Forecasting doesn’t eliminate the need for shellfish resource managers to test and monitor toxicity, but it can help them do so more effectively, says WHOI senior scientist Dennis McGillicuddy, a member of the team that developed HAB forecasting methods for the Gulf of Maine. It can also assist local public health departments in their responses [...]
Forecasts are a part of our everyday lives. Weather forecasts help businesses make plans. Economic forecasts help individuals and businesses navigate the uncertainties of the financial world. Similarly, ecological forecasts allow people to answer the “what if” questions in coastal management. Why do we need this? Because our coasts and oceans are constantly changing! Just [...]
Researchers from the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science have discovered that the insecticide etofenprox is toxic to estuarine grass shrimp. Because this insecticide is touted as a being one of the safer products to use around people and pets, manufacturers and consumers are starting to turn to it for mosquito control. Should use of [...]
In 2002, a mysterious disease began killing fish at a commercial aquaculture facility in North Carolina. Lots of fish. Over 21,000 striped bass died during the outbreak. At the time, no one knew what caused this massive fish kill. Why did it happen? Would it happen again? We now know that the culprit behind the [...]
A National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science scientist and partners have identified and characterized a powerful fish-killing toxin that has cancer-killing properties. Laboratory tests indicate that even low concentrations of euglenophycin led to a significant decrease in cancer cell growth, and can kill cancer cells. Preliminary studies show the toxin is highly effective against renal [...]
Are we loving our coasts to death? Part I—Introduction and Overview Our coastal ocean ecosystems provide us inestimable ecological, recreational, and economic benefits. Our populations flock to these coastal areas, both as full–time residents and as vacationers. The notion that we as a species yearn to return to the sea is one familiar to all [...]
This article was originally published on the NOAA website. NOAA scientists today released a 20-year study showing that environmental laws enacted in the 1970s are having a positive effect on reducing overall contaminant levels in coastal waters of the U.S. However, the report points to continuing concerns with elevated levels of metals and organic contaminants [...]
Robert Magnien, Ph.D. is a director at NCCOS in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. His office has led NOAA’s involvement with the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Hypoxia Task Force, the goal of which is to reduce the current “dead zone” in the northern Gulf of Mexico to less than 5,000 square kilometers [...]