by Heidi dM | Sep 15, 2014 | Conservation, Corals, Science
Bad news: According to the Endangered Species Act (2006), elkhorn and staghorn corals are listed as threatened. BUT: A new draft recovery plan released by NOAA Fisheries at the beginning of the month identifies criteria that would allow the coral species to be removed... by AquaNerd | Sep 11, 2014 | Conservation, Fish, MACNA, Photography, Science
For some reason, we’ve been sitting on this story for a couple of weeks and just never got around to actually publishing it. We will let MACNA take the blame for that. Regardless, here is an interesting find out of the waters of Southeast Australia. The crew at Pro Dive were spending a little time getting to know the inhabitants of Lord Howe Island when one of the rarest angelfish in the world just so happened to cross their path. The Ballina Angelfish (Chaetodontoplus ballinae), referred to as “one of those unicorns of the sea”, can be seen casually strolling about in its somewhat abnormally shallow habitat nibbling on stuff as it nervously keeps a safe distance from the diver in pursuit.These fish are incredibly rare. The first described specimen was hauled up in 1959, after which only a handful (or less) have even been seen. The species normally inhabits deepwater reef habitats in excess of 100 meters below the surface, but apparently at Balls Pyramid (just south of Lord Howe Island) they have been spotted in shallower waters.Due to its natural rarity and that its already limited range occurs within marine sanctuaries, the fish is non-existent in the aquarium trade and will continue to be for probably as long as we’re around. Still, it is a beautiful fish that is worthy of its moment in the limelight, and we’d love to see more dive footage of it. Or, we could take Pro Dive up on their offer (in the video clip) to come and dive Balls Pyramid to see them in person. by Francis Yupangco | Sep 10, 2014 | Conservation, Corals, Fish, Science
For the month of September, the National Geographic ‘Pristine Seas’ team will be surveying, studying and documenting the marine life in the waters in Palau. The 230,000 square miles of water has been proposed as what would be the largest marine sanctuary... by Admin | Sep 9, 2014 | Conservation, Fish, MACNA, Science
Figure. Samantha Groene in the Rising Tide booth at MACNA 2014. My name is Samantha Groene, and I am a biological technician at UF-TAL. I’ve been with the lab for almost two years, but this is my first official introduction on the Rising Tide Conservation blog. This past week, some of you might have seen me in Denver. The annual Marine Aquarium Conference of North America (MACNA) took place in Denver, Colorado this year and I had the privilege of representing Rising Tide at the conference! This year's MACNA was quite the experience! by Francis Yupangco | Sep 7, 2014 | Conservation, Fish, Science
There has been a lot of movement about the controversial Hawaiian ornamental select fish collection ban over recent months. The proposed addition of the Amphiprion percula (Orange Clown fish) by The National Marine Fisheries Service may add further fuel to the... by Matthew Stansbery | Sep 5, 2014 | Conservation, Science
Almost hunted to extinction the Blue Whale has made a surprising comeback said the University of Washington in a recent study. Showing populations numbers close to historical levels, the California Blue Whale population recognized by the study is the only population...
