Latest Ichthyology Stories
A fisheries group decided on Saturday that half-a-dozen species of endangered sharks hunted on the high seas to satisfy a burgeoning Asian market for sharkfin soup are now protected in the Atlantic. The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) said that scalloped, smooth and great hammerheads, along with oceanic white tip, cannot be targeted or kept if caught accidentally. Three other types of hammerhead sharks are also included in the ban, including smalleye,...
Shark protections important, but not enough PARIS, Nov. 27, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dr. Susan Lieberman, director of international policy for the Pew Environment Group, issued this statement today in response to decisions made at this year's meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. "ICCAT member governments today adopted measures to protect oceanic whitetip and hammerhead sharks, but were unable to provide real protection for Atlantic bluefin...
How the world's largest fish uses geometry and energy conservation to stay afloatThey are the largest fish species in the ocean, but the majestic gliding motion of the whale shark is, scientists argue, an astonishing feat of mathematics and energy conservation. In new research published today in the British Ecological Society's journal Functional Ecology marine scientists reveal how these massive sharks use geometry to enhance their natural negative buoyancy and stay afloat.For most animals...
There may be many similarities between the importance of large predators in marine and terrestrial environments, researchers concluded in a recent study, which examined the interactions between wolves and elk in the United States, as well as sharks and dugongs in Australia.In each case, the major predators help control the populations of their prey, scientists said. But through what's been called the "ecology of fear" they also affect the behavior of the prey, with ripple impacts on other...
A new study shows how an amphibious fish stays alive for up to two months on land. It's all in the skin.Mangrove killifish are small fish"”only about an inch or two long"”that live in temporary pools in the coastal mangrove forests of Central and South America and Florida. During dry seasons when their pools disappear, the fish hole up in leaf litter or hollow logs. As long as they stay moist, they can survive for extended periods out of water by breathing air through their skin. But...
Few fish are famed for their parenting skills. Most species leave their freshly hatched fry to fend for themselves, but not discus fish. Jonathan Buckley from the University of Plymouth, UK, explains that discus fish young feed on the mucus that their parents secrete over their bodies until they are big enough to forage. 'The parental care that they exhibit is very unusual,' says Buckley. Intrigued by the fish's lifestyle, Buckley's PhD advisor, Katherine Sloman, established a collaboration...
When fish or tiny, shrimp-like krill get together, it appears they follow the same set of "rules." According to a new study published online on September 16th in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, shoals of fish and swarms of krill hang out in groups that take on the same overall shape; it's not a simple sphere, a cylinder, or ovoid, but something more akin to an irregular crystal, the researchers say."The fact that several species of fish and krill that live in very...
We're all familiar with birds that are as comfortable diving as they are flying but only one family of fish has made the reverse journey. Flying fish can remain airborne for over 40s, covering distances of up to 400m at speeds of 70km/h. Haecheon Choi, a mechanical engineer from Seoul National University, Korea, became fascinated by flying fish when reading a science book to his children. Realising that flying fish really do fly, he and his colleague, Hyungmin Park, decided to find out how...
Ocean Conservation Organization invites Public to its Fun-Raiser LONG BEACH, Calif., Aug. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Non-profit organization Iemanya Oceanica (pronounced ya-MON-ja) announces the GREAT SHARK Affaire, a festival, to be held at the Long Beach Rainbow Lagoon, October 2-3, 2010. This charitable event will teach about ocean conservation as well as protecting sharks and their habitats. The GREAT SHARK Affaire(TM) will be set in a festival-like atmosphere teaching how every...
How do female whale sharks meet their perfect mates and go on to produce offspring? While little is known about the reproductive behavior of these ocean-roaming giants, a newly published analysis led by University of Illinois at Chicago biologist Jennifer Schmidt reveals new details about the mating habits of this elusive, difficult-to-study fish.Schmidt, a UIC associate professor of biological sciences, determined paternity of 29 frozen embryos saved from a female whale shark caught off the...
Latest Ichthyology Reference Libraries
The little tunny is found widespread in temperate and tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea. It is the most common tuna and is highly migratory, with a range from Cape Cod, Massachusetts to Brazil in the Western Atlantic. In the Eastern Atlantic it is found from Skagerrak to South Africa. The little tunny will form schools close to the shoreline, around inlets, and sandbars that can cover up to two miles. This fish prefers warm water and will migrate south in...
Image Credit: WA Djatmiko/Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0, 2.5, 2.0 and 1.0) The African sharptooth catfish is native throughout Africa, and the Middle East, and in the 1980’s it was introduced all over the world. This catfish lives on muddy bottoms in freshwater lakes, rivers, swamps, man-made habitats, and occasionally found in urban sewage systems. This species is able to crawl across dry ground to another body of water when one pool dries up. It is also able to survive for long periods of...
This harmless shark is native to the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Indonesia, it is also found in coastal waters from Japan to India. It lives on the ocean floor in shallow areas around coral reefs, hiding during the day and feeding at night. In Taiwan and Madagascar the whitespotted bamboo shark is used for food. Occasionally this species is kept in home aquariums as pets. The young whitespotted bamboo shark will have a black body covered with white and light blue spots and dark vertical...
West African Lungfish thrive in fresh water in the West African countries of Senegal, Niger, Gambia, Volta and Chad basins, where the water temp ranges from 77 to 86 degrees. They also can be found in tributaries of the Chari River in Western Sudan. It is eel-like in looks with a long slender body containing 34 - 37 pairs of ribs. The body can be 9 - 15 times the length of its head with small eyes and a prominent snout. The pectoral fins (fins on each side closest to the head) are fringed...
Copeia is a peer-reviewed scientific journal established in 1913. The first issue was published by John Treadwell Nichols. It consisted of a single piece of paper folded to form four pages of information with five articles. The cover of the pamphlet read: “Published by the contributors to advance the science of coldblooded vertebrates.” Copeia is quarterly published and covers research in ichthyology and herpetology. It was named after Edward Drinker Cope, a prominent American...
