Tag Archives: a study
Study: Marine heat waves do not affect fish populations
The lead author of the study, Assistant Professor in the Department of Oceanography at the University of California, Alexa L Fredston said she was surprised by these results. She added: “We know that fish communities faced long-term ocean warming by moving towards the poles, which can change the biomass and composition of fish in a given location. So I expected similar result, i.e. more fish species in “Warmer waters and fewer fish in colder waters after these marine heatwaves.” The American, Canadian and European researchers who conducted the study analyzed more than 82,000 bottom trawl fish catches collected as part of scientific expeditions in the North Atlantic and Northeast Pacific Oceans. >>click to read<< 13:01
Seafood more nutritious, produces fewer greenhouse gases than beef or pork, study finds
There is more evidence that seafood is a healthier and more environmentally friendly option than beef, pork and chicken, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Communications Earth and Environment. The authors assessed the nutritional content in dozens of globally important seafood species and the carbon emissions produced to harvest them and compared the results to the big three land-based proteins. The study developed a “nutrient density” score for 41 seafood species by measuring 21 beneficial nutrients like vitamins, fatty acids and protein in the edible portion of the species. It also measured less desirable contents like saturated fats and sodium. For 34 of those species, the authors were able to quantify carbon emissions per kilogram. >click to read< 15:20
Lessons From a Failed Experiment – When ‘Eradicated’ Species Bounce Back With a Vengeance
The study, published today in the journal PNAS, chronicles the effort and failure to eradicate invasive European green crabs from a California estuary. The crabs increased 30-fold after about 90 percent had been removed. The study is the first experimental demonstration in a coastal ecosystem of a dramatic population increase in response to full eradication. The crab is considered among the world’s top 100 invasive species, costing the U.S. commercial shellfish industry about $20 million in annual losses. >click to read< 08:09
Microplastic Pollution: Study points at ship antifouling coatings as a significant source
In a new study, a team of environmental chemists found indications that ships may be leaving behind a trail of plastic particles in their wake. “Our hypothesis is that ships leave a kind of ‘skid mark’ in the water which is of similar significance as a source of microplastics as tire wear particles from cars are on land,”,,, The common consumer packaging plastics were seen near the coastline. However, in the open North Sea and the Elbe Estuary, particularly along the main shipping lanes, the composition differed. These plastics are not commonly used in packaging materials and likely came from a different source. “We believe that these particles originate from ship coatings,,,, >click to read< 13:11
Cryptic mortality – Human-caused North Atlantic right whale deaths are being undercounted
A study co-authored by scientists at the New England Aquarium has found that known deaths of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales represent a fraction of the true death toll. This comes as the death of a calf and recent sightings of entangled right whales off the southeastern United States raise alarm. The study, published this month in Conservation Science and Practice, analyzed cryptic mortality of right whales. Cryptic mortality refers to deaths resulting from human activities that do not result in an observed carcass. (what the,,,) >click to read< 11:58
Coronavirus has hit commercial fishing hard
With restaurants and supply chains disrupted due to the coronavirus pandemic, two-fifths of commercial fishers from Maine to North Carolina did not go fishing earlier this year, a new study shows. The study, which covers March to June and included 258 fishers, also examined data on fish landings and found that the catch for some species, such as squid and scallops, decreased compared with previous years. The catch for other species, such as black sea bass and haddock, was on par with or higher than previous years, suggesting that many fishermen fished as much as they had been before the pandemic, while earning less income. “They may have kept fishing to pay their bills or crew, or to maintain their livelihoods or their quotas until markets rebound,” >click to read< 13:32
Study: offshore renewable energy installations rough on marine life
Researchers suggest that if marine renewable energy devices (MREDs) – such as wave energy converters and wind turbines – are placed in marine environments without consideration of environmental consequences, marine life could be severely damaged. That stands in stark contrast to the environmentally friendly mindset that drives such devices in the first place. The study insists that these energy devices can greatly advance climate goals but cautions that greater thought must be given to when, where and how they are implemented. >click to read< 12:41
Nitrogen from sewage and farms is starving Florida corals to death, study says
Nitrogen from improperly treated sewage and fertilizer runoff from farms and lawns is starving Florida Keys corals to death, according to a new study published in the journal Marine Biology. The study led by Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Looe Key, in the Florida Keys, showed that higher nutrient. levels in Florida waters is a key cause of coral bleaching and death. As nutrient runoff from farming and from a growing population increases the amount of nitrogen levels in the water, corals are actually dying before >click to read<15:56
