Low Oxygen Zones in the Ocean Growing
Areas of hypoxia, or low oxygen, have long existed in the deep waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, but appear to be growing according to scientists. These “dead zones” appear to be spreading even into continental shelf areas and even approaching the surface. The lack of oxygen is so bad in some areas [...]
Behind the Scenes at Moody Gardens
My local aquarium club, MARSHReef, got to take a behind the scenes tour of the Aquarium Pyramid at Moody Gardens. The tour was nice, but nothing new for me since I worked there in college. The display tanks weren’t in the greatest shape, but we have to remember that Moody Gardens and the entire southeast [...]
Update to Clipperton Island Incident
A couple of weeks ago, we discussed the incident of the Maltese chemical tanker “Sichem Osprey” running aground on the Clipperton reefs and spilling out thousands of gallons of xylene, an industrial solvent. It turns out though, we may have a retraction on our hands.
I received an email from an employee at the MTI Network, [...]
A Trip to the Coast…of Pakistan
A good friend of mine, who happens to live across the world in Pakistan, recently made a trip down to the coast on the Makran Coastal Highway. Keeping AquaNerd in mind, he snapped off several pictures of his trip, including beaches and even a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Wetlands Center. He has allowed us to [...]
Earthquake in Chile, Hawaii Braces for Tsunami
Fresh on the heals of the Tahiti earthquake, Chile has been rocked by a magnitude 8.8 earthquake. On the surface, you might think what this has to do with the aquarium world. But to tie it in with our hobby, the earthquake has sent a tsunami in the direction of Hawaii, California and islands in [...]
World’s Coral Reefs Could Disintegrate by 2100
Researchers at Carnegie Institution have recently indicated that rising CO2 in the atmosphere could begin overwhelming coral reefs. Trends in CO2 data lead scientists to believe that thousands of coral reefs will disintegrateby the year 2100.
As more CO2 is released into the atmosphere, the more acidic the oceans become. This is alarming, given that coral [...]
Chemical Tanker Runs Aground on Clipperton Island
Some terrible news for the atoll reefs at Clipperton Island broke today when Reef Builders reported that a chemical tanker, which ran aground over a week ago, has leaked Xylene and other toxic chemicals into nearby waters.
The ship, a Maltese chemical tanker called the”Sichem Osprey”, was on its way from Panama Canal to South Korea [...]
83 Corals to be Listed on the Endangered Species Act
Back in October 2009, the Center for Biological Diversity created a petition to list 83 coral species as threatened or endangered. In response to that petition, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Department of Commerce have opened a 90-day finding period seeking information on whether the [...]
Redspot Cardinalfish Breeding by LiveAquaria
© 2010 Foster & Smith, Inc. Reprinted as a courtesy and with permission from http://www.LiveAquaria.com
Kevin Kohen, the director of LiveAquaria, recently posted a few interesting comments on ReefCentral regarding the Redspot Cardinalfish and how LiveAquaria is not only having a ton of success keeping them alive and healthy, but also breeding them! We all remember [...]
Yao Ming Siding Against Shark Fin Soup
Conservation group, WildAid, frequently releases public service announcements in order to raise awareness about the illegal wildlife trade that threatens endangered species.
One of their latest public service announcements stars local NBA athlete Yao Ming, who is seen in the following video addressing shark fin soup.
