Submerged marine festival (wildlife)
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Posted by david xie on September 27, 2020 at 4:53 am
The submerged marine science festival discussed a lot about wildlife, and talked about he programs that restored wildlife and their accomplishment. Several projects help to restore wildlife, such as restoring species like bald eagles and striped bass. Also with the help of the Hudson River Estuary Program, they improve water quality and restored fish populations, they are really to restored the damage that human caused to aquatic life’s. Overall I am amazed by the effort of these projects, and i wanted to know more about the benefit’s that these wildlife can bring to the communities.
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<b>I was watching the presentation on eels and thought it was really cool how they migrated from the Caribbean area all the way to the Hudson River. It was a great presentation on the eel’s life cycle but it got me wondering…Why do the female eels travel all the way to the Hudson just to return a few years later to lay their eggs in the Sargasso sea? What evolutionary benefit is their for these eels to be travelling on such long journeys? Anyone have any ideas?</b>
I was surprised how important the waters of New York are to the overall ecosystem. Normally, the waters are thought of as polluted and uninhabitable, but a number of fish rely on these waters, including the Atlantic and short-nose sturgeon, Atlantic tomcod, and American shad. These fish contribute to the overall ecosystem of not only the New York area, but the northern Atlantic ocean. Seeing as the protection of these waters is so important, what initiatives can be taken to educate the public more about why we should care and preserve these habitats?
I was also curious as to why it would be advantageous or necessary for an eel to travel so far back and forth to lay their eggs. After a quick Google search, I found out that the mating and birthing patterns of eels is still quite unknown. Until only relatively recently, it was only hypothesized that eels travel to lay their eggs and it has never been documented or tracked before. If I had to make a guess from what read, eel eggs and young eels thrive more in warm waters, while mature eels do better in colder waters. I read a passing note in a paper that warm water speeds up the metabolism for an eel, but I could not find anything to elaborate on that. If it is true, it would make sense for mature eels to prefer colder waters.
I agree that it is amazing how conservation efforts have helped improve the natural habitats within New York City’s waterways. The talks about what kind of wildlife has returned to the Hudson were some of the most surprising (positive) information that I have heard in a while. I was visibly and audibly shocked when they revealed that there are whales that come close enough for whale watching near the mouth of the Hudson. I had a similar reaction when it was revealed that there are seahorses in the Hudson too. I’m glad that enough progress has been made where wildlife have started to return to the waters near NYC. I hope that they are able to keep up the good fight and that the sources of pollution are reduced or eradicated.
This program is also great because they provide observational tanks for tours that use water straight from their river. This allows them to record any changes in the turbidity of the water along with other pollutants. This program keeps track of organisms such as seahorses, oysters and different types of plankton.
I never thought of NYC and its immediate surroundings as much of a source of nature and wildlife. I heard and see people with fishing poles and wondered where the heck they were fishing. It was an absolute joy to learn that there is an abundance of life below the dark surface of the Hudson. It was quite fascinating learning about all the species. One of the videos that effected me the most was the one about changing waters, that climate change is slowly warming up the Hudson. This is a problem because the species that live and breed and raise young in the Hudson rely on cooler temperatures, thus the raising of water temperatures will no doubt effect these amazing animals. Another factor that will soon be effecting all of New York and the coast line is rising water levels. They talked about all the marshlands being pushed back or disappearing. This will also effect an entire ecosystem. This also made me wonder if the water levels rose in Jamaica Bay would the Diamond Back turtles nesting area be effected and would that in turn lower their population even more in the Bay.
I completely agree with you Lauren. It was my surprise to find out that just in NYC local waters more than 200 fish species are present! OVER TWO HUNDRED! Did anyone else get to see the seahorse they caught in NYC harbor? Whales seen within miles of NYC waters?! It was quite a pleasant surprise and some refreshing news since the reports of species populations growing is evidence of the effectiveness of these preservation programs. I also appreciated the collaboration among organizations who share data, and other resources to work together for common goals. Finally, agree with your concerns on the impact of water temperature and height rising and their impact on these species. I wonder how these organizations are considering mitigating these effects to further contribute to the conservation and proliferation or maritime wildlife in our area.
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