All posts tagged: fish

Thousands of dead fish dumped on seabed after getting caught in trawl nets | UK News

Thousands of dead fish dumped on seabed after getting caught in trawl nets | UK News

Published by skeptic

Scottish environmentalists are calling for urgent action to protect marine life after a video shared with Sky News showed the alleged illegal dump of wasteful bycatch. Warning: This article contains images of dead fish The film shows the seabed littered with thousands of dead fish, shellfish, and critically endangered flapper skate. Environmentalists say it is an insight into the true environmental cost of bottom-trawling for scampi. Large volumes of fish and other marine life are routinely caught in bottom-trawl nets used to sweep the seabed. Charities say the unintended bycatch is a particular problem in prawn trawl fishery due to the small mesh size of the nets. The fisherman, who took the video and asked not to be named, said it did not look like a one-off. Image: Rope tied around a dead flapper skate Image: The flapper skate close up Read more from Sky NewsJurassic dinosaur found in ScotlandMegaberg size of Gloucestershire runs agroundWild beavers make comeback “It appears to be multiple dumps because the fish are in varying stages of decomposition.” “I felt …

Trump Blames California Wildfires on “Worthless Fish”

Trump Blames California Wildfires on “Worthless Fish”

Published by José

Big brain time. Smelt It, Delta It President-elect Donald Trump has found the real culprit behind Los Angeles’ massive and devastating wildfires: the Delta smelt fish. In a post on his failing Truth Social platform, the forthcoming commander-in-chief slammed California Gov. Gavin Newsom — or “Newscum,” in Trumpspeak — for putting a “worthless fish” over Golden State’s populace. “Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way,” Trump posted. “He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California.” “Now,” he continued, “the ultimate price is being paid.” The “worthless fish” in question is the Delta Smelt, a small and endangered freshwater fish that’s protected under California law — and, though it’s a crowded field, just might …

Could Humans Have a Brain Microbiome?

Could Humans Have a Brain Microbiome?

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The human gut microbiome plays a critical role in the body, communicating with the brain and maintaining the immune system through the gut-brain axis. So it isn’t totally far-fetched to suggest that microbes could play an even larger role in our neurobiology. Fishing for Microbes For years, Irene Salinas has been fascinated by a simple physiological fact: The distance between the nose and the brain is quite small. The evolutionary immunologist, who works at the University of New Mexico, studies mucosal immune systems in fish to better understand how human versions of these systems, such as our intestinal lining and nasal cavity, work. The nose, she knows, is loaded with bacteria, and they’re “really, really close” to the brain—mere millimeters from the olfactory bulb, which processes smell. Salinas has always had a hunch that bacteria might be leaking from the nose into the olfactory bulb. After years of curiosity, she decided to confront her suspicion in her favorite model organisms: fish. Salinas and her team started by extracting DNA from the olfactory bulbs of trout …

‘Blob-headed’ fish and semi-aquatic mouse among 27 newly discovered species in Peru | Science, Climate & Tech News

‘Blob-headed’ fish and semi-aquatic mouse among 27 newly discovered species in Peru | Science, Climate & Tech News

Published by skeptic

A “blob-headed” fish and a semi-aquatic mouse are among 27 newly discovered species found in a remote region of the Amazon rainforest in Peru. Scientists also encountered a new species of dwarf squirrel, salamander and short-tailed fruit bat during their expedition to the remote forest of Alto Mayo, according to the findings published by Conservation International. The protected area in northern Peru is home to several ecosystems, indigenous territories and villages. Among the discoveries was a new species of spiny mouse, eight types of fish, 10 types of butterfly and two new dung beetles. The “blob-headed” fish that was found is “new to science” and is a type of armoured catfish, the report says. The scientists had never seen a fish with an “enlarged blob-like head” before and the “function of this unusual structure remains a mystery”, the paper continues. Meanwhile, the new species of amphibious mouse was found in one patch of swamp forest in Alto Mayo. The creature is from “a group of semi-aquatic rodents that is considered among the rarest in the …

Bacteria in the brain? These fish are fine with it

Bacteria in the brain? These fish are fine with it

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Alzheimer’s disease: An incurable brain disease that can cause confusion, mood changes and problems with memory, language, behavior and problem solving. No cause or cure is known. amyloid-beta: A protein fragment that can build to high levels in the brains of people who have Alzheimer’s disease. Over time, this material can lead to localized cell death. bacteria: (adj: bacterial) Single-celled organisms. These dwell nearly everywhere on Earth, from the bottom of the sea to inside other living organisms (such as plants and animals). Bacteria are one of the three domains of life on Earth. blood vessel: A tubular structure that carries blood through the tissues and organs. blood-brain barrier: A barrier of tightly packed cells that carefully regulate what molecules can — and can’t — enter the brain. The barrier protects the brain from foreign substances in the blood and helps to maintain a constant environment for brain cells. cell: (in biology) The smallest structural and functional unit of an organism. Typically too small to see with the unaided eye, it consists of a watery fluid …

A Boy Called Fish – TheHumanist.com

A Boy Called Fish – TheHumanist.com

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Fish Stark was appointed the Executive Director of the American Humanist Association in September 2024. This article is excerpted from his Welcome remarks at the American Humanist Association’s 2024 Conference in September. LET’S GET THIS out of the way early: Fish is not my given name. My father, Fortney Hillman Stark Jr., rarely used his given name either. Most folks in the humanist and secular movements know him as Pete Stark—the first open atheist in Congress. That was how his family and friends knew him, too. He occasionally went by Fortney when he was younger, giving rise to a hilarious incident where a tongue-tied news anchor introduced him as “local banker, Fartney Stork.” But when I was born, it was decided that I would be named Fortney Hillman Stark III. For understandable reasons, I was not consulted at the time. I developed an opinion on the matter several years later, when it became clear that the name “Fortney” was a very challenging name to have as a boy in the first grade. And not just …

Hunter-gatherers built a massive fish trap in Belize 4000 years ago

Hunter-gatherers built a massive fish trap in Belize 4000 years ago

Published by skeptic

Satellite image showing channels that formed part of an ancient fishery, and Mayan sites nearby Google Earth Archaeologists have discovered a massive network of ancient fisheries in Belize constructed by hunter-gatherers some 4000 years ago. The system of earthen channels exceeds 640 kilometres in length and dates to the Archaic Period, which preceded the emergence of Maya civilisation centuries later. It is the oldest large-scale fish-trapping facility ever recorded in Central America. “We were all expecting it to date to a period of sedentary Maya civilisation,” says Eleanor Harrison-Buck… Source link

Jesus’s ‘Miraculous Catch of Fish’ found to have a natural explanation

Jesus’s ‘Miraculous Catch of Fish’ found to have a natural explanation

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Lake Kinneret, also known as the Sea of Galilee, holds a prominent place in both history and scripture. The lake, steeped in biblical narratives, is revered for its role in Jesus Christ’s ministry. Its shores were home to key moments like the Miracle of Loaves and Fishes and the Miraculous Catch of Fish. For centuries, these accounts were seen as divine acts. However, recent scientific studies reveal that natural phenomena may underpin these biblical events. The Miracles and Their Setting Both miracles occurred along Lake Kinneret’s northwestern shore, near Tabgha. Bathymetric map of Lake Kinneret at 5 m depth intervals (gray thin lines), showing: locations of Ginosar, Kinneret Limnological Laboratory (KLL), and Tabgha marked by yellow squares; area where dead fish were observed during the foot surveys, marked by the cyan ellipse. (CREDIT: Water Resources Research) The Miracle of Loaves and Fishes recounts how five loaves and two fish fed 5,000 people. In the Miraculous Catch of Fish, the apostles, following Jesus’ advice, caught an unprecedented haul after a fruitless fishing night. These narratives inspired …

Octopus Organizes Packs of Fish to Help It Hunt

Octopus Organizes Packs of Fish to Help It Hunt

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Trust the octopus — which breaks all the rules for intelligence in a life form — to surprise us once again. The big blue octopus organizes fish to help it hunt: Tracking 13 mixed-species hunting groups, Max Planck Institute behavioral ecologist Eduardo Sampaio and colleagues found a surprising level of sophistication in the way octopuses and fish hunt together in groups. Analyzing footage from 120 hours of diving revealed different species contributed unique skills to the interspecies hunting party. The fish, such as the goatfish (Mullidae), perform the search, leading the group to areas of interest. But the big blue octopus (Octopus cyanea) determined when the hunt was on. Tessa Koumoundouros, “Octopuses Team Up With Fish to Hunt, And Will Punch Them if They Act Up,” ScienceAlert, September 24, 2024 Unlike the fish, the octopus can work with stones where prey fish shelter. The fish get whatever the octopus drops, which apparently pays off for many of them. From the open-access paper: Day [big blue] octopuses, often considered solitary or at least asocial with conspecifics, …

Meet the New AHA Staff: Executive Director Fish Stark

Meet the New AHA Staff: Executive Director Fish Stark

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Learn more about the AHA’s new executive director! TheHumanist.com: What is your educational and work background? I’m driven by a deep belief in the dignity of all people, and have spent my career building programs and movements that help people realize it in themselves and defend it in others. For years, I was the Director of Programs at a non-profit called Peace First, which trained and funded youth activists around the world to design and lead social innovation projects in their communities—students leading the first sex-ed programs in their rural village in Kenya, young people standing up programs to prevent and protest gun violence in the US.  We helped young people around the globe fight for social justice and find meaning through service. From there, I joined the tech startup world, creating digital programs to help kids build positive mental health. I ran the research and curriculum team at a company that was creating a secular, gender-inclusive Scouting program for kids, and we launched beloved chapters in five cities until we pivoted to building apps …