope to give unmanned mini-submarines, mini-helicopters and other autonomous vehicles the same coordinated movement. Derek Paley, assistant...

Researchers Investigate Shark'S Fishy Sense Of Smell; Flow Tank Used To Model Hammerhead'S Nasal Cavity
Bath, U.K. - May 4, 2010 21:42 EST
As every Jaws fan knows, sharks can smell a drop of blood from up to a kilometer away, but how are their noses so sensitive? Research led by the University of Bath is using the latest technology to find out how...

New Study Sheds Light On Corals' Susceptibility To Temperature Change; Inability To 'Shuffle Their Symbionts'
Newark, Deleware - May 4, 2010 20:53 EST
An international team of marine biologists has found that existing diversity in some coral populations may significantly influence their response to extreme temperature disturbances — such as those predicted from climate warming. The team demonstrated that natural selection acting on...

Scientists Alter Developing Fish Brain To Resemble That Of Another Species; 'Late Equals Large'?
Atlanta, Georgia - May 3, 2010 21:40 EST
Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have found that by applying chemicals to manipulate genes in a developing embryo, they've been able to change the brain of one type of cichlid fish to resemble that of another. The...

NOAA: Fishing Closed In Oil-Affected Portion Of Gulf Of Mexico; 'We Stand With America's Fisherman'
Reston, Virginia - May 2, 2010 17:20 EST
NOAA is restricting fishing for a minimum of ten days in federal waters most affected by the BP oil spill, largely between Louisiana state waters at the mouth of the Mississippi River to waters off Florida's Pensacola Bay (map attached)....

Nasa Satellite Imagery Keeping Eye On The Oil Spill In The Gulf Of Mexico; 'Spill Of National Significance'
Greenbelt, Maryland - Apr 30, 2010 20:50 EST
NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites are helping the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) keep tabs on the extent of the recent Gulf oil spill with satellite images from time to time. NOAA is the lead agency on oil spills...

Scientists Identify Seamounts As Significant, Unexplored Territory; 'Most People Will Never See A Seamount'
Reston, Virginia - Apr 30, 2010 20:43 EST
Scientists from NOAA and Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi were astounded to find that seamounts, mountains that rise from the seafloor, rank as some of the most common ocean habitats in the world. Their findings are published in a new study...

Bad Weather Throws Wrinkle Into Plans Underwater Ironing Record Bid; 'Diver Safety Is Paramount'
Kew West, Florida - Apr 30, 2010 20:22 EST
A National Weather Service forecast for strong winds and rough seas has forced organizers of the Key Largo's Extreme Underwater Ironing event to change the date for their wacky activity. The event was originally scheduled for Saturday, May 1, but now...

Study: Increased Enforcement Is Cheapest Way To Save Southeast Asia's Coral Reefs From Blast Fishing
Washington, D.C. - Apr 29, 2010 12:06 EST
A new study analyzing the destruction of Southeast Asia's coral reefs by blast fishing finds that an ounce of prevention is indeed better than a pound of cure. The authors of the study in the journal Conservation Letters find that...

Study: Melting Sea Ice A Major Cause Of Warming In Arctic; 'Like A Shiny Lid On The Arctic Ocean'
Melbourne, Australia - Apr 28, 2010 21:44 EST
Melting sea ice has been shown to be a major cause of warming in the Arctic according to a University of Melbourne, Australia study. Findings published in Nature today reveal the rapid melting of sea ice has dramatically increased the...

Researchers: Asteroid Ice May Be 'Living Fossil' With Clues To Oceans' Origins
Orlando, Florida - Apr 28, 2010 21:29 EST
The first-ever discovery of ice and organic molecules on an asteroid may hold clues to the origins of Earth's oceans and life 4 billion years ago. University of Central Florida researchers detected a thin layer of water ice and organic...

Eyeing Iceland: Scientists To Measure Impact Of Volcanic Ash On Ocean Biology
Southampton, U.K. - Apr 27, 2010 20:47 EST
A team led by scientists from the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, have today set sail from Govan in Scotland towards the region of the North Atlantic Ocean affected by ash from the Icelandic volcano eruption to investigate potential impacts...

Scientists: Massive Southern Ocean Current Discovered; 'Carries Dense, Oxygen-Rich Water'
Victoria, Australia - Apr 26, 2010 22:19 EST
In a paper published today in Nature Geoscience, the researchers described the current –more than three kilometers below the Ocean's surface – as an important pathway in a global network of ocean currents that influence climate patterns. "The current carries dense,...

Scientists: Ancient Asphalt Domes Found Off California Coast; 'What Oil Looks Like After… 35,000 Years'
Woods Hole, Massachusetts - Apr 25, 2010 17:16 EST
They paved paradise and, it turns out, actually did put up a parking lot. A big one. Some 700 feet deep in the waters off California's jewel of a coastal resort, Santa Barbara, sits a group of football-field-sized asphalt domes...

Noaa Celebrates Stimulus Projects On Earth Day; 'Investing In Nature Through Restoration Pays High Dividends'
Arlington, Virginia - Apr 24, 2010 18:10 EST
As part of Earth Day, The Nature Conservancy welcomes visitors from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to three of its projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. Last year, The Nature Conservancy was selected by...

Website Launched To Rebut 'Fish Stories' On Misguided 'Mercury Facts'
Williamsburg, Virginia - Apr 23, 2010 19:17 EST
At the "International Mercury Expo 2010" this weekend at the College of William and Mary, a mercury watchdog group is launching a new website to counter misinformation on 'mercury facts' spread by industry and groups claiming to represent consumers –...

Scientists Report Several Different Species Of Killer Whales Likely: Mammal-Eating Vs. Fish And Seal-Eating
Reston, Virginia - Apr 22, 2010 15:14 EST
In a report published today in the journal Genome Research, scientists report finding strong genetic evidence supporting the theory there are several species of killer whales (Orcinus orca, also known as orcas) throughout the world's oceans. Scientists have suspected for some...

Catch, Release, Conserve: The Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge A New Model For Sport Fishing Of Vulnerable Predators
North Port, Florida - Apr 21, 2010 21:48 EST
Sport fishing, science, business and humane interests are coming together for the first time in support of a new kind of catch-and-release fishing tournament for sharks that demonstrates that a fishing competition really can support shark protection while providing the...

Ironing To Sink To New Depths At Florida Keys Guinness Record Bid; 'Not A Complete Waste Of Time'
Key Largo, Florida - Apr 21, 2010 21:40 EST
While many people only iron clothes under protest, on Saturday, May 1, a group of divers in the Florida Keys plan to attempt it under the sea. Organizers of Key Largo's Extreme Underwater Ironing event anticipate more than 100 divers are...

Carbon, Nitrogen Link May Provide New Ways To Mitigate Pollution Problems; 'Same Correlation... Wherever We Looked'
Boulder, Colorado - Apr 21, 2010 21:20 EST
A new study exploring the growing worldwide problem of nitrogen pollution from soils to the sea shows that global ratios of nitrogen and carbon in the environment are inexorably linked, a finding that may lead to new strategies to help...

Biologists: Celebrity Manatee 'Ilya' Survived Florida’s Harsh Freeze; 'We Think He Spent The Winter In Southeast Florida'
Reston, Virginia - Apr 20, 2010 21:41 EST
Ilya, an adventurous manatee that wandered as far north as Cape Cod last summer, has recently been sighted at several locations around Miami's Biscayne Bay, confirmed U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) biologists. After a winter of harsh conditions that led to hundreds...

First As Oregon Man Sentenced For 'In Stream Work', Habitat Alteration; 'Coho Salmon Are A Gift'
Portland, Oregon - Apr 20, 2010 21:10 EST
U. S. Attorney Dwight C. Holton today announced the conviction of Gary R. West Jr. for unlawfully discharging fill material into a stream, in violation of the Clean Water Act, and illegally taking threatened coho salmon, in violation of the...

Researchers: Lionfish Invasion Continuing To Expand; 'Native Fish Literally Don't Know What Hit Them'
Exuma, The Bahamas - Apr 19, 2010 20:42 EST
Their numbers continue to expand. They are spreading throughout the Caribbean Sea. Eradication appears almost impossible. Even limited amounts of control will be extremely difficult, and right now the best available plan is to capture and eat them. Such is the...

Scientists: 'Black Box' Opened, Plankton Found To Have Huge Role In Ocean Carbon Fixation
Southampton, U.K. - Apr 16, 2010 19:06 EST
Carbon fixation by phytoplankton in the open ocean plays a key role in the global carbon cycle but is not fully understood. Until now researchers believed that cyanobacteria overwhelmingly accounted for phytoplankton's role in carbon fixation in the open ocean....

Florida Lab To Release Turtle After A Year Of Rehabilitation; 'We Like To Give Them A Little Base Tan Before They Go Back To Sea'
Sarasota, Florida - Apr 15, 2010 13:41 EST
A green sea turtle will be released Friday from Lido Beach after nearly a year of care in Mote's Sea Turtle Hospital, which remains over-full due to a recent surge in turtle strandings. The 21-pound juvenile green sea turtle (Chelonia...

Moray Eel Evolution Baffles Scientists; 'Species Don’t Do That'
St. Louis, Missouri - Apr 13, 2010 22:13 EST
Joshua Reece became interested in moray eels in 2005 when he was applying to the PhD program at the University of Hawai'i. Instead of taking him on a campus tour, his host, Brian Bowen, PhD, a biologist at the university,...

DNA Analysis Suggests Whale Meat From Sushi Restaurants Originated From Japan; 'No Other Known Source Of Sei Whales'
Corvallis, Oregon - Apr 13, 2010 21:25 EST
An international team of Oregon State University scientists, documentary filmmakers and environmental advocates has uncovered an apparent illegal trade in whalemeat, linking whales killed in Japan's controversial scientific whaling program to sushi restaurants in Seoul, South Korea, and Los Angeles,...