TOTOABA : MEXICO'S ENDANGERED FISH : TOTOABA : FISHING ALSO ENDANGERING THE VAQUITA PORPOISE : DUAL EXTICTION DUE TO BYCATCH : SEA SHEPHARD ORG

PORPOISE CONSERVATION SOCIETY

Excerpt: Capable of reaching over six feet in length and weighing up to 220 pounds, these fish were once abundant in the region, serving as a staple for local communities and a thriving commercial fishery in the mid-20th century. However, overfishing and habitat degradation have led to a dramatic decline in totoaba populations, pushing them to the brink of extinction. ...

It is the totoaba’s swim bladder, an organ that helps the fish control its buoyancy, that has become the epicenter of a black-market boom. In traditional Chinese medicine, these swim bladders, known as “fish maws,” are believed to have numerous health benefits, including promoting longevity and vitality. This demand has driven up the price of totoaba swim bladders to astonishing levels, earning them the nickname “cocaine of the sea.”

The illegal fishing methods used to catch totoaba, particularly gillnets, have proven disastrous for the vaquita population. Gillnets, designed to catch fish by their gills, are indiscriminate, often trapping and killing vaquitas as bycatch. As a result, the vaquita, already struggling with declining numbers, has become collateral damage in the race to supply the lucrative totoaba trade.
A Dual Extinction

The intertwined fates of the vaquita and the totoaba have given rise to the term “dual extinction,” highlighting the fact that both species are teetering on the edge of oblivion. With the vaquita’s population plummeting to fewer than 20 individuals and the totoaba’s numbers in a critical state, urgent action is needed to prevent both species from disappearing forever.

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Did you know that you can bring up past posts about the Vaquita?  Use the search feature embedded in this blog!

JELLY FISH ORAGAMI

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THANK YOU TO DOVER PUBLISHING FOR THIS SAMPLE.

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM - UNITED KINGDOM : ON SO MANY JELLYFISH : THEY ARE OLDER THAN THE DINOSAURS

NHM - UK : JELLY FISH 

I think jelly fish are so beautiful and - usually - graceful. This web site has some excellent photographs, illustrating the diversity of jelly fish beauty!

Excerpt: Jellyfish come in incredible shapes, colours and sizes. Most jellyfishes’ bell-shaped bodies are between two centimetres and 40 centimetres across. However, some species can grow to more than two metres in diameter, with thin trailing tentacles that are even longer than that.

Jellyfish have radial symmetry, meaning that if you sliced a jellyfish down the middle, the parts would be symmetrical, like the segments of an orange.

These cnidarians are famous for their stinging abilities. The intensity of the sting varies by species.

Some jellyfish can also generate their own light, called bioluminescence – further adding to their otherworldly beauty.

*** Search this article to learn HOW THEY EAT and HOW THEY STING!

C 2025 Sirens Link to Sea

PINK MEANIES - FLOATING COTTON CANDY? THESE JELLY FISH WASH ASHORE - THEY CAN HAVE 70 FOOT TENTACLES and THEY STING

HART RESEARCH ORG

Excerpt:

The Gulf is the ninth-largest body of water in the world. It’s more than twice as big as Texas. But its vast scale isn’t the only thing that makes it significant. The Gulf is a laboratory to explore all the big challenges facing our oceans today.

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CBS : PINK MEANIE JELLY FISH GULF OF MEXICO

They eat moon jellies!

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In 2011 they were identified as a new species.... They can be found in the Gulf of Mexico, South Africa...

CABRILLO MARINE AQUARIUM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SPECIES - INCLUDING THE BLACK ABALONE, ACORN BARNACLE, BLUE SHARKS, and SO MANY OTHERS

CABRILLO MARINE AQUARIUM : SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SPECIES  Check out this list ! Click on the photograph and go to the science facts!

Which of these creatures are considered to be HERBVORES because they eat algae?

REACH

 

TIDEPOOLING : HOW TO BEHAVE TO SHOW RESPECT FOR LIVING SEA CREATURES and THE ECOSYSTEM

HOW TO BEHAVE TO SHOW RESPECT FOR LIVING SEA CREATURES and THE ECOSYSTEM

1) Do take your camera. Photograph during the day. No flashes.

2) Do place feet carefully on dry or drier areas. Wear no-slip shoes. (Rubber thongs are not recommended. The creatures may be too tiny to see.) Take it slow.

3) Don't touch any sea creature or algae/kelp or plant life. (They are feeding and this is all part of the local eco-system they depend upon.)

4) Don't collect or take any sea creature, algae/kept or plant life, shells or stones. Simply take photographs or take notes of what diversity you've seen or perhaps note that the tidepools seems to be devoid of life.

5) Do not pour any liquid into the water. Not even your bottled water.

6) Do not urinate or defecate in the water or in or around the tidepools or beach.

7) Do not leave any trash in the water or around the tidepools or beach. If it's easy to do so without hurting yourself or the sea creatures, remove the trash others have left there.

8) Report your visit - what you saw - when and where and what time of day - to those who care.  This blog has so very many links so organizations that do care.

9) Get out of there if the wind is high or the tide is coming in. Low tide is the best time to go.

10) Do some beach clean up. Plastics, wrappers, cans, surfing board wax, sunglasses, shoes, all of it will eventually go back to the tidepools or the ocean, so getting it off the beach does help.

C 2025 Siren's Link To Sea

THE BLACK ABALONE : CALIFORNIA STATE SEASHELL and ECOSYSTEMS : TAKE THE TIDEPOOL FIELD TRIP

LAGUNA OCEAN FOUNDATION

Excerpt: Tidepools are technically pools of water left behind in the rocks when the water recedes during low tide. However, tidepools typically refer to the entire rocky area in the intertidal zone which are submerged during high tide and exposed during low tide. Tidepools are home to many species of animals, seaweeds, and plants. The organisms that live in this habitat are very resilient because of the stress they have to go through on a daily basis due to tidal change and the threat of desiccation (drying out), but humans can cause irreversible harm if we are not careful where we step and how we act in the area.

THE BLACK ABALONE : AN ENDANGERED MOLLUSK SPECIES WE DON'T OFTEN THINK ABOUT

CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY : BLACK ABALONE 

Excerpt : Black abalone were once the most abundant large shellfish clinging to the rocks of intertidal zones between Baja and Oregon. A savored delicacy for sea otters and native coastal people alike, these hard-shelled marine snails were prized for the iridescent colors and the occasional pearl found inside their shells. Like most other species of abalone native to coastal California, black abalone have been decimated by seafood enthusiasts and the fisheries that fill their plates.

OFFICIAL HAWIIAN OUTLOOK ON THE ENDANGERED MONK SEAL : HIGH ESTIMATE IS 1600 INDIVIDUALS

Excerpt: These seals are generalist feeders, meaning they eat all sorts of prey, including sea cucumbers, eel, octopus, lobster, and various reef fish. Seals have never been observed hunting pelagic fish, such as mahi-mahi, ahi, aku, etc. Monk seals can hold their breath for up to 20 minutes and dive to depths of more than 1,800 feet [1]. When searching for food they often flip rocks with their noses to find more cryptic prey [2]. Sometimes sharks and large predator fish follow the seals around and snatch up fish that seals spook into the open [3]. Monk seals spend about one-third of their time resting on land, preferring sandy beaches, tidepools, or rocky intertidal areas to rest away from the crashing surf.

Excerpt: Although they are now protected by federal and state laws, current drivers of this decline are not certain; however, the most likely culprit is inadequate prey availability

DIVISION OF AQUATIC RESOURCES HAWAII : ENDANGERED MONK SEAL

DUSK

 

HAWAIIAN MONK SEALS ENDANGERED SPECIES

WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO SKIP SEAFOOD IF IT WOULD HELP BRING BACK ENDANGERED SPECIES ?

WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO SKIP SEAFOOD IF IT WOULD HELP BRING BACK ENDANGERED SPECIES ?

OVERFISHING, HABITAT DESTRUCTION, and FISHING CAPTURE (BYCATCHING) ENDANGER OCEAN FISH : WORLD WILDLIFE FUND

SLOW REPRODUCTION RATE IS ALSO AN ISSUE...  The list is longer than I thought! There are EIGHTY on the endangered list and many more on the threatened list... 

WORLD WILDLIFE FUND PDF FILE REPORT ON ENDANGERED SPECIES

Excerpt: Since 1970, global populations of marine species utilized by humans have halved, with some of the most important species experiencing even greater declines. There are over 400 known endangered marine species linked to human consumption of seafood. With mindful sourcing, you can help protect them for the future. As the world’s largest conservation organization, WWF combines its scientific foundation and global reach to help ensure that our modern food systems meet the needs of people while also respecting nature. Working with the seafood industry for more than 20 years, WWF has helped companies transition seafood supply chains to more sustainable, responsible and traceable operations. Company commitments to sustainability would not be comprehensive without the inclusion of protective measures for our planet’s most threatened species.

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SIREN HERE!  I BARELY EAT ANY SEAFOOD AS IS, BUT NOW I WANT TO AVOID EATING IT AT ALL.  LET THE WHALES HAVE A MEAL! 

DEVILS HOLE PUPFISH ENDANGERED DUE TO HABITAT DAMAGED BY QUAKES

US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICES : PUPFISH

Excerpt: The Devils Hole pupfish lives in a deep limestone cave in Nevada. This entire population of pupfish feeds and breeds on a shallow shelf only 215 square feet (20 square meters) along one side of Devils Hole. Devils Hole pupfish feed primarily on algae that grows on the limestone shelf and small invertebrates.


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THAT'S RIGHT - THE ENTIRE PUPFISH POPULATION DEPENDS ON A TINY ECOSYSTEM.
I READ FAIRLY RECENT ARTICLES THAT SAID THAT THIS FISH HAD MADE A COMEBACK BUT THE NEW IS BAD:


DAILY MAIL UK : PUPFISH DECLINE TO ONLY TWENTY FISH

Excerpt: The tiny silvery-blue pupfish rely on a shallow shelf at the cave's mouth for their food and spawning, according to the National Park Service (NPS).

But the generally calm and sheltered home for the tiny fish has been prone to water surges caused by earthquakes that displace the algae and invertebrates that pupfish eat, KVVU reported.

Kevin Wilson, Death Valley National Park's Supervisory Biologist and Devil's Hole Program Manager, told the outlet that the back-to-back disruptions to the ecosystem have depleted the Devil's Hole pupfish population by 90 percent.

Through 24/7 monitoring, national park officials are striving to protect and restore the suffering population.

WHO ME?

 

LOGGERHEAD MARINELIFE CENTER JUNO BEACH FLORIDA : HEALING SEA TURTLES

MARINE LIFE ORG : LOGGERHEAD MARINELIFE CENTER  Turtle walks, hatchling discoveries, the release of sea turtles who have been healed.  This is one of the most visited tourist spots in Florida. (Check out that photograph of one massive sea turtles!)

Excerpt:

The research team at LMC monitors a 9.5 mile stretch of beach from March - October. Juno Beach is one of the world's most densely nested sea turtle beaches.

LMC’s research department has one of the longest-running sea turtle monitoring programs in the state of Florida. The program officially began when LMC founder Eleanor Fletcher received her permit from the state of Florida in 1969. Each season, the research team documents all sea turtle activities from March - October along 9.5 miles of beach from the northern Palm Beach County line south to John D. MacArthur Beach State Park.

LMC research biologists have one of the most comprehensive datasets in the world. These datasets are invaluable to scientists and local, national, and international coastal managers. They form the basis for conservation decisions used to promote the recovery of sea turtle populations not only in Florida, but world-wide.

CHECK OUT THE TURTLE TRACKER!

WLRN ENVIRONMENT : DILLY DALLY SEA TURTLE RETURNED TO OCEAN AFTER FLIPPER AMPUTATION   

RED OCTOPUS

 

THE EIGHT SURPRISES OF AN OCTOPUS (SEEMS TO ME THERE'S MORE THAN EIGHT!)

HOW MANY CAN YOU GUESS?

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM : United Kingdom on OCTOPUS SURPRISES

THEY HAVE MORE THAN ONE BRAIN...

THEY CAN RECOGNIZE PEOPLE ...

THE SEA IS FULL OF ORPHAN OCTOPUSES! ....

DNA PROVES OCTOPUS' ARE ALIEN CREATURES? DO THEY MEAN FROM ANOTHER PLANET OR WHAT?

OCTOPUS ORG : DNA PROVES OCTOPUSES ARE ALIEN CREATURES DNA 

This is a long interesting article.  Here's a teaser:

Excerpt: Scientists recently sequenced the first genome in the Octopus Genome Project, a huge undertaking to map out the entire DNA structure of the complex cephalopod. What they found was simply incredible.

Researchers at the University of Chicago took on this project and chose the California two-spot octopus for their subject. Then, they learned that a group at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology in Japan was working to break down the genome as well. So the two combined forces, and together, unlocked many of the mysteries surrounding the octopus. The results were recently published in the science journal, Nature.

Octopuses have 33,000 genes, roughly 10,000 more than a human. This alone sets it apart from any other invertebrate in the world. They are also uncannily clever, with the ability to open jars, solve puzzles, and even use tools. It’s no wonder that some might think this creature is from another planet. In uncovering the sequence, scientists found that octopuses have a similar set of genes to those found in humans, that make up a neural network in their brains, which accounts for their quick ability to adapt and learn. We also share a large brain, closed circulatory system, and eyes with an iris, retina, and lens. All of these independently developed in another species vastly different from our own mammal origins. ...

PETA DEMANDS OCTOPUS BE RELEASED : SAN ANTONIO AQUARIUM CONTROVERSY

 SAN ANTONIO CURRENT : PETA DEMANDS OCTOPUS RELEASE

Excerpt: “This slimy facility’s exploitative encounters are a recipe for disaster, as injuries abound when timid animals such as octopuses are denied everything natural and important to them and subjected to a barrage of grabbing hands,” PETA Foundation Associate Director of Captive Wildlife Rebecca Smudzinski said in a statement.

Smudzinski continued: “For everyone’s sake, PETA is calling on the San Antonio aquarium to stop forcing wild animals to interact with humans and release this octopus to her natural habitat, if possible, or an accredited facility where she can finally live in peace.”

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Siren here.  

I have mixed feelings about aquariums.  I do see them as educational.  Most people will never get to see creatures of the sea in person because most people do not live near coastlines, go whale watching, sail, or have any other opportunity other than going to the aquarium.  I would say that many people who go into Marine Biology or care about Ocean ecology got their first clue that they were interested by going to an aquarium.

Also, I do think it should be hands off the sea creatures, even the common tide pool creatures and in general most sea creatures should live out their lives in their natural environment. 

And also, changes to our - and their- environment seem to be threatening these sea creatures so that some of them are currently depending on us to avoid extinction.

I'm open to your comments! (Please speak with respect!)

OUCH THOSE SUCKERS HURT! SIX YEAR OLD AND OCTOPUS IN SAN ANTONIO HAVE A CONFLICT

NBC NEWS : BOY INJURED WHEN OCTOPUS HOLDS ON Go to the link to see the photos!

Yep... he got sucker bruises... But what happened that the octopus decided to grab on?

Excerpt: Meg Mindlin, an octopus biologist, said octopuses "sense and explore their environment" using their arms, and rely on taste sensors in their suction cups to understand what is going on in their world.

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS FOR HOW TO RECYCLE SOMETHING?

I'm always interested in any ideas or information on how to recycle things, especially PLASTICS, so that we can combat the SEA OF PLASTIC as well as all other forms of PLASTIC POLLUTION!

Please leave a comment, including any links to information you'd like me to read!

THANKS!

Siren

SWIMMING IN THE AIR

 

DRAW A SAND TIGER SHARK

 OCEANA on SAND TIGER SHARKS

Excerpt: The sand tiger shark lives worldwide near the seafloor in surf zones, shallow bays and coral and rocky reefs. They are a large species, growing to a maximum length of 10.5 feet (3.2 m) and weight of 350 pounds (159 kg). The sand tiger shark is the only shark that is known to maintain neutral buoyancy by gulping air at the water’s surface and holding it in its stomach. This allows the sand tiger shark to hover motionless in the water.

DRAW A BULL SHARK

NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION on BULL SHARKS  They can live in salt or fresh water and can go up a river....

DRAW A WHALE SHARK

 

DRAW A GREAT WHITE SHARK

 Get your pencils out and try these easy to follow lessons on drawing sharks....  Dover Publications is the source of these drawings

ECO WAVE PROJECT : PORT OF LOS ANGELES : ALTA SEA EVENT ON SEPTEMBER 9 2025

ECO WAVE FLOATERS : DEMO STATION

Excerpt: Eco Wave Power Global AB, a leading onshore wave energy technology company, is proud to announce that its U.S. pilot project at the Port of Los Angeles has successfully completed operational testing and achieved a historic milestone: the lowering of its innovative floaters into the water for the very first time....

With installation completed, Eco Wave Power has now officially entered the operational phase of its U.S. journey. The company will host a formal unveiling ceremony on September 9, 2025, at AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles.

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THIS IS THE ALTA SEA WEB SITE: I DO NOT SEE THE EVENT ON THEIR WEB SITE SO CALL THEM TO VERIFY!


ALTA SEA ORG (NON PROFIT )

AI IS BEING USED TO DISCOVER THE LANGUAGE OF SPERM WHALES SO WE CAN TALK TO THE WHALES: INTERSPECIES TRANSLATION : THEY HAVE AN ALPHABET!

All of nature is talking....  

Siren here!  I hope you have enjoyed these posts about INTERSPECIES TRANSLATION!

WHALES COMMUNICATED TO ESCAPE WHALERS : THE BIOLOGY OF MAKING THE SOUNDS and CODAS

Excerpt:
Soon after whaling ships began operating in the North Pacific, an interesting trend emerged. Within just a few years, whalers saw a 58% drop in their successful strikes. Sperm whales had suddenly become harder to kill— they had begun fleeing the boats instead of forming their usual defensive circles. Were whales communicating new strategies to each other?

SPOUTING SPERM WHALE

 

SPERM WHALES ARE IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH EACH OTHER EVEN AS THEY HUNT

BBC COM : SPERM WHALE PHONETICS check out the video too!

EXCERPT: Sperm whales live in multi-level, matrilineal societies - groups of daughters, mothers and grandmothers – while the males roam the oceans, visiting the groups to breed. They are known for their complex social behavior and group decision - making, which requires sophisticated communication. For example, they are able to adapt their behavior as a group when protecting themselves from predators like orcas or humans.

Sperm whales communicate with each other using rhythmic sequences of clicks, called codas. It was previously thought that sperm whales had just 21 coda types. However, after studying almost 9,000 recordings, the Ceti researchers identified 156 distinct codas. They also noticed the basic building blocks of these codas which they describe as a "sperm whale phonetic alphabet" – much like phonemes, the units of sound in human language which combine to form words.

...........................Pratyusha Sharma, a PhD student at MIT and lead author of the study, describes the "fine-grain changes" in vocalisations the AI identified. Each coda consists of between three and 40 rapid-fire clicks. The sperm whales were found to vary the overall speed, or the "tempo", of the codas, as well as to speed up and slow down during the delivery of a coda, in other words, making it "rubato". Sometimes they added an extra click at the end of a coda, akin, says Sharma, to "ornamentation" in music. These subtle variations, she says, suggest sperm whale vocalisations could carry a much much richer amount of information than previously thought. 

SPERM WHALE COMMUNICATION CODA'S

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW COM : THE WAY SPERM WHALES COMMUNICATE check out the article and the video!

EXCERPT: But there’s also a lot we don’t know about them, including what they may be trying to say to one another when they communicate using a system of short bursts of clicks, known as codas. Now, new research published in Nature Communications today suggests that sperm whales’ communication is actually much more expressive and complicated than was previously thought.

A team of researchers led by Pratyusha Sharma at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) working with Project CETI, a nonprofit focused on using AI to understand whales, used statistical models to analyze whale codas and managed to identify a structure to their language that’s similar to features of the complex vocalizations humans use. Their findings represent a tool future research could use to decipher not just the structure but the actual meaning of whale sounds.

The team analyzed recordings of 8,719 codas from around 60 whales collected by the Dominica Sperm Whale Project between 2005 and 2018, using a mix of algorithms for pattern recognition and classification. They found that the way the whales communicate was not random or simplistic, but structured depending on the context of their conversations. This allowed them to identify distinct vocalizations that hadn’t been previously picked up on.

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Are  you practicing your clicks?

MINKE WHALE DIES : SANDBAR : BOATS : STARVATION? : WHALE STRANDINGS DRAMATIC INCREASE

It appears that a Minke whale may have been starving, come close to shore, got stranded on a sandbar, and in it's struggle to get free, hit into a boat, throwing a boat occupant.. Here's the coverage by Newsweek.

NEWSWEEK : MINKE WHALES DIES AFTER BOAT COLLISION


Excerpt: However, vessel strikes, entanglement, and habitat disturbances remain significant threats to whales along the eastern seaboard.

U.S. maritime law, specifically the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, prohibits the harassment, hunting, capturing, or killing of marine mammals. The law includes specific rules for recreational and commercial vessels, requiring operators to avoid approaching whales within 100 yards and to reduce speed in certain areas to minimize the risk of collisions.


CBS NEWS: MINKE WHALE DEATH EXAMINATION RESULTS


Excerpts: The whale was 26 feet, 4 inches long and confirmed to be an adult female. The MMSC said the whale's body condition was thin. It also had "superficial cuts" externally and "bruising present in the blubber and muscle in the areas of trauma on the dorsal side." Blood was also present in the whale's lungs, according to the MMSC. .... "GI tract was empty with very little digestive material present, and a scant amount of fecal matter," the MMSC wrote. "Lesions were present in the stomach."

SETI PROJECT : HUMPBACK WHALES BLOW RINGS ON THE SURFACE OF THE OCEAN

Excerpt: June 5, 2025, Mountain View, CA -- A team of scientists from the SETI Institute and the University of California at Davis documented, for the first time, humpback whales producing large bubble rings, like a human smoker blowing smoke rings, during friendly interactions with humans. This previously little studied behavior may represent play or communication. Humpback whales are already known for using bubbles to corral prey and creating bubble trails and bursts when competing to escort a female whale. These new observations show humpback whales producing bubble rings during friendly encounters with humans. This finding contributes to the WhaleSETI team’s broader goal of studying non-human intelligence to aid in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

SETI NEWS : WHALES BLOW SMOKE RINGS

WHALE LANGUAGE ! WHALE SETI : SCIENTISTS HAD A CONVERSATION WITH AN ALASKAN WHALE

SETI ORG WHALE SETI : WHALE LANGUAGE


YES! SETI IS MOST COMMONLY THOUGHT OF AS A PROJECT THAT WILL MEAN COMMUNICATION WITH CREATURES NOT OF THIS EARTH. In my opinion communication with the whales is more valuable...

EXCERPT: December 12, 2023, Mountain View, CA -- A team of scientists from the SETI Institute, University of California Davis and the Alaska Whale Foundation, had a close encounter with a non-human (aquatic) intelligence. The Whale-SETI team has been studying humpback whale communication systems in an effort to develop intelligence filters for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. In response to a recorded humpback ‘contact’ call played into the sea via an underwater speaker, a humpback whale named Twain approached and circled the team’s boat, while responding in a conversational style to the whale ‘greeting signal.’ During the 20-minute exchange, Twain responded to each playback call and matched the interval variations between each signal.

OCEANA : PROTECT ENDANGERED SPECIES WITH LEGAL ACTION : 10% OF GLOBAL FISH CATCH IS DISCARDED

OCEANA CAMPAIGNS : SAVE ENDANGERED SPECIES 

EXCERPT: Did you know that one of the most impactful ways to protect endangered ocean species is to prevent them from being unintentionally caught up in fishing gear?

About 10% of the world’s global fish catch is discarded. And each year, fishing gear kills or injures millions of non-targeted animals as bycatch, including sharks, whales, dolphins, fish, and sea turtles, some of which are vulnerable or endangered ocean species.

In recent years, Oceana has helped to ban the deadly shark fin trade in the United States and Canada. Oceana is continuing to work to reduce bycatch and protect important species like the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale from destructive fishing practices and other human caused threats.

Oceana and our allies have won more than 75 victories to protect threatened and endangered ocean species, including sharks, sea turtles, and whales.Did you know that one of the most impactful ways to protect endangered ocean species is to prevent them from being unintentionally caught up in fishing gear?

About 10% of the world’s global fish catch is discarded. And each year, fishing gear kills or injures millions of non-targeted animals as bycatch, including sharks, whales, dolphins, fish, and sea turtles, some of which are vulnerable or endangered ocean species.

In recent years, Oceana has helped to ban the deadly shark fin trade in the United States and Canada. Oceana is continuing to work to reduce bycatch and protect important species like the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale from destructive fishing practices and other human caused threats.

Oceana and our allies have won more than 75 victories to protect threatened and endangered ocean species, including sharks, sea turtles, and whales.

PLAYFUL

 

JOHNNY MORRIS SEA TURTLE RESCUE CENTER SPRINGFIELD MISSOURI WORKING WITH LOGGERHEADS

WONDERS OF LIFE : JOHNNY MORRIS : AQUARIUM : MISSOURI

Sea Turtle Rescue Center

Wonders of Wildlife's Sea Turtle Rescue Center is welcoming 8 new loggerheads to our rehabilitation center this month.

The Midwest's only Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center will be a temporary home for these loggerheads over the next few months. Our team of animal care experts will be helping them around the clock to recover and rehabilitate before being released them back into the wild.

AMAZING MERMAID and MERMAN ART AND POETRY WEBSITE! MERMAIDS OF EARTH

MERMAIDS OF EARTH - ART AND POETRY  Philip Jepsen has published a book too... 

Excerpt: This rich cultural heritage involving mermaids spans millennia and many corners of the Earth, from New Zealand and Australia, through Asia, Greece, much of Europe, India, Latin America, North America and more. The Statues section of the site is dedicated to the surprisingly large number of mermaid sculptures around us, both in public places and private collections, all over the world. Some are astoundingly beautiful, and many have a story out of legend or folk lore, or a great story on how they came to be.

I've collected a lot of excellent photos on these, data on who created them, why they are where they are, when they were created, the stories or legends that inspired them, and of course exactly where they are located – if available to the public – so they can easily be visited.

OCEANOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE : SO MANY INTERESTING ARTICLES!

OCEANOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE : BROWSE ARTICLES

Here's a sampling of current titles!

France's 'lacklustre' bottom trawling plans "a missed opportunity"

UK government claims "overdue bottom trawling ban" will benefit all

Offshore oil and gas is threatening marine life "at every step"

Samoa protects 30% of its ocean with new marine spatial plan

Hot limpets: Humble shellfish harbour climate change secret

Siren here:  TODAY DO ONE THING THAT WILL HELP PRESERVE OUR OCEANS AND THE ANIMALS AND PLANTS THAT LIVE IN THEM!

SUNFISH HAS TRUNCATED TAIL - TOPS OUT AT 5000 POUNDS - BUT VULNERABLE TO EATING PLASTIC BAGS BECAUSE THEY MAY SEEM TO BE JELLIES

MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM on THE SUNFISH

Excerpt: Because molas spend so much time drifting near the ocean surface, they are vulnerable to fishing boats that use drift gillnets. Gillnets usually don't kill molas immediately, but they cut into their skin, scrape off their protective mucus and flood their gills with air.

Another hazard to the mola are discarded plastic bags. When these wind up in the ocean, they float at the surface and look a lot like a jelly — a mola's favorite meal. If the mola doesn't choke as it sucks the bag in, the plastic can clog the fish's stomach, slowly starving the animal. Helping the mola is one more reason to carry your own shopping bags with you to the store — and make sure any plastic bags you use are properly disposed of.

The mola is listed as “vulnerable” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).

ROBERT E. FULLER COMBINES ACTIVISM WITH ART : HUMPBACK WHALES IN ALASKAN WATERS

A few months ago I started watching Robert. E. Fullers YouTube channel.  What an amazing person! This short video on humpback whales is just one of his very many.  If you follow his channel you'll learn how to help birds survive by building safe nesting spots for them, and so much more.  Robert is also fine artist who sells his work.

BRINE POOLS IN THE RED SEA : HYPER SALINITY and MICROBES : ANTI CANCER PROPERTIES

NATURE COM : BRINE POOLS IN THE RED SEA 

Excerpt: Despite their rarity and diminutive size, brine pools present intense oases of macrofaunal and microbial biodiversity in a deep-sea benthic environment that otherwise lacks in number and variety of species. Deep-sea brine pools are of intense scientific interest since their pervasive anoxia, low pH, and hypersalinity represent one of the most extreme habitable environments on Earth, perhaps offering clues to first life on our planet, and guiding the search for life beyond it. The significance of Red Sea brine pools has been further amplified with the discovery that the extremophile microbes that inhabit them can yield bioactive molecules with therapeutic potential, including antibacterial and anticancer properties

HAPPY SPERM WHALE

 

SCHMIDT OCEAN INSTITUTE : WOULD YOU LIKE TO APPLY TO TRAVEL ON A RESEARCH VESSEL?

SCHMIDT OCEAN ORG 

SCHMIDT OCEAN ORG : THRIVING ECOSYSTEM ON DETACHED ICEBERG

The ICEBERG was as big as CHICAGO... and on the sea floor...

Excerpt: An international team on board Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor (too) working in the Bellingshausen Sea rapidly pivoted their research plans to study an area that was, until last month, covered by ice. On January 13, 2025, an iceberg the size of Chicago, named A-84, broke away from the George VI Ice Shelf, one of the massive floating glaciers attached to the Antarctic Peninsula ice sheet. The team reached the newly exposed seafloor on January 25 and became the first to investigate an area that had never before been accessible to humans.

SEE THE PICTURES!

A large sponge, a cluster of anemones, and other life is seen nearly 230 meters deep at an area of the seabed that was very recently covered by the George VI Ice Shelf, a floating glacier in Antarctica. Sponges can grow very slowly, sometimes less than two centimeters a year. Therefore, the size of this specimen suggests this community has been active for decades, perhaps even hundreds of years.

FIRST TIME COLOSSAL SQUID SEEN BUT IT'S A TEENAGER!

DAILY MAIL SCIENCE COLOSSAL SQUID IN SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN 

EXCERPT: 

The stunning 4K video film, captured in the deep sea by California's Schmidt Ocean Institute, shows the rare creature's transparent body and eight pink tentacles.

Colossal squid can grow up to 23 feet (7 metres) and weigh as much as 500kg, making them the heaviest invertebrate on the planet.

But this specimen, which looks like a delicate glass sculpture, is just a 'teenager' – measuring 11 inches (30cm).

Dying colossal squid adults have previously been filmed by fishermen, but the species has never been seen alive at depth before.

Expedition chief scientist, Dr Michelle Taylor at the University of Essex, called the footage 'stunning' and 'beautiful'.

Siren here!  Check out the video on the website I linked to....  I wonder if the scientists will be able to find this particular creature again when it is more grown!

THE LIFE AND LOVE OF THE SEA by LEWIS BLACKWELL : FANTASTIC PHOTOGRAPHY

 

Fantastic photography and important text, Lewis Blackwell is the photographer.

Loved this book!

RED LOBSTER

 

WHEN THE OCEAN SENDS A CRY FOR HELP : SAN PEDRO'S MARINE MAMMAL CARE CENTER THE FOCUS OF THIS PERSONAL EXPERIENCE STORY

Random Length News : When the Ocean Sends a Cry for Help

Excerpt: An unusually early and toxic algae bloom has caused a massive domoic acid poisoning event affecting pinnipeds, dolphins and seabirds all along the Southern California coast. While there have been other serious outbreaks in the 24 years since DA was first identified on the West Coast — the summer of 2023 was also harrowing — the early arrival and the morbid intensity of this event are straining local resources. Ash and runoff from the fires may be exacerbating the natural phenomenon, leading to heartbreaking scenes of dolphins stranding on public beaches, gasping for breath.

HILTON HEAD BEACHED SPERM WHALE : WHALE HELP

ISLAND PACKET :HILTON HEAD BEACHED SPERM WHALE

Excerpt: Like the beached whale on Hilton Head Island, live whales usually only beached themselves if they’re sick, injured, or in otherwise poor health. One common cause of sickness is when the whale ingests marine debris, especially plastic. Whales can get entangled in fishing gear or get struck by boats. Sperm whales are an endangered species, and about four of them strand themselves on beaches across the Atlantic coast per year. George said there has been some increase in the number of whales washing up over the years, but it’s not known whether that’s due to an increase in sperm whale populations or an increase to the threats they face. Lentz said the average person can help endangered whales by making conscientious choices about the food they eat and the products the buy, and picking up their garbage on the beach.

If you see a stranded or injured marine animal, do not push it back into the ocean, as biologists say it will likely wash up again somewhere else. Instead, call (877) WHALE-HELP to report the animal to the National Marine Fisheries Service.

DRONES RECORD HUNDREDS OF WHALES : CHANGES IN SIZE OF FEMALES AND CALVES : DROP IN BIRTHRATE : HEATWAVES EFFECT

SEATTLE TIMES : DRONES RECORD HUNDREDS OF WHALES by Brendan Rascius  of McClatchy News 

EXCERPT: ... scientists documented dramatic changes in the size of the mothers and calves and in humpback birthrates.
Changes in size

Between 2018 and 2022, “a total of 2,410 measurements were taken from 1,659 individuals, with 405 repeat measurements from 137 lactating females used to track changes in maternal body volume over migration,” Martin van Aswegen, one of the study authors, said in a news release from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

In six months, they decreased in body volume by 17% on average. Specifically, the mothers off Hawaii — where the whales breed — lost about 214 pounds of blubber each day.

Comparatively, nonpregnant and pregnant females off Alaska — where the whales feed — gained size much faster than new mothers, putting on weight between two and six times the rate of lactating females.

Calves, in contrast, rapidly put on weight. They increased their body volume by about 395%, and their length increased by nearly 60%.

***

KEEP READING! 

OCEAN CURRANTS STALLING? CHANGING? WEATHER MOVING TOWARDS AN ICE AGE?

DAILY MAIL SCIENCE : CLIMATE CHANGE by Jonathan Chadwick - Assistant Science and Technology Editor.

 
Excerpt: A new study by experts at University of Gothenburg and the German Alfred Wegener Institute reveals that rapidly melting freshwater ice in the Arctic could be one cause. This melted ice could weaken or even cause a collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) – Earth's vast system of ocean currents.

Described as 'the conveyor belt of the ocean', AMOC transports warm water near the ocean's surface northwards from the tropics up to the northern hemisphere, keeping Europe, the UK and the US east coast temperate.

If and when AMOC does collapse, much of the northern hemisphere, including Europe and North America, could experience harsh, freezing cold winters.

But study author Dr Céline Heuzé, senior lecturer in climatology at the University of Gothenburg, said it's 'scary' that the exact effects of weaker global ocean circulation are as yet unknown.

SWIRL

 

THE SECRET OF THE SEA : A POEM BY HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

SIMPLE POETRY : HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW  (And lots of other sea inspired poetry!)

OCEAN ACIDIFICATION TICKING TIME BOMB : SEA LIFE CRISIS

THE GUARDIAN : SEA ACIDITY CRISIS TICKING TIMEBOMB 

Excerpt: It found that by 2020 the average ocean condition worldwide was already very close to – and in some regions beyond – the planetary boundary for ocean acidification. This is defined as when the concentration of calcium carbonate in seawater is more than 20% below preindustrial levels.

The deeper in the ocean they looked, the worse the findings were, the scientists said. At 200 metres below the surface, 60% of global waters had breached the “safe” limit for acidification.

“Most ocean life doesn’t just live at the surface,” said PML’s Prof Helen Findlay. “The waters below are home to many more different types of plants and animals. Since these deeper waters are changing so much, the impacts of ocean acidification could be far worse than we thought.”

Siren here: Animals and plants cannot live in acidic waters.

2025 UNITED NATIONS OCEAN CONFERENCE TAKING PLACE NOW

WMO INTERNATIONAL : UNITED NATIONS OCEAN CONFERENCE 2025 NOW 

Excerpts: The UN Ocean Conference from 9 to 13 June, is co-hosted by the governments of France and Costa Rica. It is expected to adopt a political declaration and registry of voluntary commitments – called the Nice Ocean Action Plan to conserve and sustainably use the ocean” in support of Sustainable Development Goal 14 on life above and below the water.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles of Costa Rica joined UN secretary-General Antonio Guterres in calling for more science-based action to protect ocean health which is so vital to planetary health.

The ocean absorbs more than 90 percent of excess heat from human activities. Ocean warming and glacier melt is accelerating sea-level rise. Record ocean temperatures and acidification are inflicting severe and long-lasting damage.

This is having a tsunami-like impact on sustainable development of the ocean and resulting in billions of dollars of damage to the Blue Economy.

HOW RICH NATIONS DUMP TOXIC OLD SHIPS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

BUSINESS INSIDERS : HOW RICH NATIONS DUMP OLD CRUISE SHIPS and OIL TANKERS

There's a video at this website to watch.....

This tweaks my concerns about ocean pollution...  Siren

WHAT'S THE CAL STATE LONG BEACH AQUATIC TOX LAB?

Calcium Signaling Disruption.... 

These students focus on aquatic pollution....

CAL STATE LONG BEACH HOLLAND TOXLAB

SMILE

 

CAL STATE LONG BEACH SHARK LAB : WHITE SHARKS LURK IN THE MUCK

A species older than the dinosaurs.

CSU LONG BEACH SHARK LAB

Sharks are not interested in humans as food...

SAVE OUR SEAS FOUNDATION FOCUSING ON SHARKS AND RAYS : SIGN UP FOR OCEAN WEEK IN REVIEW

SAVE OUR SEAS FOUNDATION 

Sharks, rays and chimaeras are overfished and heading for extinction. More than 300 scientists have published 20 years of data in a landmark global report that details the biology, fisheries, trade, conservation efforts and policy reforms for these marine animals across 158 countries and jurisdictions. It’s a global wake-up call: we need to address overfishing and bycatch – and urgently. But there is also hope. We have the information to hand, and the dedication of so many has brought us to a historic moment when we can steer towards sustainability.

YOU Can link to three blogs at this website :   OCEAN WEEK IN REVIEW, THE VOICE OF COCOS, and It's Your Ocean...

OCEAN WEEK IN REVIEW

Excerpt:

Sea Save Foundation’s publication, “The Ocean Week in Review,” is a crucial weekly digest that encapsulates vital oceanic news for its ever-growing readership. Having published over 520 editions with 15,000 story summaries, each edition offers succinct, four-sentence narratives accompanied by illustrative photographs and further reading hyperlinks, making it easily consumable during daily commutes. Released every Friday on its dedicated blog and across multiple social media platforms, the content is meticulously researched and vetted, drawing from reliable news sources and translating often complex scientific jargon into captivating, layman-friendly language. This initiative not only keeps its audience informed about the latest in oceanic breakthroughs, challenges, and advocacy but also empowers them with the knowledge to support and champion the cause of preserving our oceans.

DIVER SWIMS IN SEA FULL OF PLASTIC POLLUTION

Diver Rich Horner  Excerpt: Diver Rich Horner has captured video of himself swimming through water densely strewn with plastic waste and yellowing food wrappers, with the occasional tropical fish darting around.

The footage was shot at a dive site called Manta Point, a cleaning station for the large rays on the island of Nusa Penida, about 20km from the popular Indonesian holiday island of Bali. 'Plastic, plastic, plastic': British diver films sea of rubbish off Bali

NASA REVEALS GLOBAL SEA LEVELS ROSE BY UNEXEPECTED HIGHER LEVELS : HUNDREDS OF CITIES MAY BE OVERWHELMED

DAILY MAIL : NASA ...GLOBAL SEA LEVEL RISE UNEXPECTEDLY HIGH AMOUNT 

The rise we saw in 2024 was higher than we expected,' said Josh Willis, a sea level researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

'Every year is a little bit different, but what's clear is that the ocean continues to rise, and the rate of rise is getting faster and faster.'

Since 1993, global sea levels have risen by a staggering 3.97-inches (10.1cm).

And if they continue to climb at this rate, hundreds of densely populated cities around the world could be plunged underwater. Excerpt: According to NASA, this 'unexpected' increase was due to an unusual amount of ocean warming, combined with meltwater from land-based ice such as glaciers.

Siren here! Check out those charts!

HEALTH TO THE OCEAN MEANS ... QUOTATION FROM SYLVIA EARLE

"HEALTH TO THE OCEANS MEANS HEALTH FOR US" 

- Sylvia Earle

Sylvia is a Marine Biologist who was named Time magazine's first Hero for the Planet in 1998

WE KNOW MORE ABOUT THE SURFACE OF THE MOON ... QUOTATION FROM PAUL SNELGROVE

"WE KNOW MORE ABOUT THE SURFACE OF THE MOON AND ABOUT MARS THAN WE DO ABOUT THE DEEP SEA FLOOR." - Paul Snelgrove

He worked on the Census of Marine Life which ran from 2000 to 2010. 2700 scientists participated in trying to count all the marine species known.  They made 540 expeditions and discovered 6000 new species.

Here's a link to check out! OCEAN FRONTIER INSTITUTE - PAUL SNELGROVE

LOVELY GIRL WITH A SHELL

 

JAPANESE SARDINES IN CALIFORNIA? NOAA FISHERIES REPORTS : LINK TO PODCAST

FISHERIES NOAA : PODCAST JAPANESE SARDINES IN CALIFORNIA

Excerpt: In 2022, Dr. Gary Longo detected Japanese sardines swimming in the eastern Pacific, off the coast of California. This was the first time they’d ever been seen here—their normal range is in the western Pacific from Korea to Russia, thousands and thousands of miles away. It was a shocking discovery. Sardines are incredibly important to the California current ecosystem and are a key forage fish across the globe.

On this episode of Dive In with NOAA Fisheries, we scratch at this mystery of Japanese sardine appearing in U.S. waters. How did they get here? What does it mean for the native Pacific sardine? Are they staying? (Spoiler alert: so far, yes.)

We hear from Dr. Longo, a research scientist at NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center and one of the authors of a new study documenting this discovery. The authors suggest marine heatwaves that warmed the North Pacific over the last decade might have opened a corridor of favorable habitat, which the Japanese sardines followed across the ocean.

NARWHALE

 

PREHISTORIC OCEAN FLOOR - 250 MILLION YEARS OLD - BELOW TODAY'S OCEAN FLOOR

 SCITECH DAILY : DISCOVERY OF ANCIENT SEA FLOOR 

Excerpt: Scientists from the University of Maryland have identified remnants of a prehistoric seafloor that plunged into the Earth’s depths during the age of dinosaurs, calling into question prevailing views on the Earth’s interior structure. Found at the East Pacific Rise, a tectonic boundary on the floor of the southeastern Pacific Ocean, this previously unexplored segment of seafloor reveals new aspects of our planet’s inner processes and its transformative history over millions of years. The team’s findings were published on September 27, 2024, in the journal Science Advances.

WRECKAGE OF THE WESTERN RESERVE FOUND IN LAKE SUPERIOR BY MARINE SONIC TECHNOLOGY : UNDISCOVERED FOR 132 YEARS

There was one survivor...

Excerpt:
The Great Lakes can be more dangerous than the oceans

The Great Lakes have claimed thousands of ships since the 1700s. Perhaps the most famous is the Edmund Fitzgerald, an ore carrier that got caught in a storm in November 1975 and went down off Whitefish Point within 100 miles of the Western Reserve. All hands were killed. The incident was immortalized in the Gordon Lightfoot song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”

Assistant Wisconsin State Climatologist Ed Hopkins said that storm season on the lakes begins in November, when warm water meets cold air and winds blow unimpeded across open water, generating waves as high as 30 feet. The lakes at that time can be more dangerous than the oceans because they’re smaller, making it harder for ships to out-maneuver the storms, he said.

NBC NEWS : EXPLORERS FIND WRECKAGE OF SHIP "WESTERN RESERVE"

Excerpt: The brothers towed a side-scanning sonar array behind their ship. Side sonar scans starboard and port, providing a more expansive picture of the bottom than sonar mounted beneath a ship. About 60 miles northwest of Whitefish Point on the Upper Peninsula, they picked up a line with a shadow behind it in 600 feet of water. They dialed up the resolution and spotted a large ship broken in two with the bow resting on the stern.

LAKE SUPERIOR IS THE RESTING PLACE OF OVER 350 SHIPS

MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY - LAKE SUPERIOR SHIP WRECKS 

Excerpt: Of the estimated 10,000 shipwrecks in the Great Lakes region, only about 350 of them are located in Lake Superior. Of those, about 50 wrecks are presumed to be within Minnesota waters. Most of Minnesota's shipwreck history can be found in Lake Superior. Many wrecks have been located, but at least half lay undiscovered.

In an effort to aid in the safe navigation of the often-treacherous waters, the U.S. Lighthouse Service erected lighthouses in key locations throughout the Great Lakes region. Split Rock Lighthouse was built in response to the great winter gale of November 1905 that claimed 36 lives and disabled or destroyed 29 ships.

Siren here!  The SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank in 1975 - recent history - may be the most famous.  Read this site and learn about some of the ships that sank during the Industrial Revolution.  Many sunken ships have never been located!

NO AQUARIUM, NO TANK ... A QUOTE FROM JACQUES-YVES COUSTEAU

"NO AQUARIUM, NO TANK IN A MARINE LAND, HOWEVER SPACIOUS IT MAY BE, CAN BEGIN TO DUPLICATE THE CONDITIONS OF THE SEA."

Jacques-Yves Cousteau (1910-1997)

He made 120 documentaries and published 50 books

ENTWINNED

 

S.S UNITED STATES WILL BE SUNK TO BECOME ARTIFICIAL REEF : MORE THAN 4,300 ARTIFICIAL REEFS OFF THE COAST OF FLORIDA

SCIENCE FRIDAY : S.S. UNITED STATES TO BE ARTIFICIAL REEF 

Excerpt:  This week, after a notable career, the SS United States, a 1950s ocean liner, took her sunset cruise. Like many retirees, the ship is heading south—from Philadelphia to Florida—where she’ll be reinventing herself. In this next chapter, the SS United States will have new passengers: fish and other marine creatures. The ship will be sunk to the bottom of the sea and turned into an artificial reef, joining more than 4300 artificial reefs off the coast of Florida.

NBCPHILADELPHIA : S.S.UNITED STATES ARRIVES IN ALABAMA (DETAILED REPORT ON THE PLAN)

Excerpt:  “In the spirit of her record-breaking history, America’s Flagship concluded her journey from Philadelphia to Mobile faster than anticipated. As she moved through the waves for the first time in 28 years, countless onlookers and admirers along the country’s eastern seaboard were inspired by her majesty and beauty," said SS United States Conservancy president Susan Gibbs in a statement on the ship's 401st voyage.

\

OARFISH : LEGENDARY FISH THAT ANNOUNCES TSUNAMIS

You can find past posts about OARFISH by clicking on the label below.  This is a documentary by YouTube Station Best Documentary about this fish...  Because I dislike unasked for advertising, I'm linking to this video rather than embedding it. It's an interesting and well made video.  Siren

BEST DOCUMENTARY : OARFISH LEGENDARY ANNOUNCES TSUNAMIS

WATCHING A SMALL AQUARIUM TANK FISH DIE : AN UNNATURAL AND IMPRISONED LIFE ALONE

Over the years I've become increasingly against home aquariums for fish that grow bigger.  I recently saw a fish that had lived alone in an aquarium die.  It was horrible.  This fish had lived alone for the amusement of the few people who actually even bothered to notice it.  It swum around a background, plastic made-for-aquarium sea weeds and fake castles and such, and awaited feeding.  I would walk by and go eye to eye with it and sometimes move my fingers as if they were fins and the fish would follow.

I heard that this fish had been in the tank for ELEVEN YEARS and was ALONE because he "ATE ALL THE OTHER FISH IN THE TANK." Well in the sea, fish eat fish, but I wondered if perhaps this was because he had not been fed properly.... And was also in a tank TOO SMALL FOR HIM.

HIM ... it could have been a HER.

The fish started laying low to the bottom of the tank, barely upright.

It's eyes were covered in some sort of white film. 

I immediately informed the owner I thought the fish was dying and to contact their aquarium service.

A week later the fish was clearly having trouble fish-breathing, it's gills working hard.

I had not seen air being pumped into the tank.

The walls of the tank had a green-black film on them.

As a result I'm clearly anti-aquarium tank.

Perhaps the small fish that never get too big can have a better tank life than this?

Other fish in the tank.

Real sea weed.

Proper cleaning and feeding and light cycles....

Siren

LEAVE A COMMENT! ANY IDEAS?

Do you have an idea you'd like to share?  Is there a topic I need to cover here at SIRENS LINK TO SEA?

I do check comments!

If you would like to comment but do not want your comment published, just tell me DO NOT PUBLISH.

THANKS!

Siren

FUNNY

 

CRABS AND LOBSTERS FEEL PAIN UPON BEING BOILED ALIVE : SCIENTISTS CALL FOR A BAN

I have this idea that creatures of the sea have only recently been understood to be animals.  What I almost never eat is sea food.  Siren

EARTH COM : SCIENTISTS CALL FOR IMMEDIATE BAN ON BOILING THEM ALIVE

Excerpt: Dr. Lynne Sneddon, a zoophysiologist at the University of Gothenburg, believes it’s time we reconsider how we treat these animals.

“We need to find less painful ways to kill shellfish if we are to continue eating them. Because now we have scientific evidence that they both experience and react to pain,” she says.

Excerpt:  Until now, the idea that crustaceans feel pain was mostly based on observational studies.

Researchers noticed that when crabs and lobsters were exposed to potentially harmful stimuli — like electric shocks or acids — they would touch the affected area or try to avoid the danger in subsequent encounters.

This behavior led many to believe they might be experiencing pain.

But the team at the University of Gothenburg took it a step further. PhD student Eleftherios Kasiouras led a study where they measured the activity in a shore crab’s brain using EEG-style recordings.

SHARK ATTACK HOT SPOTS? THE INTERNATIONAL SHARK ATTACK FILE!

 FLORIDA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY - SHARK ATTACK FILE

Siren here! This is a new one for me!  Maps and Data!  

This is the world's ONLY scientifically documented and comprehensive database of all known shark attacks.  Beginning in 1958, but going back too, there are now close to 7000 investigations...

CHECK OUT THE INTERACTIVE MAPS...

What are the chances?

INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF NATURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES MEETING 2025 DUBAI

IUCN ORG

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. By harnessing the experience, resources and reach of its more than 1,400 Member organisations and the input of some 17,000 experts, IUCN is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
|
9-15 October, 2025
Description


The IUCN World Conservation Congress is a once-every-four-years, diverse gathering of nature conservation experts, leaders and decision-makers from around the world. It will help shape global priorities for nature conservation and climate change for the coming decade and beyond.