The Seablog

Hello, I'm an FFA student in my Vet Science class my teacher mentioned aquaculture as being an official topic in the FFA. A couple of friends and I would really like to have an aquaculture project, we're very responsible and would do all the research, but we're wondering what the costs may be and what kind of work we would have to expect. We are really interested in raising sharks (3-6), either Guitar fish or Brown Smoothhounds, is this possible? Sorry I can't explain more of it in an ask.

Thu, 17 May 2012 10:45:30 +0100

I’m not sure anyones ever tried to do an aquaculture project with sharks before, and it would be quite interesting to see, but also very difficult. One problem i can see is im not entirely sure if your professors/FFA would consider this aquaculture in the first place: aquaculture generally refers to a larger scale of production and raising 3-6 sharks is more like something an aquarist might do.

That’s not to say it can’t be done though, however it would probably be very expensive: depending on wether you can actually get eggs for these sharks in the first place, getting them to hatch isn’t the easiest thing in the world, and the gestation period is between 9-12 months. You’d also need quite a large tank to raise any type of shark and in some cases they will only eat live feed, which is also very expensive to keep up.

If you’re looking to do an aquaculture project raising crustaceans such as crabs or shrimps is very cheap (however time consuming, it could take up to two years to have a fully grown culture). Zooplankton/algae work very well as well & i know that salmon larvae would probably work quite well , and isn’t all too expensive.

I hope that helped, if you have more details about what you actually want to do i’d be glad to help out.

Your blog is so fascinating !

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 10:43:40 +0000

thank you so much!:)

The forgotten fish? Shark finning is a massive, multi million...

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:23:06 +0000

The forgotten fish?

Shark finning is a massive, multi million dollar industry. But there’s another fish that’s more endangered (in fact, the IUCN once described this as one of the most endangered species on earth) that’s also being killed illegally for one small component of its body. Above is the beluga, or Huso huso. Not the whale, but the sturgeon. Growing up to some massive sizes of 1500 kilos and 7.2 meters long (as one specimen caught in 1827) and living for up to 100 years it is also the oldest living family of bony fish. It is hunted for its roe. Beluga caviar is one of the most exclusive and sought after types of caviar, and severe overfishing has caused this beautiful fish to be classified as critically endangered by the IUCN.

Beluga caviar can sell for as much as 10,000$ per kilo depending on the quality, with a special sort (harvested exclusively from females at least a 100 years of age) going for some 25,000$ per kilo.

Much like the shark, the beluga is an apex predator in its environment, and it would be a shame to see such a beautiful fish disappear.

My obligatory Kony2012 post.

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:11:06 +0000

There’s been a ridiculous amount of buzz lately about this whole Kony 2012 thing, so i decided today that’d i’d finally sit down and watch it today. While i am absolutely blown away and disgusted that what is happening in uganda (or was happening in uganda and now elsewhere according to some sources) is happening, i just can’t help wishing that people always acted like this when it comes to matters like these.

Without sounding all too “environmental warrior”, i just can’t help but to feel sad that with all the amazing documentaries that are out there about the environment, and with all the data that there is to show how utterly we are abusing our earth, why aren’t we making the same effort? After all, that truly affects every single one of us.

We are all really, in one way our another, environmental Joseph Konys. And it needs to stop. So stop it.

Sorry about the long text post, hope someone took some time to read this.

That was a very ocean concerned episode of family guy. I rather...

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 23:49:34 +0000

That was a very ocean concerned episode of family guy. I rather liked it.

Just thought i’d also showcase some of the beautiful...

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 23:31:31 +0000

Just thought i’d also showcase some of the beautiful drawings by Ernst Haeckel of radiolarians and diatoms (left and right respectively).

While we’re being microbiologists, lets also explore the...

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 23:31:08 +0000

While we’re being microbiologists, lets also explore the zooplankton. These are radiolarians, they are, if possible, even more intricate and beautiful than diatoms due to to their mineral based skeleton. The feeding manner is quite interesting: Using extensions in their skeleton known as pseudopods, they slowly ingest prey such as diatoms or other small plankton. In some cases however, they have been found to be attached and slowly digesting zooplankton sometimes 1000x larger than themselves (which still isn’t that large, as radiolarians only grow to a max of 300 microns, but still an impressive feat nonetheless)

Things in the ocean that you can’t see, but really should...

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 23:28:39 +0000

Things in the ocean that you can’t see, but really should be paying attention to:

Diatoms. One of the most commonly found types of phytoplankton, they’re made up of these incredibly complex silica exoskeletons, which give them their distinctive look. They’re an incredibly important group - alone they’re responsible for something like 40% of marine primary production.

Hi, could you please post some pictures of the various oceanic micro-organisms. I have always loved pictures of Diatoms specifically, as they are so delicate.

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 22:59:59 +0000

Definitely! I love marine micro organisms, they’re incredibly interesting and beautiful. Coming right up:)

helloo

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 21:59:16 +0000

Aand i’m back and posting again. That was an interesting & busy week. Sorry about the lack of recent posting:)

I hope you feel better! Eat lots of chicken noodle soup and stay warm!

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 22:45:29 +0000

thank you! i definitely will do:)

Good luck and feel better!

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 22:33:25 +0000

thanks so much!:)

Ridiculously busy week coming up, i’m in a play, i’ve got loads of work &...

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 22:31:21 +0000

Ridiculously busy week coming up, i’m in a play, i’ve got loads of work & practicals. And on top of that i’m sick. Can’t make any promises post wise this week, might be very slow, but i do promise i will return at the end of the week!

Thanks for following:)

5 things you may not have known about the ocean. 1. While its...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:48:00 +0000

5 things you may not have known about the ocean.

While its commonly known that the ocean covers something like 71% of our planets surface, it contains within it 99% of the habitable space on earth. Within this 99% as much as 95% of the life on earth is found.

90% of the ocean is considered “deep” (over 2000 meters) and the average depth of the ocean is around 3795 meters. The deepest point (the Challenger Deep) is 10,916 meters. That’s as much as 1.23 Mount Everests. The pressure of the water on top of you at this point is equivalent to supporting 50 Jumbo Jets by yourself.

Only 10% of the sea has been explored by humans. In this 10%, around 200000 species have been described: it is estimated that as much as 30 million species may remain undiscovered.

The largest animal ever to live on this earth is the Blue Whale, measuring in at 30 meters long and weighing 180 tonnes (although the Bootlace Worm can grow longer than a blue whale, with some being measured at 50 meters long and 10 cm wide). It is also one of the fastest aquatic animals, reaching speeds of 50 km/h (the fastest are Sailfish, clocking in at 110 km/h)

The ocean is being destroyed at an alarming rate: More oil reaches the oceans as a result of leaking cars every year than the BP spill, and as much trash is dumped in the oceans each year as fish are taken out. Around 100 million sharks are killed yearly, 30% of these for their fins and the rest as by-catch.

Have you already done a top five crabs? My son LOVES the floating crab (largely thanks to some documentary footage of a floating crab going after the feet of birds floating in the water).

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:57:09 +0000

that’s actually a great idea, there are some really cool crabs out there. thanks for the suggestion:)

i feel like doing another top 5ish list of something...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:53:44 +0000

suggestions?

A Nudibranch laying an egg spiral on a Polycarpa aurata sea...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:38:05 +0000

A Nudibranch laying an egg spiral on a Polycarpa aurata sea squirt.

5 favourite cephalopods: the one with all of them. I quite like...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:08:45 +0000

5 favourite cephalopods: the one with all of them.

I quite like doing strings of themed posts like that.

Cephalopods are just beautiful, amazing & incredibly intelligent animals. Anyways, here they are, if anyones interested (top to bottom, left to right, click through for orignal post):

1. Dosidicus gigas, The Humboldt Squid. Or in spanish, Diablo Rojo (Red Devil)

2. Tremoctopus, the Blanket Octopus

3. Enteroctopus Dofleini, The Giant Pacific Octopus

4. Todarodes pacificus, Japanese Flying Squid

5. Wunderpus photogenicus, The Wonderpus

Irrelephant wanted some information on Sea Squirts/ascidians, so...

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:51:51 +0000

Irrelephant wanted some information on Sea Squirts/ascidians, so here we go. Prepare for some proper marine science.

I think ascidians are actually somewhat ignored, they’re some very beautiful animals. Consisting of around 2300 species it’s quite a diverse class although they all have some common characteristcs: They’re all sessile (attached to a hard substrate), they’re all filter feeders (meaning they filter out organic matter from the water column) and unlike other similar Tunicates they have a much tougher tunic made of polysaccharides. They can either be solitary or form colonies several meters in diameter. They have a relatively simple nervous system, with receptors for chemical changes, light and touch. All are hermaphroditic and capable of both asexual & sexual fragmentation.

Interestingly, Nudibranchs (amongst other animals) feed on them, but also use them as a substrate for egg attachment.

Due to the incredible filtering capabilites of these animals, they’re incredibly sensitive to pollution.

As for some interesting species, Polycarpa aurata and Rophalaea are incredibly pretty, but Didemnum (shown above overgrowing green algae) species might be more interesting due to it being a major invasive species (and only one of the many invasive sea squirts) and generally a big nuisance.

5 favourite cephalopods, no.5: Cephalopods are an amazingly...

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:23:44 +0000

5 favourite cephalopods, no.5:

Cephalopods are an amazingly diverse class of animals, but out of all of them there is one which i just can’t help loving. It isn’t the small and cute Hawaii Bobtail Squid, it isn’t the absolutely terrifying Vampyroteuthis infernalis (otherwise known as the Vampire Squid from Hell). It’s the majestic, incredibly intelligent and also somewhat terrifying Humboldt Squid, Dosidicus gigas.

These animals can reach lengths of 1.75 (and that’s just the mantle, so it doesn’t include the head, arms or tentacles) and weigh as much as 50 kg. They hunt in shoals of up to 1500 indivudals, and usually reside between 200-700 meters.

Divers often describe them as incredibly curious animals (although this curiosity may be mistaken for agression, having a 2 meter long squid with hooked tentacles feel you up wouldn’t exactly make you feel great). They’re the only invertebrate known to hunt in shoals and communicate with each other, they even show hunting strategies. They’re almost like the killer whales of cephalopods.

Sadly, studies have found that ocean acidification may hit the Humboldt hard: it was found that if acidification continues increase at the same rate metabolic rate may decrease by as much as 30% and activity levels by almost 50% by the end of the century.

If any animal on earth, D. gigas is truly a masterpiece of evolution, and that is why it’s my favourite of all time.