A grey whale was seen off the coast of Herzliya Marina, Israel. The Whale may have just accidentally traveled a long ways away from its natural habitat. It also might mean that they have come back to return to the western hemisphere. The Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance(IMMRAC) found this discovery on May 9, 2010. This is rare because the grey whale went extinct in the North Atlantic in the 17th century.
Do you think the Grey whales will return to the North Atlantic?
Will this effect the ocean habitat?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8672000/8672970.stm
In this article http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8523389.stm
A lot of these new species are very colorful and weird looking. “The final report will be realesed in october 2010. This project has involved more than 2,000 scientists from 80 countries.” The researchers presented images of some very bizarre species in the last decade.some examples are:
From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8523389.stm
Kiwa hirsuta, a crab that was so unusual it had to be in a whole new family designation, This member of the new Kiwaidae family of crabs.It’s named this because of it’s hair.
“Shirley Pomponi, a scientist from Florida Atlantic University, highlighted a new species of sponge. It was found in Florida Keys. Further investigation revealed that it produced a chemical with anti-cancer properties, which is now being investigated as a potential therapeutic.”
How could these discoveries help us?
How is this important?
King salmon used to be a big role in the fishing industry, But this year a total ban on commercial fishing for king salmon on the river in Alaska has strained poor communities and stripped the prized Yukon fish off menus in the lower 48.
People have been saying that its not worth it and its too hard to support their family by commercial fishing. People still don’t know why the weak runs are coming. This has been going on for a few years now. What most likely to blame is changes in ocean conditions and it might be years before the salmon come in large numbers.
This affects Alaska by a lot because Alaska supplies about 40 states down in the lower 48 and is the biggest commercial fishing industry. almost all commercially caught king salmon were sold to buyers in Japan. But in 2004, Kwik’Pak began marketing the fish domestically, and for a few years fish-lovers in the lower 48 could find Yukon River kings at upscale restaurants and stores.
http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/business/03salmon.html&OQ=_rQ3D2&OP=33b63fc2Q2FwI8qwQ5EQ26Q3A0kQ26Q266EwEPP2wQ5DPwP3wq,0Wm800wP30B5!Q26mQ2AQ3F6!5
What’s causing these weak runs?
How could we fix this problem?