Bubblegum Coral:
This bubblegum coral (Paragorgia arborea) has a fanlike shape. It is growing 1,310 m (4,298 ft) deep on the Davidson Seamount southwest of Monterey, California. Learn more about deep-sea corals in the multimedia feature "Coral Gardens of the Deep Sea." CREDIT: NOAA/MBARI 2006

Can you beleive ost of what we know about cold water coral reefs has been discovered in the past 10 years!   Ocean scientists are liking these discoveries to those made by European explorers during form  the1400s - 1600s!!!  They come is all shapes, sizes colors & many have yet to be discovered.  

Check out this great aricle Corals in Cold Water from the Smithsonian - Ocean Portal, they breakdown the history and future of deep sea coral discovery.  

This 66 foot long Japanese dock floated across the Pacific Ocean and washed ashore in Oregon covered with an estimated ton of marine life.

Image Credit: Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation

Live Science: 100 Tons of 'Alien' Sea Life Wash Up With Tsunami Dock

By: Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience Senior Writer

A Japanese dock that ripped from its moorings during the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami and washed ashore in Oregon this week brought with it an estimated 100 tons of sea life.

Oregon State University (OSU) scientists said Thursday that there are about 13 pounds of organisms per square foot on the 66-foot-long dock, which has been traced to the Northeast coast of Japan. Tests show that the dock is not contaminated with radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown after the tsunami, but it did bring with it the danger of invasive species.

"This float is an island unlike any transoceanic debris we have ever seen," John Chapman, an OSU marine invasive species specialist, said in a statement. "Drifting boats lack such dense fouling communities, and few of these species are already on this coast. Nearly all of the species we've looked at were established on the float before the tsunami; few came after it was at sea." [Images: Japanese Tsunami Dock On Shore]

This powerful 2011 ad from WWF on Overfishing of Blue Fin Tuna really makes you think twice.  

Ask yourself... Would you care more?

Big Shout out to the Sea Shepard who has done a great job of breaking down all you need to know about Blue Fin Tuna.   We've shared their content below.   

What are the species of tuna?

There are 8 species:

• Albacore
• Bigeye
• Blackfin
• Atlantic bluefin (also called Northern)
• Pacific bluefin
• Southern bluefin
• Longtail
• Yellowfin

What are the basic characteristics of the bluefin tuna?

• Located in the Mediterranean Sea; Iceland to the Canary Islands; and Newfoundland, Canada, to the Gulf of Mexico.
• Typically they swim from 1.74-4.5 mph to 9.20 mph.  When chasing prey or to avoid predators, they swim up to 44-62 mph.
• They can dive to depths of 3,280 feet.
• Size for average mature adult:
• Length ranges from 6 ft 7 in – 8 ft 2 in; maximum 21 feet
• Weight  600 lbs.; maximum 1,600 lbs.
• In the 1970's the average weight was 1,200 lbs. and now the average is 600 lbs.
• They are” warm-blooded” – this  keep its core muscles warm (used for power and steady swimming).
• They can live up to 30 years, but few survive this long due to rampant overfishing.
• They eat herring, mackerel, hake, menhaden, squid and crustaceans.
• Their predators are orcas (killer whales) and sharks.

What is the state of bluefin tuna?

• Since the early 1900's when factory fishing was introduced, the bluefin numbers been reduced by 90% and in the Mediterranean it is down to 97%.
• Between 1970 and 1998, there was 70% drop. This shows the rapid acceleration of the decline.
• In 2009, 72% decline in the Eastern Atlantic, and 82% decline in the Western Atlantic. Same year,  Monaco formally declared as endangered.
• At a United Nations-backed conference aimed at regulating international trade in endangered species, the total ban on bluefin tuna fishing and trading was rejected on March 18,2010. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) voted 68 to 20 with 30 European abstentions.

Who is  fishing them?

Australia, Cape Verde, Croatia, Cypress, Greece, Italy, Indonesia, Japan, Libya, Malta, Mexico, Oman, Panama, the Philippines, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, and Turkey.  Half are operating in the Med.

Japan and Australia are the largest fisheries.

Who is buying the bluefin tuna?

They are used for sushi, sashimi and steaks. They are prepared in sushi as hon maguro or toro (tuna belly).
It is a $7.2 billion industry around the world.  The largest consumers are Japan.
The suppliers are marine fisheries, not fish farms.

Toxins in bluefin tuna?

There is elevated levels of mercury and PCBs in bluefin tuna.  It should be avoided.

Why is bluefin tuna crucial?

Bluefin tuna matures slowly and they are less resilient to fishing pressure.
As part of the ocean's ecosystem, they are needed for preys and predators in the oceans.

How are the bluefin tuna fisheries regulated?

• The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is an inter-governmental fishery organization responsible for the conservation of tunas and tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean and its adjacent seas.
• Unfortunately, the international organization managed the underreporting of juvenile catches and illegal fishing.  The fishing takes way exceed the international quotas.

How are they caught?

• Overfishing with hi-tech commercial fishing fleets and rampant illegal fishing will make the bluefin populations vanish from Mediterranean waters. They are in great danger.
• The bluefin tuna fishing were traditionally caught with traps. Currently, purse seines are used instead and then the fish are transferred to tuna farms in cages to be fattened up.
• They are caught with purse seines, longlines, troll lines, and trap nets. Sometimes harpoons, handlines, pole-and-line, and nets.

We asked Sylvia Earle, founder of Mission Blue, National GeographicExplorer in Residence and rockstar ocean advocate how she felt about The TerraMar Project.  Check out her wonderful quote below & support for making the ocean a better place.

"I am thrilled to be a Founding Citizen of TerraMar and to celebrate the vital significance of the High Seas to all people, everywhere."

We are heartbroken here at The Daily Catch, NOAA is denying the exsistence of mermaids!  

While, they may be right, mermaids potentially don't exsist.  We happen to love the folklore & fantasy they have provided to spice up stories from the deep sea for centuries.  

The first known mermaid stories date back to 1000 B.C. Sightings and stories of thier exsistence come from all over the world: the ancient near east, Greece, the British Isles, China, Eastern Europe, Cambodia, Thailand, Scandanavia, Poland, 

Our favorite mermaid?  Darryl Hannah in Splash.

So what do you think?  Do mermaids exsist?

NOAA Denies the Existence of Mermaids

Mermaids — those half-human, half-fish sirens of the sea — are legendary sea creatures chronicled in maritime cultures since time immemorial. The ancient Greek epic poet Homer wrote of them in The Odyssey. In the ancient Far East, mermaids were the wives of powerful sea-dragons, and served as trusted messengers between their spouses and the emperors on land. The aboriginal people of Australia call mermaids yawkyawks – a name that may refer to their mesmerizing songs.

The belief in mermaids may have arisen at the very dawn of our species. Magical female figures first appear in cave paintings in the late Paleolithic (Stone Age) period some 30,000 years ago, when modern humans  gained dominion over the land and, presumably, began to sail the seas. Half-human creatures, called chimeras, also abound in mythology — in addition to mermaids, there were wise centaurs, wild satyrs, and frightful minotaurs, to name but a few.

But are mermaids real? No evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found. Why, then, do they occupy the collective unconscious of nearly all seafaring peoples? That’s a question best left to historians, philosophers, and anthropologist.

PEW put together this great video for Rio+20: Turn the Tide for our Ocean, illustrsting all the major problems plaguing the high seas.

 If you were unsure about how the ocean effects your life, this video should answer a lot of questions.

We are beyond excited to announce that our

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Are Blue Jobs the key to the future fisheries?  National Geogroahic dives deeper into the subject.  

National Geographic : "Blue Jobs" Key to Future Fisheries

What do you think?