Rutgers marine researchers and New Jersey fishermen are piecing together the details of the strange, gender-bending sex lives of black sea bass- a study that could improve understanding of the bass population and help the beleaguered recreational fishing industry… Scientists have long known black sea bass are “protogynous hermaphrodites,” a species in which fish that begin life as females can switch gender to male. But the details of how and why that happens are not completely understood… “It sounds crazy, right? But from an evolutionary perspective, it’s a perfect way to keep balance in a population,” said Olaf Jensen, an assistant professor with Rutgers’ Department of Marine and Coastal Science leading the project. “If it’s operating out in nature, maybe we don’t have to worry so much about fishing pressure removing the big males and skewing the sex ratio.”… The idea for the project started in 2010, when Jensen was talking to Eleanor Bochenek, director of the Fisheries Cooperative Center at Rutgers Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory, who works with fishermen and other people who make a living on the water.
Fisheries/Aquaculture
Gender-Bending Fish Under Rutgers Microscope
We’ll say this for the sea bass: It’s sure good at keeping its options open. If it surveys the mating landscape and fails to see enough prospects, it simply switches gender… This ability bodes well for New Jersey’s commercial and recreational fishing industry, for it offers natural protection from over-fishing, says one Rutgers researcher… A fish may begin life as a female, only to switch to male if that looks like it will improve its chances of reproduction. Smaller males, called “sneaker males,” may impersonate females so they can fertilize eggs on the sly without attracting hostile attention from other males… “The relative benefit of being male or female changes throughout their lives,” said Olaf Jensen of Rutgers’ department of marine and coastal science… With the help of that fishing industry, however, Jensen and his team have discovered a only third of sea bass start as males, but some females switch over to male at some point in their lives – usually once they’ve spawned and survived a winter.
Study Finds Nearly a Third of the Bass Population That Spawn as Females Become Males
Rutgers marine researchers and New Jersey fishermen are piecing together the details of the strange, gender-bending sex lives of black sea bass- a study that could improve understanding of the bass population and help the beleaguered recreational fishing industry… “It sounds crazy, right? But from an evolutionary perspective, it’s a perfect way to keep balance in a population,” said Olaf Jensen, an assistant professor with Rutgers’ Department of Marine and Coastal Science leading the project. “If it’s operating out in nature, maybe we don’t have to worry so much about fishing pressure removing the big males and skewing the sex ratio.”… The idea for the project started in 2010, when Jensen was talking to Eleanor Bochenek, director of the Fisheries Cooperative Center at Rutgers Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory, who works with fishermen and other people who make a living on the water.
Experts Says Man-o-War Mean Business — But Don’t Be Afraid to Go Swimming
North Jersey oceanographers say swimmers should not be overly alarmist about the recent influx of the potentially dangerous man-of-war jellyfish-like creatures on the Jersey Shore, as they have so far been few and far between and may soon be gone with a shift in wind patterns… But if you see one, remember- it’s not nice to fool with Mother Nature. “When I hear ‘man-of-war,’ I pay attention. I feel the pain,” said New Jersey State Climatologist Dave Robinson. “I know what it feels like to be stung by a man-of-war. Ever have a hot iron put to your foot? It wasn’t in New Jersey. It was in the Florida Keys, while I was doing marine science field work.”… Recently, there have been strong and prevalent northeasterly wind patterns along the Jersey coast, according to Josh Kohut, associate professor of oceanography at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.
2015 Sustainable Raritan Conference Opens NY/NJ Dialogue on Future of Bay
“Two States: One Bay, a bi-state conversation about the future of Raritan Bay” was the 2015 annual conference sponsored by the Sustainable Raritan River Initiative, a program of the Rutgers Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. The conference, held June 12 at the Douglass Student Center at Rutgers, initiated a dialogue among […]
Shellfish and Students: Building Living Reefs in Southern New Jersey
What do thousands of southern New Jersey students, millions of young oysters and Gandy’s Beach have in common? They all benefit from Project PORTS- Promoting Oyster Restoration Through Schools- an education and community-based oyster restoration progra…
Newly Launched Community-Supported Fisheries Offer Biweekly Shares of Jersey Seafood
A growing number of New Jersey farms are offering community supported agriculture programs (CSAs) which allow customers to become a member or shareholder, providing them with a season’s worth of produce that they pay for in advance, and then pick up on a weekly or biweekly basis. A similar strategy to boost an allied industry, […]
Learning More to Help Restore the Barnegat Bay
It’s home to countless organisms, spanning 660 square miles. NJTV News joined Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin aboard a boat on the Barnegat Bay… Nearby, ReClam the Bay- a local non-profit- rakes for clams. Rutgers University’s Monica Bricelj says since the 1980s, there’s been a huge decline in the clam population… “Not very clear on what the reasons are at all, whether it’s habitat loss or changes in water quality, it’s not clear at all,” she said… Bricelj and her team placed cages with juvenile clams in four sites throughout the bay to study their growth rates and survival. The highest growth rates occurred within relatively undeveloped protected areas. Aside from the research projects, a bay clean-up has become an annual event.
HSRL Scientist and Collaborative Team Get Winter Flounder Essential Fish Habitat Designation Changed and Helps Maritime Businesses in South Jersey
Winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, support an important commercial and recreational fishery along the northeast coast of North America. Highest abundance occurs in the most northern part of their range. However, populations have declined significantly since the 1980s as a result of climate change, poor water quality and estuarine habitat loss. Due to warming ocean temperatures, […]
Why Sand Ridges Are Great for Fishing and Sand Mining
Most experts believe the offshore ridges of sand that are prime spots for sand mining are related to the ice ages, although storms may also play a role… Beyond those ridges is flatter terrain and finer sand that is not as good for beach-building. It is also farther out and that adds to the cost of mining… Kenneth Able, who directs Rutgers University’s Marine Field Station in Tuckerton, said the real concern is removing the ridges or lumps. Able said research in waters off Little Egg Inlet show the sand ridges have “been around a long time” and fish seem to prefer them.
