Small-scale fisheries play a significant but overlooked role in global fisheries production and are key to addressing hunger and malnutrition while supporting livelihoods around the world, according to research featured in Nature. Published by an international team of scientists, the study is the first to rigorously quantify how marine and inland small-scale fisheries contribute to aquatic harvests and nutritional and socioeconomic security on a global scale.

new Tel Aviv University study has uncovered alarming findings about the spread of microplastic particles in the marine food web. In recent years, numerous studies have examined the dangers of marine animals and more specifically, filter-feeding organisms, ingesting non-degradable microplastic particles. In the current study, the research team sought to understand how the biological filtration by filter-feeding organisms effect the microplastics in their environment. 

New research from the University of Chicago revealed that the nervous system circuitry that controls arm movement in octopuses is segmented, giving these extraordinary creatures precise control across all eight arms and hundreds of suckers to explore their environment, grasp objects, and capture prey.

Urban infrastructure, such as stormwater management ponds (SWMPs), have the potential to be rehabilitated and provide critical freshwater habitat in urbanized watersheds if designed adequately. We tracked different native fish species using passive integrated transponder technology to assess the level of connectivity between a rehabilitated SWMP and a river. We found a high degree of connectivity between the two habitats, even during challenging environmental conditions such as high water temperatures and abundant submerged vegetation.

A newly discovered giant isopod has been named after Darth Vader of Star Wars, inspired by his iconic and distinctive helmet. The 32.5 cm-long sea bug, known as a "supergiant" was found off the coast of Vietnam. The species has become sought-after as a delicacy in Vietnam, raising concerns about its sustainable use and highlighting the need for better understanding of our deep-sea environments. The isopod's description was published in the open-access journal ZooKeys.

Using state-of-the-art, high resolution micro-CT scanning, FAU researchers have scanned a full skeleton of a very rare vaquita specimen from the 1960s. The objective of scanning this rare specimen for display purposes is to facilitate the creation of replicas to be commercially available to further education and conservation efforts of this critically endangered species. The completed scans, which required approximately 165 hours, resulted in a total of three terabytes of data.

Life on the Great Barrier Reef is undergoing big changes in the face of climate change and other human-caused pressures, a new study reveals.  

From food security to controlling seaweed and even making sand for beaches, reef fish are a hugely important part of marine ecosystems providing a range of benefits to humans and coral reef ecosystems.

New research from an international team of marine scientists from the UK and Australia and led by researchers at Lancaster University, published today in the journal Nature Communications, reveals significant transformations in fish communities on the Great Barrier Reef, the World’s largest coral reef ecosystem.