170O POUND GREAT WHITE SHARK TRACKED - FLORIDA TO NORTH CAROLINA : HE'S NAMED "CONTENDER"

CBS NEWS : 1700 POUND SHARK TRACKED OFF COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA 

Excerpt:

Sharks don't ping every day. Their movements are tracked by devices attached to their dorsal fins. The trackers can't transmit through water, OCEARCH senior data scientist John Tyminski said in a video published by the organization. To accurately confirm a shark's location, the tracker must break the surface while an Argos satellite is above. The satellites are only in a given spot for about 13 minutes. During that time, the tracker must send multiple messages for a location to be confirmed.

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ARE YOU AFRAID OF SHARKS? Leave me a comment!  Siren

HOGFISH

 

ORCAS HAVE BEEN SINKING BOATS

It's true... there have been a number of reports.


DIVE MAGAZINE : ORCAS SINK BOAT - PORTUGAL


OUTSIDE ONLIE : WE SAILED THROUGH ORCA ALLEY - BOATS RAMMED -SINKING


Excerpt: Along the Iberian Peninsula, where the North Atlantic collides with the rugged coastlines of Spain and Portugal before pinching into the Mediterranean Sea, an endangered subpopulation of orcas has developed the unfortunate habit of ramming into sailboats. The powerful animals target the rudders, often breaking them and destroying or disabling a boat’s steering. Such force can sometimes also damage a boat’s hull and cause a leak.

Orcas, also called killer whales (Orcinus orca), are known for their prowess as marine predators, and they’re intelligent and highly social. Across their global range, they’re unusually flexible in what they eat, how they hunt, and where they call home. Among their many talents, they’re masters of surprise.

CLAM ANALYSIS SHOWS NORTH ATLANTIC SUBPOLAR GYRE ACTING STRANGELY

LIVE SCIENCE : MASSIVE SYSTEM OF ROTATING OCEAN CURRENTS ACTING STRANGELY

Excerpt: An analysis of clam shells suggests the North Atlantic subpolar gyre has had two periods of destabilization over the past 150 years: one around 1920 and the other from 1950 through present. ....

"It's highly worrying," study lead author Beatriz Arellano Nava, a postdoctoral research fellow in physical geography at the University of Exeter in the U.K., told Live Science. "The subpolar gyre was recently acknowledged as a tipping element. We still need to understand more of the impacts of a subpolar gyre abrupt weakening. But what we know so far with the few studies that have been published is that it would bring more extreme weather events, particularly in Europe ... and also changes in global precipitation patterns."

.... But the other signal was a total surprise, she said. The clam data revealed that the subpolar gyre was unstable for a few years in the run-up to the 1920s North Atlantic regime shift. This previously described event was characterized by the strengthening of currents in the gyre. Instability in the subpolar gyre likely caused the 1920s regime shift, and the timeline suggests the period of instability may have reflected the subpolar gyre's recovery from its Little Ice Age collapse, Arellano Nava said.


Go to the article for more upsetting details and a globe showing the way currents work!

ATLANTIC TRASH PATCH : NOT AS BIG AS THE ONE IN THE PACIFIC BUT AS TRAGIC

ATLAS OBSURA : ATLANTIC GARBAGE PATCH

Excerpt: 

As four major currents in the North Atlantic Ocean between Virginia and Cuba push rubbish through the sea, it gets absorbed into a giant marine trash island we now call the North Atlantic Garbage Patch. ...

Using this data, scientists estimate that the North Atlantic Garbage Patch is hundreds of kilometers in size and has a density of 200,000 pieces of trash per square kilometer in some places. Despite its enormous size and density, the patch is, more often than not, invisible to the naked eye and even satellite imaging. The photodegradable plastic that makes up the vast majority of the mass shrinks to smaller than .01 of an inch and is pushed under the surface of the water by deep waves. Unfortunately, this attribute makes it all the more likely that the plastic - and all of its pollutants - will be swallowed by aquatic creatures.

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   

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."

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!

ALL ATLANTIC OCEAN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION ALLIANCE - AMERICA to EUROPE

ALL ATLANTIC OCEAN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION ALLIANCE 

The All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance (AAORIA) is the result of science diplomacy efforts involving countries from both sides of the Atlantic....

Forums, podcasts, youth involvement.....

ATLANTIC OCEAN COLLAPSE? WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT

NPR : WHEN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN CURRENT COLLAPSE  by Lauren Sommer

Excerpt: Deep in the Atlantic Ocean, there's a massive current the size of 8,000 Mississippi Rivers. Its role in the Earth's climate is so powerful that it determines weather from the equator to Europe, crop production in Africa and sea level rise on the East Coast.

GREY WHALE NOT SEEN IN ATLANTIC FOR 200 YEARS DOCUMENTED SWIMMING PAST NANTUCKET : CLIMATE CHANGE

DAILY MAIL UK : EXTINCT FROM ATLANTIC FOR 200 YEARS : GREY WHALE : CLIMATE CHANGE 

Excerpts:

'The Northwest Passage, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific through the Arctic Ocean in Canada, has regularly been ice-free in the summertime in recent years, partly due to rising global temperatures,' the aquarium said.

This means that more gray whales could potentially travel the Northwest Passage during the summer when normally they would have been blocked.

...

O'Brien, an associate research scientist with the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium, said the animal's arrival off New England serves 'as a reminder of how quickly marine species respond to climate change, given the chance.'

So how can you tell a gray whale apart from its counterparts?

Unlike the humpback whale, which is more commonly sighted in New England, gray whales can be identified by their lack of a dorsal fin and mottled appearance. 

They also sound different; gray whales make gurgles, grunts and croaks while humpback wales produce what is known as 'songs' as it is reminiscent of human vocals.

MEET THE PEOPLE WHO ARE REBUILDING NEW YORK HARBOR BY ESTABLISHING OYSTER BEDS!

Once New York was called The Big Oyster, but people ate the oysters and soon enough, with a hundred years of dumping waste too into the water, there was no ecosystem of marine life in the harbor.  This video is about the efforts to reestablish the humble oyster and how important it is to the ecosystem.

IS THE NORTH ATLANTIC HEAT TRANSFER SHUTTING DOWN?

There is a "cold spot" area of the North Atlantic that processes heat....  In this video by PBS which I'm linking to, an explanation on how this works is given.

Entitled  Is Earth's Largest Heat Transfer Really Shutting Down?

YOUTUBE : PBS TERRA : HEAT TRANSFER NORTH ATLANTIC

NEW YORK CITY - CONEY ISLAND -WCS AQUARIUM

NEW YORK AQUARIUM 

Yes, this aquarium does pride itself on conservation.  Here is what they have to say for themselves.

Through acoustic/satellite tagging and monitoring of several species of sharks and great whales in the New York seascape, we’re helping to guide and inform fisheries and management policies. We’re conducting long-term ecological monitoring and developing management plans for American eel and river herring as part of ongoing restoration of the Bronx River. We’re helping to secure the protection of critical habitat including the Hudson Canyon, an underwater marine marvel that rivals the Grand Canyon in scale and majesty. It’s home to an astonishing array of fish, marine mammals, invertebrates, and cold-water corals. This includes the development of the first national marine sanctuary in the mid-Atlantic. And our citizen science programs encourage the public to explore local beaches and waters, and contribute data to support marine biodiversity.

THE WCS NEW YORK AQUARIUM IS PART OF AN EFFORT TO SAVE WILDLIFE THAT BEGAN 120 YEARS AGO WITH THE CREATION OF THE NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY, AN ORGANIZATION FOUNDED ON SCIENCE AND HOPE WHICH HAS SINCE GROWN TO BECOME THE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY.

GREATER ATLANTIC MARINE MAMMAL STRANDING NETWORK : HOW TO REPORT A STRANDED ANIMAL

NOAA FISHERIES GOV: GREATER ATLANTIC MARINE MAMMAL STRANDING NETWORK 

Information:  The Greater Atlantic Region Marine Mammal Stranding Network was created to provide a consistent framework in which to collect, compile, and share data about marine mammal strandings throughout the region, which extends from the Virginia/North Carolina border north to our border with Canada. The network is composed of state and federal wildlife and fisheries agencies, veterinary clinics, non-profit agencies, and academic institutions who respond to or provide professional advice on responding to strandings.

DEFINING WHAT A STRANDED ANIMAL IS : One that is dead on the beach or in the water or one that is alive on land and unable to return to the water and/or is in need of medical attention, or a live animal in the water that is unable to return to its natural habitat under its own power or without assistance.... 

 (866) 755-6622

MARINE MAMMAL STRANDING CENTER - ATLANTIC OCEAN : SEA MAMMALS and SEA TURTLES HEALED and RETURNED TO SEA : BEACHED WHALE INVESTIGATIONS

MARINE MAMMAL STRANDING CENTER  Dedicated to responding to marine mammals and sea turtles along all of New Jersey's waterways...  When an animal cannot be released, it is kept at the facility and given a place to live.

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Excerpt:  MMSC's Large Whale and Dolphin Response.

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center continues to be on the front line as the first responders during the recent increase in whale strandings that began in December 2022.  As a member of the Greater Atlantic Marine Mammal Stranding Network, we are the boots on the ground working together with or fellow network members to help find the answers.  The work that we perform is the first step in many that will bring us closer to understanding why we are seeing so may whale standings along the East Coast.

NOAA SPOTLIGHTS THE RIGHT WHALE - BALEEN FEEDING WHALES NOSHING ON MICROORGANISMS IN THE SEA

There may only be 400 of these whales left alive...

MARTHA'S VINEYARD NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE SIGHTINGS : BOATS ORDERED TO SLOW DOWN TO TEN KNOTS

MARTHA'S VINYARD TIMES ; RIGHT WHALE SIGHTINGS 

Excerpt:

An aerial survey team from the New England Aquarium has detected a number of North Atlantic Right Whales south of Martha's Vineyard, prompting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to enact 'slow zones' for marine vessels in the area.

According to an aerial survey report by the New England Aquarium, 10 general survey tracklines detected 14 Right Whales, in pods of varying sizes, on Friday, March 10.

"North Atlantic Right Whales are on the move along the Atlantic coast off the U.S.  If seen, remember that approaching a right whale closer than 500 yards is a violation of federal and state law," NOAA stated in a press release issued Monday.  "Right whales are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and scientists estimate there are fewer than 350 whales remaining.

TWENTY THREE RECENT EAST COAST WHALE DEATHS SPARK ALARM : SHIP STRIKES KILLING MINKE, HUMPBACK, and NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALES

NEW YORK TIMES - 23 RECENT EAST COAST WHALE DEATHS 

These whales have washed ashore in recent weeks.  North Atlantic Right Whale - critically endangered. Minke whale.  Humpback whale.  Could it be that we just have to order things on line that are exported by other countries, rather than buying American made products and produce grown in the U.S. so that more ships are coming in and colliding with whales.

Well, my priority is not to buy anything from another country without an exhaustive search for MADE IN THE U.S.A. because most of the things you see for sale we really do not need.

Also windfarms offshore may be a problem for sea life.

BUT THERE IS ANOTHER ENVIRONMENTAL FACTOR

Excerpt: The population of humpbacks, hunted legally until 1985, has rebounded, thanks in part to decades of efforts to clean the Atlantic Ocean and heavily polluted tributaries like the Hudson River. As the climate changes and oceans warm, whales and favored prey, menhaden, are migrating and feeding in new locations, often closer to shore.

QUEEN CONCH IS FOOD and COLLECTED BUT ENGANDERED

 

Excerpts pages 269-270 :  No human reimagining of a shell comes close to the Queen Conches' own transformative life cycle.  The animals ride the currents as larvae, hide in seagrasses when they are little conches, hang out in grainy sand and rubble in middle age, and hope and leap to deep-sand channels when they reach old age.,  They are not all queens.  They are female or male and must join up to mate, unlike the bivalves that send their eggs and sperm into the sea to meet the currents.

In the springtime, mature conchs gather in large herds and graze on algae, plowing the nourishment into eggs and sperm.  The herds are crucial to their survival, scientists say it takes at least ninety Queen Conchs in a hectare to successfully reproduce.  Each female will develop a million eggs.  A male scoots over to stretch its long, spade=tipped penis underneath her shell.  Within a day after her eggs are fertilized, the mother makes a little trench in the sand and poles up a half a million or so in a gelatinous strand, that, if extended, would stretch longer than a basketball court. She uses her all -purpose foot to camouflage the strand with sand as she goes, coating and heaping until it could pass for a hung of white coral.  She lays about nine of these egg masses each season, bringing nearly 5 million larval concha a year into the world.  Fewer than 1 percent - 50,000 or so - may survive to become adult queens.