Reef News

OATA Issues Important Antibiotic Guidelines

The Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association has introduced a new guide that clarifies the legal framework regarding the use of antibiotics for treating fish, corals, and other invertebrates. This guidance note aims to assist the industry in understanding its obligations concerning these vital medications and to ensure that trade contributes to the fight against antimicrobial resistanceRead More

Early Research Suggests Multivitamin Enriched Substrate May Benefit Corals

Coral reefs, much like humans, depend on the nutrients present in their surrounding environment. Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) are conducting laboratory experiments with nutrient-enriched tiles to assess their potential in enhancing the immune responses of corals. This enhancement may enable corals to better endure stressors such as rising ocean temperatures, whichRead More

Researchers Turn To Video In Fight Against Black Spot Syndrome

While it is frequently necessary, many researchers in biology and other natural sciences find dissection of specimens to be undesirable. This is primarily due to the fact that dissection involves the death of the animal being studied, which raises ethical concerns, particularly when the species in question is facing a decline in population. As aRead More

Cutting-Edge Robotics Tech Turns It’s Hand To Reef Restoration

A pioneering soft robotic hand, created by researchers at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, has the potential to transform the intricate and labour-intensive task of nurturing baby corals in laboratory settings, presenting an innovative method for coral restoration initiatives. The robotic hand, also referred to as a gripper, was engineered for attachment to a coralRead More

People Power Reveals Seahorse Secrets

Researchers from Project Seahorse, a marine conservation team based at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the University of British Columbia (UBC), have identified and reviewed new findings related to 35 of the 46 seahorse species found around the globe, all of them posted by citizen scientists using the team’s iSeahorse program. The program allows membersRead More

New Wrasse Discovered At Remote Revillagigedos

During an expedition to the remote islands of the Revillagigedo Archipelago off Mexico’s Pacific coast, a team of scientists have discovered a new species of Halichoeres wrasse that is likely endemic to the remote location. The researchers described the new species, dubbed Halichoeres sanchezi or the tailspot wrasse, in a paper published Feb. 28 in the journal PeerJ. The species was namedRead More

Substances Exuded By Stressed Corals Compound The Matter

Published in the journal Communications Biology, research led by the University of Hawai’i (UH) at Mānoa and the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) has revealed that when coral bleaching occurs, corals release unique organic compounds into the surrounding water that not only promote bacterial growth overall, but select for opportunistic bacteria that may furtherRead More

Scientist Give Endangered Fish A Helping Hand

In an effort to help protect a struggling species from warming seas, human-caused habitat changes and ravenous urchins, scientists have collected 25 extremely rare Red Handfish from the ocean off Australia. Only about 100 are left in the wild, living in a small section of reef off southeast Tasmania. At around 8cm centimetres in length,Read More

Could Green Hydrogen Save Suffocating Oceans?

It is estimated that, as a result of climate change, warming temperatures and an increase in nutrient density, oceans have lost about 2% of dissolved oxygen since the 1950s. Expected to increase by 4% by 2100, this loss rate can be more intense in some locations, such as coastal regions, posing a serious threat to biodiversity.Read More