ScienceDaily: Fish News

New era of fisheries policy needed to secure nutrition for millions

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:26:26 EDT

A new study argues that for fisheries policies to be effective they must take in to account not just fish stock conservation and environmental issues, but also research data on the patterns and dynamics of fish trade, markets and user consumption.

Fishing for memories: How long-term memories are processed to guide behavior

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:39:39 EDT

In our interaction with our environment we constantly refer to past experiences stored as memories to guide behavioral decisions. But how memories are formed, stored and then retrieved to assist decision-making remains a mystery. By observing whole-brain activity in live zebrafish, researchers have visualized for the first time how information stored as long-term memory in the cerebral cortex is processed to guide behavioral choices.

Paleontology: The eloquence of otoliths seen in a 23-million-year-old fish fossil

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:52:52 EDT

Fish fossils that are about 23 million years old give unprecedented insight into the evolutionary history of the gobioid order, one of the most species-rich groups among the modern bony fishes.

'Fish thermometer' reveals long-standing, global impact of climate change

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:15:15 EDT

Climate change has been impacting global fisheries for the past four decades by driving species towards cooler, deeper waters, according to scientists.

From ocean to land: The fishy origins of our hips

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:15:15 EDT

New research has revealed that the evolution of the complex, weight-bearing hips of walking animals from the basic hips of fish was a much simpler process than previously thought.

Fish oil may stall effects of junk food on brain

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:14:14 EDT

Data from more than 180 research papers suggests fish oils could minimize the effects that junk food can have on the brain, a review has shown.

Corals turn to algae for stored food when times get tough

Tue, 14 May 2013 08:54:54 EDT

Researchers present new evidence for the crucial role of algae in the survival of their coral hosts. Ultra-high resolution images reveal that the algae temporarily store nutrients as crystals, building up reserves for when supplies run low.

Seabird bones reveal changes in open-ocean food chain

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:43:43 EDT

Remains of endangered Hawaiian petrels -- both ancient and modern -- show how drastically today's open seas fish menu has changed. Scientists analyzed the bones of Hawaiian petrels -- birds that spend the majority of their lives foraging the open waters of the Pacific. They found that the substantial change in petrels' eating habits, eating prey that are lower rather than higher in the food chain, coincides with the growth of industrialized fishing.

Coral reefs suffering, but collapse not inevitable

Thu, 09 May 2013 12:34:34 EDT

Coral reefs are in decline, but their collapse can still be avoided with local and global action. That's according to findings based on an analysis that combines the latest science on reef dynamics with the latest climate models.

Scientists use satellites, underwater robot to study atlantic sturgeon migrations

Fri, 03 May 2013 23:03:03 EDT

Researchers are using satellites, acoustic transmitters, an underwater robot and historical records to pinpoint the ocean conditions that the fish prefer during migrations — and potentially help fishermen avoid spots where they might unintentionally catch this endangered species.

'Dark oxidants' form away from sunlight in lake and ocean depths, underground soils

Fri, 03 May 2013 13:29:29 EDT

All forms of life that breathe oxygen -- even ones that can't be seen with the naked eye, such as bacteria -- must fight oxidants to live. But neutralizing environmental oxidants such as superoxide was a worry only for organisms that dwell in sunlight -- in habitats that cover a mere 5 percent of the planet. That was the only place where such environmental oxidants were thought to exist. Now researchers have discovered the first light-independent source of superoxide. The key is bacteria common in the depths of the oceans and other dark places.

Boom in jellyfish: Overfishing called into question

Fri, 03 May 2013 09:47:47 EDT

Will we soon be forced to eat jellyfish? Since the beginning of the 2000s, these gelatinous creatures have invaded many of the world's seas, like the Japan Sea, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, etc. Is it a cyclic phenomenon, caused by changes in marine currents or even global warming? Until now, the causes remained unknown. A new study exposes overfishing as the main factor.

Health defects found in fish exposed to Deepwater Horizon oil spill, three years later

Wed, 01 May 2013 14:51:51 EDT

Three years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, crude oil toxicity continues to sicken a sentinel Gulf Coast fish species, according to new findings.

Bizarre bone worms emit acid to feast on whale skeletons: Bone-melting substance drills opening for worms to access nutrients

Wed, 01 May 2013 09:19:19 EDT

Only within the past 12 years have marine biologists come to learn about the eye-opening characteristics of mystifying sea worms that live and thrive on the skeletons of whale carcasses. Now, scientists at describe how Osedax, mouthless and gutless "bone worms," excrete a bone-melting acid to gain entry to the nutrients within whale bones.

'Dirty dozen' invasive species threaten UK

Wed, 01 May 2013 09:18:18 EDT

Parts of the UK are at greater risk of invasion by non-native aquatic species than previously thought, according to new research. The first to include human factors in models used to predict where invasive species will arrive and spread, the study shows the Thames, Anglian and Humber river basins are most vulnerable.

Agencies should use common approach to evaluate risks pesticides pose to endangered species

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:16:16 EDT

When determining the potential effects pesticides could pose to endangered or threatened species, the US Environmental Protection Agency, National Marine Fisheries Service, and Fish and Wildlife Service should use a common scientific approach, says a new report.

First land animals kept fishlike jaws for millions of years

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:11:11 EDT

For the first time, fossil jaw measurements confirm that land animals developed legs millions of years before their feeding systems changed enough to let them eat a land-based diet. The pattern had been hypothesized previously, but not really tested.

Sushi for peccaries?

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:59:59 EDT

It turns out the white-lipped peccary —- a piglike animal from Central and South America —- will settle for fish when fruits (its main food) are no longer on the menu, according to researchers revealing the first-ever photos of fish-eating peccaries.

Singing humpback whales tracked on Northwest Atlantic feeding ground

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:36:36 EDT

Male humpback whales sing complex songs in tropical waters during the winter breeding season, but they also sing at higher latitudes at other times of the year. NOAA researchers have provided the first detailed description linking humpback whale movements to acoustic behavior on a feeding ground in the Northwest Atlantic.

Sea surface temperatures reach highest level in 150 years on Northeast continental shelf

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:56:56 EDT

Sea surface temperatures in the Northeast Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem during 2012 were the highest recorded in 150 years, according to new research. Temperature is also affecting distributions of fish and shellfish on the Northeast Shelf.

Fish win fights on strength of personality

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:54:54 EDT

When predicting the outcome of a fight, the big guy doesn't always win suggests new research on fish. Scientists have found that when fish fight over food, it is personality, rather than size, that determines whether they will be victorious.

Why do guppies jump?

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:28:28 EDT

Pet guppies often jump out of their tanks. One such accident inspired a new study which reveals how guppies are able to jump so far, and suggests why they do it.

Deep, permeable soils buffer impacts of crop fertilizer on Amazon streams

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:23:23 EDT

A new study in the fast-changing southern Amazon -- a region marked by widespread replacement of native forest by cattle ranches and croplands -- suggests that some of the damaging impacts of agricultural fertilization on local streams may be buffered by the deep, highly permeable soils that characterize large areas of the expanding cropland.

Insights into deadly coral bleaching could help preserve reefs: Surprising result from study of 1893 World's Fair corals

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:51:51 EDT

Coral reefs are stressed because of climate change. Researchers have discovered corals themselves play a role in their susceptibility to deadly coral bleaching due to the light-scattering properties of their skeletons. No one else has shown this before. Using optical technology designed for early cancer detection, the researchers discovered that reef-building corals scatter light in different ways to the symbiotic algae that feed the corals.

Fish was on the menu for early flying dinosaur

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:49:49 EDT

New research reveals that Microraptor, a small flying dinosaur, was a complete hunter -- able to swoop down and pick up fish.

Long-lost giant fish from Amazon rediscovered

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:11:11 EDT

Scientists have put aside nearly a century and a half of conventional wisdom with the rediscovery of a species of giant Amazonian fish whose existence was first established in a rare 1829 monograph only to be lost to science some 40 years later.

Something's fishy in the tree of life: Largest and most comprehensive studies of fish phylogeny

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:26:26 EDT

A team of scientists has dramatically increased our understanding of fish evolution and their relationships. The group integrated extensive genetic and physical information about specimens to create a new "tree of life" for fishes. The vast amount of data generated through large-scale DNA sequencing required supercomputing resources for analysis. The result is the largest and most comprehensive studies of fish phylogeny to date.

Ocean acidification as a hearing aid for fish?

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EDT

Scientists report stunning new insight into the potential effects of acidification on the sensory function of larval cobia. The study is the first to use micro-CT technology to examine otoliths while still inside the heads of the larval fish.

Coelacanth genome surfaces: Unexpected insights from a fish with a 300-million-year-old fossil record

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:18:18 EDT

An international team of researchers has decoded the genome of the African coelacanth. The species was once thought to be extinct, but a living coelacanth was discovered off the African coast in 1938. Coelacanths today closely resemble the fossilized skeletons of their more than 300-million-year-old ancestors. Its genome confirms what many researchers had long suspected: genes in coelacanths are evolving more slowly than in other organisms.

Coelacanth genome informs land vertebrate evolution

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:39:39 EDT

An historic fish, with an intriguing past, now has had its genome sequenced, providing a wealth of information on the genetic changes that accompanied the adaptation from an aquatic environment to land.

Turning algae into clean energy and fish food; helping Africans to irrigate crops

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:17:17 EDT

Two student teams working hard to move their “green” ideas off the drawing board and into the real world will showcase their progress.

Better skin grafting: Inspired by spiny-headed worms, scientists invent microneedle adhesive stronger than surgical staples

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:43:43 EDT

A parasitic worm may hold the answer to keeping skin grafts firmly in place over wounds.

Fish prone to melanoma get DNA decoded

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:14:14 EDT

Scientists have decoded the genome of the platyfish, a cousin of the guppy and a popular choice for home aquariums. Among scientists, the fish are meticulously studied for their tendency to develop melanoma and for other attributes more common to mammals, like courting prospective mates and giving birth to live young.

Alternative way to explain life's complexity proposed

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:24:24 EDT

Evolution skeptics argue that some biological structures, like the eye, are too complex for natural selection to explain. Biologists have proposed various ways that so-called "irreducibly complex" structures could emerge incrementally over time. But a new study proposes an alternative route.

Disappearing nannies force parents to accept their duties

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:24:24 EDT

Large helpers (nannies) in a cichlid fish allow the dominant male and female to reduce their personal contribution to their offspring and territory, according to new research.

Sea mammals find U.S. safe harbor

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 19:46:46 EDT

New research shows that many US marine mammal populations -- especially some seals and sea lions -- have rebounded since 1972, because of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

The Rosette Agent: Monitoring a new threat in Britain's rivers

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 07:55:55 EDT

There are more than four million anglers in the UK and the sport generates an estimated £3.5 billion for the economy. But research has uncovered a new threat that could put many of the native fish species UK anglers rely on at risk.

Pollution: Learning the limits for marine species

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 07:55:55 EDT

Work by biologists and marine scientists over the past 10 years has covered such commercial resources as shrimp, scallops, herring and cod. Establishing tolerance levels for these and other species is one of the tools needed to determine how Barents Sea oil production can be pursued in an environmentally acceptable way. Tolerance levels are measured when a species is at the larval stage, the phase in its growth where it has the greatest vulnerability to oil pollution.

Goosefish capture small puffins over deep water of Northwest Atlantic

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:50:50 EDT

A recent study has shown that bottom-dwelling goosefish, also known as monkfish, prey on dovekies, a small Arctic seabird and the smallest member of the puffin family. To understand how this deep-water fish finds a shallow-feeding bird in offshore waters, researchers looked at when, where, and how these animals were most likely to be in the same place at the same time.

Unusual anal fin offers new insight into evolution

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 08:22:22 EDT

An unusual fossil fish that has fins behind its anus could have implications for human evolution.

The Snakelocks Anemone, a marine species prized in cooking, has been bred for the first time in captivity

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 09:43:43 EDT

Researchers have managed to breed for the first time in captivity a marine animal known as the snakelocks anemone and have also begun breeding a species of sea cucumber although this process is still in its initial stages. Both species have great culinary potential and possess excellent nutritional properties.

An ancient biosonar sheds new light on the evolution of echolocation in toothed whales

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:26:26 EDT

Some 30 million years ago, Ganges river dolphins diverged from other toothed whales, making them one of the oldest species of aquatic mammals that use echolocation, or biosonar, to navigate and find food. This also makes them ideal subjects for scientists working to understand the evolution of echolocation among toothed whales.

Dwarf whale survived well into Ice Age

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:21:21 EDT

Research detailing the fossil of a dwarf baleen whale from Northern California reveals that it avoided extinction far longer than previously thought.

Shark tooth weapons reveal missing shark species in Central Pacific islands

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 20:02:02 EDT

The Gilbert Island reefs in the Central Pacific were once home to two species of sharks not previously reported in historic records or contemporary studies. The species were discovered in a new analysis of weapons made from shark teeth and used by 19th century islanders.

Chinese foreign fisheries catch 12 times more than reported, study shows

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 10:42:42 EDT

Chinese fishing boats catch about US$11.5 billion worth of fish from beyond their country's own waters each year -- and most of it goes unreported, according to a new study.

Tiny grazers play key role in marine ecosystem health

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:01:01 EDT

Tiny sea creatures no bigger than a thumbtack are being credited for playing a key role in helping provide healthy habitats for many kinds of seafood, according to a new study. The little crustacean "grazers," some resembling tiny shrimp, are critical in protecting seagrasses from overgrowth by algae, helping keep these aquatic havens healthy for native and economically important species. Crustaceans are tiny to very large shelled animals that include crab, shrimp, and lobster.

Putting larval cobia to the acid test: Potential resistance to increasingly acidic oceans by certain species of fish

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:48:48 EDT

Marine biologists have studied the potential effects of ocean acidification on the larvae of cobia (Rachycentron canandum).

Eating fish associated with lower risk of dying among older adults: Risk of dying from heart disease significantly lowered

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 18:15:15 EDT

Older adults with higher levels of blood omega-3 levels -- fatty acids found in fish and seafood -- may be able to lower their mortality risk by as much as 27 percent and their mortality risk from heart disease by about 35 percent, report researchers. Older adults with the highest blood levels of the fatty acids lived, on average, 2.2 years longer than those with lower levels.

By keeping the beat, sea lion sheds new light on animals’ movements to sound

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 14:31:31 EDT

Move over dancing bears, Ronan the sea lion really does know how to boogie to the beat. A California sea lion who bobs her head in time with music has given scientists the first empirical evidence of an animal that is not capable of vocal mimicry but can keep the beat, according to new research.

Nothing fishy about it: Fish oil can boost the immune system

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 11:15:15 EDT

Fish oil rich in DHA and EPA is widely believed to help prevent disease by reducing inflammation, but until now, scientists were not entirely sure about its immune enhancing effects. A new report helps provide clarity on this by showing that DHA-rich fish oil enhances B cell activity, a white blood cell, challenging the notion that fish oil is only immunosuppressive.

Streams stressed by pharmaceutical pollution

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 09:07:07 EDT

Pharmaceuticals commonly found in the environment are disrupting streams, with unknown impacts on aquatic life and water quality. So reports a new paper that highlights the ecological cost of pharmaceutical waste and the need for more research into environmental impacts.

Pirate perch probably use chemical camouflage to fool prey

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 08:59:59 EDT

Dark and sleek, it hides beneath the water waiting for prey. A researcher says the target will never know what hit them because they probably can’t smell the voracious pirate perch.

Opposites attract: How cells and cell fragments move in electric fields

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 12:51:51 EDT

Like tiny crawling compass needles, whole living cells and cell fragments orient and move in response to electric fields -- but in opposite directions, scientists have found. Their results could ultimately lead to new ways to heal wounds and deliver stem cell therapies.

New fossil species from a fish-eat-fish world when limbed animals evolved

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:35:35 EDT

Scientists who famously discovered the lobe-finned fish fossil Tiktaalik roseae, a species with some of the clearest evidence of the evolutionary transition from fish to limbed animals, have described another new species of predatory fossil lobe-finned fish fish from the same time and place. By describing more Devonian species, they're gaining a greater understanding of the "fish-eat-fish world" that drove the evolution of limbed vertebrates.

Dusting for prints from a fossil fish to understand evolutionary change

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:41:41 EDT

In 370-million-year-old red sandstone deposits in a highway roadcut, scientists have discovered a new species of armored fish in north central Pennsylvania. Studying and describing this fish's anatomy, they took advantage of a technique that may look like it was stolen from crime scene investigators.

Lunar cycle determines hunting behavior of nocturnal gulls

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:30:30 EDT

Zooplankton, small fish and squid spend hardly any time at the surface when there's a full moon. To protect themselves from their natural enemies, they hide deeper down in the water on bright nights, coming up to the surface under cover of darkness when there's a new moon instead. Scientists discovered that this also influences the behavior of swallow-tailed gulls, a unique nocturnal species of gull from the Galapagos Islands.

Hope for Galapagos wildlife threatened by marine invaders

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 11:20:20 EDT

Increasing tourism and the spread of marine invasive non-native species is threatening the unique plant and marine life around the Galapagos Islands.

Scientists confirm first two-headed bull shark

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:40:40 EDT

Scientists have confirmed the discovery of the first-ever, two-headed bull shark.

Predictions of climate impacts on fisheries can be a mirage

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:05:05 EDT

In the early 1940s, California fishermen hauled in a historic bounty of sardine that set the backdrop for John Steinbeck's "Cannery Row" novel. But by the end of the decade the nets came up empty and the fishery collapsed. Where did they all go? According to a new study, the forces behind the sardine mystery are a dynamic and interconnected moving target.

A marine animal to feed your eco-car

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 10:14:14 EDT

The marine animal tunicate can be used both as biofuel and fish food, according to new research. On the ocean floor, under the pier, and on ship ropes – that’s where the tunicates live. Tunicates are marine filter feeders that serve as bacteria eaters and as a foodstuff in Korea and Japan. But in the future they may become more prevalent. Researchers have found that a certain type of tunicate – ascidiacea – can be used as a renewable source of biofuel and fish food.