Al Gore Seafood Uproar Dies Down to a Whimper

Last week, Al Gore was in the environmental hotseat when it was learned that Patagonian Tooth Fish (better known in the US as Chilean Sea Bass) had been served at the rehearsal dinner for his daughters wedding. Patagonian Tooth fish are an extremely threatened and highly over fished species native to southern waters. The species, along with Orange Roughy are considered highly overfished and listed by many environmental organizations as species that should not be eaten.

One well managed and sustainably harvested population of Patagonian Tooth Fish does exist, however. The controversy over the meal died down suddenly when it was revealed that the fish served at the dinner were documented to have been harvested from this population.

Humboldt Squid Appearing in Monterey Bay

The large and aggressive Humboldt squid has begun appearing in the waters of California's Monterey Bay.

Humboldt can obtain an adult length of seven feet, are armed with 1000's of barbs and possess a powerful parrot like beak. They are known for attacking everything potentially edible including divers.

“Now that they’re in California, when they come inshore, they start eating hake and anchovies and rock fish, other things that people are interested in,” said Dr. Lou Zeidberg with Stanford University.

“These are some of the really important fishes,” he said, “for Mrs. Paul’s Fish Sticks.”

From: http://www.kcbs.com/pages/711776.php?contentType=4&contentId=714172

Shedd Aquarium & Monterey Bay Aquarium Announce Deaths.

The Shedd Aquarium has announced the death of Jump a 30 year old male pacific white sided dolphin on breeding loan from Sea World San Antonio. Jump was one of the oldest White Sided Dolphins in captivity in North America. He began showing his age over the last year. A preliminary necropsy detected no abnormalities beyond those associated with old age. The four female dolphins on exhibit are all in good health.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has announced the loss of a 229 bluefin tuna. The animal was found dead in the Outer Bay Exhibit. Surveillance video has revealed that the fish apparently slammed head first into the front viewing window of the tank. Bluefin are very fast fish used to open water conditions. Several safe guards are at work in the tank to help prevent casualties like this. What appears to be solid blue walls are actually a grid of small glass tiles designed to create a visual barrier for the fish. Similarly, a curtain of bubbles provides a visual barrier to the tank's front viewing panel when the aquarium is closed. At other times, lighting and the general activity inside the viewing panel help protect the animals.

From:
http://www.nbc11.com/news/13747458/detail.html
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/4996853.html

10 ton Fish Kill in Serbian River

This is the second major fish kill in the Toplica River this year. In a similar incident earlier this month, 20 tons were killed by high concentrations of ammonia in the river. There are two factories that may be to blame for the deaths.

From: RawStory.com

Coelacanth caught in Zanzibar

A rare Coelacanth was caught live off the northern tip of Zanzibar. The fish measured 1.34 meters in length and had a weight of 27kg. There are currently 2 known populations of Coelacanth in the world, with a possible third population.

Rare Killifish Take Hold in Surprising New Habitat

A population of endangered desert pupfish have been found in a series of man made ponds in California. Constructed to help facilitate the study of migratory birds near the Salton Sea, these ponds are isolated from any naturally occurring population of the fish by 1.5 miles of pipe and a rock barrier. It is unclear how the fish migrated into the ponds.

The good news is that the population seems to be thriving. Along with several tilapia that seem to have made the journey, there are now thousands of small pupfish in the water.