Tippets: Eradicating Aussie Carp, Chesapeake Bay Shows Improvement, Farmed Fish & Hearing Loss, Streams in Winter, Ocean Acidity

May 4, 2016 By: Erin Block

  • In Australia, a strain of herpes virus will be released into the Murray-Darling river system with the goal to eradicate European carp. Research from CSIRO has shown the virus to have no impact on humans. Via ABC News.
  • Annual monitoring of underwater grass by the Chesapeake Bay Program shows a 21 percent increase, the highest level in thirty years, and a hopeful sign that efforts to reduce pollution in the Bay are working.
  • Half of the world’s farmed fish may suffer hearing loss, says new research published in the journal Scientific Reports. The earbone deformity “could help explain the underperformance of some fish conservation programs, which breed fish in captivity so they can be released into the wild.” Via Discovery.
  • New research published in the journal Ecology and Evolution examines how stream-resident fish survive over winter. Using PIT tags, researchers were able to follow fish in ice-covered waters. Via Science Magazine.
  • The world’s oceans are becoming more acidic and their oxygen levels are dropping as they absorb carbon dioxide released from increased burning of fossil fuels and forests. This makes it harder for shellfish and crabs to form shells, and poses threats to fisheries that depend on the food source. Via The Sydney Morning Herald.