Showing posts with label fishermen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fishermen. Show all posts

Blue Bastard Caught!

A mystery fish is caught time-to-time in northern Australia. It was enthused about then thrown back to be forgotten until another recreational fisherman snagged an example. The fish was nicknamed the blue bastard in the usual Aussie way. Serious scientists who wanted to catch it couldn't, no matter how hard they tried.
Blue Bastard fish Plectorhinchus caeruleonothus
Jeff Johnson, an ichthyologist, decided to take the case into his own hands. He hired Ben Bight a Weipa fishing guide to go out and catch the freaker. Specimens were caught and sent to Brisbane where Johnson and geneticist Jessica Worthington got to work on them. The fish already had a name: Plectorhinchus caeruleonothus. Little was known about it, however.

The Blue Bastard grows to a meter in length. Juveniles have black and white stripes with a yellow tinge. Adults change to a pleasant gray-blue. They are territorial, showing aggression by rushing at each other then locking jaws in a struggle.

Living in the shallows it would be thought that they are easy to catch. This is not the case. They are picky and seldom bite a baited hook or spinner. A new tourist industry could develop: apparently, they are successfully caught by presenting a "fly" to them. As they are not endangered this is a serious proposition.
Biology by Ty Buchanan
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New Jellyfish in Coffs Harbour

It seems humans know just about everything. This is a myth really. A new species of jellyfish has be seen in Coffs Harbour, NSW. It seems the marine creature has been there for a long time.

The mystery "object" is a box jellyfish that appears to be totally harmless. It is unlike the Irujandji and is smaller than the dangerous Chironex flecker box jellyfish. Fishermen have been seeing the new jellyfish for sometime but authorities took no notice. A game crew took photos of the animal last week.

Finally "professionals" acted and arrangements are being made to catch some specimens. Fish of all kinds are moving south as the temperature of the ocean increases due to climate change. It is believed the visiting jellyfish come from more northern climes. Usually jellyfish do not move south because they can be harmed by rougher seas. They prefer the warm, calmer tropics.
~~~~~Science~~~~~
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