This week on Talking Fish, a Pew Environment Group video shows the importance of menhaden to coastal ecoystems; Fish Talk in the News has updates on sharp cuts to northern shrimp quotas and NOAA’s efforts to help fishermen target dogfish and redfish.

This week on TalkingFish.org, the first post in the All About Aquaculture series explores the history and current status of aquaculture; the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission could soon help depleted menhaden by setting a coastwide catch limit; catch up on what’s happening with New England fisheries with the weekly Fish Talk in the News.

This week on Talking Fish, the sharp rise in seal numbers in New England is creating problems for fishermen and policymakers; Peter Shelley argues the proposal by the NEFMC Groundfish Committee to open closed areas to fishing is both illegal and wrong; catch up on New England fishing happenings with the weekly Fish Talk in the News.

“I love diving with makos, but they have a very different behavior than other sharks. They come in appearing to be more agitated. They’re much more hyper and jacked up.” - Brian Skerry Mako sharks are built to move. They are very acrobatic – sometimes leaping high into the air –and are also extremely fast. Some scientists think they are the fastest fish, possibly going over 50 mph at times. (Fun fact – makos are one of the only “warm-blooded” fish, which helps explain why they can move so fast, even in colder water.) Makos need wide open spaces and healthy places to eat and reproduce. The health of our oceans depends on healthy top predator populations, and healthy top predators depend on healthy oceans. Our nation has taken a major step forward in read more…

This week, the second installment of the Local Summer Fisheries series focuses on dogfish, and Fish Talk in the News brings you the week’s fish news!

On the occasion of World Oceans Day, it is worth reminding ourselves about how utterly dependent we are on the ocean – for the fish and shellfish that grace our dinner tables, for our summer recreation – on, in, and alongside our ocean – for the tremendous untapped renewable resources of the wind, waves and tides, and for transportation of people and goods. Oh yes, and the air – up to 70% of the oxygen we breathe is produced by the plankton in the ocean. That’s more than from all the world’s rain forests combined. The ocean absorbs about half of our carbon dioxide emissions and over 90% of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases. The ocean covers 70% of our planet and regulates the earth’s climate. Unfortunately the ocean is read more…

The top 10 blog posts from CLF’s Scoop in 2011.

Pteropods are little mollusks (related to snails, slugs and squid) that drift around in ocean currents, feeding on nutrient-rich plankton. Their rich diet makes them delicious to many fish. Seals eat many fish, and sharks eat seals and fish, so there it is: not even 6 degrees of shark separation. Sharks need pteropods, and so do you.

The good news: cable TV outlet the Discovery Channel co-produced, with the BBC,  a nature series about the polar regions entitled Frozen Planet working with award winning director David Attenborough.   Discovery has proudly announced their co-ownership of the series, which is airing in Britain now (and apparently is quite hit) and will be shown in the US on Discovery in 2012. The bad news: Discovery (who I admit has gotten some free publicity from us for their Shark Week) has decided to not show the final episode in the series that presents the threats, particularly in the form of global warming, that man poses to the polar environment. In the words of an incredulous headline of a newspaper article in Britain’s Daily Mail: “Climate change episode of Frozen Planet won’t read more…