The family Serranidae, the sea basses (not to be confused with a certain film character portrayed by Cam Neely), is a diverse assemblage of fishes ranging in size from tank-busting “bruisers” to diminutive species that are well suited to life…
Lionfish Invasion: An Update on Successes
I still remember the first time I encountered an invasive lionfish. It was in the late spring of 2010 during a scuba dive on the North Wall of Grand Cayman. For those unfamiliar, the North Wall is where the coral…
The Anatomy of an Invasion: Lionfish
As iconic ornamental marine fish, Pterois spp. are coveted for their unique beauty which is bookended by elegant (but venomous), banner-like finnage. Native to the Indo-Pacific region, lionfish were reportedly discovered in South Florida as early as 1985 with sightings…
Lophelia found at record depths in Gulf of Mexico
Lophelia may very well be one of our favorite corals ever – its stark white skeleton, elegant growth pattern and stunning transparent polyps making this an absolutely dreamy azooxanthellae coral. For those of you that do not know what we…
Cabo Pulmo Marine Reserve threatened by proposed resort
Just one month after an uplifting update on the success of the Cabo Pulmo Marine Reserve in Mexico, a huge potential blow the fragile reserve is brewing with word of a new Cancun-style resort that has “all but final approval”…
Gulf of Mexico “Dead Zone” bigger than Delaware
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBVNuzEUWZg&feature=player_embedded[/youtube] The Gulf of Mexico’s growing annual “Dead Zone” has hit over 3,300 square miles, even larger than Delaware and Rhode Island combined — and researchers anticipate it could become even more massive. The research team at Texas A&M traveled over 1,400 miles…
Some deepwater corals being found smothered by crude from the BP oil spill
A recent survey of the sea floor near the failed BP oil well in the Gulf of Mexico has uncovered a coral graveyard of deepwater coral species that were most likely damaged from the infamous recent oil spill and plume…
Gulf oil spill threatens reef restoration project
For Meaghan Johnson monitoring the forecast for the loop current in the Gulf of Mexico has been a daily ritual since the disastrous BP oil spill began. The “loop” is the current that seasonally carries water and everything in it…
Opinion: The BP Gulf Oil spill
By now, you have most likely heard of the great BP Oil spill happening down in the Gulf of Mexico. For those of you who read us from the other side of the World, that’s the part between the state…
