It took scientists in Japan more than 50 years to successfully spawn eels in captivity to help preserve the species. In a race to solve a major challenge for conservation aquaculture, a breakthrough by researchers at FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in collaboration with Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) is the first in the world to successfully spawn bonefish in captivity – in just four years. Building upon the lessons learned by their scientific colleagues in Japan, FAU Harbor Branch scientists have figured out the life cycle of bonefish in captivity to help inform management and conservation of this revered fishery for the multi-billion dollar sports fishing industry.
Researchers from FAU's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, in collaboration with Utrecht University, Netherlands, the University of Amsterdam, and The Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), examined cell abundances, size, cellular carbon mass, and how photosynthetic cells differ on polymeric and glass substrates over time. They investigated nanoparticle generation from plastic such as polystyrene, which is known to disintegrate into nanoparticles in sunlight and ultraviolet radiation, and how this might disrupt microalgae.
Every year, 99 percent of plastic entering the ocean go missing. But, where do they go? Finding out the answer is part of the work of Shiye Zhao, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. Zhao researches the fate of marine debris, like plastic and other trash, in the ocean and how it interacts with the environment.
