JIMAR Scientists Report on Status of Hawaii Tuna Tagging Project

At a meeting of the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) recently concluded in Vanuatu in August 2009, scientists from the Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (JIMAR) at the University of Hawaii reported on the status of the Hawaii Tuna Tagging Project 2 (HTTP2) – an initiative designed to provide updated information on the ecology, behavior, and movement of commercially important tuna species. This project will use a combination of conventional, acoustic, internal archival and popup archival tags to investigate the movement, exploitation, and behavior of skipjack, bigeye, and yellowfin tuna. The HTTP2 has been designed to address fishery issues of direct relevance to Hawaii and the central Pacific. However, the project has also been developed as an integrated component of the WCPFC-endorsed Pacific Tuna Tagging Project being implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Common tag release and recapture techniques will be used by both programs with arrangements in place for integrated data storage and analysis.  [more]

CIOSS Researchers Develop Pilot Ocean Prediction System

Supported by NOAA/NESDIS/STAR’s Satellite Oceanography and Climatology Division, Research Fellows led by Alexander Kurapov at the Cooperative Institute for Oceanographic Satellite Studies (CIOSS) at Oregon State University have developed three-day forecasts of ocean conditions off Oregon and Northern California. Forecast fields have been available on the IOOS/NANOOS web site since July 2009 through efforts of CIOSS Fellows Jack Barth and Craig Risien. These fields have been enthusiastically used by tuna fishers since their introduction in late-summer 2008. Improvements (under development) include the assimilation of satellite data, along with the addition of ecosystem components and dissolved oxygen models, to allow forecasts of algal blooms and hypoxic conditions.  [more]

CIMRS Researchers Discover Burgeoning Life Amidst Acidic Environments at Deep Sea Volcano Eruptions

Comprehending how life may have begun amidst uncertain conditions associated with big bang theories has always been challenging - but our own deep ocean may harbor important clues. The National Science Foundation recently funded the return of researchers from the Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies (CIMRS) at Oregon State University to study the NW Rota-1, an active submarine volcano in the Mariana Arc near the Island of Guam. They found that the volcano has grown considerably during the past three years, and its unique biological community is thriving despite ongoing eruptive activity.  [more]

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