Florida's Vandenberg Artificial Reef Wins Conservation Award; 'Attracts Tourists From Around The World'
Key West, Florida - Nov 11, 2011 17:35 EST
The Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg, an artificial reef located in the Florida Keys, was lauded with a Society of American Travel Writers' Phoenix Award. The honor was announced at the organization's annual convention being staged now in New Zealand. Created in...

Violent Passions -- Jealous Cleaner Shrimp Murder Their Rivals Until A Pair Remains
Tübingen, Germany - Nov 10, 2011 20:56 EST
The hermaphroditic cleaner shrimp Lysmata amboinensis usually live in monogamous pairs, but dark passions underlie their social structure. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Frontiers in Zoology shows that cleaner shrimp, in any group larger than two,...

Research: 'Fishy Lawnmowers' Help Save Pacific Corals; Parrotfish And Surgeonfish Key To New Reef Growth
Santa Barbara, California - Nov 10, 2011 20:08 EST
Can fish save coral reefs from dying? UC Santa Barbara researchers have found one case where fish have helped coral reefs to recover from cyclones and predators. Coral reefs worldwide are increasingly disturbed by environmental events that are causing their decline,...

For Deep-Sea Cephalopods, 'Switchable' Camouflage Saves The Day; 'Seeing Others Without Being Seen Yourself'
Cambridge, Massachusetts - Nov 10, 2011 19:06 EST
For animals living in the deep sea, it seems that there is no such thing as all-occasion camouflage. Under diffuse light conditions, it's generally best to be transparent. But in the deeper ocean, where predators are equipped with special organs...

UN Report: Aquaculture Has Potential To Cut Poverty, Combat Food Insecurity; 'The Greatest Potential To Produce More Fish'
New York, New YOrk - Nov 10, 2011 18:34 EST
More than 50 per cent of the world's food fish will come from aquaculture, making it a crucial method to reduce poverty and combat food insecurity, said a new United Nations report released, while calling for governments to step up...

Florida Divers Capture 312 Invasive Lionfish During Lower Keys Derby
Stock Island, Florida Keys - Nov 7, 2011 18:32 EST
More than 50 divers collected 312 Indo-Pacific red lionfish Nov. 5 during the final 2011 diver derby to reduce the population of the invasive species in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The Lower Keys Lionfish Derby attracted 14 teams that...

Researchers: Coral Population Stable And Sea Urchins Are On The Rise In Florida Keys
Wilmington, North Carolina - Nov 3, 2011 21:08 EST
Over the past decade, the populations of staghorn and elkhorn corals in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary have remained steady after dramatic declines in the last century. Long-term monitoring conducted by researchers from the University of North Carolina Wilmington...

Study: Arabian Sea Tropical Cyclones Are Intensified By Air Pollution; 'There Has Been A Real Uptick'
Charlottesville, Virginia - Nov 2, 2011 21:28 EST
A recent increase in the intensity of tropical cyclones in the Arabian Sea may be a side effect of increasing air pollution over the Indian sub-continent, a new multi-institutional study has found. Traditionally, prevailing wind-shear patterns prevent cyclones in the Arabian...

RIP: Monterey Bay Aquarium Great White Shark Dies Minutes After Being Returned to Ocean; Staff 'Surprised And Saddened', 'Distressed and Puzzled'
Monterey, California - Nov 2, 2011 20:16 EST
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is deeply saddened to announce the death of the young great white shark released nine days ago off the coast of southern California. "This is a very difficult day for all of us, and for everyone who...

Hey, Bacteria, Get Off Of My Boat! Scientists Eye Stimuli-Responsive Surfaces To Combat Biofouling
Nashville, Tennessee - Nov 1, 2011 19:18 EST
Submerge it and they will come. Opportunistic seaweed, barnacles, and bacterial films can quickly befoul almost any underwater surface, but researchers are now using advances in nanotechnology and materials science to design environmentally friendly underwater coatings that repel these biological...

Bonnier's Scuba Diving Honors Shark Conservationist Shawn Heinrichs With Sea Hero Of Year Award
Winter Park, Florida - Nov 1, 2011 19:10 EST
Bonnier's Scuba Diving magazine has awarded its top honor of the year to Shawn Heinrichs, a shark conservationist who for years has been dedicated to the fight against shark finning. Scuba Diving, along with title sponsor Oris Watches, will present...

Researchers: Human Noise May Be Hindering Dolphin Echolocation
College Park, Maryland - Oct 31, 2011 19:21 EST
On land, the sound of jackhammers or passing semis might make it difficult for humans to hear, but not much is known about how anthropogenic noises in the ocean – from ship's sonar, pier pile drivers, or oil well operations,...

Professor Trains Goldfish To Recognize Objects; 'A Researcher's Dream Project'
Rochester, New York - Oct 28, 2011 17:42 EST
The fictitious storybook character Dr. Doolittle was known for talking with animals. Caroline DeLong, an assistant professor of psychology at Rochester Institute of Technology, is a real-life Doolittle whose research focuses on object discrimination in goldfish and echolocation in dolphins to...

NOAA: Bacterial Infection As Cause Of Death For Five Northern Gulf Of Mexico Dolphins; Investigation Continues
Silver Spring, Maryland - Oct 27, 2011 17:20 EST
Pathology experts contracted by NOAA have identified the bacteria Brucella in five bottlenose dolphins that died in the northern Gulf of Mexico. These five are among the 580 dolphins in higher than expected strandings that began in February 2010 and...

Illegal Trade In Whale Meat From Iceland's International Airport Exposed; 'A Mockery Of International Law'
Washington, D.C. - Oct 26, 2011 22:30 EST
Defying a worldwide ban on trade in whale products, Iceland is openly selling whale meat packaged for export in the departure area at Keflavik airport to travelers who, if they make the purchase, risk stiff penalties on arrival at their...

U.S. Virgin Islands Company Receives Record Fine For Illegal Trade Of Black Coral; 'Sends A Clear Message'
Washington, D.C. - Oct 26, 2011 15:44 EST
A U.S. Virgin Islands company was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., for knowingly trading in falsely-labeled, protected black coral that was shipped into the United States in violation of the Endangered Species Act and the Lacey...

PETA Sues SeaWorld For Violating Orcas' Constitutional Rights; 'Slavery Is Slavery'
Norfolk, Virginia - Oct 25, 2011 19:33 EST
In the first case of its kind, PETA, three marine-mammal experts, and two former orca trainers are filing a lawsuit asking a federal court to declare that five wild-caught orcas forced to perform at SeaWorld are being held as...

NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco Comments On Northeast Fishery Economics Report; Fishermen 'Generally Doing Marginally Better'
Silver Spring, Maryland - Oct 25, 2011 17:57 EST
The following is a statement released today from NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco on release of socioeconomic data on the New England groundfish industry: Today, NOAA Fisheries issued the latest in a series of broad-scale economic reports, examining the economic health...

Born Free: Monterey Aquarium Releases Great White Shark After 55 Days; Shark 'Navigating' Changes Cited
Monterey, California - Oct 25, 2011 17:36 EST
The sixth great white shark ever exhibited at the Monterey Bay Aquarium has been released back into the Pacific Ocean. The young male shark brought to Monterey on August 31 is being transported to ocean waters south of Point...

Scientists: Home Washing Machines Source Of Potentially Harmful Ocean 'Microplastic' Pollution
Washington, D.C. - Oct 21, 2011 20:04 EST
Scientists are reporting that household washing machines seem to be a major source of so-called "microplastic" pollution — bits of polyester and acrylic smaller than the head of a pin — that they now have detected on ocean shorelines worldwide....

Researchers Identify Mysterious Life Forms In The Extreme Deep Sea; 'Fascinating Giants'
San Diego, California - Oct 21, 2011 19:36 EST
A summer research expedition organized by scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego has led to the identification of gigantic amoebas at one of the deepest locations on Earth. During a July 2011 voyage to the Pacific Ocean's...

Pressure: NOAA Releases Status On Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Marine Resources
Silver Spring, Maryland - Oct 21, 2011 19:26 EST
NOAA scientists have found that pressure from increasing coastal populations, ship and boat groundings, marine debris, poaching, and climate change are critically threatening the health of the Florida Keys ecosystem. Many historically abundant marine resources such as green sea turtles...

NOAA: U.S. Residents Say Hawaii's Coral Reef Ecosystems Worth $33.57 Billion Per Year
Silver Spring, Maryland - Oct 21, 2011 19:21 EST
A peer-reviewed study commissioned by NOAA shows the American people assign an estimated total economic value of $33.57 billion for the coral reefs of the main Hawaiian Islands. "The study shows that people from across the United States treasure Hawaii's...

NOAA's Sanctuary Research Vessel To Assist In Recovery Of Cannon From Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge
Silver Spring, Maryland - Oct 20, 2011 20:55 EST
NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries will help the State of North Carolina recover a large cannon from the Queen Anne's Revenge, the sunken flagship of the notorious pirate captain Blackbeard. The RV-8501, an 85-foot, NOAA research vessel will be...

Fiery Underwater Volcano Offers Geologic Glimpse Into Land That Time Forgot; Scientists Eye Eruption In Real Time
Seattle, Washington - Oct 20, 2011 20:52 EST
The first scientists to witness exploding rock and molten lava from a deep sea volcano, seen during a 2009 expedition, report that the eruption was near a tear in the Earth's crust that is mimicking the birth of a subduction...

Stranded Dolphins Exhibit Bubbles, And Ability To Recover; Marine Mammals Not Immune From The 'Bends'
Arlington, Virginia - Oct 19, 2011 18:12 EST
Scientists know that the blood and tissues of some deceased beaked whales stranded near naval sonar exercises are riddled with bubbles. It is also well know that human divers can suffer from bubbles-induced decompression sickness, also known as the bends....

A Flash Of Light: Potential Mechanism For Dazzling Bioluminescence In Oceans Identified
Arlington, Virginia - Oct 19, 2011 17:57 EST
It has long been known that distinctive blue flashes--a type of bioluminescence--that are visible at night in some marine environments are caused by tiny, unicellular plankton known as dinoflagellates. However, a new study has, for the first time, detailed the...

NOAA: New, Higher Estimates Of Endangered Humpback Whales In The North Pacific; 'Encouraging'
Silver Spring, Maryland - Oct 18, 2011 21:57 EST
Scientists have increased the estimate on the number of humpback whales in the North Pacific Ocean in a paper published in the journal Marine Mammal Science. The increase follows a refined statistical analysis of data compiled in 2008 from the...

Illegal Fishing Threatens To Drive Eastern Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Extinct; Trade Ban Urged 'Until Populations Rebuild'
Washington, D.C., - Oct 18, 2011 19:27 EST
An analysis of eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna trade data released today shows that harvests of the imperiled tuna are more than double the legal amount. This calls into question the National Marine Fisheries Service's June decision, responding to a Center...

Chemical Warfare On The Reef: Study Identifies Molecules Used By Certain Species Of Seaweed To Harm Corals
Atlanta, Georgia - Oct 17, 2011 19:20 EST
Scientists for the first time have identified and mapped the chemical structure of molecules used by certain species of marine seaweed to kill or inhibit the growth of reef-building coral. Chemicals found on the surfaces of several species of seaweed...

United States Regrets Japan's Renewed Whaling In The Southern Ocean And Is Concerned About Threats Of Violence
Silver Spring, Maryland - Oct 15, 2011 17:43 EST
The United States deeply regrets that Japan has decided to continue its controversial whaling in the Southern Ocean. The United States also expresses its deep concern about the possibility of violence in connection with such whaling. "We are very concerned...

Russian Ship Finds Tsunami Debris Where Scientists Predicted; 'Radioactivity Level – Normal'
Mānoa, Hawaii - Oct 14, 2011 19:17 EST
Ever since the great Japan tsunami on March 11 washed millions of tons of debris into the Pacific, scientists at the International Pacific Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, have been trying to track the trajectory of this debris...

Bacterial Communication Could Affect Earth's Climate; 'We Don't Often Think About Bacteria Making Group Decisions'
Woods Hole, Massachusetts - Oct 14, 2011 19:11 EST
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) scientists have discovered that bacterial communication could have a significant impact on the planet's climate. In the ocean, bacteria coalesce on tiny particles of carbon-rich detritus sinking through the depths. WHOI marine biogeochemists Laura Hmelo, Benjamin...

'Shark Girl' And Guy Harvey Painting Collaboration Raises $7500
Coral Gables, Florida - Oct 14, 2011 18:39 EST
Already raising nearly $4,000 for shark research through selling lemonade and shark-shaped cookies at her home in Minnesota, 8-year-old Sophi Bromenshenkel recently joined forces with her hero, celebrated marine wildlife artist and conservationist Guy Harvey, to raise an additional $7,500 for...

Study: FDA Allowed Unsafe Levels Of Contaminants In Seafood After BP Oil Spill, Study Finds
Washington, D.C. - Oct 12, 2011 21:41 EST
The Food and Drug Administration seriously underestimated the cancer risk from contaminants that can accumulate in seafood when the agency allowed commercial fishing to resume in the Gulf of Mexico after the BP oil spill disaster, a new study published...

New Computer Program Promises To Save The Whales; 'there Is Little Data On The Number Of Collisions'
Montreal - Oct 11, 2011 21:25 EST
Researchers at the University of Montreal have developed a computer program that enables regulators to evaluate the ecological and economic tradeoffs between marine mammal conservation, whale watching and marine transportation activities in the Saint Lawrence Estuary. "The objective is to...

Mercury Pollution In The Great Lakes Region -- Nearly Forgotten, But Not Gone
Detroit, Michigan - Oct 11, 2011 20:42 EST
The scope and intensity of mercury pollution in the Great Lakes region is much greater than previously reported, but additional mercury controls should bring needed improvement, according to a new summary of scientific research on the subject. Despite general declines in...

Lair Of Ancient 'Kraken' Sea Monster Possibly Discovered; 'Something Very Odd Was Going On There'
Boulder, Colorado - Oct 10, 2011 20:44 EST
Long before whales, the oceans of Earth were roamed by a very different kind of air-breathing leviathan. Snaggle-toothed ichthyosaurs larger than school buses swam at the top of the Triassic Period ocean food chain, or so it seemed before Mount...

Poseidon's Post: Waves Wash Retired Professor's Bottled Message Ashore 14 Years Later; 'I Completely Forgot About It'
Lubbock, Texas - Oct 10, 2011 20:32 EST
Perhaps, the lucky numbers of his stateroom – 711 –inspired his experiment. Leaving Honolulu far behind on the way to French Polynesia sometime after the equatorial crossing ceremonies aboard Holland-America's grand ocean liner, SS Rotterdam, George Tereshkovich sat down at...

Florida Biologists Fish For Reasons Behind Endangered Grouper's Comeback
Gainsville, Florida - Oct 10, 2011 20:29 EST
In the waters along Florida's east and west coasts, Florida State University marine biologists are collecting new data on the once severely overfished Atlantic goliath grouper, a native species that is making a comeback in the southeastern United States after...