The striped burrfish, Chilomycterus schoepfii, is one of the most common warm-water fishes to show up in our seine nets during Long Island’s brief collecting season. Sometimes referred to as the spiny boxfish, C. schoepfii belongs to the family Diodontidae, which...
Although it’s too early to celebrate, I’m happy to report that progress is being made at the Suffolk County Community College Marine Science Lab, on the captive culture of one of the rarest and most valuable reef basslets in the world, Rainfordia opercularis. Last...
One of the most satisfying aspects of collecting tropical fishes in New York, far outside of the tropics, is knowing that your activities have no impact on wild populations. Naturally, not every warm-water species you encounter will be the ideal candidate for your...
With summer well underway in New York, you would expect marine fish diversity to be nearing its peak for the year. Normally, by early August, signs of the tropical influence of the Gulf Stream are abundant in the south shore bays of Long Island, however dives and...
If you’ve been following my posts here or on Facebook or YouTube, you may be aware that I’ve been pretty fortunate in terms of wild encounters with marine life while diving in New York in the last couple of years (Check out links at the end of this article). My latest...
One of the main reasons we dive, snorkel, hike, visit zoos, and keep pets, is that there is something magical about having a close encounter with another species of animal. Judging from my own experiences, the thrill is greatest when the animal is enormous and...
For more than six years, we have been taunted with images of the holy grail of reef basslets, Gramma dejongi, as it made appearances around the world. First described in 2010, this very close relative of the fairy basslet, Gramma loreto, has a very small geographic...
By Todd Gardner The caringidae is a family of tropical and warm-temperate, marine fishes found in warm seas throughout the world. Commonly known as jacks, the carangids display a wide range of body shapes, from the standard fusiform (the quintessential “fish” shape)...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5surCzqBF1M Typically, my last dive of the season in New York takes place by late October, but, since poor weather kept me out of the water for the last two weeks of the month, I thought I would push the limits of my cold tolerance with...
It’s late October. As autumn progresses, it gets increasingly difficult to put on my gear and get in the water. Between the head-numbing cold and the departure of the tropicals, the idea of diving in New York becomes less appealing with each passing day. Sometimes I...