Mors, a U.K. based footwear company plans to release a line of sneakers made from Fish Leather. I suppose if the fish are being fished anyway, like for food (one of the fish they use is Arctic Salmon from the north of Iceland), then it’s good to use as much of the animals as possible. They say the shoes are really hard to make, and they’ll probably cost a fortune (shoes sold on the Mors e-store range from 180 to 260 British pounds). They will be available for purchase in Autumn 2010.
If you went wading in them, would the other fish come up to say hi?
A popular target for recreational and commercial fishing, the red grouper may have more to give to the world than just delicious meals. Scientists from the University of Florida have observed this fish cleaning sand from rocky areas, literally digging holes in the ocean floor so that other diverse sea creatures who are attracted to the rocks, such as coral and sponges, can live there. For this reason, they’re calling the red grouper “underwater architects.”
If the red grouper population starts to decrease, other marine life who depend on its cleaning practices could be negatively affected as well. Scientists and officials are realizing it may be time to rethink how we regulate fishing.
Source: Washington Post (click the link to see the red grouper in action)
A recent article on the Northern Territory News website speaks of residents finding small fish on the ground far from rivers and creeks. Some believe they fell from the sky during heavy rainstorms, others say that little fish get caught up in water spouts that start over rivers then travel across the land, but the most likely theory is that creeks have flooded during heavy desert rainstorms, delivering their occupants far from home.
Annie and Gudrun have been heavily absorbed in book preparation, and have sorrowfully neglected to keep their cyber friends up to date. They send many apologies and promises to return Friday with fresh posts and new directions.
Until then, if you’re needing a fish-fix, read about the filter-feeding Prehistoric Megafish discovery, reported on by National Public Radio.
A Toronto based group plans to lease the bottom seven floors of a brand new office building in Times Square. They want to build a public aquarium, as well as a museum about pirates. The lease would be for 25 years, and the aquarium could open as soon as 2011. There has not been a public aquarium in Manhattan since 1941.
I wonder if it will be as good as the Churaumi Aquarium (Okinawa, Japan), shown in the photo. That’s a whale shark, if you’re wondering.
Lake Tanganyika cichlids in the news! A recent study performed by Thomas Stewart and Craig Albertson discusses the strange skeletal anatomy of the Perissodini cichlids, who feed themselves by biting the scales off other fish. These fish often have a mouth that is shifted to one side to make it easier to remove scales from their prey. The study suggests that this evolution comes from how these fish hunt and where they live, and not every Perissodini is born with a mouth off to one side. The scientists wonder whether the shape of the fish’s face changes over its lifetime, or if the fish with centered mouths just die off because they are not as effective at hunting as the fish with the lopsided mouths. They believe further research into the Perissodini fishes will help them better understand the Perissodini, and ‘handed-ness’ among vertebrates in general. Read the abstract or download the article.
An ecosystem is an interacting environment with a working balance of predators and prey. That means every animal in the ecosystem plays a role in the survival of the animals around them, even if they are the predators. But if something new and foreign invades an ecosystem, it can upset the balance and cause a lot of problems.
This is happening right now in the United States, and the government is fighting back.
On February 8, 2010, Federal officials announced a plan to stop the Asian carp invasion. Scientists are afraid that if these fish get into the U.S. Great Lakes, they could destroy the region’s fishing industry because they eat the same food perch and salmon do, and they have no known predators. All other efforts to control the species have failed. This new plan will cost $78.5 million, and involves 25 short and long term actions that Federal, state and local groups will work together on. It’s almost like a space invasion movie, as military and government groups are working together to fight the aliens.
The four kinds of Asian Carp are huge. They weigh as much as a large dog, 40-80 pounds, and can eat up to 60% of their own weight. The silver carp often jumps into the air when startled, which can cause harm to people fishing or waterskiing, and maybe even to the fish they land on when they come back down.
Drastic measure are being taken. Watch this story from CBS news to learn more.
I grew up eating fish and I never felt conflicted about it. At least not until I got to know my Gam, who studies fish for a living. But still, the fish in Maine is delicious, and I’m glad I have the Seafood Watch, Sustainable Seafood Guide published by the Monterey Bay Aquarium to help me and my family make smart choices about what fish we eat.
This guide tells us which fish are the best choices for eating based on the environmental conditions of its fishing or production. There are four ratings: Best Choices, Good Alternatives, Avoid, and The Super Green List. You can download a guide for your region of the United States, or search a fish online here. They even have a mobile device application.
