Whitney Tilt
Florida Establishes Permit Spawning Season ...

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted on February 26 to establish a four-month no fishing closure at Western Dry Rocks, the most important permit spawning site in the Lower Keys. Conservation organizations celebrated the vote, which capped a year-long effort to protect spawning fish that aggregate at the site.

Florida Establishes Permit Spawning Season Closure
Whitney Tilt
Rivers are Losing Flow to Aquifers

Most anglers recognize that the rivers they fish are connected to the surrounding groundwater. As stream flows decrease and water temperatures rise, groundwater continues to flow into the stream helping to maintain stream flows and cool the surface waters. But as Harrison Tasoff reports in PHYS.ORG recent research reveals the extent to which rivers across the country are losing flow to the surrounding aquifer.

The research found that nearly two-thirds of the wells had water levels below the nearest stream. This creates a gradient that can drive water from the river channel into the aquifer beneath.

"Our analysis shows that two out of three rivers in the U.S. are already losing water. It's very likely that this effect will worsen in the coming decades and some rivers may even disappear" said co-lead author Hansjörg Seybold at ETH Zurich.

Rivers are Losing Flow to Aquifers
Whitney Tilt
OCEAN NOISE

IN THE OCEANS, THE VOLUME IS RISING AS NEVER BEFORE. A new review of the scientific literature confirms that anthropogenic noise is becoming unbearable for undersea life.

Sabrina Imbler, New York Times, February 8, 2021

OCEAN NOISE
Whitney Tilt
APACHE TROUT TROUT RECOVERY

A UNIQUE, NATIVE FISH. A SUCCESS STORY. Once nearing extinction, the Apache trout is now returning to its place in the legacy of Arizona’s unique, native fish resources. Apache trout have been restored to much of their historic range in the White Mountains after decades of cooperative protection and recovery efforts. Because the species has recovered sufficiently, anglers can now fish for them in designated state waters or on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. This native trout is an important part of Arizona’s natural heritage, and is a recreational and economic asset to the state. The Apache trout is found nowhere else in the world.

APACHE TROUT TROUT RECOVERY
Whitney Tilt
THESE DAMS MUST GO

SCIENTISTS DRAFT LETTER CALLING ON GOVERNORS TO TEAR DOWN THE LOWER SNAKE RIVER DAMS. For salmon and steelhead to survive, the dams must go. Historically, the Snake River basin was the largest salmon producer in the Columbia River system, once home to salmon runs numbering in the millions. Today, all stocks of salmon and steelhead in the basin are gravely imperiled and some are at the precipice of extinction. Over the last 20 years, the federal government has invested nearly $17 billion into the recovery of Snake River Basin salmon and steelhead—with little to nothing to show in the way of results.

THESE DAMS MUST GO

MASSIVE MANGROVE RESTORATION IN BAHAMAS

MASSIVE MANGROVE RESTORATION IN BAHAMAS

COOPERATIVE EFFORTS SEEK TO PLANT 100,000 MANGROVE SEEDLINGS IN THE NEXT 5 YEARS. Hurricane Dorian stalled over the Bahamas in early September of 2019, thrashing the islands of Great Abaco and Grand Bahama with unrelenting winds, rain and storm surge. The devastation the storm inflicted on both islands—destroying airports, sweeping away hotels and fishing lodges, and leveling entire neighborhoods—was catastrophic and absolute. But impacts to the Bahamas from Dorian weren’t limited to its human toll. The storm also caused extensive damage to the natural environments of the hardest hit Bahamian islands. Perhaps most notable was the damage done to the ecologically crucial mangrove forests that ring the Bahamas’ islands and cays.

APACHE TROUT TROUT RECOVERY

APACHE TROUT TROUT RECOVERY

A UNIQUE, NATIVE FISH. A SUCCESS STORY. Once nearing extinction, the Apache trout is now returning to its place in the legacy of Arizona’s unique, native fish resources. Apache trout have been restored to much of their historic range in the White Mountains after decades of cooperative protection and recovery efforts. Because the species has recovered sufficiently, anglers can now fish for them in designated state waters or on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. This native trout is an important part of Arizona’s natural heritage, and is a recreational and economic asset to the state. The Apache trout is found nowhere else in the world.

THESE DAMS MUST GO

THESE DAMS MUST GO

SCIENTISTS DRAFT LETTER CALLING ON GOVERNORS TO TEAR DOWN THE LOWER SNAKE RIVER DAMS. For salmon and steelhead to survive, the dams must go. Historically, the Snake River basin was the largest salmon producer in the Columbia River system, once home to salmon runs numbering in the millions. Today, all stocks of salmon and steelhead in the basin are gravely imperiled and some are at the precipice of extinction. Over the last 20 years, the federal government has invested nearly $17 billion into the recovery of Snake River Basin salmon and steelhead—with little to nothing to show in the way of results.

IT'S A FISH EAT FISH WORLD

IT'S A FISH EAT FISH WORLD

Scientists Capture Incredibly Rare Footage of Deep-Sea Fish Devouring a Whole Shark. Feasts are rare on the barren landscape of the ocean depths. So researchers couldn't believe their luck when they stumbled on a feeding frenzy of deep-sea sharks chowing down on a fallen swordfish off the US coast in July 2019. But they never imagined they would also capture footage of one of those sharks becoming the prey for another deep-sea creature.

HOW MANY FISH IN THE SEA?

HOW MANY FISH IN THE SEA?

RESEARCHERS ARE GETTING CLOSER TO AN ANSWER—and improved management—by identifying the DNA traces that fish leave behind in seawater.

A liter of seawater might not look like much to the naked eye. But examine it at the microscopic level, and it explodes with information, revealing remarkable clues about the ocean it was extracted from: it can tell us how many fish are there, the diversity of those species, and even provide insights about how climate change and overfishing might be impacting their health…