By: Dana Sackett As an environmental scientist I can honestly say that I am very concerned for the future of our planet and ourselves. I cannot emphasize enough the reality of climate change, that it is human-caused (and therefore that we can do something about it), and that we definitely need to do something about…
Author: dksackett
Do fish have ears? And if so, what impacts do people have on their ability to hear?
By: Dana Sackett At first glance, fish don’t appear to have ears, but that doesn’t mean they can’t hear. While there are usually no openings on a fish’s head for sound to enter, they do have inner ears that pick-up sound through their body. In fact, many fish rely on their ears to find habitat…
Blending a fisheries science career as a mom and military spouse: the challenges of my road less traveled
By: Dana Sackett I was recently encouraged by a close friend to share the challenges and successes of the path I have chosen as a fisheries scientist, mom, and military spouse. To be honest, this path wasn’t the plan, but after falling in love and marrying into the military, I found I needed to pave…
El Niño, warming up the tropics with some devastating global consequences
By: Dana Sackett (with awesome edits by Troy Farmer) Most of us have probably heard the term El Niño. But what exactly is El Niño and what impact does it have on our oceans and climate? Another important question to ask is: what can we expect from El Niño in a future with a warmer…
Who needs a backbone when you have toxins: our top 5 most venomous ocean invertebrates
Illustrations by the very talented Hannah Dean. Written by Dana Sackett. Inspired by your comments on our previous article, the most poisonous and venomous fish, we decided to highlight those other sea creatures that, despite not having a backbone, also pack a powerful toxic punch. 1. First on the list are the box jellyfish or…
Zebrafish help show how ‘BPA-free’ is misleading
By: Dana Sackett Zebrafish are small freshwater fish that originated in rivers from India. These fish share important biological properties with all vertebrates that make them useful in understanding how contaminants may impact other vertebrates in the environment, including ourselves. Logistically they are also useful because they are easy to maintain in aquariums, and they…
Estrogens may be feminizing a waterway near you
By: Dana Sackett “Clutching the bottle of water I had just collected from the Pee Dee River, I climbed the steep embankment back to our truck wondering how much estrogen we would find in our sample. We spent the better part of a month driving across North Carolina to examine a suite of chemicals called…
Some Unexpected Consequences of Climate Change
By: Troy Farmer, a postdoctoral researcher at Auburn University On a global scale, aquatic systems are warming. Average temperatures in the world’s oceans have been steadily increasing over the past 50 years. Given that the observed warming trends are predicted to continue, our job, as fisheries scientists, is to understand how fish are presently being…
Where does the mercury in our fish come from?
By: Dana Sackett The answer to the question, “Where does the mercury in our fish come from?” can be a bit complicated. While most mercury in our air and water originates from burning coal and other industrial sources, the form of mercury released from these sources is usually inorganic, meaning not the form that we…
Talking trash in the deep sea
By: Anela Choy (guest blogger and postdoctoral researcher at MBARI) Plastic debris in the ocean is no stranger to headline news… Surfers gliding through waves filled with plastic in Indonesia. The world’s largest landfill in the middle of the ocean, a vast area otherwise deemed the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” Sea birds ingesting large amounts…
Plankton or Plastic?
By: Dana Sackett At the end of this article you will get to play a game that many aquatic species are playing these days: Plankton or Plastic? If aquatic animals get it right and choose plankton, they get to enjoy a tasty treat full of life-sustaining nutrition, if not, they fill the much-needed space in…
Thank You Jaws! The Upside for Sharks 40 Years Later
By: Tobey Curtis, guest blogger When Jaws hit theaters 40 years ago this week, it changed everything for sharks. Steven Spielberg’s film adaptation of Peter Benchley’s monster shark novel is now so iconic that it requires no introduction. The thrumming, two-note cello riff can still send shivers down your spine even if someone starts humming…
Using fish for sunscreen?
By: Dana Sackett The title of this post may produce images of holding up a fish like an umbrella to block the sun but the real meaning comes from natural compounds created by fish that can block harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Recent findings have suggested that it may be possible to reproduce these natural benefits for humans….
Is seaweed stank preventing coral reefs from recovering?
By: Dana Sackett Chemical cues are ubiquitously used by animals and plants in every environment; often with the intended purpose to attract a nearby friend or repel an unwanted enemy. A recent article by Dixson and others examined these chemical cues from corals and seaweeds, enemies that fight for habitat in our shallow ocean environments. …
Explosive questions
By: Dana Sackett Successful marine protected areas (MPAs) have helped to improve many fisheries. What, may you ask, helps those successful MPAs be successful? Well, there are a number of things that need to be considered to effectively pick a site and implement an MPA. Some of these include fish biology, politics, societal needs, and…
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