by Admin | Mar 6, 2018 | Invertebrates, Science
The presence of sea urchins in perfectly-sized holes on rocky reefs has led many marine biologists to conclude that urchins excavate the holes themselves, but until now, there has been no actual proof that the urchins ‘drill’ the holes.… by AquaNerd | May 7, 2016 | Conservation, Fish, Industry, Reef, Science
Vancouver Aquarium marine scientist Laura Borden holds up a piece of kelp found in shallow waters in Howe Sound on Monday. (Rafferty Baker/CBC) Scientists with the Vancouver Aquarium were on the water last week looking closely at how a serious decline in the Sea Star population in the waters in Howe Sound near West Vancouver is impacting the rest of the marine ecosystem. Scientists first started noticing a decline in Sea Star populations in 2013 and the cause for the decline is what is know as, Sea star wasting disease. “It was really striking to see the wasting sea stars. They kind of lose their internal body pressure, they develop lesions, they start to fall apart, drop their arms, so it’s really quite gruesome,&rdquo