Wreck divers find a diver’s Holy Grail on the Andrea Doria

Andrea Doria
Every SCUBA diver and beachcomber dreams at some point of finding long-lost buried treasure or unearthing some relic lost to the sea. Two Andrea Doria divers recently did just that when they unearthed the bridge bell during their first dive on the wreck. The SS Andrea Doria is a fairly recent wreck. It sunk after it collided with the Swedish ocean liner, the MS Stockholm on July 25, 1956. Even though many of the lifeboats were unuseable once the severely damaged ship started listing to one side, only 46 lives were lost on the Andrea Doria and 5 on the Stockholm. Read More »

Fishing and Fish Conservation – Not Mutually Exclusive!

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  Many aquarists, myself included, enjoy fishing from time to time.  I come home from each fishing trip with new insights and observations…and some of my most interesting aquarium pets have been native species taken by net or hook while angling.  But in these times of plummeting fresh water and marine fish populations, one cannot help but question the ethics of recreational fishing.  Well, fear not – there are many ways that responsible anglers can continue fishing and support conservation in the process. Read More »

Keeping Our Fingers Crossed For the Gulf

Oli Spill Clean-upGiven the sad comedy of errors that have occurred on the BP Deep Water Horizon drilling operation in the Gulf of Mexico, a lot of people will have their collective fingers crossed this week, as the project for the permanent cap to the damaged well gets under way.  I don’t think that there is need to rehash all of the events leading up to this point, everyone directly affected by this disaster is fully aware of what has happened.  The New York times a great website detailing the repair efforts if you are interested. Read More »

Piranhas – Myth and Mystery Part 3 – Elongated Piranha

Elongated Piranha DrawingCraig here with another blog about yet another species of piranha. We have looked at the Red Belly and the Black piranha, now it is time to take a look at one of the most aggressive and predatory of all piranha species – the Elongated Piranha.

While many species have a similar and classic look to them, this species is physically unique. Serrasalmus elongatus, also known as the Slender or Pike Piranha, is a sleek predator from the waters of Venezuela and Brazil. Like many other piranha species, it has a shiny silver body with fearsome teeth. It is a highly active and highly motivated predator of other fish from the region. While the coloration and eating habits are similar to other piranha, it is the elongated shape of this fish that separates it from its cousins. Read More »