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Giant squid killed by airguns in the Bay of Biscay? declining North Sea fish, cold-water corals and climate change.
September 21, 2004This press release provides summaries of key papers being presented at the ICES Annual Science Conference in Vigo, Spain (22-25 September 2004).
What happened to North Sea fish?
FF:40
Scientists developed a mathematical model of the North Sea food chain. Using the model they estimated that the total amount of fish in the North Sea has decreased from around 26 million tons at the end of the 19th Century, to around 10 million tons in 1991.
Blue shark "bachelor clubs" on seamounts
K11
Sharks are 20 times more abundant over seamounts than in surrounding waters. Of the sharks that are attracted to seamounts, blue sharks are the most common, and in this paper the author discusses the possible reasons for huge gatherings of male blue sharks over seamounts in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
Giant squid hit by airguns in the Bay of Biscay?
CC:29
Dead giant squid normally wash up on Spanish shores at the rate of about one a year. But in autumn 2001, scientists were surprised to find 5 huge animals stranded in a single week on beaches in the Bay of Biscay. Two years later it happened again, when another 4 animals stranded on the Biscay coast in September 2003.
What was particularly strange was that the scientists could find no obvious external cause of death in these apparently healthy giant squid, which ranged in weight from 60-200kg and length of 7-12 metres. But internal examinations shed some light with the discovery that two animals in particular had suffered extensive damage to internal muscle fibres and their stomachs and digestive tracts. They had also suffered severe damage to their ears that would have effectively disorientated them.
The coincidence was that at the time of both mass strandings, geologists had been running a seismic airgun survey in the vicinity with a line of 10 towed airguns-each capable of firing out 200 decibel sound pulses down to the seabed. The authors discuss the possible impact of seismic airguns on the giant squid and whether further controls may be needed on seismic surveys to protect marine animals.
Closed area provides food and shelter for juvenile cod
Y:10
Since 1994, large areas of the Georges Bank (East coast of USA) have been closed to trawlers, and the authors describe the recovery of seabed habitats. They observed a number of changes which include more and bigger scallops, sea urchins, sea stars and whelks and greater sponge coverage. Many of the species that grew more abundant in the closed area are food for juvenile cod and other bottom-living fish or are thought to give juvenile cod hiding places from predators.
Plaice "Big Brother" in the North Sea
K:05
Scientists are now putting the lives of plaice in the North Sea under the spotlight. Using high-tech electronic tags that record the depth and environmental conditions the fish experience, they have been able to map the movements of 165 plaice in the North Sea.
While the tags are state-of-the-art, it seems that fish are already recording similar information in their own independent system in their otoliths-tiny bones in fish ears that grow as the fish grow. As well as being used to age fish, recent studies have shown that the chemical composition of these bones may reflect the environmental history of the fish.
Scientists now hope that by combining the data from electronic tags with the fishes' own historical record in the otoliths they will be able to learn more about plaice migration and behaviour and may even be able to reconstruct a fish's movements during its lifetime.
Give Celtic Sea whiting a chance to spawn
Y:13
This paper makes the case that whiting stocks in the Celtic Sea could increase if their spawning area was closed to fishing either throughout the year or at least during the spawning season. Other restrictions on fishing would also be necessary or the whiting would just be overfished as soon as they left the closed area.
Common dolphins' last supper
Q:09
Between 1991 and 2003, 322 common dolphins washed up dead on the Galicean coast of Northern Spain. Because most of the dolphins had met a premature end in fishing nets they still had their last dinners in their stomachs, so scientists were able to discover that they had been eating small blue whiting, sardine and scad.
Grey seal teeth monitor climate change
K:27
A seal's age can be estimated by looking at the yearly growth layers in its teeth. Because the growth layer is thicker when the seal is well-fed and thinner during leaner times, a seal tooth is also a bit like a "black box" that records the good and bad periods in its life. In this paper the author looks at the potential for grey seal teeth to help monitor climate change - in this case through links between the thickness of the growth layer, cold water temperatures and availability of fish prey.
Tagging deep-water fish - without getting wet?
K:80
Scientists put tags on fish to monitor their movements. The problem for the fish is that being hauled out of the sea and tagged can be quite a stressful experience, particularly for deep-water fish which are less likely to recover from being brought up from the ocean depths. But recently, Icelandic scientists have been testing a new 'remote' way of tagging where the fish, in this case deep-sea redfish, don't even have to leave the seabed.
How it works is that a special net is towed along the seabed to catch the fish. Once inside the net, the fish pass into the tagging area which is monitored by four cameras. A researcher on the surface vessel uses these cameras as his "eyes" to sneak up on the fish and tag them using a remotely operated tagging gun. The fish are then released and when they are caught in the future they will give scientists valuable information on their movements.
Protect cold-water corals before it is too late
AA:07
Scientists warn that measures to protect cold-water corals off the west coast of Ireland are not moving quickly enough. Recent video surveys of cold-water coral areas in the region of the Porcupine Bank, in summer 2003, revealed heavy trawl scars, barren sediment and flattened coral rubble. The survey also captured evidence that trawling is still damaging cold-water coral reefs when a discarded trawl net was filmed on the seabed full of smashed coral-some of which was still alive. Because cold-water coral reefs take hundreds of years to develop, the authors are warning that something needs to be done now to protect them from trawling, before it is too late.
Pacific oysters suck up Dutch baby mussels
K:10
Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) were first introduced to Dutch waters in 1964 and have spread so rapidly that there are concerns over their effects on the Dutch marine ecosystem. A particular worry is that the oysters may be eating the larvae of native shellfish - such as mussels - when they filter their food from the surrounding water.
To find out if there is any truth in this the authors first calculated the sucking power of the oysters and found that they are strong enough to suck in and eat other shellfish larvae. Then the authors went out on to the Oosterschelde Estuary to compare the amount of shellfish larvae in the water above oyster beds with those in oyster free areas. As they suspected, they found that shellfish larvae were much scarcer in the water above an oyster bed than on a nearby 'oyster free' area, indicating that oysters may be eating the next generation of native shellfish.
The impact of trawling on New Zealand seamounts
AA:09
New Zealand scientists looked at the impact of trawling on the presence of cold-water coral on seamounts. On lightly fished seamounts (less than 10 trawls per year) coral habitat was seen on 30% of seabed images with an average coverage of 52%. Meanwhile on the heavily trawled areas (between 40-1500 trawls per year) coral was only seen on 2% of seabed images and covered on average only 2% of the area.
Trout farm kills off Atlantic salmon in Brittany
S:03
This paper describes research on the impact of a trout farm on wild salmon stocks in the River Scorff in Brittany. The author compared the survival of salmon in the zone of pollution from the trout farm with those further downstream, out of its influence. The conclusion was that pollution from trout farm effluents caused a significant increase in salmon deaths before they spawned.
Spanish salmon hit by global warming?
S:06
In the last 50 years salmon stocks have declined in rivers in the Asturias region of Northern Spain. The authors discuss the possible reasons for the decline including the impact of global warming.
Have hake been fooling scientists?
K:66
The first mass tagging of European hake (member of the cod family) took place in 2002 when 1307 hake were tagged and then released. Since then 37 fish have been recovered and scientists have been surprised to discover that the fish they are measuring are twice as big as they expected them to be in the time scale. Although the results are only from a small sample of fish they indicate that hake may grow much faster than was previously thought. The author highlights the need for more extensive tagging work.
Marine protected areas - how to get the most out of them
Y:15
Protected areas have been common practice on land since the beginning of the 20th Century but it is only recently that reserves are being set up in marine ecosystems. The author discusses the best size and spacing of networks of marine reserves for maximum fisheries yield.
International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)
K11
Sharks are 20 times more abundant over seamounts than in surrounding waters. Of the sharks that are attracted to seamounts, blue sharks are the most common, and in this paper the author discusses the possible reasons for huge gatherings of male blue sharks over seamounts in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
Giant squid hit by airguns in the Bay of Biscay?
CC:29
Dead giant squid normally wash up on Spanish shores at the rate of about one a year. But in autumn 2001, scientists were surprised to find 5 huge animals stranded in a single week on beaches in the Bay of Biscay. Two years later it happened again, when another 4 animals stranded on the Biscay coast in September 2003.
What was particularly strange was that the scientists could find no obvious external cause of death in these apparently healthy giant squid, which ranged in weight from 60-200kg and length of 7-12 metres. But internal examinations shed some light with the discovery that two animals in particular had suffered extensive damage to internal muscle fibres and their stomachs and digestive tracts. They had also suffered severe damage to their ears that would have effectively disorientated them.
The coincidence was that at the time of both mass strandings, geologists had been running a seismic airgun survey in the vicinity with a line of 10 towed airguns-each capable of firing out 200 decibel sound pulses down to the seabed. The authors discuss the possible impact of seismic airguns on the giant squid and whether further controls may be needed on seismic surveys to protect marine animals.
Closed area provides food and shelter for juvenile cod
Y:10
Since 1994, large areas of the Georges Bank (East coast of USA) have been closed to trawlers, and the authors describe the recovery of seabed habitats. They observed a number of changes which include more and bigger scallops, sea urchins, sea stars and whelks and greater sponge coverage. Many of the species that grew more abundant in the closed area are food for juvenile cod and other bottom-living fish or are thought to give juvenile cod hiding places from predators.
Plaice "Big Brother" in the North Sea
K:05
Scientists are now putting the lives of plaice in the North Sea under the spotlight. Using high-tech electronic tags that record the depth and environmental conditions the fish experience, they have been able to map the movements of 165 plaice in the North Sea.
While the tags are state-of-the-art, it seems that fish are already recording similar information in their own independent system in their otoliths-tiny bones in fish ears that grow as the fish grow. As well as being used to age fish, recent studies have shown that the chemical composition of these bones may reflect the environmental history of the fish.
Scientists now hope that by combining the data from electronic tags with the fishes' own historical record in the otoliths they will be able to learn more about plaice migration and behaviour and may even be able to reconstruct a fish's movements during its lifetime.
Give Celtic Sea whiting a chance to spawn
Y:13
This paper makes the case that whiting stocks in the Celtic Sea could increase if their spawning area was closed to fishing either throughout the year or at least during the spawning season. Other restrictions on fishing would also be necessary or the whiting would just be overfished as soon as they left the closed area.
Common dolphins' last supper
Q:09
Between 1991 and 2003, 322 common dolphins washed up dead on the Galicean coast of Northern Spain. Because most of the dolphins had met a premature end in fishing nets they still had their last dinners in their stomachs, so scientists were able to discover that they had been eating small blue whiting, sardine and scad.
Grey seal teeth monitor climate change
K:27
A seal's age can be estimated by looking at the yearly growth layers in its teeth. Because the growth layer is thicker when the seal is well-fed and thinner during leaner times, a seal tooth is also a bit like a "black box" that records the good and bad periods in its life. In this paper the author looks at the potential for grey seal teeth to help monitor climate change - in this case through links between the thickness of the growth layer, cold water temperatures and availability of fish prey.
Tagging deep-water fish - without getting wet?
K:80
Scientists put tags on fish to monitor their movements. The problem for the fish is that being hauled out of the sea and tagged can be quite a stressful experience, particularly for deep-water fish which are less likely to recover from being brought up from the ocean depths. But recently, Icelandic scientists have been testing a new 'remote' way of tagging where the fish, in this case deep-sea redfish, don't even have to leave the seabed.
How it works is that a special net is towed along the seabed to catch the fish. Once inside the net, the fish pass into the tagging area which is monitored by four cameras. A researcher on the surface vessel uses these cameras as his "eyes" to sneak up on the fish and tag them using a remotely operated tagging gun. The fish are then released and when they are caught in the future they will give scientists valuable information on their movements.
Protect cold-water corals before it is too late
AA:07
Scientists warn that measures to protect cold-water corals off the west coast of Ireland are not moving quickly enough. Recent video surveys of cold-water coral areas in the region of the Porcupine Bank, in summer 2003, revealed heavy trawl scars, barren sediment and flattened coral rubble. The survey also captured evidence that trawling is still damaging cold-water coral reefs when a discarded trawl net was filmed on the seabed full of smashed coral-some of which was still alive. Because cold-water coral reefs take hundreds of years to develop, the authors are warning that something needs to be done now to protect them from trawling, before it is too late.
Pacific oysters suck up Dutch baby mussels
K:10
Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) were first introduced to Dutch waters in 1964 and have spread so rapidly that there are concerns over their effects on the Dutch marine ecosystem. A particular worry is that the oysters may be eating the larvae of native shellfish - such as mussels - when they filter their food from the surrounding water.
To find out if there is any truth in this the authors first calculated the sucking power of the oysters and found that they are strong enough to suck in and eat other shellfish larvae. Then the authors went out on to the Oosterschelde Estuary to compare the amount of shellfish larvae in the water above oyster beds with those in oyster free areas. As they suspected, they found that shellfish larvae were much scarcer in the water above an oyster bed than on a nearby 'oyster free' area, indicating that oysters may be eating the next generation of native shellfish.
The impact of trawling on New Zealand seamounts
AA:09
New Zealand scientists looked at the impact of trawling on the presence of cold-water coral on seamounts. On lightly fished seamounts (less than 10 trawls per year) coral habitat was seen on 30% of seabed images with an average coverage of 52%. Meanwhile on the heavily trawled areas (between 40-1500 trawls per year) coral was only seen on 2% of seabed images and covered on average only 2% of the area.
Trout farm kills off Atlantic salmon in Brittany
S:03
This paper describes research on the impact of a trout farm on wild salmon stocks in the River Scorff in Brittany. The author compared the survival of salmon in the zone of pollution from the trout farm with those further downstream, out of its influence. The conclusion was that pollution from trout farm effluents caused a significant increase in salmon deaths before they spawned.
Spanish salmon hit by global warming?
S:06
In the last 50 years salmon stocks have declined in rivers in the Asturias region of Northern Spain. The authors discuss the possible reasons for the decline including the impact of global warming.
Have hake been fooling scientists?
K:66
The first mass tagging of European hake (member of the cod family) took place in 2002 when 1307 hake were tagged and then released. Since then 37 fish have been recovered and scientists have been surprised to discover that the fish they are measuring are twice as big as they expected them to be in the time scale. Although the results are only from a small sample of fish they indicate that hake may grow much faster than was previously thought. The author highlights the need for more extensive tagging work.
Marine protected areas - how to get the most out of them
Y:15
Protected areas have been common practice on land since the beginning of the 20th Century but it is only recently that reserves are being set up in marine ecosystems. The author discusses the best size and spacing of networks of marine reserves for maximum fisheries yield.
International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)
Coral Reef Current Events and Coral Reef News RSSCoral reefs inspire rare consensus -- just save them
One of the first set of studies to examine what tourists and recreation enthusiasts actually think about coral reef ecosystems suggests they are a rare exception to controversies over human use versus environmental conservation - their stunning beauty is so extraordinary that almost everyone wants them protected in perpetuity.
What are coral reef services worth? $130,000 to $1.2 million per hectare, per year: experts
Experts concluding the global DIVERSITAS biodiversity conference today in Cape Town described preliminary research revealing jaw-dropping dollar values of the "ecosystem services" of biomes like forests and coral reefs - including food, pollution treatment and climate regulation.
Coral bleaching increases chances of coral disease
Mass coral bleaching has devastated coral colonies around the world for almost three decades. Now scientists have found that bleaching can make corals more susceptible to disease and, in turn, coral disease can exacerbate the negative effects of bleaching.
Man-made crises 'outrunning our ability to deal with them,' scientists warn
The world faces a compounding series of crises driven by human activity, which existing governments and institutions are increasingly powerless to cope with, a group of eminent environmental scientists and economists has warned.
Time to tap climate-change-combating potential of the world's ecosystems
Investing in restoration and maintenance of the Earth's multi-trillion dollar ecosystems - from forests and mangroves to wetlands and river basins - can have a key role in countering climate change and climate-proofing vulnerable economies.
NOAA report finds flower garden banks sanctuary reefs among healthiest in Gulf
Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary is among the healthiest coral reef ecosystems in the tropical Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, according to a new NOAA report.
Humans
Mounting evidence that human activity is changing the world's oceans in profound and damaging ways is outlined in a new scientific discussion paper released today.
Overfishing and evolution
Using snorkelers and SCUBA divers is not the best way to monitor fish populations, if we want to know the evolutionary effects of overfishing.
Corals face 'a stormy future'
As global warming whips up more powerful and frequent hurricanes and storms, the world's coral reefs face increased disruption to their ability to breed and recover from damage.
Help for climate-stressed corals
Banning or restricting the use of certain types of fishing gear could help the world's coral reefs and their fish populations survive the onslaughts of climate change according to a study by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and other groups.
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