Landlocked North Dakota Oceanographer Is No 'Fish Out Of Water'
Grand Forks, North Dakota - Jan 17, 2012 20:28 EST
Can an oceanographer in the middle of the North American continent find happiness studying a flooding freshwater lake in landlocked North Dakota? According to Xiaodong Zhang, an associate professor in earth systems science and policy at the University of North Dakota,...

Researcher: 8 Unprovoked Shark Attacks Along U.S. Pacific Coast In 2011; Attacks Trending Up
Los Angeles, California - Jan 16, 2012 21:47 EST
Shark attacks are still trending up for the U.S. Pacific Coast according to new statistics released today by the Los Angeles-based Shark Research Committee. According to Ralph Collier, who heads research for the Shark Research Committee, the average number of...

Research: Fish Offspring Grow Best At Same Temperature As Parents; Differences 'significant'
Stony Brook, New York - Jan 12, 2012 17:30 EST
Fish parents can pre-condition their offspring to grow fastest at the temperature they experienced, according to research published in the February 2012 edition of Ecology Letters. This pre-conditioning, known as transgenerational plasticity (TGP), occurs whenever environmental cues experienced by either...

Researchers Propose Putting A Price On Whales; Tradable Catch Quota Brings 'A Market Approach'
Santa Barbara, California - Jan 11, 2012 23:01 EST
Every year, a group of anti-whaling nonprofit organizations that includes Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd, and the World Wildlife Fund spend, by conservative estimates, some $25 million on a variety of activities intended to end commercial whaling. And every year, commercial whaling not...

Scientists: Topography Played Key Role In Deepwater Horizon Disaster; 'Why Not Mandate A Model?'
Santa Barbara, California - Jan 9, 2012 20:55 EST
When UC Santa Barbara geochemist David Valentine and colleagues published a study in early 2011 documenting how bacteria blooms had consumed almost all of the deepwater methane plumes following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, some people were skeptical....

'First' As Scientists Use Satellite Data To Aid Fishermen In Butterfish Conundrum
Newark, Deleware - Jan 6, 2012 20:19 EST
Butterfish may sound delicious, but local fishermen would rather keep them out of their nets. The small, silvery fish are protected by fishing limits yet frequently surface in tows when fishermen are trawling for squid. Too much of this unintended...

Scientists Find 'Opportunistic' Fish That Mimics Octopus That Mimics Fish
San Francisco, California - Jan 4, 2012 19:25 EST
Nature's game of intimidation and imitation comes full circle in the waters of Indonesia, where scientists have recorded for the first time an association between the black-marble jawfish (Stalix cf. histrio) and the mimic octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus). Undescribed by scientists until...

Russian River Water Unexpected Culprit Behind Arctic Freshening Near US, Canada
Seattle, Washington - Jan 4, 2012 18:52 EST
A hemispherewide phenomenon – and not just regional forces – has caused record-breaking amounts of freshwater to accumulate in the Arctic's Beaufort Sea. Frigid freshwater flowing into the Arctic Ocean from three of Russia's mighty rivers was diverted hundreds of miles...

Florida: Annual Manatee Death Count Shows Cold Weather An Unusually Big Factor Again
Tallahassee, Florida - Jan 4, 2012 11:01 EST
A cold-related die-off of manatees in early 2011 set the stage for a third straight year with high numbers of deaths for the species. Biologists with the research arm of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) documented 453...

Divers Can Explore Marathon Artificial Reef Made From Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad Bridge Section
Marathon, Florida Keys - Jan 3, 2012 11:15 EST
Advanced divers seeking to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad’s completion can do so by exploring an artificial reef derived from part of the original railroad bridge sunk off Marathon. Henry Flagler’s Over-Sea Railroad, lauded on its...

Underwatertimes.com Top Ten Wildest, Weirdest And Strangest Underwater Stories Of 2011
Miami, Florida - Dec 31, 2011 15:05 EST
Underwatertimes.com ends 2011 with this year's top 10 wildest, weirdest, and strangest stories from the underwater world. Be sure to check out the Underweird section for many more strange underwater stories. Tiny Water Insect With 'Singing Penis' Is The Loudest...

U.S. Agencies Coordinate Efforts As Japan Tsunami Debris Scatters In The Pacific Ocean, Heads To Shore
Silver Spring, Marland - Dec 28, 2011 18:34 EST
Debris from the tsunami that devastated Japan in March could reach the United States as early as this winter, according to predictions by NOAA scientists. However, they warn there is still a large amount of uncertainty over exactly what is...

Florida Tiger And Hammerhead Shark Fishing Restrictions Begin January 1, 2012
Tallahassee, Florida - Dec 28, 2011 18:25 EST
The recreational and commercial harvest of tiger sharks and smooth, scalloped and great hammerhead sharks will be prohibited in Florida state waters beginning Jan. 1. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved the management change at its Nov. 16...

Study: Oil Spills And Sunlight More Toxic To Marine Life Than Previously Thought; 'A Change In The Paradigm'
Davis, California - Dec 27, 2011 20:28 EST
The 2007 Cosco Busan disaster, which spilled 54,000 gallons of oil into the San Francisco Bay, had an unexpectedly lethal impact on embryonic fish, devastating a commercially and ecologically important species for nearly two years, reports a new study by...

Study Examines Sea Cucumbers Role In Reef Environment; 'Increase Sea Water Buffer Capacity'
Washington, D.C. - Dec 22, 2011 19:11 EST
Coral reefs are extremely diverse ecosystems that support enormous biodiversity. But they are at risk. Carbon dioxide emissions are acidifying the ocean, threatening reefs and other marine organisms. New research led by Carnegie's Kenneth Schneider analyzed the role of sea...

New Research Shows How Much Food Is Needed By Seabirds; 'This Paper Will Be An Instant Classic'
Anchorage, Alaska - Dec 22, 2011 18:40 EST
An international group of scientists, including one from the U.S. Geological Survey, has shown that many seabirds begin to suffer when the food available for them in the ocean declines below a critical level. This level is about one-third of...

Study Examines How Diving Marine Mammals Manage Decompression; 'No Evidence They Get The Bends Routinely'
Woods Hole, Massachusetts - Dec 21, 2011 18:48 EST
Any diver returning from ocean depths knows about the hazard of decompression sickness (DCS) or "the bends." As the diver ascends and the ocean pressure decreases, gases that were absorbed by the body during the dive, come out of solution...

Despite 'Irrefutable Evidence', Costa Rica Dismisses Cases Against Illegal Shrimp Trawlers In National Wildlife Refuges; 'Reasonable Doubts'
San Jose, Costa Rica - Dec 20, 2011 19:37 EST
In an official Incopesca notification PESJ-739-12-2011 received by Pretoma on December 14, the fisheries institute made public its decision to drop two cases of illegal fishing involving two shrimp trawlers within the Caletas-Ario National Wildlife Refuge's protected waters where...

Nominations Open For The 2012 Dan/Rolex Diver Of The Year Award
Durham, North Carolina - Dec 19, 2011 22:31 EST
Everyone has the ability to make a difference every day, but there are those who go so far above and beyond the call their contributions have far-reaching effects and influence the ways things are done. Do you know someone like...

Study: Fish Hatcheries Super-Charge The Speed Of Evolution; Unintentional 'Domestication Selection'
Corvallis, Oregon - Dec 19, 2011 21:49 EST
The impact of hatcheries on salmonids is so profound that in just one generation traits are selected that allow fish to survive and prosper in the hatchery environment, at the cost of their ability to thrive and reproduce in a...

Florida Reefs Suffer Significant Coral Bleaching In 2011, Worst In 6 Years Of Studies
Altamonte Springs, Florida - Dec 18, 2011 18:18 EST
The summer of 2011 saw almost the entire Florida Reef Tract, from the Lower Keys to Martin County, suffer coral bleaching, the most extensive coral bleaching event since detailed monitoring began in 2005. The results were tabulated by The Nature...

Barracuda Babies: Novel Study Sheds Light On Early Life Of Prolific Predator
Miami, Florida - Dec 16, 2011 19:18 EST
For anglers and boaters who regularly travel the coasts of Florida the great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) is a common sight. Surprisingly, however, very little is known about the early life stage of this ecologically and socio-economically important coastal fish. In...

Scientists Assess Radioactivity In The Ocean From Japan Nuclear Power Facility
Arlington, Virginia - Dec 15, 2011 18:56 EST
With current news of additional radioactive leaks from the Fukushima nuclear power plants, the impact on the ocean of releases of radioactivity from the plants remains unclear. But a new study by U.S. and Japanese researchers analyzes the levels of...

Study Of Skates And Sharks Questions Assumptions About 'Essential' Genes
Salisbury Cove, Maine - Dec 15, 2011 18:37 EST
Biologists have long assumed that all jawed vertebrates possess a full complement of nearly identical genes for critical aspects of their development. But a paper in the December 16 issue of Science with Benjamin King of the Mount Desert Island...

Blue Marlin Blues: Loss Of Dissolved Oxygen In Oceans Squeezes Billfish Habitat
Miami, Florida - Dec 14, 2011 19:51 EST
he science behind counting fish in the ocean to measure their abundance has never been simple. A new scientific paper in Nature Climate Change shows that expanding 'ocean dead zones' (areas of low oxygen) driven in part by climate change...

Study Links Earthquakes To Tropical Cyclone Activity; 'Very Wet Rain Events Are The Trigger'
Miami, Florida - Dec 14, 2011 19:29 EST
A groundbreaking study led by University of Miami scientist Shimon Wdowinski shows that earthquakes, including the recent 2010 temblors in Haiti and Taiwan, may be triggered by tropical cyclones (hurricanes and typhoons). "Very wet rain events are the trigger," said Wdowinski,...

Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition Winners Announced; $82,000 Worth Of Prizes Awarded
Santa Monica, California - Dec 14, 2011 18:34 EST
The Second Annual Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition, organized by the Underwater Photography Guide, has announced its winners for 2011. This year's Ocean Art Photo Competition represents entrants from over fifty countries. Over $82,000 worth of prizes were awarded to 52...

Lions And Tigers: Too Much For The Gulf Of Mexico To Bear? Like 'Europeans Bringing Smallpox To The New World'
College Station, Texas - Dec 14, 2011 12:49 EST
There's an unseen foreign invasion going on in the Gulf of Mexico. Its stealth and speed is matched only in the uncertainty it has created among scientists and the people who make their livings from the Gulf's waters. Lionfish and black...

Oceana Sues To Protect Prey Of Whales, Dolphins And Seals; Government Ignores Science And Illegally Allows Overfishing Of Key Species
San Francisco, California - Dec 13, 2011 19:43 EST
Today Oceana, the largest international advocacy group working solely to protect the world's oceans, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Northern California challenging the National Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS) approval of Amendment 13 to the Coastal Pelagic...

The Origin Of Walking: 'Hopping' Lungfish Suggest Fish First Took Steps Underwater
Chicago, Illinois - Dec 12, 2011 18:58 EST
The eel-like body and scrawny "limbs" of the African lungfish would appear to make it an unlikely innovator for locomotion. But its improbable walking behavior, newly described by University of Chicago scientists, redraws the evolutionary route of life on Earth...

Research Divers Retrieve Prehistoric Wood From Lake Huron; 'Slowly, The Environmental Picture Is Filling In'
Ann Arbor, Michigan - Dec 12, 2011 18:28 EST
Under the cold clear waters of Lake Huron, University of Michigan researchers have found a five-and-a-half foot-long, pole-shaped piece of wood that is 8,900 years old. The wood, which is tapered and beveled on one side in a way that...

New Study Illustrates The Physics Behind Great White Shark Attacks On Seals; 'Stealth And Ambush Are Key Elements'
Maimi, Florida - Dec 9, 2011 20:40 EST
A new study examining the complex and dynamic interactions between white sharks and Cape fur seals in False Bay, South Africa, offers new insights on the physical conditions and biological factors underlying predator-prey interactions in the marine environment. University of Miami...

Elephant Seal Travels 'Awe-Inspiring' 18,000 Miles In 11 Months
New York, New York - Dec 9, 2011 19:18 EST
The Wildlife Conservation Society tracked a southern elephant seal for an astonishing 18,000 miles – the equivalent of New York to Sydney and back again. WCS tracked the male seal from December, 2010, to November, 2011. The animal – nicknamed Jackson...

Sierra Club Launches 'Safe Sushi' App To Query Mercury Levels
San Francisco, California - Dec 8, 2011 22:03 EST
Successfully eating with chopsticks will once again be the most nerve-racking part of eating sushi, thanks to a new app that informs and educates consumers about mercury levels in fish. The Sierra Club, the largest and most effective grassroots...

New Study Puts Eco-Labels To The Test; Environmental Standards For Farm-Raised Seafood Often Fall Short
Washington, D.C. - Dec 8, 2011 20:59 EST
A new report released today by the University of Victoria ranks eco-labels intended to distinguish seafood produced with less damage to the environment. It is the first study to evaluate how eco-labels for farmed marine fish compare to unlabeled options...

Sylvia Earle 'Delighted' To Join Board Of Advisors Of Ocean-Themed Web Media Property Theblu.com
Los Angeles, California - Dec 7, 2011 19:45 EST
Wemo Media today announced that legendary oceanographer Dr.Sylvia Earle has joined the Board of Advisors for its first Maker Media title, theBlu (www.theblu.com), bringing the Ocean to life on the web. "We are honored to have Sylvia on the Board...

Scientists: 'Double Tsunami' Doubled Japanese Destruction; 'It Was Like Looking For A Ghost'
San Francisco, California - Dec 6, 2011 09:55 EST
Researchers have discovered that the destructive tsunami generated by the March 2011 Tōhoku-Oki earthquake was a long-hypothesized "merging tsunami" that doubled in intensity over rugged ocean ridges, amplifying its destructive power before reaching shore. Satellites captured not just one wave front...

Study: Marine Predators Disappearing At An Alarming Rate; 'Prey For Human Beings, Assisted By Some Serious Technology'
Vancouver, BC - Dec 5, 2011 19:45 EST
Iconic marine predators such as sharks, tunas, swordfish, and marlins are becoming increasingly rare under current fishing trends, say University of British Columbia researchers. In half of the North Atlantic and North Pacific waters under national jurisdiction, fishing has led to...

Scientists Describe New Species Of Crab That 'Farms' Methane Vents
Corvallis, Oregon - Dec 3, 2011 19:30 EST
A species of crab found a thousand feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean near Costa Rica lives off the bacteria on its claws – bacteria that it fertilizes by waving them in methane and sulfide released from the...

Name And Shame: Costa Rican Pirate Fishermen Who Illegally Enter Cocos Islands Identified; 'The Authorities Are So Lax'
San Jose, Costa Rica - Nov 29, 2011 18:30 EST
Costa Rican authorities have published a list of illegal pirate fishermen who have been operating within the Cocos Island marine protected area. The shameful first place prize for illegal entrance goes to "Albatros" with 23 illegal entries, followed by...