ouFish: Capturing recreational fishing trends in in the Mediterranean Sea through social media
By Kaylie Anne Costa, SRC intern How do you study the impacts of recreational fishing if fisherman are not expected to report what they catch? Scientists studying the impacts of recreational fishing in the Mediterranean Sea are taking a fascinating approach. By compiling over 1500 YouTube videos posted from eight countries, the scientists can analyze […]
Carbon dioxide addition to coral reef waters suppresses net community calcification
By Allison Banas, SRC intern Coral reefs play a key role in human’s daily lives. Providing food, protection, and income for millions of people worldwide are just a few of the major impacts these ecosystems have (Albright et al. 2016). Ocean acidification can lower the saturation state of aragonite mineral, which composes coral skeletons. Within […]
A Contaminating Diversification: Discovering New Algal Toxins in Our Oceans and its Negative Implications
By Casey Dresbach, SRC intern Coastal waters are one of the world’s greatest assets, yet they are being hit with pollution from all directions (U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, 2004). As we move further into the Anthropocene, water conditions worldwide are continuing to degrade. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) 2002 National Water Quality Inventory […]
The Lasting Legacy of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
By Delaney Reynolds, SRC intern Mankind’s use of fossil fuels as an energy source can place our natural environment at grave risk, and nowhere is that more acute than in the Gulf of Mexico. The environmental threats the Gulf region faces from petroleum production and exploration are not just those that appear in the media […]
Propeller Scars in Seagrass Beds: Recovery and Management in the Chesapeake Bay
By Grant Voirol, SRC intern Seagrass beds may seem simple on the surface, but they provide a wide variety of ecosystem services ranging the biotic and abiotic, economical and ecological. Most importantly, seagrass beds protect against coastal erosion, recycle vital nutrients, and provide habitat and food for essential species for the ecosystem and for fisheries […]
North Atlantic right whales and the dangers and effects of entanglement
By Haley Kilgour, SRC intern Mysticetes (baleen whales) arguably fall under the category of charismatic marine megafauna, capable of drawing the public’s attention to their conservation concern. However, many species are in quite a bit of trouble. Injury and mortality from entanglement with fishing gear is a problem that affects whales worldwide (Knowlton et al, […]