The opah, or moonfish, a large colourful fish living across the world's oceans, has been found to have a warm heart and maintain a high body temperature, according to a report in the journal Science. It's a zoological curiosity and a remarkable evolutionary development for fish.
In the cold darkness of the deep sea there is a clear advantage to being warm-blooded and able to move faster than all the other creatures in order to hunt them down or to avoid being eaten. Mammals such as seals or whales exploit this to great effect. They take a big breath and dive down, insulated from the cold by a thick layer of blubber, to snatch live food such as squids, fish and shrimps from the depths.
Until now it was thought that fish couldn't keep warm in this way because instead of breathing air they extract oxygen directly from the water through their gills.
Read more (The New Zealand Herald - nzherald.co.nz) ...
Millions lost after warm seas kill salmon
Large numbers of salmon are dying in the Marlborough Sounds creating a "multimillion-dollar problem" for New Zealand King Salmon.
NZ King Salmon chief executive Grant Rosewarne said warm sea temperatures at the company's Waihinau Bay farm, in Pelorus Sound, had contributed to the deaths. Rosewarne would not say for commercial reasons how many salmon had died, or how many fish were at the farm, but said the mortality rate was a "multimillion-dollar problem to solve".
Water temperatures at the Waihinau Bay farm had stayed above 18 degrees Celsius for three months, Rosewarne said.
"I don't think we've ever had it quite as bad as this year."
King salmon cannot regulate their body temperature. They function best when water temperatures are between 12C and 17C.
The increased salmon death rate in the Pelorus Sounds started in mid-February, Rosewarne said.
Read more (Marlborough Express - stuff.co.nz) ...
NZ King Salmon chief executive Grant Rosewarne said warm sea temperatures at the company's Waihinau Bay farm, in Pelorus Sound, had contributed to the deaths. Rosewarne would not say for commercial reasons how many salmon had died, or how many fish were at the farm, but said the mortality rate was a "multimillion-dollar problem to solve".
Water temperatures at the Waihinau Bay farm had stayed above 18 degrees Celsius for three months, Rosewarne said.
"I don't think we've ever had it quite as bad as this year."
King salmon cannot regulate their body temperature. They function best when water temperatures are between 12C and 17C.
The increased salmon death rate in the Pelorus Sounds started in mid-February, Rosewarne said.
Read more (Marlborough Express - stuff.co.nz) ...
Navy fires back at critics over illegal fishing standoff in Southern Ocean
The commanding officer of the navy ship that was outlasted by three ageing fishing vessels in the Southern Ocean has responded to critics who labelled the operation a public relations disaster.
"Not only did we find three IUUs [illegal, unreported and unregulated vessels] operating in an area of Antarctica which is the size of Australia, we caught them in the act of fishing using the element of surprise and tenacious tactics to then exploit a whole heap of evidence which is now being analysed ... to bring these guys to justice."
Commander MacLean also gave more detail about how the poachers were caught. Once the fishing vessels were detected near the Ross Sea, the Wellington remained out of sight over the horizon and sent its smaller sea boats ahead. The boats hid behind icebergs and in the line of the sun to get closer to the fishing vessels undetected and take photographs and video footage of their illegal activities.
Read more (The New Zealand Herald - nzherald.co.nz) ...
"Not only did we find three IUUs [illegal, unreported and unregulated vessels] operating in an area of Antarctica which is the size of Australia, we caught them in the act of fishing using the element of surprise and tenacious tactics to then exploit a whole heap of evidence which is now being analysed ... to bring these guys to justice."
Commander MacLean also gave more detail about how the poachers were caught. Once the fishing vessels were detected near the Ross Sea, the Wellington remained out of sight over the horizon and sent its smaller sea boats ahead. The boats hid behind icebergs and in the line of the sun to get closer to the fishing vessels undetected and take photographs and video footage of their illegal activities.
Read more (The New Zealand Herald - nzherald.co.nz) ...
Shark leapt out of water as family fished
"That'd be a kahawai," Jaan Robertson's uncle declared as line started spilling off the reel in Auckland's Waitemata Harbour.
When a 4m great white shark leaped out of the water they realised they faced more of a challenge.
The four family members were fishing for snapper 100m off the Te Atatu Peninsula in only 2.5m of murky water on Monday afternoon. They'd caught a couple of fish and were getting ready to head back to shore when Jaan's brother, Mat Robertson, felt something strike his whole-pilchard bait.
Read more (The New Zealand Herald - nzherald.co.nz) ...
When a 4m great white shark leaped out of the water they realised they faced more of a challenge.
The four family members were fishing for snapper 100m off the Te Atatu Peninsula in only 2.5m of murky water on Monday afternoon. They'd caught a couple of fish and were getting ready to head back to shore when Jaan's brother, Mat Robertson, felt something strike his whole-pilchard bait.
Read more (The New Zealand Herald - nzherald.co.nz) ...