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An important call for more forage fish to remain in the sea

April 16, 2012 by Leave a Comment

A report titled “Little Fish Big Impact”, written by the Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force, came out earlier this month recommending that the amount of forage fish (e.g., menhaden, herring, shad) that we take from the ocean should be cut in half. However, since forage fish have an annual value world-wide of $5.6 billion dollars and are almost 40% of the world’s commercial fish catch these suggestions might be a tough sell to get passed through many decisions makers. But, here is why it is important we do.

You may not typically think of forage fish, also know as ‘bait fish’, as being a high commodity for fishermen or as playing an imperative role in the ocean – but, they do indeed! It’s surprising how much these little fish play a role in our daily lives.

Within the marine food web we begin with the tiny microscopic phytoplankton (plants that get their energy from the sun). Phytoplankton are  then in turn grazed upon by tiny copepods and  they are then fed upon these forage fish and crustaceans that are fed on by larger fish (e.g., striped bass, bluefish) that are then fed upon by the top predators (e.g., tunas, swordfish) that then feed us. Easy, right? Well, Dr. Daniel Pauly pointed out that within fisheries what is happening today is an imbalance of ‘Fishing Down the Marine Food Web’.

Time increases toward the right along the blue arrow. Scale on the right gives the trophic level in the food web. (Pauly, 2003)

This is the concept that when top predators are removed smaller fish become more of a target. Which would mean that the average trophic level of the food web would shift (Trophic being the level an organism occupies within a food chain). Specifically, forage fish are the primary source of protein for penguins, marine mammals, cod, salmon, tuna, and even puffins. We use these species for the production of fish oil supplements, food for livestock, and food provided to the fish we’re farming via aquaculture.

The Lenfest Report provides information and recommendations to fisheries managers in a three-tiered approach that the Task Force says was lacking prior, which is why we’ve currently been able to harvest the amount of forage fish at such high levels. The three-tiered approach involves understanding the 1) dynamics of the fishery, 2)  knowledge of the status of the trends of the fishery’s predators, as well as 3) recommended management actions.

“Traditionally we have been managing fisheries for forage species in a manner that cannot sustain the food webs, or some of the industries, they support. As three-fourths of marine ecosystems in our study have predators highly dependent on forage fish, it is economically and biologically imperative that we develop smarter management for these small but significant species,” stated Dr. Ellen K. Pikitch of the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University (they led the Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force).

Most recently, managers in the Mid-Atlantic have noticed the increasing importance of forage fish and voted to reduce the annual harvest of menhaden from 183,000 metric tons to 174,000. Read more here on the report and what other measures are being done to keep menhaden levels more sustainable.

It will be interesting to see how this report impacts forage fisheries in the future. I certainly hope it does.

Check out this video from the Task Force to learn more on the importance of forage fish.

Lastly, here is a quick overview of what it means to be a sustainable fishery:

  • If we are referring to a sustainable wild fishery (one that is not farmed) it could be the measure of the abundance and resilience to fishing pressure, how well-managed the fishery is based on current research, and/or that the fishery is harvested in ways that do not harm the environment or have negative interactions with protected species as bycatch.
  • With farmed species a sustainable it is typically a measure of minimizing marine resources, preventing escapes or diseases to wild stocks, as well as ensuring that the fishery is not associated with high pollution or other ways of negatively harming the habitat.
  • For a good resource to discover what fishery is sustainable in your region,  please check out the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch.
Filed Under: Biodiversity, Birds, Bony Fishes, Fish Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wordless Wednesday | Shell art

April 4, 2012 by 1 Comment

For more images from Beach Chair Scientist, please visit Flickr.

Filed Under: Seashells

The Bluefish by Isaac McLellan

April 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Bluefish

Bluefish (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I hope you enjoy this poem about a very popular Atlantic coast recreational species, the bluefish. I have some fond childhood memories aboard my grandparents boat, Irish Eyes, learning many life lessons while seeking out bluefish.

Issac McLellan (1806 – 1899) was a New England author and poet. Coincidentally, he was born in Portland, Maine which is where we’re headed today! Enjoy.

The Bluefish by Isaac McLellan

(Pomatomus Saltatrix.)

It is a brave, a royal sport,
Trolling for bluefish o’er the seas;
Fair skies and soaring gulls above,
A steady blowing breeze;
A shapely yacht whose foaming prow
The billowy plain divides,
That like a gallant courser speeds
Far, free o’er ocean tides.

First from West India seas they came,
Haunting the Cuban coast,
Cruel as Spanish buccaneers,
A fierce, rapacious host.
But now by Northern seaboard shores
Their murderous way they take,
From Mexico Gulf to Labrador,
Wherever billows break.
The weaker tenants of the main
Flee from their rage in vain,
The vast menhaden multitudes
They massacre o’er the flood;
With lashing tail, with snapping teeth
They stain the tides with blood.

Rakish are they, like pirate craft,
All matchless to assail,
With graceful, shapely, rounded sides
And the sharp, forked tail;
And when the angler’s hook is fixed
They fight, they struggling bleed,
Now leaping high, now plunging deep,
Darting with lightning speed.

And yet these sea marauders,
These tyrants of the main,
By fiercer, mightier ruffians
Are hunted, conquered, slain;
The tumbling porpoise hunts them,
Dorado fierce pursues,
And when the shark assaileth,
Blood-stains the waves suffuse.

Filed Under: Bony Fishes, Fish, Random Fun! Tagged With: ,

Can you name the state fish of Hawai’i?

April 1, 2012 by 2 Comments

It’s “Humuhumunukunukuāpua’a” in case you missed it when the bartender mentioned it in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. As a bonus, I’ll also give you a rundown of all the other states with a state saltwater/game fish. Some you may already know, but  some might surprise you! I never would have thought that so many states have striped bass designated as a state fish or state saltwater fish. After all, there are over14,000 species of saltwater fish out there.

(If I missed one please feel free to let me know and I’ll add it to the list. All you have to do is leave a comment of email info@beachchairscientist.com.)

Alabama:
Fighting tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) – These fish can absorb oxygen and live in waters with almost no oxygen.

Alaska:
King salmon  (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) – These fish regularly exceed 45 lbs and the largest on record was a 126 lb caught in 1949.


California:
Garibaldi (Hypsypops rubicundus) – These fish are very territorial and call kelp forests home of choice.


Connecticut:
American shad (Alosa sapidissima) – These fish only have one dorsal fin and one anal fin.


Delaware:
Weakfish (Cynoscion regalis) – These fish are not weak at all but quite strong fighters. The name refers to the easily torn part membrane in its mouth.  A fond memory of my childhood involves my grandfather always giving my folks some weakfish he caught on his boat, Irish Eyes.


Florida:
Atlantic sailfish  (Istiophorus albicans) – These fish are the fastest fish in the sea and have been observed at speeds above 65 miles per hour.

Hawai’i:
Humuhumunukunukuāpua’a (Rhinecanthus rectangulus) – This fish has blue teeth.

Maryland:
Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) – These fish are also commonly known as rockfish.

Massachusetts:
Cod (Gadus morhua) – These fish will change colors depending on where it spends its days. If it prefers the sea floor it will appear gray and if it prefers algal areas it will appear greenish.

North Carolina:
Red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) – These fish got their name from their coloring and from the drumming sound produced by their  their swim bladder.

New Hampshire:
Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) – These fish prefer coastlines and are most active in the spring and fall. Sport fishermen love to catch them during the striper runs.

New York:
Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) – These fish are the most popular sportfish on the Atlantic coast. 

Rhode Island:
Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) – These fish prefer to eat before dawn and at dusk. 

South Carolina:
Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) – These fish do not have eyelids so when the sun is out they prefer to retreat to deeper waters.

Filed Under: Biodiversity, Bony Fishes, Fish, Places, Random Fun! Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

April is National Frog Month

April 1, 2012 by 2 Comments

Yes, that is correct – April is National Frog Month. However, this is not a post about the amphibian, but is all about the frogfish! Contrary to popular belief, it’s easy being green if you’re a frogfish. First of all, you can change colors from green to black, or red, or orange, or yellow, or brown, or white, or purple, or even blue! These colors help the frogfish mimic corals, sponges, algaes, or even rocks. Often a trusting fish become prey all too easily as they go to hide in the ‘coral’ or ‘rock’ only to then get eaten by the frogfish that has transformed . Frogfish gobble up their prey in 6 milliseconds. Frogfish actually have the fastest mouth in the sea. Their mouth is able to expand 12 times its size and they can easily eat prey 25 percent longer. They’re opportunistic and eat whenever possible. They tend to feast on smaller fish, crustaceans, or even other frogfish!

Another amazing mechanism of the frogfish is an antenna that dangles from their head. They’ll mimic the actions of a smaller animal (e.g., a worm or shrimp) with this antenna so that their own prey will swim right up to them. Don’t worry though, the lure will regenerate if eaten.

Frogfish do not have a swim bladder, but do have modified pectoral fins enabling them to ‘walk’ along the seafloor. See the video below to see this in action.

Frogfish live in the tropical and subtropical areas in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans.

It is the original footage from these hairy frog fish walking on the sand was made by Daan van Wijk in Indonesia. These scenes are from the movie Impressionesia”.

Filed Under: Algae (Seaweeds), Animal Homes, Bony Fishes, Crustaceans, Fish Tagged With: , , , ,

‘Wicked Tuna’ is food for thought

March 31, 2012 by 2 Comments

Tomorrow the National Geographic Channel (of which approximately over 50% is owned by NewsCorp, a Murdoch Company) is debuting the television show Wicked Tuna. The show is intriguing because the species itself is remarkable.

Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) can swim up to 40 miles per hour and can dive up to 3,000 feet. Their body is so remarkably streamlined for efficiently swimming through the ocean that Pentagon-funded scientists have studied the species as a model for Navy torpedoes. They’re also known to travel far and wide (actually, across entire oceans over their lifetime). This causes some challenges when coming together to manage the species.

The dilemma I have in deciding to watch the show is that NatGeo may be glorifying the bluefin tuna as a species of consumption so that people start ordering it more. But, folks need to understand the repercussions and ask one more question, “Is this bluefin tuna caught in the U.S.?”

As I mentioned, there are some challenges with managing a species that spans globe. Bluefin tuna are an internationally managed species, guided by the intergovernmental body the International Commission on Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). Within management plans of the ICCAT, it is irrefutable that the U.S. bluefin fishery is the most sustainably managed in the world. The bluefin tuna caught in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts is predominantly hand gear (rod and reel or harpoon). This fishery is well regulated and responsible. There is also bluefin tuna caught as bycatch from the longline fisheries targeting other types of tuna. To reduce bycatch, fisheries are now required to use circle hook and weak hooks to reduce the bluefin tuna bycatch, as well as other nontarget species (e.g., sea turtles). The species is slow to mature and catching young bluefin tuna reduces the chance they’ll have the opportunity to reproduce. That is why it is so negligent to eat the bluefin tuna from the poorly regulated European fishery. Many of the bluefin caught there are with purse seines or longlines. In fact, since industrial fishing began in the Mediterranean it is estimated that over 80 percent of bluefin stocks have been fished out.

It’s no help that there is extreme demand for this type of fishing pressure as sushi chefs will pay gobs for the fish. The ‘Wicked Tuna” fishermen can get up to $20,000 for each fish. In January 2012, a Tokyo restaurant paid $736,000 for a bluefin tuna at auction (there’s the ‘first fish phenomenon’ which can bring a lot of publicity to a restaurant for paying a high amount for the first fish). Click on https://www.altitude-sports.com/collections/footwear-men-hiking-boots to find the best quality camping equipment for you.

The Monterey Bay Seafood Guide lists bluefin tuna as a species to avoid. The Center for Biological Diversity encourages the public to boycott any restaurants serving bluefin tuna. Greenpeace has even stated that, “The world needs to see a ban on bluefin tuna fishing until stocks recover”. National Geographic claims this show’s scope includes a “solid conservation message about what’s been going on with the bluefin”. So, if you must ask for ‘Wicked Tuna’, make sure it’s at least from the U.S. Certainly, food for thought.

Filed Under: Biodiversity, Bony Fishes, Fish, Ocean Tagged With: , , , , , ,

10 justifications ocean acidification is a serious concern

March 29, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Ocean acidification (OA) is the process by which the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2). This process creates chemical reactions that reduce 1) seawater pH, 2) carbonate ion concentration, and 3) saturation states of biologically important calcium carbonate minerals (the minerals floating within the water column that many shellfish absorb to create stronger shells).

Here are 10 reasons OA is a serious concern. Keep in mind the science community has just begun to scratch the surface of OA impacts to the marine ecosystem and new findings are always being revealed.

  • OA is one of the greatest threats to marine biodiversity. Of particular concern are coral reefs which are the habitat of at least a quarter of all marine species.
  • Many marine organisms (e.g., reef building corals, shellfish) that produce calcium carbonate shells or skeletons are adversely affected by the increased absorption of CO2 levels and decreasing pH in seawater. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, “The effect is similar to osteoporosis, slowing growth and making shells weaker”.
  • Reef building corals, a ‘framework species’, are one species greatly affected by coral bleaching (a result of OA). Coral reefs are being destroyed twice as fast as rainforests. This is significant considering over $6.5B and 63,000 jobs are connected with tourism of the Great Barrier Reef.
  • Abnormally low pH levels in the seawater off the West coast of the US may be attributed to “near total failures of developing oysters in both aquaculture facilities and natural ecosystems”.
  • Before people started burning coal and oil, the pH of the ocean was essentially stable for the previous 20 million years. However, science predicts that by 2100 (less than 100 years!) OA will more than double if CO2 emissions continue at their current rate.
  • The ocean is absorbing the CO2 we are spewing into the atmosphere at the rate of, “22 million tons per day“.
  • The last time the world’s oceans acidified quickly (approximately 6.8 trillion tons of carbon entered the atmosphere over a period of 10,000 years) many deep-sea species went extinct. The cause is not known, but the result was a rise in temperature at least 5-9°C.
  • Strategies needed to combat OA are similar to those that are needed to combat global warming. In fact, OA is known as the evil twin of global warming.
  • To help combat OA you should conserve energy at every opportunity. This could include using the most efficient fuels for cars, trucks, airplanes, and ships.
  • According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “OA has the potential to seriously threaten the future health of the world’s oceans and the significant economic benefits they provide to humankind”.

This illustration depicts how less emissions can combat the effects of ocean acidification. 

Filed Under: Biodiversity, Coral Reef Ecosystems, Crustaceans, Mollusks, Ocean Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Atlantic horseshoe crab infographic

March 23, 2012 by 2 Comments

Whether we know it or not, the Atlantic horseshoe crab has made a significant impact on many of our lives. The significance of this living fossil can be found in its capacity to resist change for millions of years, its special copper-based blood is crucial to the medical field, and its ability to provide food for millions of migratory birds year after year.

Filed Under: Atlantic Horseshoe Crab, Wrack Line Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sea turtle track safari!

March 16, 2012 by 1 Comment

With amazing spring temperatures so early this year, sea turtles may begin creeping out of the sea earlier than usual. If you’re in the southeastern U.S. during sea turtle nesting season (typically May through October) you may have the opportunity in the early morning to stumble across the flipper tracks of a female sea turtle that dug a nest the night before.

  • Loggerhead sea turtles tracks alternate (comma-like) left and right flippers and there is no tail mark.
  • Green and leatherback sea turtles use their right and left flippers at the same time to crawl up the beach and they both have tail marks.
  • Leatherback sea turtles are the widest at approximately 6-7 feet across. Leatherback sea turtles travel over 3,000 miles to get to their nesting beaches.

Mother sea turtles lay 100-150 eggs in each nest. They may lay up to 3-8 nests per season. The juveniles hatch after 45-70 days under the cover of darkness.

Please note that it is a federal law to harass, feed, hunt, capture or kill sea turtles in the U.S. Do not interact with any nesting sea turtles as it could be interpreted as harassment. Check out the local National Park Service in the area for information on guided tours to witness a nesting female.

Image from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute: Guidelines for Marine Turtle Permit Holders

Filed Under: Sea Turtles Tagged With: , , , , ,

“One can acquire everything in solitude except character.” ― Stendhal

March 16, 2012 by 6 Comments

It’s seems as good a time as any to recognize and share some inspiring and insightful blogs. Especially, since the blog, 365 Days, acknowledged Beach Chair Scientist as a Kreativ Blogger (a much appreciated, peer award). In that spirit of camaraderie, here are 7 compelling and very insightful 7 bloggers, as well as more on 365 Days. The protocol on the Kreativ Blogger recognition calls for me to write 7 facts about myself. Earlier this week though I published my Bucket List over at Bucket List Publications and it’s peppered with plenty of information for you to get to know me better.

1. 365 Days: A fellow ‘shoe lover, need I say more? This blog is exceptional because of the commitment of the self proclaimed ‘nerdy’ mom. She’s on a mission to take a picture every day and share it with her readers. But, also sprinkled throughout the blog are crafts, games, and snippets that are anything but typical.

2. Ann Novek | With the Sky as the Ceiling and the Heart Outdoor: She enjoys the outdoors and she also doesn’t have an ‘e’ at the end of her first name.

3. Earth First! Newswire: If you want to be up-to-date on worldwide environmental issues you should be following this blog.

4. Dispatches from the Potomac: As a new-to-Virginia outdoors lady, I resonate with the words and images of this writer and outdoorsman. Plus, his dog has the same name as my daughter.

5. Ocean Acidification: This blog is a central place for all information available on ocean acidification, as well as its consequences on marine organisms and ecosystems.

6. Literarybex: She likes creative writing and the ocean and she shares her thoughts in a most unique style. It’s always a good read!

7. Photography + Science = Chanel: What can I say except that Chanel is ‘livin’ the dream’. She shares great articles on marine biology and photography, as well as random rants with an energy and enthusiasm that I hope she keeps forever!

8. Bucket List Publications: This is a blog started by traveler extraordinaire Lesley Carter. It is essentially a community of people all sharing their bucket list adventure on one blog. I have to say it is incredibly inspiring!

Filed Under: Atlantic Horseshoe Crab, Biodiversity, People Tagged With: , , ,