Category: Sea Life

Necropsies Unveil More about Mass Gray Whale Deaths

June 5, 2020 By Larry Pynn Hakai Magazine
When 215 gray whales washed up dead last year along the west coast of North America, researchers wondered whether the species had recovered from the commercial whaling era and become a victim of its own success—the ocean no longer capable of feeding all those gaping mouths.

Scientists Are Trying to Save Coral Reefs. Here’s What’s Working.

June 4, 2020 By Sarah Gibbens National Geographic
Despite their importance, warming waters, pollution, ocean acidification, overfishing, and physical destruction are killing coral reefs around the world. Schemes to save those reefs are as creative as they are varied; most recently, scientists released data showing that marine protected areas can help save reefs if they are placed in just the right spots. Genetics is also becoming a larger area of coral research, giving scientists hope they might one day restore reefs with more heat tolerant coral.

Managing the Majestic Jumbo Flying Squid

June 4, 2020 By Benjamin Ryan The New York Times
Climate change, scientists suggest, has been fueling the squid bounty where Chile in particular is concerned. Two decades ago, South Pacific jumbo squid fishing was a mainstay industry in Peru, but the cephalopod went largely unfished in Chilean waters to the south. Since the early 2000s, the squid’s range has shifted farther and farther down Chile’s 2,700-mile coastline. It has also pulsed farther west into the high seas away from Peruvian shores.