Ocean News

Al McGlashan, Australia’s The Daily Telegraph fishing columnist, discovered the remains of a giant squid off the south coast of New South Wales in Australia. The squid measured over nine and a half feet and was still so fresh that it retained its bright red coloring.
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Scientists from the German GEOMAR/Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research are all set for their first mission with MoLab—a new seafloor observatory. MoLab is designed with the intent of studying multidisciplinary aspects of the ocean all at once—biology, geology, and chemistry—and has a modular design that allows them to change its basic layout according to their needs.
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Scientists from Monash University’s Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI) have discovered a protein that allows zebra fish to completely repair spinal cord damage within a few months. They hope that their findings will someday help find a cure for people with spinal cord damage.
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Honduras president and head officials burn over 100 confiscated nurse shark fins
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Maine lobstermen are confused by the early arrival of soft-shell lobsters, who don’t usually shed their harder shells for another four to six weeks. According to one lobsterman, soft-shell lobsters, or “shedders” as they are known in the trade, are currently outnumbering hard-shell lobsters by two to one in traps.
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A nuisance seaweed found in Hawaii that is considered to be a threat to coral growth is showing medical potential according to a new study by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
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The European Union may be weakening their resolve when it comes to sustainable fishing practices that were previously agreed upon.
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Tuna have picked up low levels of radioactive caesium from the Fukushima Daiichi leak last year. Researchers are hopeful that they will be able to track and study other species that also have low levels of radiation.
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Researchers have discovered a sensory organ in whales’ mouths that triggers the intense lunging motion whales use when feeding.
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The team of scientists from the submersible Alvin recently discovered limpets stuck to the outside of their submersible after completing a dive to study deep-sea vents. They were surprised that the limpets were able to survive the intense change in pressure as they ascended. The team has issued a warning to other deep-sea diving teams, citing the risk it poses to ecosystems when introducing foreign competitors or diseases. Dr. Janet Voight said, "This has implications for the future exploration of hydrothermal vents as it reveals the potential risk of human driven change to the ecosystem." Read more in the EurekAlert article.
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