SCUBA News 108

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011)
Issue 108 - April 2009
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome SCUBA News number 108: thanks for subscribing. I do hope you enjoy the newsletter, but should you wish to stop receiving them please remove yourself at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/news.html
SCUBA News is published by SCUBA Travel, the independent guide to diving around the world.

Contents:
- What's new at SCUBA Travel?
- Creature of the Month: Deep Sea Corals
- Diving News from Around the World

__________________________________________________________

What's New at SCUBA Travel?
===========================

Diving Australia

More on the dive sites and dive centres of Australia is now up at
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/australia/

Scuba diving books: bestsellers of the last quarter

The best selling books bought by SCUBA divers in the first quarter of 2009.
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/bestsellers.html

More...

For regular announcements of what's new at the SCUBA Travel site see the Diving Board at
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=2

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

Creature of the Month: Deep Sea Corals
==========================================================

Deep-sea corals are found on hard surfaces on seamounts and continental margins worldwide at depths of 300 to 3000 m. Deep-sea coral communities are hotspots of living things, both in terms of numbers and diversity of species. They provide critical habitat for fish and invertebrates.

Newly applied radiocarbon dating of the deep water corals Gerardia and Leiopathes species show that their growth rates are extremely low, and that individual colonies live for thousands of years. The longest-lived specimens were Leiopathes species (Black Corals) at 4265 years old.

The coral specimens were collected with submersibles off the coast of Hawaii. Researchers measured the age of the corals' proteinaceous skeleton and found that the corals grew much more slowly than previous dating techniques had shown.

The management and conservation of deep-sea coral communities is challenged by their commercial harvest for the jewellery trade and damage caused by deep-water fishing practices.

The scientists conclude that in light of the corals' unusual longevity, we need to better understand their ecology and relationship with other bottom-dwelling creatures before forming a coherent international conservation strategy for these important deep-sea habitat-forming species.

Leiopathes black corals have a dark skeleton, after which they are named. The black skeleton forms irregularly branching, tree-like structures. Gorgonian-like, the skeleton is covered with polyps. Leiopathes corals are listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which means that they are not necessarily threatened with extinction now but may become so unless trade is closely controlled. Gerardia species are sometimes known as False Black Corals. Not all of these are deep sea: colonies are found in the Mediterranean between 50 and 80 m.

Further Reading:
Deep-sea corals live thousands of years
False Black Coral

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

Diving News From Around the World
=================================

If you would like display this news on your web site then go to http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/newsfeed.html to find out how. It's free and automatically updates your web page with the latest diving news.

Scapa Flow Dive Guide

The 2nd edition of the Scapa Flow Dive Guide is out this month with more wreck details, photographs and a completely new section on aeroplane wrecks.

Hungry shrimp eat climate change experiment

Early results from the latest attempt to use iron to fertilise the ocean and sequester carbon have failed because the phytoplankton bloom was eaten by copepods.

Antarctic marine biodiversity data now online

Information on antarctic marine species is now online and free. Includes over 2000 photos and videos.

CO2 uptake by plankton reduced in warmer seas

Biologists have shown that the uptake of CO2 by marine plankton will be reduced if oceans warm, thereby potentially feeding back and making climate change even worse.

Whale Sharks need wider protection against over-fishing

Whale sharks, the world's largest fish, are imperiled by over-fishing in parts of its ocean range. New research shows little genetic variation across widely separated tropical oceans, underscoring the need for wider protection against over-fishing. "Our data show that whale sharks found in different oceans are genetically quite similar, which means that animals move and interbreed between populations," said Schmidt, one of the researchers. "From a conservation standpoint, it means that whale sharks in protected waters cannot be assumed to stay in those waters, but may move into areas where they may be in danger."

Ultra-Rare Shark Caught and Eaten

A megamouth shark, one of the world's most elusive species, was caught, carved up and eaten by fishermen from a town in the Philippines, the environmental conservation group WWF said. So rare are megamouth shark sightings that each find is given a number - this one, caught by fishermen from the coastal town of Donsol, was only the 41st ever seen or captured in the world.

Code red: How coral reef fish keep in touch?

Coral reef fish give off red light. Is this part of a private system of communication that is proof against eavesdroppers?

Scientists Decode Mysterious Green Glow of the Sea

Many longtime sailors have been mesmerized by the dazzling displays of green light often seen below the ocean surface in tropical seas. Now researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have uncovered key clues about the bioluminescent worms that produce the green glow and the biological mechanisms behind their light production.

Fish larvae settle 35 km away from parents

10% of fish larvae spawned on one marine reserve actually make it to another marine reserve up to 35 km away. These wayward offspring play an important role in the ecosystem, contributing to the resilience of populations in distant reserves. 40% of the juveniles seemed somehow hardwired to settle close to their parents, the literal apple not falling far from the tree. These offspring also play a key role in population dynamics, sustaining the populations in the lagoons where they were spawned.

Fish mega-shoals could be world's biggest animal group

When Atlantic herring get together, they don't mess around with small gatherings. Using a new ocean imaging technology, scientists have found that the fish form "mega-shoals" of hundreds of millions of fish, covering dozens of square kilometres.

Ocean-Going Robotic Submarine Returns

Scientists are celebrating the first successful deployment and retrieval in Australia of a remotely controlled, deep ocean-going robotic submarine destined to play a central role in measuring changes in two of Australia's most influential ocean currents.

__________________________________________________________

* Copyright SCUBA Travel - http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/
* Reprinting welcomed with this footer included.

We are happy for you to copy and distribute this newsletter, and even use parts of it on your own web site, providing the above copyright notice is included and a link back to our web site is in place.

Previous editions of SCUBA News are archived at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/news.html
For daily news updates subscribe to our rss feed at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scuba.xml
or follow us on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/SCUBANews

SUBSCRIBING AND UNSUBSCRIBING
Visit http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/news.html and add or remove your e-mail address.

CONTACTING THE EDITOR
Please send your letters or press releases to:
The Editor
SCUBA News
The Cliff
Upper Mayfield
DE6 2HR
UK

ADVERTISING
Should you wish to advertise in SCUBA News, please fill in the form at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/newsad.html

PUBLISHER: SCUBA Travel, 5 Loxford Court, Hulme, Manchester, M15 6AF, UK
EDITOR: Jill Studholme