Growing hypoxic zones reduce habitat for billfish and tuna

Samples of surface skin slime are taken
from the Atlantic sailfish to determine gender. (Credit: NOAA)

ScienceDaily (2010-12-23) -- Billfish and tuna, important commercial and recreational fish species, may be more vulnerable to fishing pressure because of shrinking habitat, according to a new study. An expanding zone of low oxygen, known as a hypoxic zone, in the Atlantic Ocean is encroaching upon these species' preferred oxygen-abundant habitat, forcing them into shallower waters where they are more likely to be caught.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101222162402.htm

Ocean acidification changes nitrogen cycling in world seas

cienceDaily (2010-12-20) -- Increasing acidity in the sea's waters may fundamentally change how nitrogen is cycled in them, say marine scientists. Nitrogen is one of the most important nutrients in the oceans. All organisms, from tiny microbes to blue whales, use nitrogen to make proteins and other important compounds.

full article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101220163258.htm