by AquaNerd | Aug 21, 2016 | Conservation, Fish, Reef, Science
Greenland sharks are now the longest-living vertebrates known on Earth, scientists say. [embedded content] Researchers used radiocarbon dating to determine the ages of 28 of the animals, and estimated that one female was about 400 years old. The team found that the sharks grow at just 1cm a year, and reach sexual maturity at about the age of 150. The research is published in the journal Science. Lead author Julius Nielsen, a marine biologist from the University of Copenhagen, said: “We had our expectations that we were dealing with an unusual animal, but I think everyone doing this research was very surprised to learn the sharks were as old as they were.” The former vertebrate record-holder was a bowhead whale estimated to be 211 years old. But by AquaNerd | Jul 29, 2016 | Aquaculture, Conservation, Fish, Industry, Invertebrates, Reef, Science, Sustainability, Tanks
Quality Marine Press Release Announcement available for the public – The First Ever Aquacultured Yasha Gobies Headed to Quality Marine Pursuant to our continued efforts to support captive breeding initiatives, as well as our dedication to remaining a leading source of aquacultured specimens whenever available, Quality Marine is excited to announce we’re adding yet another breakthrough species to our growing list – the Yasha Goby (Stonogoniops yasha). S. yasha is easily one of the most desirable species of goby available to aquarists. Known as the Yasha Goby (or, alternatively, the White Ray Shrimpgoby), this tiny fish is definitely not small in beauty or personality, with its vibrant red and white patterning and its greatly elongated dorsal fin. Like others in its genus, the Yasha Goby associates by AquaNerd | Jul 14, 2016 | Conservation, Fish, Science
[embedded content] The Army Corps of Engineers released nutrient-heavy water into the St. Lucie Estuary as part of their flood control measures, Corps spokesman John Campbell told CNN. The algae outbreak eventually reached the beaches. To make matters worse, a massive algae bloom was already covering the lake. Following the emergency declaration, the Corps announced it would cut discharges by about a third beginning Friday. “The algae outbreaks are triggered by fertilizer sewage and manure pollution that the state has failed to properly regulate. It’s like adding miracle grow to the water and it triggers massive algae outbreaks,” Earthjustice spokeswoman Alisa Coe told CNN. Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization, has been fighting for tougher pollution limits in the state. “We’ve seen this for by AquaNerd | Jul 10, 2016 | Conservation, Corals, Fish, Photography, Reef, Science, Travel
The first time I dived on Raja Ampat’s reefs, I didn’t know where to look first. The profusion of colors and the seeming chaos of the Indonesia reef’s appearance — not a single straight line to be seen — provided a total contrast to the orderly, human-built world we usually inhabit topside.
<![CDATA[ #gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-1 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-1 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } ]]> MORE: Hunting down the world’s oldest art in South Sulawesi, Indonesia Photos and video struggle to ever do Raja Ampat’s reefs justice. They just can’t fully capture the all-encompassing sense of the reef’s by AquaNerd | Jul 8, 2016 | Conservation, Fish, Reef, Science
Researchers in Texas have discovered an extremely rare, eyeless catfish once thought only to exist in Mexico. A pair of the endangered Mexican blindcat (Prietella phreatophila) was discovered in the depths of a limestone cave at Amistad National Recreation Area near Del Rio, Texas. The pair has since been moved to the San Antonio Zoo. “Since the 1960s, there have been rumors of sightings of blind, white catfishes in that area, but this is the first confirmation,” Dean Hendrickson, curator of ichthyology at the University of Texas at Austin, said in a press release. “I’ve seen more of these things than anybody, and these specimens look just like the ones from Mexico.” The Mexican blindcat is a species that grows no more than 3 inches
