Cara Giorno Period 8/9

1. Cara Giorno Period 8/9 Marine Biology

2. What is Biology? Biology is the scientific study of living things. What is Marine Biology? Marine Biology is the study of all organisms that live in the sea. Marine biology studies began in the shallow areas of the oceans, where life was first obviously spotted. Studies also began there because it was easily accessible during low tides. To study life in the deeper parts of the ocean, nets were one of the first tools used. With the invention of scuba diving equipment, marine biologists are now able to study marine life in their natural habitats.

3. What Do Marine Biologist s Do ? A Marine Biologist’s job has become very important as people have increased their use of marine life for food and sport (fishing). Marine biologists, like regular biologists, describe and classify organisms. Also like regular biologists, they study the organisms to find out how they grow and develop, how they get food, how they reproduce, how they interact with other organisms in the water and outside of it, and why they live in the areas they do.

4. Conservation One of the biggest problems facing marine life today is endangerment and extinction. There are three basic ways we can lessen this occurrence. • Buy fewer prepackaged goods • Drive slower • Share magazines and books • Minimize the use of heat and air conditioning R R R educe: • Containers • Bottles (wine bottles) • Some corks • Shopping bags euse: If we don't change the way we do things, many marine organisms will become • Paper • Aluminum • Bottles ecycle:

5. Endangered Species How can a species become endangered? • Spread of disease • Pollution • Destruction of habitat • Fishing • Shallow water marine species who breathe air (turtles, manatees, whales) can be hit by boats or get caught in fishing gear • Turtles often lose their eggs because they lay them on land It is hard to find out which marine species are endangered or extinct because of the size, depth, and unexplored areas of the ocean. Families such as whales, dolphins, manatees, salmon, seabirds, sea turtles, and sharks have endangered species.

6. The ICUN Red List The ICUN Red List’s aim is is to provide an easy classification key where animals are sorted by their extinction risk. To limit the amount of endangered species certain laws were created

7. Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966 • Made to protect endangered species native to the area • Provided a limited amount of protection Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969 • Passed to provide additional protection to species in danger of worldwide extinction • Prohibited the import and sale of endangered species

8. The Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966 and The Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969 led to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Faund and Flora (CITES) in Washington in 1973. The convention led to the: Endangered Species Act of 1973 • The most significant environmental laws in America • Created because of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) • There are currently 1,855 listings (endangered and threatened) under the ESA • 1,290 of them are U.S. listings • The listing of an endangered species generally protects the species from "take”(harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect)under Federal law • Federal agencies are also obligated to carry out programs for the conservation of species • After a species is listed, a recovery plan is prepared that identifies conservation measures to help the species recover.

9. Exxon Valdez • March 24, 1989, shortly after midnight, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska • it spilled over 11 million gallons of gasoline into the Sound • it was the largest oil spill in U.S. history • burning, mechanical cleaning, and chemical dispersants were three ways of cleanup • the oil killed and injured many marine organisms • no one knows the definite amount of deaths • scientists have predictions though: • 250,000 seabirds • 2,800 sea otters • 300 harbor seals • 250 bald eagles • up to 22 killer whales • billions of salmon and herring eggs died immediately Exxon Valdez led to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990

10. Here are some common endangered or extinct marine species • Enhydra lutris • endangered species • about 4-5 pounds at birth • adults weigh up to 120 pounds and are 3-4 feet long (plus their 15 inch tail) • eat sea urchins, crabs, mussels, and abalone • live in the Northern Pacific (Alaska, Russia) and there is a small population in northern California • they live for about 10-11 years • first became endangered when they were hunted for their fur in the 1800s Sea Otters

11. Pinstripe Damba • Chaetodon flavocoronatus • not much is known about them • found in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands • 5 inches long • omnivores • Paretroplus menarambo • freshwater fish found in Madagascar • about 18-20 inches long • extinct in the wild: deforestation and over fishing • bred in captivity and sold • in the wild they probably ate mostly mollusks • in home aquariums they eat dried foods, frozen invertebrate foods, and cultured snails Yellow-crowned Butterflyfish

12. Hawaiian Monk Seal • Callagur borneoensis • found in southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, and Borneo • around 50-70 centimeters long • adult females are larger than adult males • weigh about 1.7 kg • mainly eat fruits and greenery from riverside plants and from mangroves • most endangered river turtles • eggs are sold for human consumption in Asia • habitat and breeding site destruction are the reason for the decline of the population • Monachus schauinslandi • found on northwestern Hawaiian islands • live a solitary existence • most endangered of all seals (only about 1500 in the world) • feed on fishes and invertebrates (Spiny lobsters, Eels, Flatfish, Small Reef fish, Larval fish, octopus’) • Adult females are slightly larger than adult males • Males weigh 300-400 pounds Females weigh 400-600 pounds Newborn pups weigh 30-40 pounds • live about 25-30 years Painted Terrapin Turtle

13. West Indian Manatee • Sousa chinensis • adult dolphin is pink • 220-250 centimeters in length • weigh about 150-230 kg • found in Southeast Asia • Trichechus manatus • found on the southern coast of the United States as far down as Brazil • live in shallow waters • live about 50 years • females are usually larger • average weight is 400-800 pounds • feed 6-8 hours per day • mostly eat plants (sea grass) Chinese White Dolphin

14. Pristis microdon • endangered • freshwater fish • found in the Indo-West Pacific • often gets tangled in fishing nets • eat bony fish and mollusks • weigh around 600 kg • 656 cm long • live around 30 years Largetooth Sawfish

15. Most people do not realize that when they do simple things like litter on a beach or while they're in the ocean, they are killing whole marine species Despite the many laws passed to protect them, things will still happen to make a species endangered, or even extinct If we do our best to learn about marine life, then we have a better chance of protecting it