Salmon doing better in coastal Oregon

Parked in Switzerland, watching some interesting trout spawn in nearby streams is nice (more later), but here's some news that warms my heart. Coho salmon--my fish-- are doing better in coastal Oregon where I grew up. It's been a long time coming, but things are looking better. For you data fans, here's a information-dense status review that says basically the same thing as the news piece

Sad remnant lake emptied of fish in 15 minutes

This looks like a simple overfishing story, a lake in Mali emptied of fish in 15 minutes. But it goes deeper. This is a remnant of a once-fertile lake that was bigger and capable of feeding people, but desertification and climate change have turned this formerly green land into a barren place. Now, the ritual fishing is just a pitiful remnant of better days.

Few tuna, small tuna

Some tuna fishermen in the Philippines are unhappy they can't find enough big tuna. According to Business World online, one fisherman explained the problem:"We’re able to catch only one tuna, from three or four pieces we normally caught in the last few years," lamented the 42-year old father of four who has been catching tuna using the handline method in the last 15 years."Moreover, the sizes of

Whales eating whales

Aptly-named killer whales in Alaska seem to be quite fond of eating baby grey whales. The babies are separated from their mothers and held underwater until they drown. Then, after a good feed, the killer whales store the carcases in shallow water and come back days later to eat again. These hunting methods are unique and carried out by a group of perhaps 150 killer whales, with the result of

Whale threesomes

Here's a photo that can probably make even a biologist blush (right). A female right whale is shown here copulating with two males at the same time. The female is between the two males and you can see two penises, one coming from each side, and both entering her vagina. This is real, that you can be sure, because the event was seen, photographed, and described by whale scientists. On 11

Humpback blackdevil, a real sea monster in miniature

The name sounds bad and a picture of this fish looks even worse (right). Yikes. This is a sea monster I hope to never see underwater.Except...wait...it's only a couple of inches long, whew. But imagine having to meet this thing on it's own terms as a prey species. Look at those teeth. How does this real sea monster make a living? The ‘humpback blackdevil’ anglerfish (Melanocetus johnsoni),

Frozen fish help cool the planet

When it comes to fish, frozen is better. At least if you're concerned about climate change impacts, you should buy frozen. According to expert Peter Tyedmers: "In many cases, your better choice overall, from an environment or energy–related perspective, might be frozen product from afar, regardless of the distance."I know this goes against the common belief that fresh seafood is better.

Beautiful Poisonous Fish

Beautiful Poisonous Fish

Fish populations beautiful but poisonous maroon color spreading in the Caribbean waters, even to shift the local species. Spiny fish called Lionfish aka lion fish are often stung by this fish penyelam.Padahal originates from the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans. They allegedly fled the Florida fish tank and spread to Cuba, to the Cayman Islands, the main purpose of the divers.

Lionfish existence is quite worrying marine ecology experts, since they quite destroy other native species. A lionsfh can menghasbiskan 20 head of small fish within 30 minutes. "There is no way to stop this invasion," said Mark Hixon, an expert in marine ecology at Oregon State University.

Invasion

Besides toxic, it also kills fish prey or enemies with long spines around the body. A similar case also occurred in Africa, the Nile Perch fish have destroyed more than 200 species of rare fish. According to the World Conservation Union, the case was entered in the 100 worst invasive species list in the world.

Lion fish poisonous far terkonsentradi in the Bahamas, where they also prey on all the kids fish. Scientists believe that this vicious fish was first brought to Atlantic in 1992 during Hurricane Andrew. This species does not aggressively attack humans, but once bitten it is very fatal poison. Fish over 18 inches is moving slowly and love in the depths of the sea. So the most potentially affected by the poison are the divers.

TV show spurs sustainable seafood sales

I was in London last week, and I got to watch "Hugh's Fish Fight" on TV. It's a series of 3 shows that critique bad fishing, attack the root causes in bad management, and suggest that consumers join the campaign against bad fishing by eating more sustainbly. Good stuff, and engaging TV. Well...who knew that Fish Fight would spur sales of more sustainable fish in Britain? This is good,

Daddy, what was the Aral Sea?

Powerful film from Romain A, great visuals, great music. Sit down for a spell and experience the "Aral Sea."ARAL SEA from Romain A on Vimeo.Hat tip: Deep Blue Home

Don't band your penguin

It's not a nice thing to put bands on the flippers of penguins. It looks bad and totally clashes with the whole "black and white" thing most penguins have going.Oh, and besides, it makes it harder to swim and have babies and all that. At least according to some scientists. But the controversy rages on since not everyone agrees.Since alternatives exist, why not switch to subcutaneous electronic

5 mile long surf ride

In the aptly-named Turnagain Arm in Cook Inlet, Alaska. This ride is on a tidal bore, when conditions drive an incoming tide to collide with outgoing current and create actual surfable waves. Scott Dickerson of SurfAlaska.net captured the image and shot video (both shown in this post) from a motorized paraglider. For more go to this post on his website.

Sharks patrolling flooded city streets?

Is it bull, or is it real? Could there really be sharks circling a butcher shop 30 km inland from the ocean following the Brisbane (Australia) floods?Evidence of bull sharks swimming up flooded city streets seems real, but the stories of feeding behavior are probably over-hyped.It's common to find fish in strange places during a flood, including in normally dry fields. Fish can invade fields to

japanese view on eating tuna to extinction

Are Japanese consumers responsible for eating bluefin tuna towards extinction? What should be done? Here's a view from Japan that includes the most comprehensive and reliable examination of the issues that I've ever seen in a newspaper.Overall, Japan's sushi habit is a problem for tuna, but the Japan Times article says that increasing popularity of sushi elsewhere, including China, is letting

Low oxygen cramps tuna and billfish

Have you ever grasped for oxygen, like during a high-altitude hike? Now you know what swordfish and tuna feel like in our Brave New Ocean. According to a new report, expanding zones of low oxygen are occurring in the preferred habitat of tuna and billfish (swordfish, marlin, etc.), forcing them out of preferred habitat and into other areas. Besides leaving fish nirvana for lesser places,

Overfishing ends in the US

That's right, overfishing is no longer a problem in the US. This good news comes from fisheries scientist Steve Murawski. I know Dr. Murawski and if he says it, I believe it. I worked on the 2006-7 reform of US fishing laws and this was an important goal, it's amazing to see the reforms working. Thanks need to go to many people, but especially US Senate staff member Margaret Spring for

Baddest fish you've ever seen

Watch this through to the end, and see one B-A-A-A-A-D goldfish!

The fish worth more than your house

A bluefin tuna sold for $396,000 this week, a record price. Caught off the north coast of Hokkaido with a longline, the fish was sold at auction in Tokyo to high-end sushi restaurants. Is this a valuable fish or just costly advertising? Does it prove that bluefin are going extinct? Note that this is not the Atlantic bluefin that has been much in the news over the last year. Northern Pacific

Naughty restaurant owner speaks out

But has nothing to say. His seafood dinner trying to challenge ideas of what's sustainable may have merit, but his stated reasons for doing it sure don't.So I have a message for Legal Sea Foods CEO Roger Berkowitz. You're in way over your head dude. Send me a note next time you want to try this. I was of mixed mind after reading the first few articles written about this affair. But after

Where are conservation success stories?

Is there a bias against telling conservation success stories? Maybe. Ask yourself if you know about these good news stories:South Korea, almost denuded after the Korean War, now boasts forest cover across more than 63 percent of the country.In Namibia, wildlife populations are increasing.South Africa has completed a major expansion of Kruger National Park.Iraqi engineers have reflooded the

Naughty seafood dinner

Legal Seafoods is brewing up a storm with their "eat blacklisted seafood" dinner. Are they profiteering off endangered species, or smartly challenging the status quo?Sustainable seafood advocates are concerned, including some fairly reactionary words as well as some more thoughtful concerns. I agree that there are some suspect arguments in the promotional materials. But I also agree with the

Fish Identification Guide

In the second part of our fish Identification guide we look at other visible fish anatomy characteristics such as Barbels, Cirri and fish mouth positions, which aid scuba divers or snorkelers correctly identify the species of fish they encounter.

Barbels

Barbels are a whisker like organ found near the mouth of certain fish. These organs are sensory organs that help the fish locate food in murky waters, acting as taste buds or nostrils. Most fish possessing barbells are bottom dwelling fish such as catfish, carp, goatfish and some sharks, that primarily hunt, or scavenge for food in murkier waters, such as sea beds, or lakes.

 

The Brabels on this catfish are prominently visible

Cirri

Cirri are short bristle-like projections from the fishes body, usually over the head appearing like eyelashes of the fish. Cirri also perform a similar function to barbells.

 

the cirri on this tompot blenny is distinctly visible above the eye

Mouth Positions

The position of a fish’s mouth can tell you a lot about the feeding habits, living style and type of behavior it exhibits. A fishes mouth type may be broadly divided into three categories,  midwater ( Terminal),  Surface feeders (Superior) and bottom-feeders (inferior).

Superior

This kind of fish has an upturned, scoop-like mouth which is designed to feed  on prey that swims above the fish, or perhaps on the surface of the ocean or lake, such as insects or plankton. Surface feeding fish usually have an undershot or upturned (superior) mouth for feeding on insects or floating prey.However a superior mouth doesn’t automatically signify a surface swimming fish; fish with this mouth position feed on food that is above them and are either a predator or a strainer.

Inferior/ Sub-Terminal

Bottom feeding fish generally have an underslung or inferior mouths. ventrally-oriented mouths or mouths located under the fishes head that are adapted for scavenging or grazing on algae, invertebrates or mollusks, and are usually seen in fish such as the catfish or flatfish like halibut or plaice.

Terminal

Fish with a terminal mouth position have a mouth in the middle, or center of their head.  These fish either chase their food or feed on what is ahead of them.  The terminal mouth position is considered the “normal” position, and most fish inhabiting the middle levels of the oceans or lakes possess terminal mouths.

Most Beautiful Fish in the Reef

Peacock Mantis Shrimp
Also known as the harlequin mantis shrimp or painted mantis shrimp, the Peacock Mantis Shrimp is looks a lot like a mantis from the front. Called a peacock cos the bright colors on it’s tail, this shrimp contrary to it’s colorful exterior can be quite aggressive and keep in a salt water aquarium will eat up most of the tanks occupants. In fact they are known to be able to break through thick aquarium glass and are often kept solitary in acrylic tanks. While diving this large shrimp is native to the Indo-pacific region from Guam to East Africa.

Trigger Fish
Often the most patterned fish in the sea Trigger fish are very oval with a large head and similar to the Parrot fish it has a strong jawed mouth with teeth, for crushing shells. Of the many types of trigger fish, the clown trigger is the most popular as the prettiest cos of it’s leopard like spots on it’s top half and big white spots on the bottom half, outlined by the bright yellow on it’s tail and mouth. The Picasso trigger is also an unusual appearance which is like a work of art. It features a creamy grayish-tan and white colored body splashed with many distinctive bright blue and yellow fine-line, and golden, black and white wide-band type markings. Some trigger fish like the Picasso and the Titan trigger make circular rock nests and are fiercely protective of them. They are known to attack divers and snorkelers anywhere near the vicinity of their nests, and which their hard jaw and large size they can cause serious injury.

 

Parrot Fish
Easily distinguished by their peculiar beak shaped mouth. With over 90 species of Parrot fish come in the most bright colors from parrot green, to shades of blue, reds and yellows. These fish are found in abundance in shallow reefs around the world, including the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. An interesting fact about this species is that they are largely responsible for the fine white sand of many tropical coral islands today. While breaking of chunks of coral and rocky substrates for algae they grind up the coral rock and excrete the same as a fine sand which have over the thousands of years helped create the small islands and sandy beaches in the Bahamas and Caribbean. One parrot fish can produce upto 90kgs (approx. 198 pounds) of sand each year.

Bluefaced Angelfish
Not be confused with the freshwater angelfish, Marine angelfish with their vibrant colors are some of the more conspicuous residents of the reef. With over 86 different types of angelfish, the blue-faced is just one of many beautiful fish to choose from. Most marine angelfishes restrict themselves to the shallows of the reef, seldom venturing deeper than 50 m and are found in the tropical Atlantic, Indian, and mostly western Pacific oceans.

Threadfin Butterflyfish
Butterflyfish look like smaller versions of angelfish and are found in the same regions. The common name butterflyfish references the brightly colored and strikingly patterned bodies, bearing shades of black, white, blue, red, orange and yellow. Some species are dull in color however. Many have eyespots on their flanks and dark bands across their eyes, not unlike the patterns seen on butterfly wings. The Threadfin butterflyfish is a beautifully patterned white, black and bright yellow fish. (*Pictured above is a Threadfin Butterlyfish.

human-like fish

indeed strange in this world there are fish-like humans or other animals, consider the following fish fish

10 Fastest Fish

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swordfish-max-recorded-speed-64-300x204

bonefish-max-recorded-speed-64-300x219

great-blue-shark-max-recorded-speed-69-300x199

bluefish-tuna-max-recorded-speed-70-300x153

tunny-max-recorded-speed-74-300x146

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marlin-max-recorded-speed-80-kph-300x200

 

Most Expensive Fish

Fans of tuna in Japan shocked the sale of tuna fish with the best quality that managed to penetrate the world market price of fish. Fish with a price of 20.2 million yen, equivalent to U.S. $ 174 thousand. In addition to creating the highest record in the trading price of fish, the sale is expected to rival the quality of products other importing countries.

Rule looks beginning of each year, the place is crowded fish market in Japan. For example, as happened at the Tsukiji fish market auction. Most seafood producers in droves hunt auction various marine animals. Each year also, Tsukiji Fish Market is providing more than 60 tons of seafood with total sales reaching billions of dollars the United States. Of the various types of seafood, tuna is a favorite of Japanese citizens. Even the demand for tuna products were each continued to increase every year.