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EU alarmed over cod

In the case of cod in the North Sea, eastern channel and Skagerrak...things took a turn for the worse in 2008, when a greater proportion of the stock was caught than in any year since 1999," the European Commission said in a statement.

"We are not that far away from a situation of complete collapse," said Jose Rodriguez, a marine biologist with the environmental group Oceana.

Conservation measures for desperately depleted cod have not delivered the promised revival of supplies – partly because of continued over-fishing exceeding agreed quota limits.

(File photo) Hyperbaric chamber
(File photo) Hyperbaric chamber

Using ultrasound to improve diver safety

If the bubbles are on the right side of the heart, they will enter the lungs which can handle them. If the bubbles are on the left side of the heart, they would then go into the body and get lodged somewhere, causing the bends.

Accord to Dr Pollock, the future of ultrasonic monitoring can be found in dual-frequency ultrasound. In this technique, two transducers are used. One excites the bubbles and the other allows the user to identify when a bubble starts to vibrate.

Reconstruction of the jaws of the Carcharodon megalodon.
Reconstruction of the jaws of the Carcharodon megalodon.

Megalodon babies grew up in nurseries

As many as 400 megalodon teeth were found at the sites, giving rise to this theory. The size of most of the teeth, about 0.6 to 2.8 inches, suggests that the majority had come from juveniles and embryonic sharks.

Juvenile teeth are different from the small teeth from adults or the dwarf species of the megalodon. In all, it is estimated that the teeth came from 21 juvenile megalodons and seven adults, possibly the mother sharks.

Chimney-like structures spew hot fluids of up to 300 degrees Celsius that contain large amounts of methane and hydrogen sulfide.
Chimney-like structures spew hot fluids of up to 300 degrees Celsius that contain large amounts of methane and hydrogen sulfide.

New deep-sea hot springs discovered in the Atlantic

The discovery of the new deep-sea vent is remarkable because the area in which it was found has been intensively studied during previous research cruises. The vent with chimneys as high as one meter and fluids with temperatures up to 300 degrees Celsius was found at one thousand metres depth in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Expedition Explores Previously Uncharted Deep-sea Coral Reefs

Marine life samples collected and new maps created from the mission will guide management of important deepwater coral habitats and provide insight into environmental changes.

During the NOAA mission “Extreme Corals 2010,” scientists used the Jason II remotely operated vehicle from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to survey deep-sea coral sites from the Florida Keys to Jacksonville, Fla., and collect invertebrate and fish samples from depths over two thousand feet beneath the Gulf Stream.

University of Guam, soil science professor Mohammad Golabi’s research shows that using vetiver grass to shield reefs in Guam’s Pago Bay helps protect them from the effects of construction-induced run-off.
University of Guam, soil science professor Mohammad Golabi’s research shows that using vetiver grass to shield reefs in Guam’s Pago Bay helps protect them from the effects of construction-induced run-off.

Grasses can protect reefs

But according to a report from the University of Guam, soil science professor Mohammad Golabi’s research shows that using vetiver grass to shield reefs in Guam’s Pago Bay helps protect them from the effects of construction-induced run-off.

Ningaloo Coast
Ningaloo Coast

Australia’s Ningaloo Coast Awarded World Heritage Status

After a seven-year campaign by Australian Federal and State governments, Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef has been awarded World Heritage status at UNESCO’s June meeting in Paris. Australian Environment Minister Tony Burke heralds the inscription as a major achievement. “The Ningaloo coast’s striking land and seascape tells a dramatic story about the formation of oceans, movement of continents and changes in our climate,” he said.

Atlantic Cod
Atlantic Cod

Atlantic cod survive without 'vital' immune genes, say scientists

According to an analysis of the Atlantic cod’s genome, scientists have discovered the fish have evolved to survive without a set of genes thought essential to the immune system. It is hoped the finding will lead to better vaccines for farmed cod and even open new avenues of medical research for human disease.

Pairs of cleaner fish cooperate and give better service on the coral reef

The Bluestreak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) helps other fish species by eating parasites from their skin. The cleaner's favourite food is, however, the nutrient-rich mucus layer that covers the client fish.

Bluestreak cleaner wrasse eat parasites that have attached themselves to the client fish – but sometimes the cleaner fish can't resist the temptation to take a bite out of the client's mucus layer.

One of two stock anchor to be seen on the wreck

Kronprins Gustav Adolf maritime historical underwater park

The wreck lies in an area of approximately 100 square meters several nautical miles southwest of the lighthouse island of Harmaja at a depth of 18 to 20 meters. The site consists of the bottom of the hull, its sides (which have collapsed), parts of the upper structure of the ship, cannons, cannon balls, two big anchors and a variety of loose objects. There are usually no strong currents and the visibility is between one and ten metres.

No special permission by the Maritime Museum is needed for diving at the park during daytime in the summer.