DOR-E: Deep Ocean Remus

"Using techniques borrowed from how whales hunt, a new underwater exploration device can scan vast areas of the ocean and tell us about ecosystems of which we have hardly any understanding."

Modeled after whale hunting patterns and techniques, the Deep Ocean Remus, (also known as DOR-E), will be used to research and explore the deepest areas in the ocean. Kelly Benoit-Bird along with a group of fellow researchers and oceanography experts from Oregon State University, built the DOR-E from a Remus torpedo. The Remus torpedo is favored by the American Navy, is about 16 feet long, and uses sonar.  It can be seen below:



The DOR-E will be a technological advancement in the world of oceanography, because it will be able to "use a two-frequency system to transmit and receive sound waves as it dives up to 2,000 feet.".  The DOR-E will be autonomously run, and will map the ocean floor.

                                                      (Picture from original article)
The focus in regards to marine life, will be on squids; a favorite Subject of Bird's. She believes that the DOR-E will aid in the tracking and measurements of deep sea squids. Other experts were hesitant and believed that "sonar would never pick up squids’ gelatinous bodies, since they lacked air-filled swim bladders." Bird provided them wrong by successfully tracking the size and movements of deep ocean squids. She even managed to attain information about jumbo squids in the Gulf of California.

Overall, the future of DOR-E in oceanography research is promising. Technology such as this provides viewpoints into natural areas, where humans could not go.

Original Article: http://www.fastcoexist.com/mba/1680893/an-autonomous-sub-speaks-whale-to-explore-the-deepest-ocean

Goby Rescue: The Symbiotic Relationship Between Coral and Fish

Fish Rescue: The Symbiotic Relationship Between Coral and Fish


According to scientists and researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the inch-long fish known as "gobies, respond to the chemical signals from the coral in a matter of minutes." Certain types of coral can send out chemical signals that act like calls for help to fish “bodyguards” when they are being attacked or feel threatened. Gobies are among the types of fish bodyguards that respond to these signals and sometimes minimize the threat. A common threat to coral is toxic seaweed. Once the gobies receive the signals, they can trim back the poisonous seaweed. The researchers studied Acropora nasuta, a species of coral that is key to coral reef ecosystems.

The gobies form the family Gobiidae. The Gobiidae family is one of the largest families of fish, with more than 2,000 species. Gobies grow to 4 inches long on average, but can reach up to 12 inches in length. Different species of gobies can be found in freshwater, saltwater, or brackish water. The majority of the goby species"spend their entire lives in the crevices of specific corals, receiving protection from their own predators while removing threats to the corals."

Original Article: http://personalliberty.com/2012/11/12/corals-use-chemicals-as-911-calls-to-fish/

Culling Invasive Species From Yellowstone Lake

Culling Invasive Species From Yellowstone Lake

(Pictured Here; Yellowstone Lake)

In an effort to reduce the amount of lake trout in Yellowstone Lake, officials have allowed fisheries to fish and cull over 300,000 trout this year, alone. The lake trout is an invasive species of trout that “has decimated populations of cutthroat trout, which are native to Yellowstone Lake.” The lake trouts, also known as mackinaws, were introduced illegally to Yellowstone Lake. The cutthroat trout are a key fish species in the Yellowstone Lake ecosystems. Officials say that about 224,000 lake trout were fished from Yellowstone Lake in 2011. This reduction in the invasive species has allowed some small ‘breathing room’ for the cutthroat trout to hopefully start replenishing the population.

(Pictured Here: a lake trout)

The officials from Yellowstone Lake were so pleased with the amount of invasive trout culled, that they “plan to hold netting at current levels into the near future.” Although 224, 000 lake trout were caught last year, the total kill for the ten years is only 500,000. The cutthroat trout are important to the Yellowstone Lake ecosystem because of food source they provide to the predators. Prior to the introduction of lake trout, cutthroat trout would swim up small streams in the thousands each spring to spawn. This spawning time "made them an easy catch for predators, and cutthroat were once an important food source for grizzly bears, bald eagles, ospreys and river otters."

Original Article: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/55263455-68/lake-yellowstone-trout-cutthroat.html.csp