Since the discovery of the Speartooth shark in 1982 there has never been a live adult specimen found anywhere - until now. Actually make that two. Researchers have captured a 2.2m female and a 2.3m male in the waters near Cape York, QLD and fitted them with satellite tags. The tags will last for about 2 months and record where the sharks travel, plus collecting data on depth and temperature …
A new study by University of Tasmania researchers and international collaborators has found that a key element of future changes in the distribution of marine biodiversity resulting from ocean warming is not as closely related to local warming rates as previously assumed. Read more in the University of Tasmania News.
Hundreds of divers and snorkelers will hit the water in their metaphorical lab coats this summer as part of the biggest citizen science event on Victoria’s marine calendar, the Great Victorian Fish Count. Read more about this event that runs from November 21 to Dec 6 in the Mornington Peninsula News (Redmap gets a mention too!).
The world’s oceans are warming at an accelerated rate due to anthropogenic activities. Over 100 species have undertaken polewards range-shifts along the south-east coast of Australia with expected positive and negative impacts in the invaded southern communities. Read more about this hot topic by researcher Jorge E. Ramos and Redmap founder Gretta Pecl from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies in the Ecological Society of Australia's Hot Topics …
Fancy yourself a bit of an artist? Check out the latest Redmap marine design competition.... (Closes November 5th 2015)
A University of Queensland scientist is calling for volunteer divers to photograph the underside of manta rays in waters off the Western Australian coastline and upload them to Facebook as part of a research project. Read more at UQ News.
Aboriginal society has preserved memories of Australia's coastline dating back more than 7,000 years. Read the full story in Science Daily.
The Women Divers Hall of Fame™ honours and raises awareness of the contributions of outstanding women divers. WDHOF provides educational, mentorship, financial, and career opportunities to the diving community throughout the world. Scholarships are now being offered in dive medicine, marine conservation, marine biology, underwater archaeology, marine education, journalism, graphic arts, or photography. Training grants provide funding for diver and related underwater training and, for some awards, scuba equipment. Applications …
Climate change is bad news for many species. Environments are changing more rapidly than plants and animals can adapt to—or move out of—them. Octopuses, however, reproduce so quickly (and multitudinously) and have such short generation times, they are generally well primed to adapt and move. The common Sydney octopus (Octopus tetricus), for one, is expanding its range poleward as the surrounding oceans warm. But could a shift south actually eventually limit this …
Sharks found in shallow, tropical waters around northern Australia are well placed to cope with climate change according to Queensland researchers. Read more about how sharks may thrive in a changing ocean in ABC News.
