Articles tagged as Fishing | Smithsonian Magazine

A new study on grey reef sharks turned up a few surprises.

New Research

Ocean Preserves Keep Fishing Boats Away from Grey Reef Sharks

Scientists tracked hundreds of reef sharks to find that massive marine refuges can work—with one caveat

February 2, 2017

This year we've seen swelling efforts to protect vast swaths of ocean. Are they scientifically sound?

Do Ocean Preserves Actually Work?

The U.S. now leads the world in protected marine areas. But are they a scientifically sound strategy?

January 5, 2017

Caribbean spiny lobster on a sea fan off the coast of Honduras

Proposed New Marine Reserve System Offers Rosy Outlook for Both the Lobster and the Lobster Fisherman

With the help of a supercomputer, Smithsonian scientists figure out how to help the lobster fishery off the coast of Honduras

November 28, 2016

Cool Finds

A Fish Prized Among King Henry’s III’s Court Could Soon Swim Back Into British Waters

Fish passes will allow shad to finally return to their historic spawning grounds

October 31, 2016

View from under the sea ice of the Ross Sea, Antarctica.

The 25 parties to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources voted to protect 600,000 square miles of the Ross Sea

October 28, 2016

Ranching southern bluefin tuna has been a big-ticket industry in South Australia for years. One company hopes that inviting tourists to swim with the fish will prove successful, too.

A Bizarre “Swimming with Tuna” Attraction Puts Australia’s Controversial Aquaculture in the Spotlight

Is this an opportunity for conservation education, or another example of the government bending to Big Tuna?

October 27, 2016

Cool Finds

World’s Oldest Fish Hooks Discovered in Okinawa

The 23,000-year-old barbs are made from snail shell. The discovery shows that early people had the resources to survive on the isolated island

September 20, 2016

Is It Too Late to Save Red Sea Sharks?

With anti-fishing laws virtually unenforced, sharks off the coast of Saudi Arabia are being fished to death

September 19, 2016

Reports found that critically endangered largetooth sawfish are sometimes passed off as shark in some fish markets.

Anthropocene

Fish Industry On the Hook for Rampant Mislabeling of Species

A new report identifies rampant fraud in the seafood industry

September 12, 2016

"Sturgeon Whisperer" Nick McCabe with his catch, the 650-pound "Pig Nose"

Nicknamed “Pig Nose,” the fish was quickly released back into the wild

August 26, 2016

In the past few weeks, thousands of fish have gone belly-up.

The Massive Yellowstone Fish Die-Off: A Glimpse Into Our Climate Future?

This unprecedented kill reveals why we need to keep rivers resilient

August 25, 2016

Small fixes can keep birds from being snagged by fishing lines, which also helps fishing vessels not lose bait to the flying foragers.

Age of Humans

These Simple Fixes Could Save Thousands of Birds a Year From Fishing Boats

Changes as basic as adding a colorful streamer to commercial longline fishing boats could save thousands of seabirds a year

August 22, 2016

A recent survey shows that the fish have colonized Cyprus and may continue to spread

June 29, 2016

Alewives returning to spawn in Wynants Kill

Cool Finds

Herring Spawn in Hudson River Tributary for the First Time in 85 Years

River herring are spawning in Wynants Kill tributary after one of the many dams along the Hudson was removed

June 14, 2016

Larval perch with a stomach full of microplastic

New Research

Baby Fish Prefer Plastic Over Natural Food

Larval perch gorge themselves on microplastics, which seems to be stunting growth and affecting natural instincts

June 6, 2016

Enlightened Hawaiian chiefs as far back as the 14th century instituted what is called the moku-ahupua‘a system of management throughout the islands.

Finding Lessons on Culture and Conservation at the End of the Road in Kauai

In the remote, tropical paradise called Ha‘ena, the community is reasserting Native Hawaiian stewardship of the land and sea

June 1, 2016

Warm waters have turned the country’s once-pristine coast into a putrid sight

May 4, 2016

Silverside fish are among the species protected by a new West Coast commercial fishing ban on foraging fish.

Trending Today

NOAA Just Moved to Protect Puny Fish

Why a new ban is a big deal for the ocean’s tiniest creatures

April 5, 2016

These Light-Up Fishing Nets Could Save Sea Turtles

New research shows attaching LED lights to fishing nets can keep turtles from becoming accidentally entangled

April 4, 2016

Fish caught for drying in a village in Bangladesh

New Research

Overfishing Has Been Even Worse Than We Thought

Official counts previously overlooked fish as bycatch, small-scale fishing and illegal fishing

January 20, 2016