Through a combination of federal grants and private donations, a coalition of seven conservation groups called the Penobscot River Restoration Trust have gathered enough money to purchase and demolish two dams and install a fish bypass on another. By doing so, they hope to replenish the thinning Atlantic salmon, river herring, and many other migratory fish populations.
While the move is unprecedented, it is not without some
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I can see the Freecycle post now:
OFFER: I have six million carp, good condition. Nothing wrong with them; just have more than I need. You must pick up.
The State of Utah might just be posting like this something soon. Apparently, they’re in the market to unload a few carp–approximately six million–that are tearing up the bottom of Utah Lake, destroying habitat for an endangered species.
Through a combination of federal grants and private donations, a coalition of seven conservation groups called the Penobscot River Restoration Trust have gathered enough money to purchase and demolish two dams and install a fish bypass on another. By doing so, they hope to replenish the thinning Atlantic salmon, river herring, and many other migratory fish populations.
While the move is unprecedented, it is not without some flaws.
According to this year’s report, Americans consumed a total of 4.908 billion pounds of seafood in 2007, slightly less than the 4.944 billion pounds in 2006. The average American ate 16.3 pounds of fish and shellfish in 2007, a one percent decline from the 2006 consumption figures of 16.5 pounds. But what most concerns scientists is the growth in imported farm-raised seafood coupled with declines global fishstocks.
I only started eating seafood regularly about two years ago. Shortly after I started to add it to my diet, I learned that I needed to be concerned about two things - mercury in the seafood and the environmental impact of how seafood is caught or farmed.
Those concerns have put a serious damper on my new seafood habit. Until today that is. Today I discovered FishPhone from the Blue Ocean Institute. It’s a text message service that allows you to text Fishphone the name of the seafood that you are considering and receive a text message back with information about that particular seafood.
Long-tailed macaques eat mostly fruit — but when resources are scarce, they’ve been known to get creative with their cuisine. When living near humans, they raid gardens and learn to beg for food. Sometimes they even steal food from inside houses.
Now, for the first time, scientists have observed long-tailed macaques fishing with their bare hands.
Top 10 Ways to Help Save Our Oceans…
Just below the water’s surface lies a magical world teeming with life and value. Coral reefs are home to 4,000 fish species and provide the world with goods and services — such as jobs, foods, medicines and storm protection — worth $375 billion annually.
But scientists estimate that 70% of all corals reefs could be lost by 2050 if current rates of destruction continue — from factors ranging from overfishing to climate change.
Now here’s a heart-warming story to make us forget, at least for a time, all the depressing stats regarding U.S. workers: a guy who spent 37 years as the mailroom supervisor for the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadephia has received, as a thank-you … his very own species of catfish.
Frank Gallagher, who oversaw the academy’s mailroom for nearly four decades and earned a reputation as the go-to guy for learning who was doing what — “They used to call me ‘the grapevine,’ ” Gallagher said — has been immortalized as the inspiration for Rhinodoras gallagheri, a new species of catfish described Mark Sabaj Pérez, a fish scientist with the academy.
Editor’s note: Part two of the “Human Interaction with Nature” series focuses on human impacts on fauna. This post was written by Lindsay Crupper, and originally published on Friday, May 9, 2008.
While it is obvious that climate change affects humans across the globe, it also affects the animal kingdom as well. For millions of years, animal extinction and endangerment has been a major problem. The Endangered Species International web site states, “Today, 99.9 percent of all species that have existed on Earth are extinct.”
That is truly a shocking statistic. In order to get a better idea of how this problem is becoming more prevalent, I spoke with Liz Harmon, who is the curator at the Kansas City Zoo. Harmon, who has a degree in zoology, has worked at the Kansas City Zoo for four years. Her job as curator entails overseeing the animal department, which includes the staff, animals and exhibits.
Harmon identified over twenty species of animals currently listed as endangered that live at the zoo. Some of the more well-known animals include cheetahs, chimpanzees, gorillas, black rhinos and slender-snouted crocodiles. She certainly agrees that animal endangerment can be attributed to humans. “Animals become endangered for a number of reasons. Man-made reasons include loss of habitat, over hunting, pollution, and changes in the environment (such as global warming).”
Fish makes me happy. It always has. My love for fish has always been deep and pure — so much that mother once wondered aloud if I might be part seal.
And a good piece of salmon makes our me very, very happy indeed.
That’s no exaggeration; salmon does, indeed, relieve depression and stress. Beyond, that, though, salmon is great for you. It’s an excellent source of protein and B-vitamins. It’s chock-full of essential omega-3s — those handy little fatty acids that protect against some cancers, lower blood pressure, protect against rheumatoid arthritis, aid cardiovascular health, and even help fight wrinkles (that’s right. Salmon fights wrinkles, like nature’s own Botox). But this fish is also quick; you can cook it up after a long day in a matter of minutes, while children pull at your pant legs.
Not to mention, it tastes great.
This week, I splurged on a fabulous piece of wild-caught salmon.
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