marine life

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Sea Life Has Halved Since 1970
 Sea Life Has Halved Since 1970 
Sep 16, 2015 6:41 AM CDT

Sea Life Has Halved Since 1970

Decline has been dramatic, and researchers say we're to blame

(Newser) - The oceans, with more than 90% of the habitable space on Earth, still contain most of the life on our planet, but there's a lot less of it than there was just 45 years ago, according to a deeply dispiriting report from the World Wildlife Fund. The group, which...

This Man's Plan: Swim Around the World in 450 Days

Martin Strel will pass through bodies of water in 100-plus countries

(Newser) - Martin Strel swims with a knife strapped to his right leg—in case he encounters sharks, "vampire" fish, and other deadly marine life in the world's wildest waters. Yesterday, the 60-year-old marathon swimmer from Phoenix announced the toughest feat of his life: a 10,000-mile around-the-world voyage on...

New Tactic Cuts Shark Attacks, Saves Sharks

In Brazil, dangerous ones are relocated to deep waters

(Newser) - Researchers in Brazil say they've found a way to curb shark attacks without culling sharks—which, if true, is good news for conservationists who oppose lethal means of controlling sharks in South Africa and Australia, LiveScience reports. The Brazilian program was tried off and on for nearly 10 years...

Serious Problem in the Ocean: Sardine Crash
 Serious Problem in the 
 Ocean: Sardine Crash 
in case you missed it
Jan 11, 2014 7:51 AM CST

Serious Problem in the Ocean: Sardine Crash

Predators, fishermen suffering as a result

(Newser) - The West Coast sardine population was down 72% since 2006 per a fall assessment—the worst crash since the mid-20th century, and one with far-reaching implications, particularly since the steep decline is expected to continue. One of those implications: Ocean predators that depend on sardines may be starving, the Los ...

Sharks Would Rather Sneak Up on Us From Behind

 Sharks Would Rather 
 Sneak Up on Us 
 From Behind 
in case you missed it
Dec 21, 2013 7:00 PM CST

Sharks Would Rather Sneak Up on Us From Behind

But their motives aren't necessarily sinister: study

(Newser) - Given a choice, sharks like to swim up on humans from behind, a new study suggests. But that's not necessarily because they're looking for lunch—they may just want to avoid trouble, say scientists at the Shark Research Institute in Florida. Their study in Animal Cognition backs up...

Climate Change Moving Marine Life 4 Miles Every Year

Could be fatal for some

(Newser) - Climate change is really jerking animals around—literally. A new international study has found marine life is moving an average of 4.3 miles towards the poles each year, while land animals are moving about 3,280 feet, as ocean and air temperatures rise, the Guardian reports. "We knew...

One of Ocean's Most Elusive Creatures Filmed

Clip offers close-up of 8-foot-long oarfish

(Newser) - Now the world can finally get a good look at one of the ocean's more mysterious creatures, the oarfish, believed to be the longest bony fish in existence—basically, the longest fish that's not a ray or shark, LiveScience reports. While researchers were investigating the Deepwater Horizon oil...

Post-Coital Fatigue Can Be Deadly for ...

... Squids, which are exhausted by 3-hour sex marathons

(Newser) - Luckily most of us don't have to hunt for food or dodge predators right after mating. But squids aren't so lucky, and strenuous sex romps leave them exhausted for about half an hour, the New Zealand Herald reports. Researchers in Australia studied the "southern dumpling squid" and...

Expedition Charts 'Plasticized' Pacific

'Synthetic soup' extends far into western Pacific

(Newser) - An expedition charting the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" has been hauling out depressing amounts of plastic from the little-studied waters of the western North Pacific gyre. "We've been finding lots of micro plastics, all the size of a grain of rice or a small marble," the...

Jellyfish-Like Creatures Shut Down Nuclear Plant

Sea salp invade Diablo Canyon

(Newser) - A horde of jellyfish-like animals has forced the shutdown of a nuclear power plant in California. The gelatinous creatures, 2 to 3 inches long, are called sea salp. The crisis began Tuesday, when workers at the Diablo Canyon plant discovered that screens which take in cooling water were clogged by...

Gender-Bending Fish Swap Sexes in Harems

Wild hawkfish change gender to suit the moment

(Newser) - Talk about a dynamic dating scene. The richly colored hawkfish of southern Japan can transform into a female or male depending on circumstances to improve their reproductive chances, New Scientist reports. Many marine animals change gender during a lifetime, but in the hawkfish, scientists have for the first time discovered...

Coral Reefs Gone By Century&#39;s End


 Coral Reefs Gone 
 by Century's End 
NEW BOOK
Sep 11, 2011 8:50 AM CDT

Coral Reefs Gone by Century's End

Not just pretty: end of reefs often signals mass extinction events

(Newser) - Climate change and the acidification of the oceans—along with overfishing, coastal development, and pollution—will destroy the Earth's coral reefs in as little as 30 years, reports the Independent . The mass-bleaching in the Indian Ocean in 1998 alone destroyed 16% of the world's reefs in just a...

Chesapeake 'Dead Zone' Could Be Largest Ever

Marine life threatened in oxygen-starved portion of bay

(Newser) - High nutrient pollution levels have caused the Chesapeake Bay's underwater "dead zone" to expand unusually quickly this year: It covers a third of the bay and will likely become the bay's largest-ever area of oxygen-starved water. The dead zone, which sucks oxygen from deep waters and kills...

We're Headed for Vast Ocean Extinction: Panel

Human activity is rapidly wiping out marine life, panel warns

(Newser) - Human activity has degraded the world's oceans with dizzying speed and a mass extinction of marine life only seen five times before in the planet's history is likely if urgent action is not taken, a panel of marine experts warns. The International Program on the State of the...

In Louisiana, a Huge 'Fish Kill'
 In Louisiana, a Huge 'Fish Kill' 
Sep 15, 2010 10:35 AM CDT

In Louisiana, a Huge 'Fish Kill'

Residents fear it's related to oil spill, experts not sure

(Newser) - Near Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish, there lies what looks like a gravel road. It's not: It's a waterway clogged with hundreds of thousands of dead fish, crabs, stingrays, and eel—so many that it appears solid. A dead whale was also found in the area, WWL-TV reports. "Fish kills" are...

Sea Census Logs 185K Species ... and Counting

Project leaders say they've only recorded a fraction of marine life

(Newser) - Scientists working on the Census of Marine Life have logged more than 185,000 species since the massive project began a decade ago, and say that's just a fraction of the total. The project—which has been trying to log all sea life from whales to single-celled creatures—plans to...

Oil Dispersant Enters Gulf Food Chain

Corexit 'acting as delivery system for oil'

(Newser) - A chemical dispersant used in the Gulf of Mexico appears to be making its way into the food chain along with droplets of oil it has broken down, scientists say. Marine biologists have found signs of an oil-dispersant mix under the shells of blue crab larvae, which are food for...

Algae Devouring Baltic
 Algae Devouring Baltic 
Jul 23, 2010 4:15 AM CDT

Algae Devouring Baltic

Country-sized growth threatens marine life

(Newser) - Record-breaking temperatures combined with farm run-off have caused an evil-smelling algae bloom the size of Germany to sprout in the Baltic Sea. The World Wildlife Fund warns that the algae explosion—the biggest in the region since 2005—endangers human as well as marine life, the Independent reports. The group...

Why the Oil in This Crab Could Be Very Bad News

Effects in small sea creatures could ripple upwards

(Newser) - Scientists are reporting early signs that the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is altering the marine food web by killing or tainting some creatures while spurring the growth of others more suited to a polluted environment. Near the spill site scientists have found a massive die-off of pyrosomes, which endangered...

Methane 'Dead Zones' Spotted in Gulf Spill

Methane release threatening Gulf food chain

(Newser) - There's a lot more than just oil spewing out of BP's busted well and that spells still more trouble for marine life, experts warn. The well is leaking vast amounts of methane and other gases, triggering the growth of microbes and creating oxygen-starved "dead zones," where fish and...

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