Category Archives: Southeast Fisheries

Saving Grand Cayman’s Killer Pillar

I recently published a story about coral disease in Yale Environment 360, and I’ve had a lot of follow-up through social media. One of the top questions/comments I’ve received concerns Killer Pillar, a Grand Cayman dive site mentioned in the … Continue reading

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As Disease Ravages Coral Reefs, Scientists Scramble for Solutions (Excerpt from Yale E360)

The following is an excerpt of my article on climate disease fromYale Environment 360. Click “CONTINUE” at the end of the excerpts to read the full article at https://e360.yale.edu. In September 2014, William Precht received an alarming phone call. “I’m … Continue reading

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USGS Confirms 36th Non-Native Marine Fish Species Found in Florida

Today the the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced a West Pacific Ocean fish species commonly known as the blotched foxface rabbitfish (Siganus unimaculatus) was successfully captured off Dania Beach, Florida.  According to the USGS, this is the first record of the species … Continue reading

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Advocacy Groups May Sue over Queen Conch ESA Decision

Two advocacy groups notified the National Marine Fisheries Service today that they intended to litigate the agency’s decision to not list the queen conch (Strombus gigas) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Calling the agency’s review of the species, “a … Continue reading

Posted in Endangered Species Act (ESA), Forida, Gulf of Mexico, Litigation, Southeast Fisheries | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Feds Recommend Increase in Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper Quota

This afternoon, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council moved to set the controversial total red snapper quota equal to the acceptable biological catch (ABC)* of 14.30 million pounds (mp) for 2015. This quota would represent an increase of 3.3 mp … Continue reading

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First Report (and Removal) of Non-Native Surgeonfish Species in Florida

In a press release yesterday, the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) reported the first record of the non-native marine fish species Acanthurus pyroferus (commonly called the chocolate surgeonfish or the mimic lemon peel surgeonfish) in Florida waters. According to the release, the fish was first … Continue reading

Posted in Forida, Invasive Species, Ornamental Fisheries, Southeast Fisheries | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Marine Policy Paper Sheds New Light on Ecological Risks of the Aquarium Hobby

A new paper in the journal Marine Policy (“The 800-Pound Grouper in the Room: Asymptotic Body Size and Invasiveness of Marine Aquarium Fishes,” Holmberg et al.) is critical of the aquarium trade practice of selling fishes unsuitable for most home … Continue reading

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The Big Picture – Freedom, Collaboration and Vigilance in the Name of Conservation

It’s high time that we recognize that our freedom and our biodiversity are linked together. We cannot have an abundance of the former without an abundance of the latter. – H. Bruce Rinker Dr. H. Bruce Rinker’s most recent offering in … Continue reading

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BANNED! [Excerpt from CORAL Magazine]

For your weekend reading enjoyment, CORAL Magazine has made one of my articles from the July/August 2014 print issue on Florida’s new lionfish import ban available for free online. After many months of fact-finding and testimony, the seven Florida Fish and … Continue reading

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The Trouble with Trash Fish – Building Markets

“We have an idea what we might get, but we won’t know for sure until the day of the event,” said chef Stephen Phelps in an article published Wednesday in the Herald-Tribune. He was talking about the fish that will be … Continue reading

Posted in Chef's Collaborative, Forida, Groundfishing, Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), Human Health, Invasive Species, Mercury, Overfishing, Southeast Fisheries | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment