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Guess who’s coming to dinner?

February 13, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Socially responsible fish!

So, it is the end of a long day on the beach and now you want some seafood. Completely understandable. And, I applaud this question and the quest to be socially responsible. Your choices will make a difference.

It is a tough question to always have a correct up-to-date answer, especially since it varies for regions.

What I can do is recommend a fantastic site that always provides these up-to-date answer – and – for each region. The Monterey Bay Aquarium will even provide you with a seafood pocket guide that you can fit in your wallet.

The guide is broken down into best choices, good alternatives, and fish you should avoid. These valuations are based on fisheries (or fish farms) that are healthier for long term sustainability of the oceans and apart from what one can catch from shore fishing.

Currently, the best farmed choices for the northeast US are char, barracmundi, catfish, oysters, mussels , clams, bay scallops, strugeon (cavier), tilapia, and rainbow trout. The best wild choices for the northeast US are clams, dungeness crabs, atlantic croacker, spiny lobster, pollock, salmon, longfin squid, swordfish, albacore (troll/pole caught) and skipjack tuna (troll/pole caught).

Species labeled as avoidable according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch are: chilean seabass, atlantic cod, imported king crab, Atlantic dogfish, sole, haddock, white hake, imported mahi mahi, marlin, monkfish, orange roughy, farmed salmon, shark, skates, imported or wild shrimp, red snapper, imported wild strugeon (cavier), imported swordfish, tilefish, albacore, bigeye, yellowfin tunas (caught on longline), bluefin tuna, and farmed yellowtail.

Whew.

sfw_map

Don’t forget to download the guide according to your region.

Do you have another great question? Check out www.beachchairscientist.com and let us know what you always ponder while digging your toes in the sand!

Filed Under: Ocean, Random Fun!

What is the difference between a summer and winter flounder?

February 13, 2009 by 2 Comments

I would suggest laying it flat on a surface with the head facing your left hand. A summer flounder will have their eyes swiveled to the top of their heads and their mouth will be under their eyes.  Their mouth will actually also extend behind their eyes. A winter flounder will have their eyes closer to you while their mouth would then be above their eyes. Also, their mouth is considerably smaller and doesn’t go past their eyes.

Flounder are born with a body type in balanced symmetry, in other words , looking like normal fish. As they continue to grow, their bodies morph to the left or right so their eyes and mouth are on one side. Then they rest on the bottom of the ocean floor on the other side.

That explains that flounder are flat fish with their eyes and mouth on one side of their head. Now, whether the eyes and mouth morphed left or right will be the answer to the question.

OK, quite simply if you were to catch a flat fish and think of only these two options (summer or winter flounder) I would suggest laying it flat on a surface with the head to your left a summer flounder will have their eyes swiveled to the top of their heads and their mouth will be under their eyes.  Their mouth will actually also extend behind their eyes. A winter flounder will have their eyes closer to you while their mouth would then be above their eyes. Also, their mouth is considerably smaller and doesn’t go past their eyes.

Please keep in mind that there are Gulf flounder and bunch of others, but we will keep it simple.

Summer flounder are generally darker. But, that type of answer doesn’t help when you have nothing to compare.

what type of flounder is this?

So, test your knowledge and leave a comment to answer this question: What type of flounder is pictured above? (And it is facing right to throw you off base.)

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Filed Under: Bony Fishes Tagged With: , ,

How do sandbars get started?

January 27, 2009 by Leave a Comment

The current closest to the ocean floor is moving offshore and dumps small piles of sand right at the wave break area. The sand accumulates to various degrees, and regardless it makes the water much shallower where you stand. Now, the sandbars that I am thinking of are very long and are parallel to the coastline. But, the same type of accumulation occurs in the open water, these are known as shoals. A sandbar is a type of shoal.

 

Filed Under: Beach, Ocean

Do sharks have bones?

January 2, 2009 by 6 Comments

No sharks do not have bones.

Sharks do have skeletons, but they’re made of cartilage rather than bone. Cartilage is the flexible stuff in the tip of your nose. A cartilage skeleton has its advantages. It’s light, flexible, and it heals faster than bone. In some spots though, sharks need a little extra strength. Their skulls, jaws, and spine are fortified with calcium salts, making them much thicker and stronger. Can you think of why a shark would need strong jaws, skulls, and spines?

by Jim Wharton
Vice President, Education Division, Director, Center for School and Public Programs, Mote Marine Laboratory

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Filed Under: Sharks, Skates and Rays Tagged With: , , ,

Are stingrays related to sharks?

January 2, 2009 by 7 Comments
English: Various types shown. Taken at Mote Ma...

Image via Wikipedia

Stingrays and sharks are very closely related. They belong to a group of fishes called the elasmobranchs. All elasmobranchs have 1) skeletons made of cartilage (the flexible material that makes up the tip of our nose and ears) and 2) 5-7 gill slits. Elasmobrachs includes sharks, rays, and skates.

It’s not entirely incorrect to think of stingrays as flattened sharks. On the inside, they’re just about the same. There are some animals that blur the lines between the two. Angel sharks and wobbegongs are flat, but they’re not rays. Then there are sawfish (which are rays) and sawsharks (which are sharks). Sharkrays are just plain confused. As a general rule, if the gill slits are on the bottom, it’s a ray. If they’re on the side, it’s a shark.

Jim Wharton
Vice President, Education Division, Director, Center for School and Public Programs, Mote Marine Laboratory

Do you have another great question? Email info@beachchairscientist.com!

Filed Under: Sharks, Skates and Rays Tagged With: , , , ,

Where are the highest tides found?

December 22, 2008 by Leave a Comment

The highest tides are found at the Bay of Fundy (Atlantic Ocean) off the coast of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in Canada, as well as Maine in the United States.

The tides are typically 5 to 10 times higher than other coasts!

Filed Under: Ocean

Why is being near saltwater good for your health?

December 22, 2008 by Leave a Comment

I can not believe I am answering this question since I am not a doctor or a beautician on any level.

However, I will happily give you my opinion as a person that has grown up near the ocean. Salt water is amazing for skin – it really moisturizes and tones. That being said, my theory is that once the skin is feeling healthy and strong – circulation increases and eases joint pain and other muscle tensions.

In one study, analysis of census data collected in England revealed a positive association between health and wellbeing and living at the coast, this made me want to learn more and be more interested in many of this changes, even in the study of life coach training as it immerses in our psychology in a natural and understating way. Similarly, another study conducted by researchers at the Graduate School of Maritime Sciences in Japan found that, compared with those who live inland, seaside dwellers – and particularly elderly coastal residents – show higher positive psychological effects thanks to their proximity to the ocean. Learn more about Nutrisystem.

“Human psychology and behaviour are dependent, not only on current social stimulus, but also on characteristics of the environment,” say the study’s authors. “We should consider the value of leisurely visits to the seaside to promote public health

It’s not only me saying it either. I looked it up and I found it posted on a health site called anipots as well. I must have read it somewhere before then as well. Looking after you health can take many forms, and sometimes it can even surprise you, the things you do that you had no idea were doing something to your health, good or bad. It’s something that is very important to educate yourself in as best you can.

Filed Under: Random Fun!

How does coral bleaching result?

December 22, 2008 by 1 Comment

Coral bleaching is due to the fact that the algae part of the coral reef ecosystem can no longer photosynthesize properly – therfore, losing the “reef” structure and the corals remain white – since the zooxannthellea are not around (that’s the algae – and responsible for the color of the coral). This occurs due to a lack of sunlight – mostly from a build up of substances (usually, man made – on the surface of the ocean).

Filed Under: Algae (Seaweeds), Coral Reef Ecosystems

What is the second largest reef in the world?

December 22, 2008 by 2 Comments

Interesting question.

The top three largest coral reef ecosystems in the world are:

1) Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia

2) Belize Barrier Reef

3) Florida Keys Reef Ecosystem

A coral reef ecosystem relies on teamwork between the coral animal (a type of cnidarians) and an algae called zooxannthellea.

Filed Under: Algae (Seaweeds), Coral Reef Ecosystems

Why does it feel like the ocean is pulling on you when your just standing in the water?

November 28, 2008 by Leave a Comment

The “pull” of the water that you feel as you stand in the shallows near the shoreline is just moving water rubbing against your skin. So, why is the water moving out to sea near the beach? Several different forces push – or pull – an excess of water up onto the beach, and then it must run back downhill to where it comes to rest at sea level. The flood tides lift water up over the elevated beach and then it ebbs back down and out to sea (the force is lunar gravitation, lifting the water up). Storms beyond the horizon set the water oscillating up and down, sending long waves called “swells” up onto the beach (the force is high barometric pressure pushing the water down, or low barometric pressure pulling the water up). Shorter, choppy waves are pushed toward the beach by the wind (the force is moving air , with friction on the ocean surface moving the water). These swells and waves turn into “breakers” as they reach
the shallows. The breaking waves push water up onto the sand, and as it runs back downhill to rejoin the great ocean basin, you feels it pulling you out to sea.

This post was answered Dr. J.G. McCully, author of Beyond the Moon: A Conversational, Common Sense Guide to Understanding the Tides.

Do you have another great question? Check out www.beachchairscientist.com and let us know what you always ponder while digging your toes in the sand!

Filed Under: Ocean