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FISH SPECIES DIVERSITY
In 2009, Jacksonville sank the former Coast Guard tender Spike in 100 feet of water; one year later, a REEF diver counted 16 fish species, up from just 6An ex-Coast Guard ship now stands as an artificial reef, drawing the attention of vibrant marine life. At first, the submerged metal hull w...
In 2009, Key West sank the 523-foot Vandenberg in 140 feet of water; one year later, REEF monitoring had documented 123 fish species on the former shipIn 2009, the retired missile ship Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg was deliberately sunk near Key West, giving rise to a significant artificial reef...
A 1994 study placed tire reefs in concrete canals in California and Arizona; invertebrate densities tripled, and fish densities rose 20-fold near reefsConcrete canals, while conserving water, harmed aquatic ecosystems. Researchers tested old tires to create habitats for canal wildlife. Inv...
In 2018, Natasha Whetzel helped burn 20 acres at Delaware’s Hurley Tract to restore habitat. 10 weeks later, native purple love grass had spread extensively, transforming the site into habitats for birds and pollinatorsConservation work in southern Delaware is helping restore and protect important habitats within the Nanticoke River watershed. At Middlefor...
In 2002, Shattuck Chemical agreed to pay $1.25 million for restoration of South Platte River following years of chemical release. 10 years later, the river was restored for migratory birds and native speciesHazardous substances near Shattuck Chemical Company prompted a settlement for restoration projects. Funds supported habitat improvements al...
In 1998, New York listed Keuka Lake as impaired after DDT contamination. 16 years later, fish-tissue data led officials to remove the lake from the impaired waters listKeuka Lake DDT cleanup shows how a pesticide banned decades ago kept affecting fish through contaminated soil and runoff. The problem began...
Shark 'graveyard' found in the Egyptian desert? Ancient Cretaceous-era fossilized teeth reveal evidence of a vast sea that once covered the regionShark 'graveyard' found in the Egyptian desert? Recent findings on Egypt's Abu-Tartur Plateau include fossilized teeth from seven shark spe...
In 2019, Australia lowered a 58-ton concrete greenhouse into the Great Barrier Reef; the 12-metre underwater structure became a living artwork and coral habitatNestled beneath the waves near John Brewer Reef in Australia lies an innovative Coral Greenhouse sculpture crafted from pH-neutral cement, ...
In the 1920s, Arizona’s State Game Department introduced bullfrogs for food and sport; the predators now eat young northern Mexican gartersnakes and move up to 7 milesArizona introduced American bullfrogs a century ago for sport, which now threatens native gartersnakes. These nonnative frogs disrupt food ...
In the late 1800s, California introduced red foxes for hunting and fur farms; at Seal Beach, they drove light-footed Ridgway's rails down to just 5 pairs in 7 yearsIn the late 1800s, non-native red foxes wreaked havoc on the population of Ridgway's rails, bringing them perilously close to extinction. F...
In 1996, NASA sank a 132-foot shuttle booster training device off Port Canaveral to become an artificial reef; marine life was expected to establish itself there within four monthsA retired NASA training device became an artificial reef in the Atlantic Ocean. This structure provided a new underwater habitat for marine...
For years, a Florida family used their 24,300 acres of land for hunting. In 1989, their decision to part with the ranchland helped save one of America's rarest big catsOnce the prominent Collier family, the biggest private landowners in Florida, used their vast acres of land for hunting and sport. However,...
In 1991, a Norwegian geologist found one ancient polar bear bone. 34 years later, 6,000 bones revealed a 75,000-year-old Arctic communityA polar bear rib led to the discovery of an ancient Arctic animal community. Researchers examined over six thousand bone fragments using DN...
Since 2016, the Netherlands has used 37.2 million tonnes of lakebed sediment to build seven wildlife islands covering 1,300 hectaresIn the Markermeer region of the Netherlands, innovative artificial islands have been crafted using dredged materials from the lakebed. The ...
In 2001, Denmark turned a 19-km straight river into a 26-km winding one, but decades later researchers found nature was still struggling to rebuild what humans had destroyedDenmark's Skjern River restoration has skillfully reshaped a once-straight channel back into a meandering waterway. This innovative initiat...
In 2000, the American West entered a megadrought that became its driest stretch in roughly 1,200 years. Years later, it left major lakes and reservoirs majorly depleted, with some losing enough water to expose miles of lakebedSeveral major North American lakes are experiencing significant water level declines. Drought, warming temperatures, and increased water de...
Hidden in Uganda's swamps, this 4-foot-tall bird looks like a living dinosaur, complete with a fearsome hooked bill and a machine-gun-like call; scientists still don't fully understand its strange evolutionUganda’s shoebill is one of Africa’s strangest birds, standing up to 140 centimeters tall with a huge hooked bill built for catching large ...
Mining project near India's first marine sanctuary, national park in Gujarat gets nodA bauxite and marl mining initiative has secured essential clearance close to Gujarat's important marine conservation zones. Nestled severa...
5ft tall, 7ft wingspan and a striking black-and-white body: IAS officer shares video of black-necked stork. Why is this giant bird ‘Near Threatened’?IAS officer Sanjay Kumar recently shared a video of the black-necked stork, highlighting its impressive height of nearly 5ft and wingspan e...
In 1969, California biologist Phil Pister carried endangered Owens pupfish across hazardous terrain in two buckets; in 2024, a seventh refuge population was establishedIn a dramatic rescue in 1969, biologist Phil Pister painstakingly transported the last of the Owens pupfish through challenging landscapes ...