August 2013 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 13. MISCELLANEOUS COMMERCIAL FISHING NEWS


waters, where light for photosynthesis was too scarce for them to thrive. Then a pulse of freshwater from melting glaciers—evi- denced by a change in the amount of a certain oxygen isotope in the foraminifera shells found in the core—stopped the mixing, trapping the phytoplankton and other small creatures in a thin, bright, nutrient-rich top layer of ocean. With greater exposure to light and nutrients, and iron levels that were still relatively high, the creatures fl ourished. “We think that ultimately this is what caused the productivity peak—that all these things happened all at once,” Lam says. “And it was a transient thing, because the iron continued to drop and eventually the nutrients ran out.” The study’s fi ndings disprove that iron caused this ancient bloom, but they also raise questions about a very modern idea. Some scientists have proposed seeding the world’s oceans with iron to trigger phyto- plankton blooms that could trap some of the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide and help stall climate change. This idea, sometimes referred to as the “Iron Hypothesis,” has met with considerable controversy, but scientifi c evidence of its potential effectiveness to sequester carbon and its impact on ocean life has been mixed.


“This study shows how there are multiple controls on ocean phytoplankton blooms, not just iron,” says Ken Bues- seler, a WHOI marine chemist who led a workshop in 2007 to discuss modern iron fertilization. “Certainly before we think about adding iron to the ocean to sequester carbon as a geoengineering tool, we should encourage studies like this of natural sys- tems where the conditions of adding iron, or not, on longer and larger time scales have already been done for us and we can study the consequences.”


The research was supported by a WHOI Interdisciplinary award, which was funded by the Lawrence J. Pratt and Melinda M. Hall Endowed Award for Interdisciplinary Research. Supplemental funding was pro- vided by the U.S. National Science Foun- dation, the European Research Council, and the Centre for Climate Dynamics at the Bjerknes Centre in Norway.


Summer Shark Research Heats Up at WHOI


White shark tagging expedition sets sail (July 31), Discovery Channel Shark Week


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segment “The Return of Jaws” features WHOI’s REMUS technology (Aug. 5),


and WHOI scientists and engineers share latest research at Woods Hole public event (Aug. 7).


As mythic as sharks are, surprisingly little is known about these apex ocean predators. Scientists and engineers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) are teaming up with strategic partners to gather crucial scientifi c data on these elusive crea- tures and to inform the public about their fi ndings.


Beginning July 31, WHOI scientists will collaborate with the non-profi t shark re- search organization OCEARCH on a month- long expedition to tag white sharks and collect valuable blood and tissue samples off the coast of Cape Cod. The OCEARCH vessel is uniquely equipped to catch, tag, and bio-sample sharks before they are released. Little is known about population sizes and movements of many large shark species. “We’re missing the very basics: what they eat, how often they eat, where they breed. There’s a real knowledge gap,” said Simon Thorrold, WHOI senior scientist, who will conduct research aboard the M/V OCEARCH.


The expedition will help scientists collect the information needed to inform potential conservation and public safety strategies for Cape Cod’s white sharks. “I’ve been studying shark ecology,


life history, and behavior for just about 30 years. And the reason I do that is so we can have the best available, most comprehen- sive information on how these animals live, ultimately so we can manage them at sus- tainable levels,” said Greg Skomal, WHOI adjunct scientist and MA Marine Fisheries biologist who will lead the research aboard the M/V OCEARCH.


As apex or top-of-the-food chain preda-


tors, fl uctuations in shark numbers can affect the entire marine food web.


“Sharks do the same things lions do in Africa and tigers in Asia,” Thorrold said. “Apex predators play important roles in maintaining ecological diversity.” Preliminary research has found that many of these white sharks travel to remote oceanic habitats in the central North Atlan- tic Ocean, which makes it challenging for scientists to study them. Also, many of the individual white sharks are transient and do not stay in the waters off Cape Cod for


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long. This gives scientists a narrow window of opportunity to gather data on them while they pass through. Until recently, scientists have been limited in their ability to observe white sharks. But engineers in WHOI’s Oceano- graphic Systems Lab, which invented the autonomous underwater vehicle REMUS, have developed with funding from the Discovery Channel new technologies to gather information on these creatures in their natural habitat. Some of these advances will be unveiled on Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” on Mon., Aug. 5 at 9 p.m. To raise awareness about the white shark and gray seal populations in Cape Cod waters, WHOI will host a free public forum on Wed., Aug. 7 with presentations from the scientists and engineers who study these species. “White Sharks/Gray Seals: Chasing the Cape’s Most Charismatic Predators” will be held in the Redfi eld Auditorium located at 45 Water Street in Woods Hole from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Adjacent to the auditorium, a “discovery” tent will feature displays and hands-on educational activities about the range of shark and seal research conducted at WHOI. The tent activities will begin at 5:30 and run until 9 p.m. Space for the public event is limited. Reservations can be made online at http://www.whoi.edu/events/ sharksandseals or by calling the WHOI


Commercial Fishing News


Information Offi ce at (508) 289-2252. Hear from WHOI scientists about their latest research at the Science Made Public talks every Tuesday at 3 p.m. throughout July and August at the WHOI Exhibit Center Auditorium located at 15 School Street in Woods Hole. On Aug. 20, WHOI engineer Amy Kukulya will talk about the new technology she helped develop to track white sharks like never before. On Aug. 27, WHOI-MIT joint program biology student Li Ling Hamady will talk about her research identifying the age of sharks through chem- ical analyses of their vertabrae. For more information, call (508) 289-2700.


CANADIAN FISHING NEWS


Commercial Scallop Fishery Violations – Eastern New Brunswick


Moncton, New Brunswick - Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Gulf Region, announced two New Brunswick residents have been fi ned by Judge Jolène Richard for violations under the Fisheries Act. Their fi nes total $3,500.


Roger Landry of Cap-Pelé pleaded guilty to being in possession of undersized scallops. He was fi ned $1,000 and his catch, valued at $1,563.75, was confi scated. Allain Boudreau of Grand-Barachois


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