October has been another eventful month in our watery world. If you're an aquarium keeper, it turns out you could be the key to saving several species of freshwater fish. Florida has been hit with its second red tide of this year. We have the good news that dolphins are living in the Potomac River, and the bad news that whales are living in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
A new initiative to save fish from extinction
Freshwater fish are a highly diverse group, but they are also the most threatened of the vertebrates. Many species go extinct before conservation efforts can even begin.
A recently published study by Dr Jose Valdez, of Aarhus University, and Kapil Mandrekar, of SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, has shown that aquarium hobbyists can play an important role in freshwater fish conservation.
In some cases, dedicated hobbyists are actually more knowledgeable on certain species than the scientific community due to their hands on experience with the fish. In fact, some species that have not yet been scientifically described are already well-known to hobbyists. When these hobbyists are able to share their knowledge, they can make a real difference and have already helped discover new species and save others from extinction. Some have even provided individuals from their own aquariums to conservation efforts.
The largest organisation coordinating such conservation programmes is the CARES (Conservation, Awareness, Recognition, Encouragement, and Support) preservation programme. It encourages hobbyists to keep the most endangered (or even extinct in the wild) freshwater fish species to ensure their survival. In many cases, these species would have been otherwise overlooked by conservation efforts.
Valdez and Mandrekar found that CARES listed almost 600 freshwater fish species, over 80 of which are unknown by the scientific community. There are also more than 30 species included that are already extinct in the wild.
As it turns out, many of these species are only still here because of hobbyists breeding them in their aquariums. With that in mind, collaboration between scientists and aquarium hobbyists could prove to be a real turning point for the effective conservation of freshwater fish.
Deadly red tide returns to Florida
A new red tide began in Florida in early October. Samples of water taken off the shore of Collier County showed high concentrations of Karenia brevis, the toxic algae responsible for this nasty phenomenon. It also kills marine life and can cause respiratory problems in humans, both of which have been recorded in the affected area.
The locations currently affected include Barefoot Beach, Naples Bay, and around the Gordon River. The species most affected by the toxicity so far has been mullet (of the family Mugilidae).
The last red tide in this area cleared up just eight months ago and, at 15 months in duration, it was the longest lasting red tide in decades. It began in November 2017 and ended in February of this year. Thousands of fish, turtles, and marine mammals were killed and all three of Florida's coasts were affected.
This current red tide is, so far, only affecting the southwestern coast. It is not known how long it will last or how far it will spread as these things are difficult to accurately predict. Hopefully, it won't be as long, or as destructive, as the previous red tide.
Dolphins have returned to the Potomac
Dolphins were once common in the Potomac River in the 1800s but, by the 1960s, it was so badly polluted that they could no longer survive there. So they moved on.
This kickstarted 50 years of cleanup efforts that have finally paid off as there are now around 1,000 bottlenose dolphins (of the genus Tursiops) living in the river. Even better, one dolphin was seen giving birth there back in August. The fact that dolphins are now choosing to reproduce and raise their young in the Potomac is a really good sign for the improving health of the river. Long may it continue.
Whales are living in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world. It is located between Hawaii and California, where ocean currents to form the North Pacific subtropical gyre. There is a shocking 80,000 tonnes (or 88,000 US tons) of plastic in this patch.
A survey of the area has found that there are, in fact, whales and dolphins living there, some with calves. This could prove to be very dangerous for them.
As you are probably aware, ocean plastic is a significant issue for marine life. There are more and more reports in the news of whales washing up dead after accidentally swallowing plastic waste. For example, in Indonesia, a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) recently washed ashore with a whopping 115 drinking cups, 25 plastic bags, plastic bottles, two flip-flops, and thousands of pieces of string in its stomach. It's an issue of great concern.
The most common debris found in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is ghost nets, which is fishing gear that has been discarded or lost. They can drift for years, trapping marine life. Whales and dolphins can easily become ensnared in these nets and their calves are especially vulnerable.
The findings of this survey should be a real wake-up call to clean up the area. It needs to be made safer for the whales and dolphins living there and efforts must be made to protect marine life as a whole. If we don't act soon, we will simply continue to see reports of dead whales on the news for the foreseeable future.
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