by AquaNerd | Feb 6, 2014 | Corals, Science
It seems that in recent years, most of the news coming out of Hawaii has been fairly bad. More often than not, we find ourselves discussing how the aquarium trade gets unfairly targeted by misguided activists, but this time around the news is different. According to Hawaii News Now, a research team from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Aquatic Resources has, for the first time ever, discovered colonies of Acropora gemmifera in West Hawaii. In addition, it is said that this is the first record of any Acropora species occurring around the island of Hawaii, not to be confused with other areas like the Northwest Hawaiian islands where Acroporids have been discovered. According to the article, there have been no reports of any Acropora species occurring around the Island of Hawaii from more than 4,500 coral reef monitoring and research dives from the past 15 years. The corals were initially identified based on aesthetic features, though the ID was later confirmed with genetic testing by the Richmond Lab at the Kewalo Marine Laboratory, Pacific Biomedical Research Center in Honolulu. by AquaNerd | Jan 27, 2014 | Conservation, Science
Captive-bred yellow tangs (Zebrasoma flavescens) may be coming to an aquarium near you. That’s the reality thanks to the efforts of the Oceanic Institute of Hawai‘i Pacific University (OI-PHU), who announced Friday that their groundbreaking research to breed yellow tangs has gotten a much needed infusion of cash…$75,000 to be exact. The funding comes from multiple sources, with the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation and the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority making up the bulk of that with their $35,000 donation. The Sea World/Busch Gardens Conservation Fund contributed $8,000 and the Oceanic Institute provided $32,000 worth of in-kind support. It is said that the funding will support a year long project which has the goal to bring the current level of yellow tang breeding up to the point that the research team can have its first ever captive rearing of the species. As part of the announcement, the OI-HPU also highlighted the fact that research scientist Chatham K. Callan, Ph.D., has lead the way with yellow tang breakthroughs when he discovered “breeding techniques that allow them to culture viable eggs in significant quantities and successfully rear the resulting larvae through their critical first few weeks of life.” As part of this joyous announcement, Callan will be speaking to the Science Pub-Hawai‘i tomorrow, January 27th. If you would like to read more about this ambitious work, be sure to visit: “OI-HPU yellow tang research gets boost from multiple funders” Story via MARSHReef by AquaNerd | Dec 4, 2013 | Fish, Science
Ammon Covino of the Idaho Aquarium Earlier this year, Ammon Covino, who co-founded the Portland Aquarium and is the former president of the Idaho Aquarium, was arrested on charges of illegal harvesting of protected sharks and rays from Florida. After his initial arrest, he was taken into custody a second time for attempting to destroy evidence related to his case. He would go on to plead not guilty to the charges, as all criminals seem to do, but we’re happy to say that the almost year-long saga is drawing to a close. For his illegal harvesting, Covino was sentenced to one year and a day in prison and will be hit with a $10,000 fine, be forced to donate $50,000 to the National Fish and Wildlife Federation, and will be banned from working in a wildlife exhibit for a minimum of two years. While a year in the pokey might seem significant for the illegal harvesting activities, it pales in comparison to what Covino could have been sentenced to. Originally, he was up against a 20 year prison sentence and a million dollars or more in fines. According to court documents and the news stories surrounding the case, Covino went on to admit involvement in the illegal acquisition of three spotted eagle rays and a pair of lemon sharks, all of which were shipped to the Idaho Aquarium. According to the law, not only is it illegal to acquire protected livestock without specific documentation and permits, but it is also illegal to simply ship these animals by AquaNerd | Dec 3, 2013 | Events, Fish, Science
Photo Credit: Monterey Bay Aquarium/Randy Wilder We tend to shy away from Hollywood news, both in our personal lives and here on the blog, as it usually is nothing but garbage that has zero influence on our daily lives. But this story is significantly different. We’ve all heard about the recent death of actor Paul Walker, best known for his roles in the Fast and Furious franchise. What he wasn’t so widely known for was his passion for the ocean. Recently posted on the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Tumblr page, Walker originally went to school to study marine biology and was a self described “ocean addict”. Although he was eventually drawn away from his degree as he pursued acting, Paul used his influence to continually follow his original passion and even found a charitable organization, Reach Our Worldwide, which helped in disaster relief for events that occurred all over our globe. When not starring in popular car racing movies and spreading humanitarianism, Paul also served on the board of the Billfish Foundation and took part in scientific tagging expeditions of great white sharks. It truly is sad when an actor with such a heart and passion for man and animal kind loses his life so tragically. by AquaNerd | Oct 2, 2013 | Conservation, Corals
Here’s a bit of good news for the aquarium industry. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has decided to postpone listing 66 coral species under the Endangered Species Act by six months. After hearing extensive comments on the matter, NOAA determined that they needed to gather more information before making a final decision. They will complete their data solicitation by October 2013 and expect to make a decision on the information no later than June 2014. If NOAA finds sufficient reason to list the proposed corals, then each species will then become illegal to own or even propagate. And just taking a quick glance at the list, passage of the proposal would affect each and every one of us, tremendously. That announcement out of the way, here’s a little background on the story. The listing of these corals under the ESA stemmed from a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity to list a total 83 coral species. That petition was originally filed in 2009, but inactivity on NOAA’s part prompted legal action by the CBD. After some initial back and forth, an agreement was eventually constructed in which the National Marine Fisheries Service would conduct a year-long study of the proposed coral species in order to determine if their listing under the ESA was necessary
