Gulf oil spill aftermath: species vital to fishing industry struggle; communities’ mental health should be considered. As effects continue to unfold, research shows oil residue is causing defects in killifish, a species low in the food chain and critical to the seafood industry.  Researchers advocate taking stronger steps to address the human impact of such tragedies in affected communities. [The Los Angeles Times; The Huffington Post]

Coral reefs in peril but not beyond saving. New research has indicated that coral reefs are at risk of collapse, yet they can still be preserved - though local and global action will be necessary to do so. [Science Daily] 

Hawaii monk seal killings a mystery. As the range of endangered monk seals expands again among the Hawaiian Islands, they’ve become embroiled in a sea of complex issues, and are seen by some local fishermen as a rival for resources. The intense controversy over their protection has manifested itself in a string of killings. [The New York Times]

Climate change will cause extinctions by eliminating habitat. Atmospheric carbon concentrations reached 400 parts per million, the highest they’ve been in at least 800,000 years. New research shows the resulting changing climate will cause a reduction in suitable habitat for many species, and therefore lead to extinctions. [Time]

Acidification: oyster reefs may buffer effects; Arctic Ocean seeing rapid change. Oyster reefs in Chesapeake Bay have been severely depleted, and their return could (among other benefits) help ameliorate effects of ocean acidification. Research shows the Arctic could be especially susceptible to increasing acidity, the effects of which are still largely unknown. [Science Daily; BBC]

Overfishing implicated in jelly population booms. A study compared two ecosystems on the western coast of Africa – one where small oceanic fish were depleted, and one where fisheries were well managed – and uncovered a vicious cycle of overfishing promoting the proliferation of jellies that can further reduce fish. [Science Daily]
 

As always, if you would like to see something posted on this blog please share it with us on Facebook and Twitter!

That being said, here’s What’s Current this week:

This Mother’s Day card from our friends at MacGillivray Freeman Films.

Photo by Meghan MacGillivray.

Early morning Dawn Patrol with our favorite surf buddy.

Photo via reddit.

This uncomfortably accurate portrayal of perilously hot sand.

Photo by Ryan Schain.

This striking photo of lightning on Lake Erie off the coast of Huntington Beach, OH.

Photo by James Larkin for National Geographic.

These stingrays, who have special adaptations for living on the seafloor.

Photo via reddit.

This tour of the Aquarius Reef Base, a laboratory 60-feet under the surface where scientists can live for weeks at a time while conducting research.

These little fish with their wise manatee.

Photo by Yusuke Okada for National Geographic.

As well as this video of Arctic underwater cinematographer Adam Ravetch discussing the unusual and seldom-filmed Greenland Shark.

And last but certainly not least, this petition for the Maui’s dolphin of New Zealand.

With only 55 individuals left, the world's smallest dolphin - the Maui's dolphin of New Zealand - may face imminent extinction.

You can help by advocating for improved protection now.

Click here to sign. 

Photo by Will Rayment.

Thanks for reading! We’ll catch you on the flipside.

Photo by Sarah Lee. 

The crinoids - which include sea lilies and feather stars - are distinctive and ancient ocean animals that come in all colors imaginable. They have long, feathery arms that they extend into the water column and they use their tiny, sticky tube feet to pick up particles for food.

Feather stars (left) are mobile and tend to live in reef habitats; when they settle on a solid surface, they can hold on using appendages called cirri. Sea lilies (right) tend to live in deep sea habitats and spend most of their lives fixed to the seafloor with a stalk.
Photos by Andrew Vasenin via Wikimedia Commons and Neptune Canada via Flickr (Creative Commons License).

Feather stars are most commonly found in tropical coral reef habitats. They have no stalk and can move around freely, and can even swim by undulating their many arms (watch here).

Sea lilies, on the other hand, often live in deeper water, and have a long stalk that attaches them to the seafloor – although if they need to escape from a predator such as a sea urchin, they can break off the stalk and crawl away.
 

Evidence from fossils such as these shows that crinoid species have existed for hundreds of millions of years.
Photo by Ghedoghedo via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons License. 

The class Crinoidea belongs to the phylum Echinodermata, which means they’re related to sea stars, cucumbers, and urchins.  The crinoids are the oldest class of echinoderms and fossils of extinct species show that they existed 570 million years ago.

Like other echinoderms, crinoids have pentaradial symmetry – that is symmetry that extends in five parts from a central point, like a pie cut into five identical slices. They may have just five arms or they may have many more arms than that, but they often grow in multiples of five.  Also like other echinoderms, if a crinoid loses an arm, it can grow it back.
 

To feed, crinoids collect particles on tiny sticky tube feet. The particles are passed from the tube feet to the small branches or pennules, and then to the main arm or tegmen. They then move along a groove in the tegmen all the way to the mouth in the center.
Photos by Sunphol Sorakul and Elias Levy via Flickr, Creative Commons License.

The "feather" on a crinoid consists of the tegmen (the main branch of the arm) and the pinnules (the smaller fringing branches). On each pinnule are tiny tube feet. These sticky tube feet catch small particles like plankton from the water. The particles are then moved along the pinnule to the tegmen, and eventually they make it all the way to the mouth, which is on the top of the center of the animal.
 

Feather stars sometimes stop feeding and roll up their arms, for example to hide from predators. Photo by Nhobgood via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons License. 

Some species keep their arms curled up during the day. Then at night, when predators are less likely to see them, they unfurl their arms to feed.

Feather stars commonly serve as a safe home for many other animals. Often, tiny critters such as shrimp, can be found living among the arms of a feather star – perfectly camouflaged.

Certain shrimp species specialize in living on crinoids and are able to camouflage perfectly with their hosts. Clockwise from top left, photos by prilfish, Lakshmi Sawitri, and Lakshmi Sawitri (via Flickr, Creative Commons License) and courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films.

Primary source: Ruppert EE, Fox RS, Barnes RB. 2004. Invertebrate Zoology, A functional evolutionary approach, 7th ed. Brooks Cole/Thomson, Belmont, CA.

Photo by Alexander Vasenin via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons License. 

Photo by Dr. Dwayne Meadows, NOAA/NMFS/OPR via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.
 

White House finalizes national ocean policy. The final National Ocean Policy, a plan for managing
usage of the nation’s oceans, is meant to reconcile competing interests and mitigate the ‘tragedy of the
commons’ problem that has arisen with the oceans. [The Washington Post]


Coelocanth, “living fossil,” genome sequenced. The coelacanth is a deep sea fish that has changed little
since its ancestors evolved 300 million years ago, and due to its unusual fins, some believe they were
ancestors of land animals. The genome may shed light on how sea creatures evolved to live on land.
[BBC]


Green turtles benefit from protected areas in Southeast US. It had been unclear whether the
endangered green turtle was offered effective protection by existing protected areas, but a tagging
study has now confirmed that they do utilize the designated habitats. [Science Daily]


Great white sharks in Hawaii migrated from eastern Pacific. A study found that great white sharks,
which are spotted near Hawaii only rarely, can migrate there all the way from the California and
Mexico coastlines. They do not appear to be residents of the Hawaii region and only few make the long
migration. [UPI]


EU ban on importing seal hunt products upheld. The European Union allows import only of seal
products from subsistence hunting by Inuits, while prohibiting products from commercial sealing. A
challenge brought by manufacturers and traders was met with the law being upheld. [The Huffington
Post]


Southern Indian Ocean has large new marine protected area. Eighteen million hectares around South
Africa’s Prince Edward Islands were declared a marine protected area. The Antarctic territory is a very sensitive and vulnerable habitat and home to many species, including endangered seabirds, that will
benefit greatly from this protection. [Birdwatch]

Finally, enjoy our Earth Day tribute to the ocean:

Through my work on the Orange County Ocean Restoration Project I have been able to see the return of kelp forests that had been gone for more than 20 years, as well as the growth of awareness about their importance.  Many of the restored areas now lie in the newly established Marine Protected Area in Laguna Beach.

Each year, on Earth Day, the project celebrates its accomplishment and ongoing efforts at KelpFest, where we share the importance of protecting our kelp forests.

More than 800 species rely on kelp forests, and we are one of them! For more than 20 years, Laguna Beach's kelp forests had declined by as much as 80%. But over the past nine years, thousands of people have worked to restore these critical habitats. Come learn more about how kelp is used in our everyday life and join us in a celebration of its return to Southern California!

Please join us Saturday, April 20th from 9am to 3pm at Laguna Beach's Main Beach for Kelpfest 2013!

Also visit the Earth Day celebration, across the street on Park Avenue at Forest, 10am to 6pm!

Both events are free and will feature great attractions such as: live musical performances, speakers, arts and crafts activities, cooking demos, educational exhibits, tidepool trips, and much more!

Photo by NOAA's National Ocean Service via Flickr, Public Domain. 

The Laguna Beach Earth Day celebration is hosted by Transition Laguna. KelpFest is hosted by Get Inspired. 

Australia to confront Japan over whaling in UN court in June. Australia, supported by New Zealand, will be out to prove in the UN’s International Court of Justice that Japan’s Antarctic whaling program is commercial, not scientific, and therefore in violation of international law. Japan has just ended a record-low whaling season, which they blame on the Sea Shepherd Society’s interference. [BBC; USA Today]
 

New research suggests sustainable seafood certifications are too lax. A study reviewing objections to certifications of certain fisheries by the Marine Stewardship Council, which labels certified seafood as sustainable, has concluded that the standards used are not stringent enough and therefore misleading to customers. [FIS; Biological Conservation]

Record dolphin and sea turtle deaths since Gulf Oil Spill. Effects of the Deepwater Horizon spill three years ago are still unfolding. Dolphins, especially infant dolphins, were among those affected the most, and are still dying at above-average rates. [Discovery.com]

Young Arctic explorers plant flag on seabed at North Pole. The amateur explorers from around the world, backed by Greenpeace, succeeded in dropping a multicolored flag and a time capsule with nearly 3 million signatures on the seafloor at the North Pole, advocating for protecting the region from exploitation. [The Huffington Post; Greenpeace]

Bowhead whales survived the last Ice Age, surprising scientists. While most cold-adapted species declined or disappeared at the end of the Ice Age, the pattern may not hold true for marine life, as DNA studies show bowhead whales simply shifted their range north. [BBC]

Greenland puts brakes on Arctic drilling while ConocoPhillips suspends drilling plans. Greenland will grant no new Arctic offshore oil drilling leases. ConocoPhillips announced that plans to drill in the Alaskan Arctic in 2014 are on hold. [Care2; The New York Times]

Resilience to acidity found in single-celled marine algae and sea urchins. Planktonic algae, called coccolithophores, are important for conducting photosynthesis and producing oxygen. Their shells were expected to dissolve in more acidic water but they show surprising resilience, offering a point of hope. Researchers are also trying to understand why urchins show unexpected tolerance for more acidic water. [Science Daily; Discovery]

Chinese foreign fishery catch vastly underreported. A recent study has estimated that Chinese fleets outside their own waters catch 4.6 million tonnes per year or US$11.5 billion worth of fish. That’s 12 times more than is reported to the UN. Most of it comes from Africa. [Science Daily; Fish and Fisheries]   

Dolphin-safe tuna certification requirements expansion proposed. In response to the World Trade Organization’s finding that current regulations put Mexican tuna fishermen at a trade disadvantage, the National Marine Fisheries Service has proposed expanding requirements to ensure “no dolphins are killed or seriously injured.”  [The Los Angeles Times; Federal Register]  

Air pollution can slow coral growth. Fine particles called aerosols, which come from burning fossil fuels (and volcanoes), can shade corals from sunlight and slow their growth. However, scientists also speculate that the resultant cooler water temperatures could protect the corals from bleaching. This is the first study to link air pollution levels and effects on corals. [Science Daily]   

Protecting marine environment boosts local economies. New research shows how marine reserves not only help biodiversity but also can have economic benefits, sometimes compensating for the initial cost of the protections in just five years. This was published along with recommendations for estimating costs and benefits of local reserves – a business plan.  [National Geographic; PLoS ONE] 

Manatees in Florida and sea lions in California face major losses. Ongoing stranding of hundreds of sea lion pups in Southern California, the cause of which is unknown, has been officially recognized as an “unusual mortality event.” An algae bloom in Florida has been fatal for many endangered manatees, and deaths seem sure to increase, as the toxin clings to seagrass. [The Los Angeles Times; The New York Times]    

Extreme ocean kayaking - with lava. Watch below to see professional kayakers take on the boiling waters near an active lava flow in Hawaii. 

The macaroni penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus) is one of several species of crested penguins, which are named for the feathers that make it look like they’re wearing crowns. 

The macaroni penguin has one of the most noticeable crests, and was named after 18th century British “macaronis,” flamboyantly dressed men.

Photo by Jerzy Strzeleki via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons License. 

They’re among the largest penguin species, reaching up to approximately 28 inches (70cm) tall. Like all penguins, this species can’t fly and uses its modified wings as flippers to swim instead. Macaroni penguins spend most of the year at sea, hunting krill and other small fish and crustaceans.

Photo by Liam Quinn via Flickr, Creative Commons License.

Around October they gather on land in large colonies to breed. These colonies are mainly located on various islands in the Southern Ocean, and in the South Atlantic and southern Indian Oceans. One can be found on the Antarctic Peninsula, and the largest colony is on South Georgia Island.

During breeding season, the birds can be seen in monogamous pairs that are long-lasting. They typically build a rock-lined nest, sometimes also using grass. The pair lays one small egg, which almost never successfully hatches. Then they lay a large egg, which is the one that they incubate together in shifts. While one parent is keeping the egg warm, the other parent goes out to sea to hunt for food. (Click here for a video of the impressive ordeal the penguins may face getting to shore in heavy surf.)

Despite having a very large population – the largest of any penguin species, in fact – their population has declined rapidly over the last several decades.The macaroni penguin is classified as a Vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List.

The introduction of invasive predators to the islands where they live, like cats and rats, are causing problems by hunting the birds and their eggs. The macaroni penguin also suffers because of overfishing of krill, which is its main source of food. Oil spills are a big issue, too, and in the future there may be additional declines caused by climate change.

Photo by Lieutenant Elizabeth Crapo, NOAA Corps. via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain. 

Photo by Liam Quinn via Flickr, Creative Commons License. 

Dancing is universal in humans, and in the past it was thought to be unique to humans as well. When birds were found to move rhythmically, scientists concluded that their ability to keep a beat must be related to vocal mimicry – their ability to imitate other sounds. New research has changed this.

In new research, scientists studied the relationship between an animal’s ability to mimic sound and its ability to “entrain motor activity to a rhythmic auditory stimulus,” or to move to a beat. Before now, the only animals shown to do this were ones that could also imitate sound, like cockatoos.

In the study, a 3-year-old sea lion named Ronan was trained to bob her head in time with a rhythm. At first, she had to be taught to move with a hand signal, and later to non-musical rhythmic sounds. She improved with practice until she could keep the beat to a song – John Fogerty’s “Down on the Corner.”

Once she was trained, the scientists started the real testing: to see if she had only been doing what she was told, or if she had learned how to interpret a beat.

They had Ronan listen to songs that she had never heard before to see how she would react. When she first heard “Everybody” by the Backstreet Boys and “Boogie Wonderland” by Earth Wind & Fire, Ronan was able to bob her head to the beat of the new music demonstrating that she was able to pick out a new and different beat. They also changed the tempo of the songs to see if she would change her reaction and she was successfully able to follow along to “Boogie Wonderland” at five different speeds.

You can watch her here: 

The scientists also wanted to make sure that she was in fact understanding the rhythm and anticipating it – not just following it by bobbing in response to the previous beat. Changing the songs and speeds was one way to test that. The researchers also had her bob to a rhythmic ticking sound; they found that even when the computer-generated sound missed a beat, Ronan kept the beat going.

Not only did she learn to follow new rhythms and improve over time, she also was able to retain that knowledge after the study ended. A few weeks after it was over, a follow up test showed that Ronan could still keep the beat with the rhythms and songs she’d learned before.

Since sea lions don’t have the vocal ability to imitate other sounds or songs, then based on past theory, they shouldn’t be able to keep a musical rhythm. Because the scientists showed that Ronan could learn step-by-step how to keep a beat, we now know that vocal mimicry skills aren’t a requirement for this type of comprehension, and that perhaps there are many more animals out there than we thought that do this.

Photo by Todd Ryburn via Flickr, Creative Commons License. 

The One World One Ocean Campaign has teamed up with MY HERO to create the Sylvia Earle Ocean Conservation Award, and we are asking members of the public to send in videos about their ocean heroes.

“Our mission at One World One Ocean is to change how people see and value the ocean, which is why we are pleased to partner with MY HERO to create this new award,” said Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Greg MacGillivray, who will participate as a member of the judging committee for the award.  “Sylvia Earle is our ocean hero, and we hope this award inspires aspiring filmmakers to shine a spotlight on other dedicated people from all walks of life who are working tirelessly on behalf of our oceans.“

A world-renowned oceanographer and explorer, Earle is an author, lecturer, explorer, leader, and research scientist who has led more than 70 expeditions and has logged more than 6,500 hours underwater. Formerly chief scientist of NOAA, and now a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, she was awarded the 2009 TED Prize for her proposal to establish a global network of marine protected areas, called “hope spots.” She is an inspiration to ocean activists everywhere, including One World One Ocean and she serves as principal advisor to the campaign.
 

The Sylvia Earle Ocean Conservation Award will be presented along with a $500 award to the winner at this year’s MY HERO International Film Festival in December to the filmmaker whose work best illustrates his or her personal ocean hero.

The deadline for submissions is May 1, 2013. Films must be five minutes or under and the winner will be announced on WORLD OCEANS DAY June 8, 2013.

Click here to submit and apply! Good luck to all filmmakers, we can’t wait to see who your ocean heroes are!

Deep-sea submarine donated to science by James Cameron. The unique submersible, which Cameron used a year ago to dive to the deepest point on earth, will be given to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to facilitate future research and exploration, mainly by aiding the design of new technologies. [The New York Times]

Americans support preparation for extreme weather. A new survey shows that an overwhelming majority backs preventive action that would minimize damage from climate-change related problems like sea level rise and extreme storms, rather than waiting to address damage after it happens. [Science Daily] 

Increased Antarctica sea ice may result from melt. Paradoxically, scientists have found that climate change is increasing Antarctic sea ice, and that this could come from ice shelf meltwater: the meltwater is cold and low in density; it floats on the surface and refreezes more quickly than seawater. [BBC] 

Research reveals tourist interaction with stingrays alters behavior. A study conducted at a Cayman Islands “interactive ecotourism” site, Stingray City, showed changes in nocturnal feeding habits and solitary behavior prompting questions about just how sustainable feeding and touching wildlife can be. Further research will be needed to assess if and to what extent these are detrimental changes. [Phys.org] 

Marine protection in the UK slowed by economy. Currently, much less than 1% of UK waters are protected putting it far behind in its international commitment to make a network of protected areas. The Environment Minister has stated that the weak economy has been an obstacle in implementing ocean conservation measures. [BBC]  

We now know that their hunch was right. Using remote imaging and heat sensing technology, researchers have just confirmed the existence of large, warm-blooded animals on Europa: whales. The new species has been dubbed starwhal (Cetaceanus europus).

Because of their great size, whales are the easiest life to detect, but there is likely to be more life up there with them. We believe we can safely assume that further incredible discoveries of a rich ecosystem surrounding them in the seas of Europa are forthcoming. Results from data analysis are expected to be completed soon, providing more details but right now what we know for sure is that the space whales are definitely there.

There are now many questions that have yet to be addressed: How long have the whales lived on Europa? Can we bring them to Earth? Are they endangered? How can we save them? Can I pet one? What’s happening? Who am I? What is my purpose in life?

While many may find this discovery highly improbable it was not entirely unforeseen. Anecdotal observations have been made in the past about the existence of space whales (read more here). Interestingly, according to these claims, those whales previously observed were confirmed to be sentient. However, this is the first documentation of their natural existence in an extraterrestrial ocean.

It is on this exciting note that we are thrilled to announce our brand new campaign, Star Whales. Building on MacGillivray Freeman Films’s history of sending IMAX cameras where they’ve never been before, we will send a documentary film crew to Europa to, for the first time ever in history, capture Cetaceanus europus on film!

The film will be coupled with a high-powered media blitz to raise awareness of Europa’s whales and the potential threats to their survival. We encourage you to join us on this exciting journey, which will be broadcasted weekly here, live, on our MFLive Ustream channel. With your help, we will save the Europa space whale!

It has been postulated that fractures in the icy surface of the planet track the whales’ migration routes and provide them access to surface air to breathe. Photo by NASA/JPL/DLR via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain. 

Did we get you?

Happy April Fools' Day! 

Sea spiders usually have eight legs, which are long and attached to a small body, just like many true spiders. However, sea spiders are not the same as the spiders we’re familiar with on land (arachnids). And although sea spiders are arthropods that live in the ocean, they are not crustaceans, such as crabs or shrimp. 

Sea spiders instead form a taxonomic class of their own called Pycnogonida (sometimes it’s called Pantopoda, instead). All pycnogonids are found in the ocean, and not in terrestrial or freshwater habitats.

A sea spider sitting on a gorgonian sea fan. Photo by Derek Keats via Flickr, Creative Commons License. 

Sea spiders can be found in all oceans and most marine habitats. In remote polar or deep sea regions, they can reach large sizes with a leg span of more than a foot (30cm) wide. However, most sea spiders you could encounter are much smaller, ranging from 1 to 10 millimeters. As a result, even though they’re common, pycnogonids are very easy to miss.

A larger deep-sea species of pycnogonid. Photo by Scott C. France via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons License. 

Most species are bottom-dwelling carnivores. They live in seafloor habitats and feed on animals like corals, sponges, and worms. There are also some sea spiders that live as parasites on mollusks, or that scavenge for detritus or algae.

Photo by Steve Childs via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons License.

Because the body of most sea spiders is so small, some of their organs have to extend into the legs where there is more room. Also because they’re so small, they don’t need a respiration system; instead they simply breathe using diffusion across the body’s surface. 

Photo by NOAA/Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.

Pycnogonids engage in external fertilization through multiple reproductive openings. Oddly enough, the female’s ovaries are in the femurs of her legs. Once she releases the eggs, they are fertilized. The male secretes a glue to hold the egg masses together under his legs and he broods them until they hatch. Other than that, little is known about pycnogonid reproduction – for example, some species seem to go through a courting ritual but that process is still poorly understood.

So the next time you’re tidepooling or checking out the growth on a pier, take a closer look – you just might find a little sea spider living there!

Small sea spiders crawling on a bryozoan in a tidepool habitat. Photo by Jerry Kirkhart via Flickr, Creative Commons License. 

Primary source:
Ruppert EE, Fox RS, Barnes RB. 2004. Invertebrate Zoology, A functional evolutionary approach, 7th ed. Brooks Cole/Thomson, Belmont, CA.

As always, if you have anything you would like to see featured on this blog, you can post it on our Facebook wall or tweet it at us and I’ll take a look! In the past few weeks we have had some amazing submissions that we have since shared with our communities! 

That being said, here’s what’s current on the internet this week:

We celebrated Sea Turtle Day with this little guy we found while documenting the protected waters of Coco’s Island.

Photo by Shmulik Blum.

We watched the epic return of Champagne and Yardley to the sea after being successfully rehabilitated by the Pacific Marine Mammal Center!

We got our daily dose of cute from these three river otters.

Photo via reddit.

We were amazed at this photo of an octopus in the waters off the coast of Italy.

Photo by Pasquale Vassallo Underwater Photographer for National Geographic.

We learned that skates and rays have skeletons made of soft, pliable cartilage.

Photo via reddit.

We discovered this pink bottlenose dolphin, who may be an albino as indicated by its red eyes. 

Photo by Captain Erik Rue /Caters News Agency Ltd.

We marveled at this photo by Rob Leslie for National Geographic.

Photo by Rob Leslie for National Geographic.

We pranced around with Eddie as he levitated with happiness on his first day at the beach.

Photo via reddit.

We hung out with the blanket octopus.

Learn more about them from our friends at Mission Blue on their blog.

“I have arrived.”

Photo via Attack of the Cute.

That’s it! Thanks for reading. We’ll post another blog next week with another dose of ocean social media awesomeness.

Have a great weekend. Fins up!

Photo by Alex Swanson.

The ocean is taking over Earth Day on April 22nd, and it needs your help.

To do this, we need you to send us a photo of what the ocean means to you before April 10th for inclusion in a special Earth Day video presentation.  We’re looking for photos that show everyone what Sylvia Earle meant when she famously said, “no blue, no green.”

Be funny. Get creative.

Send us your scuba photos, your beach clean-ups, your long walks on the beach (perhaps sans the candle-lit dinners). We want to see your underwater photography and your cute marine animal photos. Do you have photos from your last extreme water sport activity? We want to see those too.
 

Honestly, it wasn’t really our idea for the ocean to take over Earth Day; more than 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by ocean, which means we really are a water planet. But as the ocean’s storyteller, we want to document it, and include you in the process.

So grab your GoPro, grab your friends, and take a photo of what the ocean means to you.

You can submit your photos by posting them to our Facebook wall or sharing them on Twitter and Instagram using our hashtag rallying cry- #SeasEarthDay. Be sure to include your name, age, and where you are from to be considered for this very special video.

Photo submissions will be accepted starting April 1st until April 10th, with the final video presentation debuting on Earth Day, April 22nd.

Happy (almost) Earth Day!

'Dirty Blizzard' in Gulf may account for missing Deepwater Horizon oil. Researchers have found evidence that oil clumped with plankton and other material and fell to the seafloor, in what is being referred to as a ‘dirty blizzard.’ This would account for much of the oil that was never recovered.  [Underwater Times] 

Several grocery chains commit not to sell genetically modified salmon. The fish could become the first genetically modified animal to reach the market and several grocery store chains have pledged not to offer it in their stores, arguing that it conflicts with their environmental policies. [The New York Times]

Thousands of dead prawns wash ashore in Chile, prompting investigation. Environmental conditions in Coronel Bay are being studied in hopes of finding an explanation for the mass death of prawns, a disaster for local fishermen. [BBC] 

DNA shows there’s one giant squid species worldwide. It had been thought that there were several species of giant squid separated by ocean basins, but research shows remarkably similar DNA across its vast range.  [Science Daily] 

Soft corals could benefit while hard corals decline due to climate change. Comparing the effects of ocean acidification on stony and soft corals, scientists found reef-building corals could be worse affected due to the dissolution of their calcareous skeletons and negatively impact the fish that use them as shelter, while making room for less vulnerable soft corals. [The Huffington Post] 

Great white sharks eat three to four times as much as previously thought. New research on metabolic rates of great white sharks indicate they eat much more than was previously believed, and thus indicates that they play an even more important role in the ecosystem. [Discovery] 

Research predicts a future tenfold increase in hurricane surges with changing climate. For every 2 degrees Celcius temperature increase, the study found there would be ten times as many hurricane surges. That would mean a Katrina-level surge every-other year. [Science Daily] 
 

The chocolate chip sea star (Protoreaster nodosus) is named for the brown cones on its back – which are remarkably reminiscent of a certain delicious cookie! Sometimes they are also called horned sea stars.

Chocolate chip sea stars can grow up to 1 foot (30 cm) across in diameter, and typically have five arms. Often they are tan-colored but they can be other shades as well.

Photo by Franz Xaver via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons License. 

This species can be found in the Indo-Pacific region. They mostly live in seagrass beds and sandy bottom habitats in shallow water, but can also be found on coral reefs as deep as 100 feet (33 meters). They forage in the sediment for food, eating whatever they can find from burrowing mollusks to detritus or waste.

Photo by Karelj via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain. 

Like all sea stars, these guys can regenerate lost body parts. Though many people refer to them as sea stars, they are not fish – they are invertebrates that are part of the Phylum Echinodermata! The mouth is located on the underside of the body, or the oral surface. While they don’t have eyes, these scavengers do have light sensors – but they use smell to locate their food.

In general, populations of chocolate chip sea stars are considered to be healthy and stable, although in some areas, overharvesting for the aquarium trade can be a problem. 

Stars of the Sea from Karin Brussaard on Vimeo.

This year, for the very first time, scientists documented a whale fall in Antarctic waters, almost a mile below the surface. The skeletal remains of this southern Minke whale have been the source for the discovery of at least nine new species. This discovery is also providing insight into ocean processes such as larval dispersal between remote habitats and ocean nutrient cycling.
 

What is a whale fall? After a whale dies, its body may float away and wash up onshore somewhere. But other times, the carcass falls to the seafloor and sparks an oasis for life with the energy it delivers.

The deep abyssal plains–vast flat expanses of deep seafloor – are environments that are very low in nutrients. This habitat is known to be home to an amazingly diverse array of microbes, but it can’t support very much in the way of larger life forms. A carcass, however, delivers a big dose of nutrients to the system.

Photo by NOAA's Undersea Research Program via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain. 

In the perfect example of the circle of life, a whale’s decomposing body, known as a whale fall, becomes its own specialized seafloor habitat. It can support an entire community of incredible animals - sometimes even for decades. 

A whale fall community attracts an array of deep sea animals, and the species patterns changes over time. During the first two years or so, scavengers consume the flesh – the species that show up vary depending on how deep the whale fall is but they can include critters such as hagfish, crabs, rattail fish, and sharks.

Photo by Craig Smith NOAA via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.

The following two years, the bones and surrounding sediments are colonized by animals that consume leftover tissues. The final stage can last a long time – perhaps even a century – while sulphur-loving bacteria break down what’s left of the whale fall.

One of the specialized animals that colonizes the bones and break them down is a worm called Osedax, or the zombie worm. Similar to the worms found around hydrothermal vents, Osedax worms have no stomach or mouth; instead they feed on the bone with the help of symbiotic bacteria.

Watch this stunningly artistic video “Whale Fall (after life of a whale),” to learn more about the stages of a whale fall community.

Whale falls have been documented in various locations and they are thought to be much more common than we now know because they are difficult to locate with current technology. Most research on them has been done with whale remains intentionally sunken by scientists.

In this video, captured by a submersible in Monterey Canyon off of the California coast, you can see a real whale fall that was created by researchers and is providing insights into this phenomenon.

In the video below, you can see footage taken by a submersible of a whale fall in Monterey Canyon off of the California coast.

Whale fall research provides insights into how the ocean recycles nutrients. It also provides clues about how remote specialized habitats, such as hydrothermal vents, are connected. It is possible that some species that are specialized to hydrothermal vents can also be found on whale falls. Such species are thought to spread as larvae drifting in the currents looking for these specific areas to settle. However, precisely how they can settle, colonize, spread, and resettle is still a great mystery!

Ocean’s deepest point teems with microbial life. Results from James Cameron’s recent expedition show that, although he couldn’t see any marine life when he reached the bottom of Challenger Deep, microscopic organisms abound in this extreme environment. [Treehugger]  

Overfishing large fish could cause genetic shift to smaller individuals. In lab tests, researchers showed that focusing fishing efforts on large individuals can trigger an evolutionary change that would have “serious global consequences” by causing fish to be smaller, and in turn less fertile. [BBC]  

Group of brown bears found to stem from ancient polar bears. Altering our understanding of polar bear genetic history (again) a new study has found that, around the time of the last Ice Age, one polar bear population reverted back to brown fur due to hybridization. This is prompting theories that this could happen again as a result of climate change. [CBC News] 

Melting Antarctic puts penguins at risk. Scientists have seen changes to penguin populations and expect at least half of penguin species to be negatively impacted if warming continues, largely because reduced ice also means reduced krill, which are the penguins’ food.  [The Huffington Post] 

Toxic red tide killing endangered manatees. So far this year, an algae bloom has killed a record 174 Florida manatees, which are considered Endangered throughout their range. [The Huffington Post] 

Marine plankton digest twice as much carbon as previously believed. A new study has upended a long-standing belief about how carbon dioxide enters the ocean, and indicates that existing ocean carbon models need revising. Single-celled marine algae, phytoplankton, show a latitudinal pattern and have much higher levels of carbon in the tropics than the poles. [Science Daily]   

Seven species of abalone once teemed along the shores of California.  For centuries, native peoples relied on this protein source to sustain them, as evidenced in ancient middens found along the coast, where piles of empty shells can be found.  They were also found in middens as far East as the Mississppi River, indicating that they were traded as beautiful shells used for ceremonial vessels and jewelry.

In the early 1900s biologists were quoted in a session of Congress asking for the protection of the abalone because the massive harvest going on at that time “was surely to deplete the natural stocks”.  The state of California did not heed this warning until 70 years later when they closed the abalone fishery.  By then, it was too late.  Two of the seven species were Endangered, and two were listed as Federal Species of Concern.

Nancy Caruso measures an abalone found in the kelp beds. 

Three years ago, Get Inspired, an organization I founded to promote the arts and sciences, applied for a permit to restock green abalone (Haliotis fulgens), a Species of Concern, as part of The Orange County Ocean Restoration Project.  Now, for the first time in 20 years, the California Department of Fish and Game has issued a permit to enhance the wild stocks.

Our project will use adult abalone, classified as larger than 15 cm (5.9 in). Existing wild abalone populations have been identified and recorded, and the permit allows us to release our outplants (individuals that we raise in a nursery and release to the wild) where there are no wild abalone.

Abalone are raised in captivity in preparation for release into the wild.

Adult abalone have two predators: humans and sea otters. That shouldn’t be a problem because it is illegal to harvest abalone and we will place them on an undisclosed reef, and there are no otters in Southern California.  We will track them with multiple methods to monitor their survival. This has never been done before – the problem with past efforts is that they used young abalone, which couldn’t be tracked.

The best part is that this will all be carried out by everyday citizens who are concerned with the health of their oceans. I will train volunteers to identify abalone species and to help me design the tracking and monitoring devices and techniques.  The best idea yet came from a 12-year-old who recommended that we tag the abalone with metal and use a metal detector to find them.  Brilliant!

Students' engagement in the raising of abalone teaches them about the importance of caring for coastal habitats. 

Our goal is to outplant 200 adults and to successfully track and monitor their survival for one year.  No one has been able to do that yet. Classrooms in local k-12 schools are raising abalone and volunteer divers will do the outplanting. Abalone farms will supplement the ones we grow in order to reach 200 total over the next two years, releasing half this year and the rest next year. Ultimately, we hope to reach a minimum viable population density of 2000 individuals per hectare.  This may take a few years.

Students participate in the raising of abalone by caring for them and measuring their growth. 

We are also conducting a similar project with white sea bass. So far, we have raised 300 green abalone and 120 white sea bass in schools in Orange and LA counties.  We have trained divers and we are still restoring kelp forests in Orange County through kelp replanting. 

If a bunch of scientists were doing this work alone, it would be invisible to the world. Instead, students who worked on this project years ago still ask, “How’s OUR kelp doing?”  This is the sign of success.  They took ownership of the kelp.  It IS theirs. With the involvement of the community, citizens take responsibility of the outcome of the project, and they will make decisions in the future to protect what they worked hard to restore.

Photos courtesy of Nancy Caruso.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Copywriter’s role is to develop and produce online projects for MacGillivray Freeman’s new website as well as other key multimedia projects.

You’ll work in a highly collaborative environment with colleagues in Digital Media, Business Development, Marketing and Communications.

Beyond being a talented copywriter, you should have a strong working knowledge of marketing, design, and a passion for film and digital media. You'll be challenged to think conceptually and find innovative solutions to tell the MacGillivray Freeman story in a way that captivates a wide range of audiences – ultimately creating new business opportunities for the company. In return, you’ll have an opportunity to work in the ultimate creative environment with experienced, collaborative film and marketing professionals.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

- A minimum of 5 years of copywriting experience in advertising, design, web development, film or related fields

- Strong conceptual and writing skills with a comprehensive knowledge of the entertainment and digital media landscape

- An online portfolio of print, digital (web and video) and social media work

- Proficiency in branding, social, online marketing and entertainment mediaconcepts

- Ability to create concepts and copy that deliver on creative briefs and align to business goals

- Working knowledge of film, online media and user experience analysis is aplus

-Proficiency in client/external presentation development – from conceptualizing to execution

- Ability to envision creative ways to leverage film, online ideas and technologies

- Attention to detail (punctuation, grammar, tone of voice) a must


If interested in the position, please contact Molly Malloy at mmalloy@macfreefilms.com with a resume and cover letter.

How do fish sense water flow?
Many fish have the ability to sense patterns of water flow around them using the lateral line system. This is a network of sensory organs that can detect water flow. Hair-like cells called neuromasts, which are located either in pores on the skin or directly on the surface, respond to vibration and movement in the water. This lets the fish determine the velocity and acceleration of the flow. 

This ability is called lateral line sensing because, usually, the network of sensors runs in a line pattern along the length of the fish’s body. That line is often nearly invisible, but in some cases it can be seen as a narrow stripe. They also can have additional pores around the head. Some amphibians have lateral line sensing abilities as well.

Different organisms create different wake patterns when they move, so being able to detect that movement in the surrounding water is very useful and helps to identify prey and predators. It also helps the fish move in a more energy efficient way by locating places where the currents will be helpful for swimming, and it helps schools of fish move together without bumping into each other.

In some species of fish, such as the rainbow trout, top, the lateral line is visible as a stripe. In other species, such as the common roach, bottom, detecting the grooved scales of the lateral line it requires a much closer look.    
Photos via Wikimedia Commons by: U.S. Forest Service, Sawtooth National Recreation Area, Fredlyfish4, Public Domain (top).
Piet Spaans, Viridiflavus, Creative Commons (bottom). 

Technology mimics nature.
So far, underwater robots have been able to navigate using just cameras and sonar, but scientists have now found a way to equip them with flow-sensing capabilities similar to the lateral line sensors of fish.

Scientists with the FILOSE project first built a robotic fish. Its structure and movement were created to be similar to that of a rainbow trout. A motor powers the tail, which propels the model fish forward while the head stays mostly still.

They then created an artificial lateral line using microscopic filaments that bend along with water flow. The tiny cantilevers imitate the neuromasts of a real fish. They can be placed on chips, which are then attached to the robotic fish.

The robotic fish and its artificial lateral line together make up the first flow-sensing underwater robot, which the scientists tested out in a flow tank.

The robot can detect the direction and velocity of water flow, and change its swimming speed to move upstream or hold its position. It can also find places of low flow to hover – for example, by lurking behind another object to save energy. Essentially they are detecting and responding to the “flowscape,” (flow landscape) something other underwater robots right now cannot do. This has many applications, including helping underwater robots run more efficiently, mitigating the common problem of limited battery life, and helping them adapt to changes in water conditions. Before this research, the lateral line found in nature had no technological equivalent.

All of this work is part of a field of research called biomimetics or biomimicry, in which scientists create things that are inspired by nature. By imitating nature, they hope to find answers to human problems. We’ve written about such work before: click here to learn about how studying squid skin could lead to smart clothing for people. There are also other studies featuring robotic fish - click here to read about how one known as robofish was used to study schooling behavior. 

Protections for three critically endangered shark species pass CITES vote. The proposal to regulate (though not ban) international trade of these sharks passed, and awaits final authorization, marking a step forward for marine conservation by the organization. Despite opposition from Asian nations, the proposal was helped by new support from South American and West African countries. [BBC] 

Polar bear protections rejected. The CITES conference for the regulation of international trade of wildlife turned down a US proposal, supported by Russia, to protect polar bears. Canada, the only nation that allows exports of polar bear parts, argued that hunting is sustainable and economically important. [The Guardian]

California Coastal Commission rejects Navy’s plan to increase sonar use. The Navy aimed to increase its use of underwater sonar and explosives – known to be harmful to marine wildlife, especially whales and dolphins – in training exercises in Southern California waters. The Commission’s decision will mean continued negotiations with the Navy on the issue. [The Los Angeles Times]

Melting Arctic: North Pole shipping could be possible by mid-century; Canada faces dramatic glacier loss. Arctic summer sea ice could be so low by mid-century as to allow open water shipping traffic. Meanwhile, Canada’s Arctic Archipelago could irreversibly lose 20% of its glaciers by the end of the century, adding to sea level rise. [Ars Technica; Science Daily]

Global temperatures hit 4,000 year high. According to a new study that is the most complete reconstruction of global temperature to date, temperatures will continue to rise. Within this century, they are expected to exceed any levels in the last 12,000 years, since before the last ice age. [The New York Times]

Texas may ban shark fin trade while Hong Kong sees declines. Texas would be the sixth US state to ban trade in shark fins, and the first red state to do so. Eliminating the shark fin trade in Hong Kong is far from completed but trade is slowly decreasing as younger generations move away from the practice of finning. [The Huffington Post; BBC] 

Ocean acidification hitting US coastlines harder in Northeast. A study comparing acidification along the east coast, found that the Gulf of Maine ecosystem is less resistant and more susceptible to acidification than the Gulf of Mexico, though it’s not yet clear why. [The Huffington Post]

Imagine you’re walking across a beach and you see something like this:

Photo by Rob and Stephanie Levy via Flickr, Creative Commons License. 

What’s going on? Who could be capable of creating such delicate sand art?

The creative culprit is an unassuming critter – the sand bubbler crab. There are several species of sand bubbler crabs. They are very small (often less than a centimenter, and all belong to two genera, Scopimera and Dotilla. They can be found on sandy beaches ranging throughout the greater Indo-Pacific region.

Photo by Dcubillas via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons License. 

The intricate feat of creating sand bubbles is the result of a simple necessity: the crab has to eat! While the motivation for doing it is simple, the mechanics are not. The crab feeds on the organic matter in sand – plankton left behind by the tide, meiofauna (animals that live between sand grains), and detritus (non-living organic particles).

Photo by Dcubillas via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons License. 

In order to get that organic matter it feeds on, the crab uses its claws and mouthparts to scoop up small amounts of sand. It eats up the organic matter on the sand particles, essentially “cleaning” the sand. As it works, it forms little balls of clean sand that it leaves behind.

In the video below, you can take a closer look:

The patterns left by these crabs can vary. The crab lives in a burrow and works during low tide.They tend to work radially from the entrance to their burrow, going gradually farther away, and they often leave little paths open through which to scurry back to the burrow when necessary.

Photo by Cory via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons License. 

When the tide rises again, it hides in its burrow with a pocket of air to breathe. Its bubbles are wiped away by the waves, and the tide deposits a fresh supply of plankton and detritus, and the crab can start over.

Photo by Rob and Stephanie Levy via Flickr, Creative Commons License. 

As I’m sure you know, these magnificent creatures were the stars of our IMAX® film, To The Arctic 3D, now playing in select IMAX® theaters. On International Polar Bear Day, we were excited to announce that you will be able to watch our award-winning documentary from the comfort of your own home! That’s right—as of March 26th, To The Arctic 3D will be available on 3D Blu-Ray Combo Pack and DVD.

To celebrate these events we hosted several Caption Contests through One World One Ocean and MacGillivray Freeman on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram where we received some hilarious submissions! You can read the winning captions below.

As always, if you have anything you would like to see featured on this blog, you can post it on our Facebook wall or tweet it at us and I’ll take a look! In the past few weeks we have had some amazing submissions… in fact, one of the polar bear photos below was shared with us by someone from our social media community!

That being said, here’s what’s current on the internet this week:

We’ll start with this incredible photo of the Aurora Borealis over Svalbard, Norway.

Photo via reddit.

Next is this polar bear, whose origin we recently learned more about thanks to a new scientific paper.

Photo by Bret Love & Mary Gabbett for Green Global Travel. 

This polar bear that we got really up-close and personal with on our weekly show, MacGillivray Freeman LIVE!

Tune in at 11am PST on Thursdays to watch us LIVE! If you don't catch us live, we rebroadcast our shows all day, every day.

These wise words from the sea...

Shared by Thank You Ocean.

And last but not least, there’s this photo we found on reddit, which isn’t from the Arctic—but  it sure is beautiful.

Photo by Jesse Summers.

The best part of this photo of a sail boat isn’t actually the photo–it’s the fact that we found it on the largest link-sharing website on the internet, posted it to Facebook, and were connected with the photographer, who happened to be a part of our One World One Ocean Community.

That, my friends, is the internet at its finest.

And now, the moment everyone has been waiting for.

Here are the winners of our International Polar Bear Day Caption Contest!
 

The winner of the first Caption Contest will receive a copy of Florian Schulz’s award-winning companion book from our IMAX® film, To The Arctic 3D!

Facebook
Dennis Knowles: How does a polar bear stop a VCR? He just presses the paws button! Up top!!
Monika Kosecka: lets do harlem shake!

Twitter
Brandon Swan ‏@SirCygnus: @MacFreeFilms I wanna give a shout out to Vulpes lagopus, hope you enjoy the scraps from my next seal carcass

Instagram
@Jcurley11: Never stick a wet paw on a cold nose.

The winners of the following Caption Contest will receive a copy of “The Adventures of Charlie Mac to the Arctic and Back,” our favorite children’s book by our very own Katie MacGillivray about a little boy with a big imagination!

Facebook
Cherie Larson Rivers: Anybody got some floss!
Carolyn Watts: My insurance doesn't pay for braces.

Twitter
@zambezi86: @MacFreeFilms here's my best Elvis impression ... thank you, thank you very much. #PolarBearDay

Instagram
@lonedragonfli: Aw man *way*too much pepper on that last seal!

We also asked our community what their favorite part was from our new video, “Tales from the Arctic: Challenges,” which highlights some of the obstacles our crew had to face during the making of our IMAX® film, To The Arctic 3D. This is just one of five videos in our brand new behind-the-scenes series.

Here are some of their responses:

Shawn Rene Aguirre: When Greg says "Its one of the Things we get to check off our list of things to accomplish ! "

Stacy Kops Sullivan: @1:31 when Bob is laughing about losing the bears right after his shift starts and then at 1:42 when they find them. Adorable. It is amazing the time spent on filming animals~it just doesn't happen it take days or weeks or months! Big thanks to everyone who put it together.

Susan Skidmore: The best part of this video is being one of the fortunate people standing on the bow of that ship! How awesome the view... nature I will most likely never see up close and personal. Magnificent!

Sayeh Koetsier: The best part for me is how peaceful the footage of the bears and landscape is shown that for just a second it makes you forget the devastation we are doing to our planet and how amazing Mother Nature is when left alone.

Maria Angulo: The whole clip was my favorite part...especially when the mama bear is sniffing the air to figure out what's going on with the peeps on the boat!

Trudy Schaefer: Glad they found the bears again after losing them in the fog. I love these wildlife films and it is awesome to see how difficult it is to make them. Good job.

Rhonda Sylvester: Cub 1 thinking it was gonna catch a ride on Moms back instead of swimming; silly bear!!!

Lyn Clifton: The trusting cubs following mum into the water

Thank you everyone who celebrated International Polar Bear Day by participating in our Caption Contest!

If you had the winning caption for any of these contests, please contact me (Kimmy!) at khelling@macfreefilms.com.

The barracuda (genus Sphyraena) is a fierce predator with an appetite for coral reef fish.

Barracuda species can be found in nearly all tropical and warm temperate seas, especially in and around coral reefs. They can be found in schools, but larger ones tend to be solitary.
 

Photo by Laban712 via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.

Barracudas tend to be silver in color, and have a long body shape. They have big mouths and sharp teeth, and can be extremely fast swimmers over short distances. Some species, like the great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda), can grow over 6 feet long, although this is rare and most of them are much smaller. When hunting, they usually lie in wait for prey to swim near them, then chase it down.

Barracudas have a reputation as dangerous and aggressive fish. In Finding Nemo, it was a barracuda that attacked Marlin and his wife Coral at the beginning of the movie. While they are voracious predators who are skilled at attacking prey fish, they usually aren’t interested in attacking divers.
 

Photo by Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.   

Most barracuda attacks on people are actually self-defense or a retaliation against a perceived threat. They can also be the result of a mistake – such as thinking that sparkly jewelry is a tasty fish snack, or mistaking fingers for food when people feed them. If you’re swimming with barracuda, it’s best not to bother or feed them and to leave your jewelry on shore. Then you are unlikely to run into any problems.
 

Photo by Jenny Huang via Flickr, Creative Commons License.

In some parts of the world, barracuda are fished and eaten by humans, but this should be done with caution. Although no species of barracuda is thought to be endangered, barracuda meat has been linked to a dangerous type of food poisoning called ciguatera. Sometimes, another type of fish, wahoo, is also served under the common name barracuda; it is listed by the Seafood Watch as a “Good Alternative” seafood because the population is thought to be stable but it is caught by longlining, which can damage the ecosystem by causing high levels of bycatch.
 

Photo by Marc Tarlock via Flickr, Creative Commons License.

Shark fisheries kill 100 million sharks per year, says new study. Past research on fisheries data suggested 26 to 74 million sharks were traded for their fins annually, but new research incorporating estimates of unreported catch calculates about 100 million (with a possible range of 63 to 273 million) are killed per year. [Science Daily]

Arctic drilling suspended for 2013. Various problems with the drilling that was begun last year have led to Shell halting oil drilling operations for the year in the hazardous Arctic environment. This pause is meant to allow time for more assessment and preparation. [The Huffington Post]  

CITES protections proposed for shark species; California set to protect great whites. New additions to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora could include seven shark and ray species. The white shark is set to be listed as endangered in California, banning both intentional and incidental take. [Discovery News; The Huffington Post] 

Study finds Indonesian leatherback sea turtles could be extinct in 20 years. A nesting beach in Papua Barat, Indonesia that represents the last sizeable nesting population of critically endangered leatherbacks in the Pacific, has seen a 78% decline in nests over the last 27 years, highlighting the urgent need for increased and improved conservation efforts. [Science Daily] 

Sea level rise expected to be greatest near the equator. A study assessed how sea level rise will occur unevenly across the globe. Gravitational forces could cause it to be 150% greater in the tropics than the poles. [Science 2.0] 

NOAA to redraw Arctic nautical charts to account for ice melt. Traffic is increasing to Arctic areas due to decreased ice cover so nautical chart coverage for the region (which has little emergency response infrastructure) will be increased. [NOAA News] 

Cameron’s deep sea dives revealed new species and insights. Early results from the first scientific examinations of footage and data from James Cameron’s Deepsea Challenge expedition show vibrant biological communities, with distinct patterns in each trench explored. [Scripps News] 

Interpol launches project to combat illegal fishing. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is widespread and costly, but detailed data is limited. The international criminal investigation body is launching Project Scale to collect information and suppress large-scale criminal fishing activity. [Nature] 


How can blue whales be so big? Especially when their food is so small? Marine biologist Asha de Vos teamed up with TED Ed show us how the two actually go hand in hand. 

Photo courtesy of Sean Hunter Brown. 

When salmon are ready to reproduce, they return from the open ocean to the river where they were born. Photo by Ingrid Taylor via Flickr, Creative Commons License. 

Salmon are anadromous. This means that they are born in freshwater, but they grow up and mature in the ocean; they then return to rivers to reproduce. The amazing thing is that, after wandering great distances in the open ocean - they can spend up to five years and travel up to 8,000 miles - the salmon don’t just return to spawn in any river they can find. They return to the same river in which they were born.

How is this possible? It was known that salmon identify their home river using chemical signs once they were within a close range, but it wasn’t known how exactly they got to the correct area to begin with. Now, scientists have discovered that salmon find their spawning grounds by looking for their home river’s unique magnetic signature. 

Adult sockeye salmon during spawning season. Photo by Roger Tabor (USFWS) via Flickr, Creative Commons License. 

The earth has a magnetic field and when a salmon hatches it imprints on (essentially memorizes) the magnetic signature, which is unique, of the location of the river where it is born. It uses this then to find its way back.

In this study, scientists were able to deduce that because the earth’s magnetic poles change slightly over time (a process called geomagnetic field drift). Therefore, salmon’s migratory habits should change as well, in a corresponding way. The researchers looked at fisheries data that goes back 56 years in order to confirm their hypothesis. They noticed that for Fraser River sockeye salmon, the route to their home river is blocked by Vancouver Island. The salmon must detour north or south around the island to get to their spawning grounds. Sure enough, the data showed that, as the earth’s magnetic field changed over time, the way the salmon traveled to their home river also changed. 

While it was long suspected that animals use the earth’s magnetic field to find their way, this is the first study to demonstrate navigation by magnetic imprinting, or “learning” the magnetic field. 

Winter break is over and I am back in school. The beauty here is so amazing. I have been living here for almost two years now and have barely scratched the surface. It may be Hawaii, but that doesn’t mean I am taking things easy! I’m taking a communications class and four marine science courses: marine ecology and evolution, statistics in marine science, global change, and teaching marine science. Outside of my main classes I have also added the science diver course in hopes of gaining AAUS diver status.

I also work for the university as an Outdoor Ed-Venture leader and a SCUBA dive master. The Outdoor Ed-Venture program takes students hiking, biking, kayaking, sailing, paddle boarding, beach exploring, you name it. If it is outdoors, odds are we do it, and I guide it.
 

Now that I have a car this semester I can drive to new places and go diving without relying on someone else. I have a few dive spots I love and frequent. One of my favorite dives on the east side of the island is at Puhi Bay here in Hilo, where a diver is almost guaranteed to see turtles of all sizes. Puhi Bay is the first spot a person can jump in the water outside the breakwater in Hilo. It is normally calm since it just tucked in by the breakwater and a small point to the south. The entrance to the water is easy for diving, but it is cold. Not just a chilly cold. The water is a bone chilling, spine numbing cold. I live in Hawaii, how can the water be that cold? The east side of the Big Island is notorious for its ice ponds and freshwater springs. Puhi Bay is a perfect example of an estuarine environment. The freshwater mixes with the salt water to create a brackish mix of freshwater and seawater about midway out into the bay. Once you dive down about 15ft though the water warms up and is completely marine again. The sea turtles seem to love it here. Heading south along the wall towards a small submerged arch one can almost always see turtles perched in small crevices and ledges. The smallest one I have seen had a shell about 2 ft while the largest was the size of a dining table, well minus 33% due to the whole water magnification deal. During whale season I have found Puhi to be a great spot to listen to the humpbacks sing. Every now and again they like to play just outside the breakwater. Some people do not like diving in Hilo, but I like it. Makes a great break in between classes!

I have a few favorite spots on the west side of the island too. Puako is actually several different dive spots that go along a residential community. Puako resembles a flat, tropical version of Laguna Beach - small beach homes that are located next to prime dive locations. Small white tip sharks normally frequent the area and turtles can be found in most of the miniature caverns sleeping. I have seen only a handful of white tip sharks. Mostly they just sit there in the caverns, and I’m sure they’re thinking, “Geez another diver?”

Or if they are swimming about, they tend to be swimming away from us. Divers are noisy bubble makers – not a turtle’s favorite thing to be around.  I have not seen a tiger shark although I really want to! Even in my short time here I have noticed an influx of divers to the different spots around Puako. I hope the divers will be aware of the impact they can have on the environment and leave nothing but bubbles.

Two Step, as divers know it for its two step entrance, is a gorgeous shallow dive. It is also known as Place of Refuge and Honaunau to others. Being in shallow water gives the corals ample sunlight to grow and because of the shallow depth - you can really see all the colors, as opposed to deeper sites where everything becomes more blue. A vast majority of the dive takes place less than 30ft deep, and consists of a mix of sand patches and lobed coral heads that billow and flow over each other, creating overhangs or pockets for creatures to hide. The edge of the reef though is a steep cliff that drops to about 110ft down to a gentle sandy slope that continues into the deep. Most of the interesting critters stay at about 25ft but if you come early enough in the morning, dolphins can sometimes be found playing off the reef’s edge. One day my roommate Hannah and I dove out from the drop off of the reef staying at about 25ft until all we could see was blue all around us.  Just when we were about to give up, we saw them- a pod of spinner dolphins glided about 30ft in front of us! There must have been about 40 of them, with a few babies mixed in the pod. They looked like tiny footballs compared to the adults! Hannah and I were so excited. We did a little victory dance underwater, flooding our masks with the giant smiles on our faces. I wish I had a better camera, but I did get them swimming by on my GoPro.

Another favorite spot is the site of the manta dive: Garden Eel Cove. It has a myriad of fish, eels and on my last trip- little oval squid during the sunset dive. The Outdoor Edventure program works deals with Jack’s Diving Locker to get the students fantastic discounted rates one their manta dives. The trip includes two dives (one evening and one night) with sandwich/snacks in between. It is one of my favorite trips, especially when getting paid! The first manta trip I did we had about 26 or so mantas gliding and spiraling over us. This last one had fewer mantas but was a whole different experience. We were the last ones in for the night dive. Typically the dive shops let you sit for about 30min in 30ft around these “campfires” made of lights that attract plankton and thus the mantas. Being the last ones in we thought we were late for the show. Turns out that there was a method to this madness. Being the last group in, means we are the last out. So when every other group and their lights were off and gone, we were left with the mantas and our dive lights. It was the equivalent to going backstage at a rock concert. There is nothing like an animal with a wing span twice your size, gliding over your head. I hope to do more manta dives in the future, and I hope the mantas will still be around to dive with!

As I go about doing all this diving and exploring (and studying) in my transoceanic home of Hawaii, I often wonder how it will conclude. And I have been asked many times where I see myself after school. As I near the halfway mark, I am even less sure. I do not wish to limit myself by focusing on just one thing. I want to do it all right now: explore, dive, film, photograph, outreach, travel. If it has to do with the ocean I want to be a part of it. I would love to get the chance to dive in a sub to the ocean floor and see hydrothermal vents for myself, or work with sharks: great whites, whale sharks, tigers, hammerheads, and others. I would love to try my hand (or fins) at underwater archaeology- seeing something that has been hidden from the eyes of the world for years. I want to be behind the camera and capture the wonders of nature and have that shared with people and hopefully along the way inspire others to help protect our wonderful home by protecting the oceans that are so crucial to sustaining life.

As my semester unfolds it sure looks to be an exciting one!

Photos by Rebecca Ziegler.