Previous work shows the main ingredient in tear gas can kill fish—but little else is known about how riot control agents affect the environment. Juniper Simonis was radicalized on July 10, 2020, in Portland, Oregon. That’s the date, Simonis says, that—while they were chalking the property line of a federal building to show protesters where […]
Hakai
Overlooked Sea Louse May Be a Big Problem for Salmon
Most scientific research has focused on one species of sea louse—failing to account for the other, far more common, species. Sea lice attach to the skin of fish, and feed on their mucus, tissues, and blood. These parasites are one of the major threats to both wild and farmed salmon. To date, however, most research […]
COVID-19 Is Not All Good for Wildlife
Empty beaches are both a boon and a curse for endangered sea turtles. Deer in Japanese subways, goats taking over a Welsh village. Since most people started staying at home to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic, the internet has been full of stories about how “nature is healing”; how the temporary absence of […]
Kelp Rafts Are Bringing Invaders to Antarctica
Animals have long rafted around the planet, but the southern continent was considered too remote, too isolated, and too cold for that to be a problem—until now. Antarctica is, for the most part, cut off from the rest of the planet by swirling ocean currents, raging winds, and frigid temperatures. The continent’s physical isolation has […]
Where Should the World Focus Its Ocean Conservation Efforts?
A new map shows areas of the ocean that conservationists agree are in need of protection. Countries around the world have committed to protecting 10 percent of the planet’s coastal and marine areas by 2020 as part of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. But it is not always easy for countries to agree on […]
Considering the Nuclear Option in Controlling Invasive Species
Rotenone: when you absolutely, positively have to kill every last fish in the lake. How far would you go to get rid of an invasive species? In New Brunswick, conservation groups and local First Nations want to kill all of the fish in Miramichi Lake using a pesticide called rotenone. They want to reset the […]
Hatchery Fish Are Less Successful at Reproducing in the Wild
Genetic experiments show hatchery escapees that breed with wild fish have fewer offspring. Every spring, hatcheries in Alaska release more than a billion year-old pink and chum salmon. The fish spend a year out at sea growing up, before they return to be caught by the state’s fishing fleet. At least, that’s how it’s supposed […]
Aquaculture Doesn’t Reduce Pressure on Wild Fish
If anything, the rise of farm-raised fish has increased our desire for seafood. Aquaculture is often promoted as a sustainable alternative to catching wild fish—a way to reduce pressure on overexploited stocks while providing affordable and necessary protein for people’s diets. It’s an argument put forward by major international organizations like the World Bank and […]
Fish Parasites Are on the Rise
The number of parasitic worms in ocean fish has increased as much as 90-fold. Some fish parasites are on the rise, bringing with them risks to human health and fisheries-based economies. Now researchers have a new way to track their numbers—by digging into old records and museum samples. Read more in Hakai.
Near Fish Farms, Lobster Catches Plummet
Lobster fishers catch fewer market-sized lobsters, and see fewer fertile females, in areas close to fish farms in Nova Scotia, according to new research led by Inka Milewski, a research associate at Dalhousie University in Halifax. Lobster fishers working in Port Mouton Bay, Nova Scotia, keep detailed records of when and where they fish and how many […]