What an understatement it is to say that the devastating Japanese tsunami of 2011 constituted a major ecological disturbance. Having lived on the Oregon coast at that time and having seen the massive amounts of debris that littered our shores in its aftermath, I can...
An upcoming course in coral reef ecology, offered by the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS), will give university-level students a unique opportunity to "gain hands-on experience with modern research methods." Using the ultimate wet lab–the ocean...
By Kenneth Wingerter Progressive aquarists have every good reason to familiarize themselves with the biology of the Rotifaria. Firstly, these diverse and surprisingly complex creatures are quite interesting in their own right; however inconsequential their activities...
By Ken Wingerter Rotifers have for many millions of years played key ecological roles in a wide range of natural habitats, and have in much more recent days become an indispensable live food organism for countless fisheries. So, a working knowledge of the biology of...
By Kenneth Wingerter The aquaculture industry has certainly grown over the last couple of decades. A considerable amount of this progress owes to advancements in the production of live foods. Arguably, of the many organisms utilized for this purpose, rotifers have...
Years ago, I worked a few seasons in the Alaskan crab fisheries. As one might expect, this is the kind of setting where you’re going to meet some pretty tough dudes--definitely not the type to fret over little bumps and scrapes. But there was one thing that frankly...
Aquarium keeping is clearly as much an art as it is a science. Yet, outside of public aquariums, we do not often see aquaria formally displayed in public galleries. That alone makes one current exhibition at Golden Gate Park’s Conservatory of Flowers unique and...
Bagoóng is a traditional condiment for Filipino cuisine that is made of fermented fish or shrimp. Bagoóng isdâ, the fishy version, is fermented in brine for several months before it is finally prepared and packaged. This delicacy, which is typically used to enhance...
Unfortunately, the solid plastic trash we often see in the ocean (bottles, bags, etc.) is only a portion of the plastic waste that has been deposited there. A considerable amount of waste may be present in the form of microplastic. Microplastics are basically...
Any aquarist knows that there are a lot of really colorful fishes out there. But, some really stand out. One such species is the bronze tetra (Hemigrammus rodwayi). It is collected from floodplains and coastal waterways of the Amazon River Basin in Brazil and Peru as...