Halibut Herald October 17

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ALIBUT HERALD October 17, 2008

Bits and Bites Remembering Nyac Sea otter has own Facebook site Before her death from leukemia last month, Nyac, the much-loved sea otter at the Vancouver Aquarium had a clever way of eating live crabs, said Brenda Jones, who worked as manager of public relations at the aquarium for three and a half years. Nyac would bite off one set of pincers so she could begin sampling the crustacean without getting hurt. She then would turn the remaining live pincers away from her body so the other otters sharing the tank wouldn't attempt to steal her prize. "She was so smart," said Jones. On Nyac's 19th birthday, aquarium staff gave her a live crab, which the aging otter took time getting to. The crab ran around the bottom of the exhibit while the less experienced sea otters watched. "It was Nyac who taught [her mate] Milo how to eat live crabs when he first arrived at the aquarium," said Jones, who last year started the Nyac Fan Club on Facebook. "But he wasn't having anything to do with this one. Finally Nyac went and got it." Jones felt that Nyac touched many lives during the sea otter's almost 20 years at the aquarium, which is why she created the Marine Mammal Enrichment Fund as a legacy for the otter. She hopes the fund will help purchase extra items, such as the live crabs given to the otters as treats, to better the lives of facility's mammals. Until Nov. 30, Jones will match a total of $2,000 in donations, which means a $20 contribution will purchase $40 worth of enrichment items. READ ON HERE: http://www.canada.com/vancouvercourier/news/story.html?id=27bf57b1-7e38-49c7-bedd-7c8c871f8d5d

****************************** How Sunk Battleships are Converted into New Ecosystems What to do with decommissioned naval ships? Scrap them and make a quick buck? Well, at least one possible use for them is to create artificial reefs, just as the Cayman Islands intend to. The Caribbean diving haven will soon be scuttling the 2077 tonne USS Kittiwake to their shores, once ownership of the vessel is transferred from the US Maritime Association to the government.

The 251ft Kittiwake has been anchored for years amongst the ‘ghost fleet’ of decommissioned vessels at Fort Eustis, Virginia. Built in 1945, the ship made numerous voyages between the United States’ east coast, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean in support of submarines and to conduct rescue missions for the US Navy. The vessel should attract large schools of fish to the deserted cabins and halls; much like the Russian destroyer sunk in 1996 by the Cayman Islands and now decorated in sponges and coral, whilst attracting a lot of divers.

It may seem odd to be sinking boats intentionally, but it’s not a new idea. In Florida, there is a shipwreck heritage trail, with notable wreck sites from Key Largo to Key West. While some were sunk unintentionally, others have intentionally given themselves to the sea. The result is a wreck trail believed to be home to some 55 varieties of delicate corals and nearly 500 species of fish – recycling and reuse at its very best.

Flesh Eating Mutant Fish Invades Nepal Giant Goonch Picture the scene: It’s a hot, balmy day in India, the sun’s rays beat down, prickling the skin. A meandering river ahead looks inviting, and although it’s not the clearest water in the world, a cool, refreshing dip would soothe the effects of the midday sun. A word of warning: don’t do it! Otherwise you may fall prey to a fearsome, grotesque monster

waiting in the depths. Or so residents near the Great Kali River believe. It is thought that a stretch of the river, popular with adventurers seeking the thrills of white water rafting, is home to a killer mutant fish. Locals in the India-Nepal border region have been convinced there is something untoward lingering in the river for many years but, recently, when an 18-year-old Nepalese boy was dragged down into the depths by something described as an ‘elongated pig’, events were finally investigated.

Normal Sized Goonch A TV presenter and biologist, Jeremy Wade, investigated the mysterious disappearances for a documentary and discovered a huge type of catfish, called a goonch, may be responsible for the carnage. For centuries, the river has been used in Hindu ceremonies – like the Ganges, bodies are totally immersed in the river to help send their soul to heaven – with local residents releasing their loved ones into the water after the funeral pyres have gone out. The giant fish, one of the biggest fresh water fish in existence, may have developed an uncanny taste for human flesh after feasting on the remains of burnt corpses. Now unsuspecting bathers cooling off in the Kali are at risk of becoming fish food. Wade said: “The locals have told me of a theory that this monster has grown extra large on a diet of partially burnt corpses. It has perhaps got this taste for flesh by feasting on remains of funeral pyres. There will be a few freak individuals that grow bigger than the other ones and if you throw in extra food, they will grow even bigger.”

Smile for the camera On a trip to the area, Wade caught one of the scavenging beasts which measured almost 6 feet long and weighed a shocking 161lb, which to date is a world record weight for this species of fish. On a trip to the area, Wade caught one of the scavenging beasts which measured almost 6 feet long and weighed a shocking 161lb, which to date is a world record weight for this species of fish. “If that got hold of you, there’d be no getting away,” said Wade. Funny, don’t public swimming pools look so much more inviting now?

More News Links US 25 years ahead of EU on fish conservation http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/10/16/earthlog116.xml

The Real Life Jurassic Park http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/ecology/the-real-life-jurassic-park/2442

Amazing Cloud Animals

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/33-creepiest-clouds-on-earth/1515/3

New Study Reveals The Evolutionary History Of Threatened Sea Turtles http://www.underwatertimes.com/news.php?article_id=40732691108

Archival Photo

Education Director, Sharon Proctor offers sea star for inspection to students at open touch pool, 1971

The Cetacean Research Lab. will be hosting Dr Olga Filatova from the University of Moscow from October 27 until March 20 next year. Olga heads up a team of dedicated killer whale researchers in Kamchatka every summer and is a specialist in killer whale dialects in the Russian far east. Part of the work she will be doing here is a comparison of the dialects of fish and mammal eating killer whales from her part of the world to those in BC and in Alaska. Olga is looking for a place to stay while here and is hoping for a room in a shared house or apartment. Her accommodation budget isn't much by Vancouver standards (c. $500/mo)...university researchers are not well paid in Russia! If you have or know of an economical place she might stay, please get in touch with Meghan McKillop ([email protected]; 3430). By the way, Olga has good English, is a non-smoker, and has more hair-raising killer whale stories than any of us, myself included, could shake a stick at! Thanks! Lance Barrett-Lennard

Green Team Ride-Sharing for Employees of the Vancouver Aquarium The Vancouver Aquarium has its very own Ride Share site for Aquarium employees! Jack Bell Ride-Share allows you to find ride matches with coworkers to fill your personal car, find a driver to carpool with, or use a Jack Bell fleet vehicle! This calculates both costs and greenhouse gas savings at the same time! Registration is restricted to email addresses ending in @vanaqua.org. Register today! 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Go to http://vanaqua.ride-share.com/en/my/ Register for free with your @vanaqua.org email address Enter your home address Search for matching commuters with adjustable search options Click matching commuters to suggest a ride-share Start ride-sharing!

Quick Tip: Did you know that approximately 45% of commuters in Metro Vancouver travel alone in their vehicles? Ridesharing with just 1 other person would eliminate over 1 million cars a day crossing in and out of Metro Vancouver. This is equivalent to 1.6 million litres of gas saved, and 4000 tonnes of greenhouse gases not emitted. Other sustainable modes of transportation: Don’t forget, every day is a good day to walk, bike, or swim to the Aquarium! Did you know that the Vancouver Aquarium has shower and locker facilities as well as secure bike storage for cyclists? Secure bike storage is found on the east side of the building near the Grounds office, and the shower and locker facilities are in the washrooms on the 1st floor (basement) of Aquaquest.

Events

Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE October 30, 2008, 7:0PM The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts 777 Homer Street, Vancouver Aquarium Tickets available @ Ticketmaster www.ticketmaster.ca or 604-978-4444 Special pricing available for groups of 20 or more. Contact: [email protected] or 416-9783633 www.janegoodall.ca

Continuing Studies in Science at Simon Fraser University is pleased to invite you to the third Canada Ocean Lecture “Lament for a Nation’s Oceans” presented by Dr. Jeff Hutchings, Dalhousie University on Wednesday, October 22, 2008 at 7:00 pm at the Wosk Centre for Dialogue, SFU Vancouver, 580 W Hastings Street. The lecture is free and open to the public but reservations are recommended as seating is limited. Please reserve a seat by emailing [email protected]. The abstract and biosketch are available on our website under “news and events” at http://www.sfu.ca/cstudies/science

For Sale

This week the Gift Shop is featuring a beautiful collection of photography presented in

‘Vancouver Wild: A Photographers Journey through the Southern Coast Mountains’ Take a look at your own city through new eyes, taking a glimpse at cityscapes and the surrounding wilderness that makes this place so special. At $50.00 this is fantastic coffee table book or gift for friends and family from out of town.