Marine Science

From California to British Columbia, the abundance of sunflower starfish -- an important predator in the Northeast Pacific -- declined dramatically in both nearshore and deep waters from 2013 to 2015, according to a new study that leveraged citizen science diving surveys. This significant decline was due to the sea star wasting disease that ravaged the waters of the Northeast Pacific during this time.

Manta rays feed with a unique filtration system that allows water to pass through while tiny particles of food -- even those smaller than the organism's filter pore size -- 'ricochet' away and are eaten. This filtration mechanism, since it repels rather than traps particles, resists clogging, making it promising for industrial applications like treating wastewater and reducing microplastic pollution.

Previously unobserved shark species swim in areas impacted by humans, reports a new study. The results reveal a greater prevalence of sharks in such regions than traditional survey methods have uncovered, and the approach for uncovering them may lead to more thorough species diversity assessments in areas with rare and threatened large animals - often hard to

By 2300, climate change may cause fishery yields to decline by as much as 20 percent around the globe, and by as much as 60% in the North Atlantic, a new modeling study suggests.