DOLPHINS FOUND TO HAVE FENTANYL IN THEIR BODIES and OTHER DRUGS

SCIENCE ALERT : DOLPHINS WITH FENTANYL IN THEIR BODIES 

Excerpts: The researchers found fentanyl — a painkiller 100 times more powerful than morphine – in 24 of the samples, including all post-mortem specimens taken from the six dolphins that had died. The sedative meprobamate and the skeletal muscle relaxant carisoprodol were also found in the marine mammals' blubber.

More than a quarter of Earth's rivers have also been found to contain pharmaceuticals at levels higher than what's considered safe for aquatic organisms, with their waters contributing to concentrations of pollutants in marine environments.

Siren here! I feel sick!

MONTEREY BAY WHALE WATCHERS AMAZED AND WORRIED AFTER SIGHTING OF OLIVE RIDLEY SEA TURTLE

SACRAMENTO BEE : RARE SIGHTING OF OLIVE RIDLEY SEA TURTLE 

It hasn't been seen in the bay since 2013 and it's usually in need of warmer waters.

ROAD TO ATLANTIS NORTH OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS? YELLOW BRICK ROAD

Excerpts: PMNM is one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world, larger than all the national parks in the United States combined, and we've only explored about 3 percent of its seafloor. 

SCIENCE ALERT : YELLOW BRICK ROAD

Go to the website to find out about the fractured rock.

CANADIAN GULLY IS HOME TO NEWLY DISCOVERED FISH WITHOUT A DNA MATCH : ALMOST BLACK WITH BULBOUS HEAD

It’s called the Gully, and it’s a marine protected area under Fisheries and Oceans Canada. More than 9 miles wide, the Gully is “the largest underwater canyon in the western North Atlantic,” the department says, and is filled with endangered and rare species. It was here that in 2009 researchers caught and brought to the surface a mysterious looking fish. The animal had a bulbous head, sleek body and gaping mouth, and was a dark brown, nearly black color, according to a July 24 Facebook post from Fisheries and Oceans Canada. “They sampled and analyzed its DNA,” the department said. “Back then, it did not match any known species and was left without a name.”

MIAMI HERALD : DNA MYSTERY FISH CANADA

IT'S A TYPE OF WHALEFISH (check out the videos)

INTELLIGENCE

 

MYSTERY MOLLUSK APPEARS IN MONTEREY BAY DEEP SEA CANYON

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE DEEP SEA MYSTERY CREATURE  

"It is the first nudibranch, a type of sea slug, known to live in the unlit “midnight zone” of the ocean between 3,300 and 13,100 feet.

Watch that video!

RARE NAUTILOIDS FOUND (FOSSILS MIGHT BE EASIER!) IN PALAU

ROVPLANET : AMAZING NAUTILOIDS 

Excerpt:  During a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dive in the German Channel in Palau, the Ocean Exploration Trust (OET) witnessed four Palau nautilus individuals (Nautilus belauensis). These are the first sightings of nautiloids — the most primitive cephalopods — from E/V Nautilus after 1000+ ROV dives over the last 15 years of operations. This marine mollusk found in the Indo-Pacific is rarely photographed- let alone caught on video -and 2024’s expeditions represent the first of OET’s adventures within the nautilus’s expected distribution range. This expedition (NA169) was funded by NOAA Ocean Exploration via the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute.

Rare!  

"Whenever you see a rare animal in the ocean, there is always a sense of awe. The nautilus isn't a new species, but there is still a certain magic to seeing it move in real-time across the ocean floor and respond to the ROV. And it has no idea that hundreds of humans are staring at it!" says Alice Chou, onboard Science Communication Fellow.

LEAVE THAT SHELL ON THE BEACH AND TAKE A PHOTO INSTEAD : ETHICAL SEA SHELL COLLECTING

Ethical sea shell collecting means:

Leaving any shell that has a living animal alone.

And you may not be able to tell so leave it alone.

Even broken and partial shells are part of the ecosystem.

Some sea creatures will borrow the empty shell of another.

Small fish hide in shells.

Do not buy sea shells by the bag in shops: They have been dredged from the ocean floor which destroys an eco-system. 

It's best not to buy sea shells at all.  You may find some collections for sale or find shells at garage sales and thrift shops, which were found or purchased in the past...

Do not buy plastic reproductions of shells.  Plastic is an overall problem for our environment.

Consider: 

Taking photos of shells to document them.

Draw, paint, or sculpt sea shells.

Pick up sea-polished glass off the beach instead. 

Take anything you bring to the beach back out, recycling bottles and cans and anything else you can.

Join a beach clean-up team for a morning or take some bags with you and fill them up with refuse that other people left behind.

Siren.

THINKING

 

CAN WILDFIRE ASH BE A POSITIVE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT ? : HERE'S AN ALTERNATIVE OPINION BASED ON RESEARCH

KCLU ORG : WILDFIRE ASH PROVIDES NUTRIENTS 

Excerpt: Debris and ash created issues for many of the region’s waterways. The first instinct is that it might also be a major form of toxic pollution for the ocean. But, researchers say they’ve discovered ash could actually be beneficial.

"There were metals, which can be good or bad, toxic or beneficial for organisms, and then there were a bunch of nutrients that phytoplankton use to grow," said Tanika Ladd.

In this UC Santa Barbara Current  article it's revealed that the ash and debris could be a positive for the ocean's tiniest creatures but negative for fresh waterways....

NEWS UCSB THOMAS FIRE RESEARCH RESULTS

WRITE A FICTION STORY OR A POEM THAT IS ABOUT THE OCEAN OR INCLUDES THE SEA CREATURES FROM A PARTICULAR PART OF THE OCEAN!

Since it's fictions, you may create a sea creature that may not actually exist!  Maybe there are mermaids.

Yes this writing can be Delicious Fiction!

Be creative!

But perhaps you could do the Science Fact research first and then follow your creativity!

Will you write a graphic novel?

What about illustrating your book!

Add to the extensive literature and poetry that includes the sea!

Siren

CALIFORNIA FIRES : SMOKE HUNDREDS OF MILES OUT OVER THE PACIFIC : IMPACT ON WHALES AND OTHER SEA CREATURES

Yes the smoke and debris in the air eventually settle down onto the earth and into the ocean waters.  Here's am article on the impact from the PACIFIC WHALE FOUNDATION: PACIFIC WHALE FOUNDATION : WILDFIRE IMPACTS ON OCEAN AND SEA CREATURES

Excerpt:  OCEAN - A large influx of ash and debris, including metals and chemicals, enters waterways, especially following precipitation.  This massive sediment load smothers the coastal ecosystem, covering coral reefs, resulting in significant habitat loss and, eventually, fish and invertebrate mortality.  The resulting water cloudiness reduces light penetration necessary for plants to conduct photosynthesis.  The influx of run-off, which includes nutrients, and sedimentation can induce harmful algae blooms that deplete oxygen levels and cause fish and other animal die-offs.  Subsequently, ash and debris loads are spread wide by tides, currents, and winds, magnifying their effects though nearshore environments.

CAN FIREFIGHTERS USE OCEAN SALT WATER TO FIGHT THE CALIFORNIA FIRES?

The answer is that they do so, but in desperation, because the salt water is corrosive to equipment and the soil in which the salt water has been dumped is not friendly to plant life.  Some areas where ocean water has been dumped to put out a fire remain barren of plant life for years.  When urban sources for water are used up, fire fighters will use ocean water. 

-Siren

FIND A NONPROFIT IN THIS BLOG - SIREN'S LINK TO SEA - AND GET INVOLVED OR DONATE YOUR TIME OR MONEY

Beach clean-ups, whale counts...

There are dozens of non-profits who are linked to from this blog. 

Read through and find one that you would like to participate in.... do more research to be sure it's the best fit for you!

Do your part as a citizen-activist to be for ocean-ecology and marine environments that support sea creatures!

Siren

SMITHSONIAN'S PICK TEN MOST AWE-INSPIRING SEA CREATURES OF 2024! NEW DISCOVERIES

 What a contest!  Truly unique individuals! An awesome list.

SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE : 10 MOST AWE-INSPIRING SEA CREATURE MOMENTS OF 2024

Orcas with salmon hats?  300 year old coral?  Whale in the wrong ocean?  Which of these will awe-inspire YOU?

HAPPY NEW YEAR and WELCOME

HAPPY NEW YEAR and WELCOME 

SIREN'S LINK TO SEA!

is a blog all about the oceans and the creatures who make the ocean home!