August 25 2008 HawaiiArchaeologists have located British whaler sunk by bad weather in 1837 off Kure Atoll Artefacts from the remains of a wreck believed to be of the British whaling vessel Gledstanes lost for 171 years have been found off Kure Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The artefacts include four large anchors, cannons and cannonballs. The Gledstanes is the fourth whaling vessel found in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, evidence of the area's significance as a 19th-century whaling area.  The divers who found the shipwreck were taking part in the 2008 Maritime Heritage Expedition, sponsored by NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries.  Full story...

February 3 2009 AustraliaAre YOU the Face of Australia?The Underwater Channel (UWC) in association with PADI is looking for you! The Underwater Channel (www.theunderwaterchannel.tv) in association with PADI (www.PADI.com) are looking to light up diving in Australia for UWC’s viewers around the world!  To do so we have launched an international competition to find an experienced and knowledgeable Aussie diver with bags of confidence and charisma to join The Underwater Channel’s team of presenters (aka Faces!) around the world to become the Face of Australia.  After an initial pre-selection of 6 semi-finalists a series of TV programs will be broadcast on UWC with a UWC/PADI judging panel who will feature the videos and comment (in a friendly fashion) upon the applications!  The viewing public will then be invited to vote, first for the semi-finalists and finally for the winner!   The Face of Australia will be chosen by our viewers!more...  Full story...

February 18 2009 Cayman IslandsNew International scuba Diving Hall Of Fame Inductees The International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame (ISDHF) has recognized four international pioneers and two Cayman Island honorees for their contributions to the recreational scuba diving industry. In a ceremony held on Grand Cayman Island on January 29, 2009, awards for the Inductees and local Ministry of Tourism Honorees were presented by the Hon. Charles E. Clifford, JP, Minister for Tourism, Environment, Investment & Commerce in Cayman.  The Honorable Minister praised the newest Inductees as dedicated and professional individuals who have taken their love for diving and applied it through various disciplines to promote awareness of the aquatic environment, maintain the admirable safety record of diving, and establish a foundation for the worldwide development of the sport.  The evening’s Master of Ceremonies was Leslie Leaney, President of the Historical Diving Society in the US. Leslie is a NOGI award winner and member of the Board of Directors for the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame.  International Inductees for 2009 are: more..  Full story...

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Caribbean

Voracious predator decimating local fish

A voracious predator, lionfish in the Tropical Western Atlantic Ocean, (Caribbean) are decimating local fish populations,  

A study has found that within a short period after the introduction of Indo-pacific lionfish into an area, the survival of other reef fishes is lowered by about 80 percent.

Apart from the death of local fish, the loss of herbivorous fish allows seaweeds to grow over the coral reefs and disrupt the delicate ecological balance of reefs,  

It is believed that the first lionfish were introduced into marine waters off Florida in the early 1990s from local aquariums or home aquariums. They have since spread across much of the Caribbean Sea and north along the United States coast as far as Rhode Island. This invasive species, which is native to the tropical Pacific and Indian Ocean and has few natural enemies to control it in the Atlantic Ocean, is undergoing a population explosion. 

In studies on controlled areas, scientists found that lionfish reduced young juvenile fish populations, including cardinalfish, parrotfish and damselfish, by 79 percent in only a five-week period. One large lionfish was observed catching and eating 20 small fish in just 30-minutes. 

Lionfish can eat other fish up to two-thirds of their own length, while they are protected from predators by long, poisonous spines. Groupers, which eat lionfish in the Pacific Ocean, have been heavily overfished in the tropical Western Atlantic Ocean.   

 
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