We have been reporting on our long-term artificial reef research in Haiti for a few years now. This year we were pleased to learn that not only did our reefs survive the massive hurricane Mathew, but they also had substantially more fish on them than they did last year. This is a really positive sign that the reefs are providing […]
An interview I did a few months ago for Quarks and Quirks on CBC radio recently aired. Yes, of course, it is more about fish pee, but I thought I would post it all the same. It is pretty funny. Scroll down a bit for the actual interview.
I am always excited to report positive news (reported at length here). Starting in the new year, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will require countries exporting seafood to the United States to demonstrate that their fisheries comply with the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The US is the world’s largest seafood importer and the MMPA is among […]
Big news: within the past few weeks world leaders from 24 nations and the European Union have established the largest marine reserve ever (1,550,00o square km). This reserve will be divided between no-take and scientific research zones where fishing will be permitted for scientific purposes. Many are in favor of large no-take reserves, but others have differing opinions. Ray Hilborne, […]
Many of us have heard about the ability of birds to travel long distances. But a recent study published in Current Biology shows that in addition to the remarkable distance swifts fly (often between Europe and Subsaharan Africa), they often don’t even stop along their journey. A key finding of the study was that the 19 monitored birds spent more than 99% […]
It is truly uplifting to find any positive news about the state of the worlds’ coral reefs anywhere. A resent research survey found that the reefs around Phoenix Island, a region halfway between Fiji and Hawaii, were teaming with healthy coral. These corals had previously been devastated in 2003, and had been slow to recover. Scientists were worried that the recent […]
We have been working with Loggerhead Productions for the past few years on creating films and documentaries about our work in Haiti. Recently Matt just finished a new education film on our local work in Haiti that we will be distributing around to schools and communities in the area where we are working around Ile A Vache, Haiti.
Yup, more about fish pee. As a follow-up to work we have been conducting on the importance of fish excretion (pee) for coastal tropic ecosystems, we describe in a recent study how fishing pressure is reducing this source of nutrients by nearly half on coral reefs across the broader Caribbean. This study highlights an alternative way in which human […]
A recent study showed that the greenland shark, an animal that scientists had previously suspected was long-lived, can reach ages of nearly 400 years. Previous research in the 1930s had shown that these fish, which can grow up to 5 meters in length, only grow about 1 centimeter per year. This is a surprisingly slow growth rate, even for the extreme […]
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