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March 14, 2008

The Oceana Scanner: Friendly Cetacean Edition

This week in ocean news,

…a federal advisory panel weighed a ban on salmon fishing in California after a dramatic decline in the fishery. “The situation now is unprecedented and off the charts,” said the executive director of the Pacific Fishery Management Council…

…a University of Tasmania scientist discovered two new types of toxic algae in the Southern Ocean, which he believes must be calculated into fishing quotas to prevent further overfishing…

…ocean acidification caused the ears of baby damsel fish to develop incorrectly

…it was discovered that fish that feed on plankton can smell an odor released by algae, and congregate near the source of the scent, since plankton feed on algae…

…a computer model based on the gathering of plankton populations could help ships avoid striking right whales, which also feed on plankton…

…a rare white orca was sighted off Alaska’s Aleutian Islands…

…a dolphin guided a pygmy sperm whale and her calf back to sea after the two were stranded on a New Zealand beach…

…an Australian man discovered a hunk of whale spit, or ambergris, on the beach while walking his dog. The waxy substance, which can be used in perfume, could fetch $20 a gram on the international market…

…and 775 Russians were rescued by helicopters after the ice floes from which they were fishing drifted into the Pacific Ocean.