Over 15 years of ocean science and conservation online
After two weeks off, we’re back and bigger than ever! Cuttings (short and sweet): Follow Archaeologist makes case for seafaring Neanderthals. By Christopher Ingraham, for Scientific American. Larson Creek trout may have been wiped out. By Randy Shore, for the Vancouver Sun. US Coast Guard steps up efforts to protect right whales. From GCaptain. The US … Read More “Seafaring neanderthals and switchblade fish: A mega Thursday Afternoon Dredging, May 10th, 2018” »
Cuttings (short and sweet): Follow shark and ray biologist Jeremy Vaudo on twitter! Science may have a reason why whales get so big. By Carrie Arnold, for National Geographic. Paleo profile: The fish from China. By Brian Switek, for Scientific American. Mass stranding in Australia claims 130 whales. Video, for the Guardian. Spoils (long reads and … Read More “Giant whales and collapsing cod stocks: Thursday Afternoon Dredging, March 29th, 2018” »
Cuttings (short and sweet):
Fog Horn (A Call to Action)
Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)
Fog Horn (A Call to Action)
Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)
Fog Horn (A Call to Action)
Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)
Jetsam (what we’re enjoying from around the web)
Cuttings (short and sweet):
It’s not every day that catching up on scientific literature causes you to almost do a spit-take on your laptop screen. This happened to me recently due to the weird and wild world of aquaculture. Aquaculture is the practice of growing aquatic animals such as fish and shellfish for the purpose of food, and has been held up as both a savior and destroyer of the marine ecosystem. To get an idea of what this generally looks like (at least here in the U.S.), Amy has a whole series of posts on aquaculture operations in North Carolina.
As with land-based farming, aquaculturists are motivated to find ways to increase the food value of their stock. The methods used are varied, from high-protein feed mixes to genetic manipulation. Recently, farmed salmon genetically-modified to grow larger and faster than their wild conspecifics have been approved for human consumption by the FDA, though not without debate. This man-made subspecies was created by modifying the already-existing DNA of the fish, but what if it turned out that simply injecting DNA from a different species could improve the growth and protein output of farmed fish? And what if that foreign DNA came from sharks?
Though oyster mariculture isn’t new to places like the Chesapeake Bay, Jay Styron’s Carolina Mariculture Company, based in Cedar Island, NC, is a shining vision of the future in North Carolina. Much of the state’s efforts in aquaculture are directed at tilapia, catfish, and hybrid striped bass, which are grown in ponds on traditional farm land. These are often grown as a means of diversifying an existing farm economy. Mariculture, though, blends this type of aquaculture with commercial fishing to grow seafood in estuaries and inshore regions, creating a saltier crop. In many ways mariculture should be embraced by both farming and fishing communities but is often instead viewed as the strange uncle of the food production family. Enter pioneer Jay Styron, who grows oysters not only for food but also demonstration purposes – and he proudly creates delicious oysters.
“We just sold a much bigger one to Denmark, but couldn’t be this style”, said the trade show representative as if he had traveled to the town next door. Aquaculture has its roots in northern Europe in many ways, mainly through connections to the beginnings of domesticating Atlantic salmon. So many American companies are making good money selling their technology and feed to customers around the world that have already made the step into large-scale aquacultural production.
A few countries in particular made their influence known several times: Denmark, Chile, and Canada. Though these have prominent roles in the global capture fisheries as well, their particular geology gave them a head start on salmon that is expanding over into other types of aquaculture.