A FISH with a wild zebra striped body that bounces along the bottom in a haphazard way has been hailed a new species by scientists.
The bizarre behaviour of the member of the frogfish family - spotted by scuba divers off the island of Ambon in eastern Indonesia - has earned itself the nickname "psychedelica".
Research published in the US scientific journal Copeia said the fish has a "broad flat face, surrounded by thick, fleshy, laterally expanded cheeks and chin, with eyes directed forward; skin of the body thick and loose, forming conspicuous fleshy folds that envelop the unpaired fins; a remarkable pigment pattern of white swirling stripes radiating from the eyes and continuing back to the body and tail".
They described it's bizarre movement. "Members of Histiophrynepsychedelica, or H. psychedelica, don't so much swim as hop. Each time they strike the seafloor they use their fins to push off and they expel water from tiny gill openings on their sides to jet themselves forward. With tails curled tightly to one side --which surely limits their ability to steer -- they look like inflated rubber balls bouncing hither and thither."
Europe's threatened sharks have finally been given a lifeline in a new EU action plan offering the continent's first ever shark protection laws. Scuba divers known for years that over-fishing, by-catch and the insatiable demand for shark fin products have left the species facing the threat of extinction. Now Jo Borg, European commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries, has stepped in to help save the dwindling numbers from hunters. And if politicians are finally prepared to act, the situation must be pretty bad- as they are not a normally a group willing to step in until the horse is not only out of the stable, but has vaulted the paddock fence and disappeared across next door's fields. That said, it's better late then never - as long as the action plan lives up to its word.
The Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks aims to end overfishing, pay special attention to threatened shark species and close loopholes in the EU ban on shark finning in the hope of rebuilding shark stocks. The EU fleet take around 100,000 tonnes of sharks and related species each year from the North Sea and the north-east Atlantic, which includes the Med, in an industry Commissioners now accept is lightly regulated, if at all. The Fisheries Dept now acknowledge that: "Sharks, rays and chimaeras are ancient species that play a vital role in maintaining the balance of marine ecosystems. "Since the mid-1980s, they have been under increasingly intense fishing pressure due to higher demand for shark products, especially in Asian markets. "This over-exploitation affects populations that are generally fragile and is leading some species to the brink of extinction." It goes on to state: "Shark populations are generally fragile because of certain characteristics of their life cycle: low fertility rate, large juveniles, slow growth and late maturity. "Their capacity to restore their population in case of overfishing is consequently limited. As a result, these ancient species, which play a key role in maintaining balance in marine ecosystems, are sometimes endangered by overfishing and illegal fishing. "For example, several species caught by the EU fleet in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean are on the Red List drawn up by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Some are 'critically endangered' (spurdog, porbeagle shark, several species of angel shark and ray), and others are 'endangered' (basking shark) or 'vulnerable' (short-finned mako, blue shark and hammerhead shark)."
Under the plan, (pdf version / Q&A details) catch limits will be set in line with scientific advice, fishing will be banned in areas crucial for reproduction and rearing young and observers placed on boats to report on the numbers of sharks being pulled in as bycatch. The regulations will also apply to sharks' close relatives - skates and rays - and the restrictions will apply to all EU-registered vessels, wherever they operate.
Sonja Fordham, Policy Director for conservation charity, the Shark Alliance, said: “The release of the long-awaited EU Shark Plan represents a great step forward for the conservation of sharks in European waters and beyond. "The Plan’s commitments to science-based fishing limits, endangered species protection, and a stronger finning ban are essential to securing a brighter future for some of Europe’s most vulnerable and neglected animals.”
Unfortunately the phrase "gradual implementation" appears throughout the document. But thanks to a suggestion by John Nightingale in his Biteback article in this month's Diver mag, maybe Jo Borg would like to hear your thoughts. he can be reached on cabinet-borg@ec.europa.eu
Some of us will remember the famous footage in the Blue Planet doc of hundreds of schooling hammerheads. Let's just hope that the EU aren't too late and one day when we jump in, cameras at the ready, to a hotspot for shark activity we can get to see sharks again in the numbers they should be.
It promises to be a game of "high stakes shark research" where "players take on the role of sharkrunners: daring and adventurous marine biologists who seek to learn as much as possible about sharks through advanced observation techniques".
It also guarantees to suck up hours of your life as you pilot your ship along the coast of who knows where looking for sharks.
The nice detail is that the game uses real-world telemetry data to provide the position and movement of actual great white sharks so every animal players encounter corresponds to a real shark out in the actual ocean.
The basics rules are that you get out on the ocean with your crew, plot a course and dive in with the sharks you encounter along the way. The boat journeys happen in real time so if your computer's on, you can leave it running until you pretend to jump in.
When you find a shark there are some nice videos and interesting facts that will keep kids happy and if it goes someway to reversing the slaughter of sharks by increasing interest in them then it's not such a bad thing.
And it appears some players are really into it - amassing trillions of dollars for their research work. Also check out Sharkrunners HQ for some interesting links to other websites.
Me, I've totalled about $7,000 and had a crew member chomped by Tiger Shark Kari. Oh well, no one said it was going to be easy.
After a few days away from the computer I've come back to an in-box full of alerts about this that and the other. Quickly skimming through them, I've come across a few interesting tit-bits. Rather than write chapter and verse, here they are in a (chunky) nutshell....................
A unique study by a scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at San Diego has provided fresh evidence of fishing's impact on marine ecosystems. Researcher Loren McClenachan looked at archive photos spanning more than five decades to analyze and calculate a drastic decline of so-called "trophy fish" caught around coral reefs surrounding Key West, Florida. In a paper published in an upcoming issue of the journal Conservation Biology, she describes a stark 88 percent decline in the estimated weight of large predatory fish imaged in black-and-white 1950s sport fishing photos compared to the relatively diminutive catches photographed in modern pictures.
Primitive deep-sea fish may have viewed the world in colour. The elephant shark, which evolved about 450 million years ago, is the oldest vertebrate to have "the colour vision system we know as humans", says David Hunt at University College London.
Even sharks are feeling the bite from economic tough times with reported shark bites are down - because fewer tourists are hitting the beach. According to George Burgess of the International Shark Attack File, shark attacks dropped to their lowest level in five years worldwide last year, falling from 71 in 2007 to 59 in 2008, and killing four. One theory is that fewer people are putting themselves in harm's way because they can't afford it.
The tragic death of a Teesside diver might have been avoided had better warning signs been placed around the wreck they were exploring, an inquest heard. Paul Swain, 49 of Billingham, died on November 3 last year after becoming disorientated in a compartment of a sunken ferry, the MVXlendi on the island of Gozo, off Malta. Hartlepool Coroner’s Court was told how the upturned ferry was not equipped with proper warning notices alerting them to the dangers of exploring the site.
In a case of “anything you can do, I can do better”, underwater explorers have now announced they have found a French battleship torpedoed by a German U-boat more than 90 years ago on the sea floor. And from the video it looks in remarkable condition.
The Danton, which sank with 296 sailors still on board, is sitting upright in more than 1,000 metres of water and 15 metres proud of the seabed. It was found 35km southwest of the island of Sardinia during an underwater survey for a gas pipeline across the Southern Mediterranean Sea between Algeria and Italy. The Fugrogeo-sciences announced today (Feb 18 2009) that their survey vessel Geo Prospector found the sunken warship was carrying out a deepwater marine survey. Detailed examination of the side-scan sonar data shortly after Christmas 2007 revealed a large wreck approximately 125m long with a beam of around 27m, lying upright on the seabed.
In January 2008, the Fugro support vessel Skandi Inspector used its ROV to examine the wreck site which revealed the wreck looked like a battleship.
A study of records suggested it could be the warship Danton which was sunk in the area in March 1917. “Its condition is extraordinary,” Rob Hawkins, project director with FugroGeoConsulting Limited told the BBC. A comparison with the original plans for the battleship, including the position of its 240mm guns, confirmed the wreck’s identity.
The pipeline has been re-routed around the wreck site. The discovery comes just weeks after it was announced that the wreck of the HMS Victory, sunk in 1744, was found in the English channel.
