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Invasive shrimp species found in Wales

Wed, 01/12/2010 - 06:44 by Prince damin

Cardiff, Wales -- British environmentalists say an invasive "killer" shrimp that feeds on native counterparts, young fish and insect larvae has been detected in Wales.

The predatory Dikerogammarus villosus can have serious impacts on the ecology of habitats it invades and can cause extinctions, the BBC reported.

Dubbed the killer shrimp by biologists for its voracious appetite, it often kills its prey and leaves it uneaten.

Originally from the steppe region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, D. villosus, which can grow to be much larger than native freshwater shrimp, has been spreading across Western Europe for 10 years.

Dead, dying coral at gulf oil spill site

Sat, 06/11/2010 - 10:36 by Prince damin

University Park, Pa. -- U.S. scientists say they've discovered dying corals and other sea creatures in the vicinity of the Deepwater Horizon Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Biologists on a research ship made the discovery Tuesday of a community of corals with numbers of recently dead colonies and others that are clearly dying, a Penn State University release said Friday.

"We discovered a community of coral that has been impacted fairly recently by something very toxic," Charles Fisher, a professor of biology at Penn State who is chief scientist on the cruise, said.
Fisher said a colony of the hard coral species Madrepora at a depth of 4,500 feet appeared to be unhealthy.

Heat may have caused N.J. fish kill

Fri, 13/08/2010 - 22:28 by Prince damin

Cape May, N.J. -- The thousands of dead menhaden that have washed up along Delaware Bay in South Jersey may have been victims of this summer's heat, biologists say.

Robert Van Fossen, in charge of emergency management for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, said tests showed dissolved oxygen levels were low after the fish kill, The Press of Atlantic City reported. He said oxygen levels drop as water gets warmer.

The dead fish were found Wednesday along an 8-mile stretch of bay shore in Cape May County.

The fish probably died at night, Van Fossen said. During the hours of darkness, plants in the water are not carrying on photosynthesis and releasing oxygen, causing levels to fall.