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January 16, 2009

The Oceana Scanner

Happy Friday, all! Thanks to our new president’s inauguration and the millions right now rushing to our fair city to witness it, Oceana HQ will be shut down for a four-day weekend. Meanwhile, some tidbits to tide you over: This week in ocean news,…Researchers found that supplementing premature baby girls’ diets with omega-3 fatty acids (found in oily fish such as salmon, herring, and sardines.) in the first few days after birth improved their performance on cognitive tests 18 months later. (Expectant Moms shouldn’t start popping the fish oil pills yet though — some capsules may contain mercury, which can deter brain development in children.) …California’s black abalone became the third marine invertebrate to be protected under the Endangered Species Act as a result of overfishing, a disease known as withering syndrome, and ocean acidification caused by climate change. …Oceanographer extraordinaire Sylvia Earle’s ocean atlas was recently published. …A very old lobster was released from his culinary shackles. Miriam from the Oyster’s Garter considered the crustaceous details in an entertaining interview… with herself. …Researchers discovered that the carbonate in fish poop helps regulate the ocean’s pH. …A US Airways jet crash-landed in the Hudson river after colliding with a flock of geese. and last but not least:…Long Islander Elbert Starks was arrested for shoplifting a live shark from a store aquarium.