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California In-Stream Flows Requested

Earth Law Center and PCFFA will ask the California State Water Resources Control Board on Tuesday, 20 August, to begin consideration of establishing in-stream flow requirements for rivers, particularly those bearing salmon.

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Kitten hanging on to bow of Sea Princess before being rescued with its human companions

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The fishing community -- commercial, recreational and Tribal -- has sacrificed a great deal to ensure there are ample returning spawning salmon, including total closures of our seasons and loss of our livelihoods in recent years. It has been painful, but we have done this as an investment in our future. All of this sacrifice will be for nothing if San Joaquin Valley agribusiness gets its way and steals the salmon's water.

Dave Bitts, Eureka commercial fisherman and President, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations

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Salmon unloaded at dock. Eureka Times-Standard

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Vancouver Waterfront Salmon Sales

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Look for the jellies in the lower level of the Aquarium’s West Wing. And bring your camera.

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Rob’s Jetty, Coogee, Western Australia by Xanderwater on Flickr.

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Motherly love by Craig Detrich

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Are you or your kids fans of “Finding Nemo”? Well, we’ve got good news in the Splash Zone. We have many baby “Nemos” (clownfish), “Dory” (palette tang), “Bubbles” (yellow surgeonfish), “Gill” (Moorish idols) and “Crush” (sea turtle). Ask our guides to help you find them! 

Learn more.

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Meet the balloonfish: A balloonfish just like this little guy can be seen on billboards and ads throughout the City of Boston. But how much do know about this adorable, spiny fish? The Divers Blog is here to help answer your questions (and share video of mealtime).

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tiger

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Unicorn Crestfish (Eumecichthys fiski)

Also known as the unicornfish, the unicorn crestfish is a rare species of crestfish that likely has a worldwide distribution but has only been seen offshore of Kalk Bay in South Africa. They have also been reported in the Sea of Japan, Florida, Hawaii, Mexico and India.

Unicornfish inhabit the bathypelagic zone and are typically seen at depths of around 3,000 ft. Like a couple other lampriform genera members of Eumecichthys possess an ink tube which allows them expel a black fluid from their cloaca in defense. Unicorn crestfish are very rare and much is still unknown about their biology and ecology.

Phylogeny

Animalia-Chordata-Actinopterygii-Lampriformes-Lophotidae-Eumecichthys-E.fiski

Image(s): Eric Woroch

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Clams by scott1e2310 on Flickr.

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New Ichthyological Family Tree Reveals Surprising Cousins

by Becky Oskin

Spiny-rayed fish rule the underwater world.

In the past 100 million years, fish with spiky dorsal and anal fins — an effective anti-predator device — have occupied every nook and cranny of the planet, said Peter Wainwright, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California, Davis.

The group includes more than 90 percent of coral reef fish species and almost everything humans commercially fish, including bass, pollock and tilapia. Now, Wainwright and a team of researchers have pieced together a new family tree for this gigantic brood, with more than 18,000 species living today. Using both genetic tools and fossils, the “phylogeny" reveals unexpected links between some spiny-rayed fish, such as tuna and seahorses. The findings were published July 15 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

(read more: Live Science)