Tongue-Eating Louse Actually Eats Tongues

There are a lot of ocean animals out there that make you think, “what the heck … ?” You have the hagfish with its slime that is 100,000 times softer than Jell-O. You have the deep-sea lizardfish which is a big-toothed, sex-switching, stealth-attacking predator. You even have the gulper eel which goes from “regular looking eel” to “nightmare fuel” in a matter of seconds.

But perhaps no one takes the “weird and wild” cake like the tongue-eating louse. The name speaks for itself: this pesky parasite makes its way in the world by eating other animals’ tongues.

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You may have gone your entire life without knowing about the wonders of the tongue-eating louse, but that ends today. So buckle up, clamp your jaws shut and read on to learn more about this unusual isopod.

What is the tongue-eating louse?

The tongue-eating louse (Cymothoa exigua) is an isopod, or type of crustacean, found in the Cymothoidae family. They are parasites, meaning their survival depends on, and is detrimental to, another “host” organism. They’re also not the only parasites at the Cymothoidae family reunion—cymoithoids are all ectoparasites, meaning they live on the outside of the host rather than the inside, and mostly target fish as hosts.

© Christian Gloor

The tongue-eating louse is found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and only grows to about an inch in length. They are protandrous hermaphrodites, meaning they start out as males then switch to females later in life. Naturally, that means that females are larger than males. It also turns out that it’s the female that gives the parasite its iconic name.

Here’s how it works: a juvenile louse will sneak in through a fish’s gills, where it will wait for another louse to show up. Once there are two or more, one of them will grow and change into a female. The female will crawl out of the gills, up through the throat to the mouth where it will clamp down its strong legs onto the fish’s tongue. Each leg has a specially evolved sharp appendage that allows it to secure itself tightly.

Now the fun begins (for the isopod, not so much for the fish). The female stays put and cuts the blood vessels in the tongue. Without blood flowing to the organ, the tongue will eventually wither away and fall off, leaving only the parasite in its stead. The female will then continue to feast off the fish’s blood and mucus, happy as a vampiric clam.

Once she is established, the remaining male in the gills will mate with the much-larger female, who will then spew many tiny new parasites out of the fish. These fresh bundles of terror will drift along until they can also secure themselves in the gills of another unsuspecting host.

What happens to the fish?

Believe it or not, this highly invasive activity does not kill the fish. It’s not a good time, to be sure, but the fish is able to use the parasite like a prosthetic organ. They occupy multiple species of fish, including menhaden, snapper and other commonly-caught species (so keep an eye out the next time you’re fishing on vacation).

If you’re worried that you might lose your tongue after a quick dip in the ocean, don’t be. The tongue-eating louse doesn’t infect humans (although if you really want to keep yourself up at night, feel free to read more about mouth parasites humans can get). However, they might be in the fish you order from the seafood market—so always look your non-gift fish in the mouth!

The post Tongue-Eating Louse Actually Eats Tongues appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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Reviewing Plastic Waste in Vietnam

The convenience store is both a staple of modern living and an allegory for the way urban life impacts the environment. By definition, these shops and the items they sell are designed to make our lives easier. Many of us in urban areas can buy drinks, snacks or other necessities at any hour of the day or night within a short walk.

While the advantages are obvious, the ease these shops provide also means that we may be less mindful of the origin and impact of each item. We don’t always know how each item we purchase arrived there in the first place: how it was made, where it came from, where the packaging goes when we are done with its contents or how the city we live in manages what we discard.

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These are the kinds of questions asked by the Circularity Assessment Protocol (CAP), a process developed by Dr. Jenna Jambeck and her team at the University of Georgia (UGA)’s Circularity Informatics Lab and which Ocean Conservancy is implementing with partners in cities around the world. The CAP is a series of assessments that provides an overview of the trash and plastic waste in each city. It explores questions about consumer habits, packaging materials, availability of plastic alternatives and what becomes litter or trash and why. This data can then be shared with local, regional or national decisionmakers to help find ways to reduce plastic pollution.

Between February and March 2021, a team from the Center for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD), with guidance from the Circularity Informatics Lab and support from Ocean Conservancy and municipal leaders, conducted fieldwork in the cities of Hanoi and Nam Dinh in Vietnam. This included product and packaging assessments in stores across each city, interviews with government, industry and non-profit organizations, cost analysis of reusable products and alternatives to plastic available in the city, and audits of recycling contamination.

Some of the findings in Nam Dinh and Hanoi include:

• All top convenience store items are in non-recyclable plastic packaging. More than 90% of these products were manufactured in Vietnam. This provides an opportunity to locally design and manufacture alternatives.
• Packaging made of natural materials is limited and expensive. These alternatives aren’t accessible or well-known but local investment could help build a market for them.
• Plastic food packaging was the most common type of litter collected. Tobacco products and plastic fragments were also some of the most common items found.
• In both cities, there is a need to increase the number of waste collection bins available to the public. In many areas, there aren’t enough bins to support the volume of waste created, which leads to excess waste spilling over into the environment.
• Interviews with local residents, business owners and government officials revealed a desire for tackling plastic pollution. There was interest in both private and public sector solutions.

Understanding the strengths, weaknesses and differences among waste management practices in these cities is just the first step. Learn more about the Vietnam Circularity Assessments in Hanoi and Nam Dinh. Next, with the support of Ocean Conservancy, stakeholders in Hanoi and Nam Dinh will use the findings from the CAP to develop plans to improve how they manage plastics and waste.

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A Global Instrument to End Plastic Pollution

Last month, I had a front row seat to the biggest international effort to tackle the scourge of plastic pollution yet. On March 2, 2022, the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA) agreed on a resolution under the name “End plastic pollution: Towards an internationally legally binding instrument.” This historic resolution is a triumph of international collaboration even amongst geopolitical turmoil. It is the first major step in addressing the plastic pollution emergency.

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To have arrived at this point is no small feat. Many thought it would be difficult, if not outright impossible to meet the needs and wants of countries around the world in a single text. There were many issues on the table, such as whether an agreement would be legally binding or voluntary and if it would address plastic production and design or be confined to improving waste management and recycling. The agreement speaks volumes to the great work done by all negotiators and the spirit of cooperation and compromise shown by all parties involved.

What does this resolution do?

The Executive Director of the UN Environmental Program (UNEP) is tasked with convening a committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. They will use a comprehensive approach that addresses the full lifecycle of plastic. The committee will begin its work in 2022, with the ambition of completing the draft of the legally binding instrument by the end of 2024.

This instrument will consider national realities and allow for country-driven approaches to tackle the issue, as well as provide for flexibility to adapt to local circumstances. It is expected to include national action plans to prevent, reduce, and eliminate plastic pollution.

What is the United Nations Environmental Assembly?

UNEA was created in 2012 to foster and create a system of international environmental governance. It is the world’s highest-level decision-making body for the environment and has a universal membership of all 193 UN Member States. UNEA sets priorities for global environmental policies and develops international environmental law. Every two years the assembly meets to provide leadership, catalyze intergovernmental action on the environment and contribute to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Quoting a former UNEP Executive Director, UNEA is “the world’s parliament on the environment.”

UNEA brings together scientists, business leaders, community members and other environmental leaders to highlight the most pressing environmental issues and create global solutions. The assembly was designed to place the environment at the center of the international community’s focus, putting it at the same level as issues like peace, poverty, health and security. The establishment of UNEA was kicked off at the UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm in 1972. So, the world is celebrating 50 years of UN environmental engagement this year.

What does a “legally binding instrument” mean?

A legally binding instrument is an enforceable agreement between countries. It is an important tool to tackle a global challenge like plastic pollution. In this case, the instrument under development can inform national environmental laws and policies governing the production, use and recycling of plastic products in countries worldwide. Corporations that make, use or manage plastic and its waste are likely to be affected by this agreement as well.

There are many considerations that will go into the development of this agreement. For instance, some aspects of plastic pollution have already been addressed in other international treaties or conventions, so this must work for all these agreements and organizations. The committee must consider what qualifies as plastic and how to address microplastics. They will also have to consider which parts are binding obligations, voluntary measures or best addressed through national action plans.

Once the legally binding instrument has been adopted, the further evolution of the agreement, its obligations, its evaluation and its enforcement would occur through meetings of the parties after its entry into force.

The private sector and other environmental stakeholders, like Ocean Conservancy, will have the opportunity to participate as observers in the meetings to develop, inform and advise on this plastics agreement. We have been involved now for years in this process as a constructive partner to help close the gap between governments, community organizations and the private sector. As an organization committed to protecting the environment, caring for our ocean and fighting climate change, we will remain committed as the process continues.

This is a historical opportunity to tackle plastic pollution once and for all. Ocean Conservancy is thrilled to work with countries around the globe to create an agreement that will create a healthier future for our ocean. There is no time to waste to tackle the ocean plastics crisis. Our planet needs it, our children need it, our ocean needs it.

The post A Global Instrument to End Plastic Pollution appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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Don’t Meet the Australian Box Jellyfish

Isn’t the photo above gorgeous?! At first glance, you would think: “…that looks serene and beautiful.” But that beautiful ocean animal is extremely dangerous. On the flip side, when you see an animal with sharp teeth and claws, your flight or fight response kicks in and you escape! But, we have seen time and time again … smaller ocean creatures that don’t necessarily look dangerous can be extremely dangerous and even deadly. It’s always best to steer clear, give wild animals their space and avoid contact. You do not want to meet the Australian box jellyfish! Let’s learn more about them…

The Australian box jellyfish is considered one of the most venomous animals in the sea—their sting can cause cardiac arrest, paralysis or death in humans in just a few minutes. You definitely want to avoid meeting them.

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Box jellyfish are cnidarians—a simple invertebrate (an animal without a backbone) that lives in the water and has a digestive cavity with only one opening. Jellyfish, sea anemones, corals and hydra are all cnidarians.

There are about 50 different species of box jellyfish, sometimes also called sea wasps. They have a cube-shaped body which helps to easily identify them and distinguish them apart from “true” jellyfish. The box jellyfish can have 24 eyes and 15 tentacles that can reach up to 10 feet in length. In the wild, box jellyfish can live up to one year.

Australian box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) is the largest species of box jellyfish, with tentacles up to 10 feet long. They live off the coast of northern Australia and in the Indo-Pacific.

Lethal Toxin

The tentacles of the Australian box jellyfish are covered in small darts filled with venom (nematocysts). These darts can be fired into prey at more than 37 mph. Their nematocysts contain a potent toxin that causes a spike in blood pressure, seizing up the heart and can cause serious pain or death. A single sting can cause skin necrosis, and a large enough quantity of venom will lead to cardiac arrest and death within minutes.

Marine and land animals can be stung by box jellyfish. But did you know that sea turtles survive being stung due to their thick skin that cannot be penetrated? In fact, some sea turtles love eating jellyfish—including box jellyfish. Sadly, they also often mistake plastic bag pollution for jellyfish.

© Matt Curnock/Ocean Image Bank

Warming Ocean Waters

Warming ocean waters—due to climate change—are making the ocean more habitable to jellyfish, like the Australian boxfish jellyfish. The result is that the amount of time humans can be exposed to these jellyfish is increasing. And the span of their habitat is increasing. Previously running from November through May, the Australian box jellyfish season has been extended due to the rise in sea temperatures.

You can help by taking action today! Climate change is a problem with a known solution. We need to make drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in the next decade to stay below warming temperatures of 1.5°C to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. We need our leaders to match this global challenge with climate action on a scale our country has never seen before. We need you to urge our leaders to act on climate before it’s too late.

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Presenting Our New Podcast — Fish & Us

I know close to nothing about fishing. The practice of fishing, that is. If you gave me a fishing rod or put me on a fishing vessel, my hands would feel disoriented with the equipment. It would be like telling me to get behind a steering wheel at fifteen years old. I’m a self-proclaimed daughter of the ocean, but for me, that connection has come from sitting on the beach or swimming.

And so, I worried when I joined Ocean Conservancy as a RAY Fellow focused on fisheries policy that I was too far out of my depth. I asked myself, “What does this have to do with me? Do I belong here?” Fisheries policy can be wonky, technical and nuanced. A lot of it didn’t come intuitively to me at first. Awash in a sea of new acronyms, I was taking in a whole new language.

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But there are a few things I did know coming into this new space. I know how to be curious. I know how to read, both text and the room. I’ve been inquisitive since my mom introduced me to this magical place called the Chicago Public School Library. I know that I want to learn and listen, that I get to experience life and its lessons and share them with other people. And I know that I am drawn to stories, which I believe hold most of human wisdom and can transcend any linear construct of time.

As I dug into the work, it was the stories that drew me in. The people and communities that fish, and the scientists and managers that work with them, have a deep connectedness to marine ecosystems, and they have a passion for those places and fish that resonates deeply with me and my own story.

I know the world through my feet. They are drawn closer to soil and sand than they are to concrete. I know the world through my eyes. They have seen California droughts, Chicago blizzards and O‘ahu’s shifting landscapes. I trust that the environment is built in our bones and is everything we are.

The people I spoke with about fishing shared the same sensory language of place, meaning and purpose. And they all shared a concern about the future of fishing with climate change bearing down.

© Nicole Dornsife/ Rafeed Hussain

Fish & Us: Climate Stories from the Waterfront is a series of recorded interviews and stories about the impacts of climate change on marine fisheries, as told by the people who spend their days catching, managing and researching fish from the ocean. I talk with fishermen, researchers, policy experts, managers and everyday people that make fisheries what they are. As climate change hastens to seep into every corner of our lives, impacting the way we eat, the way we migrate, the way we ensure that fish are here from our ancestors to our descendants, this podcast calls attention to climate impacts on fisheries that are already affecting our lives.

My care for community and my love for telling stories and writing, mixed with my ecstatic curiosity for fisheries policy, is why I am here as the host of Fish & Us. Almost two years into my fellowship, I learned there is room—and need—for all of us to engage in fisheries policy. I found myself entranced by how fisheries represent this interconnected web: the fish, the people and relationships, and the ocean environment. Whether it’s through fishing or communing at the dinner table, most of us are connected to fish and to fishermen. And we should care deeply that fish and fishing are changing—have changed—because of climate change.

© Rafeed Hussain

For this first installment of the podcast, I met with four incredible individuals: three fishermen and one fisheries manager. I loved every minute with them. They shared with me their core identities, their upbringing, their homes, their memories with and dreams for loved ones, their life work, their observations of climate impacts, their disbelief and their hope.

Fish are valuable to each other, to us and to our ecosystems. When you throw climate change into the mix, their health and resilience are compromised, and can compromise the means of sustenance and living for communities that depend on fish. Our podcast guests taught me that some fish are having to find new homes, some fish are experiencing disruptions in decades-old patterns of wildlife interactions, some fish are decreasing in productivity and their metabolisms are changing, and some fish are experiencing more than a single shift due to climate change.

Tony, Dave, Michele and Hannah presented these challenges but ultimately made me return to the words of Mariame Kaba: “Hope is a discipline.” They taught me that it takes and will take hard decisions to prioritize climate in a fisheries management system with a track record of success but room for improvement. They expressed that when we work with the beauty of our multiple roles and differences, we are better and stronger together. These are the stories that helped me find my place in fisheries policy. I hope that this podcast helps you see your connections as well, as it takes all of us to fight for a healthy ocean for all of us who depend on it.

Fish & Us: Climate Stories from the Waterfront is available on Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify, and most major podcast streaming platforms.

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What is a Dolphinfish?

Chances are that most ocean lovers are familiar with the iconic marine mammal, the dolphin. But have you ever heard of the spectacular ocean resident known as the dolphinfish? Despite its shared name, it’s unrelated to the more well-known marine mammal. The dolphinfish is a jaw-droppingly beautiful pelagic (open ocean) fish species that also carries two other nicknames: dorado and mahi mahi (the latter translating to “strong strong” in Hawaiian).

These fish can be found in tropical and subtropical waters all over the world, spending most of their time in the open ocean at depths of between zero and 279 feet below the surface. Though they typically prefer open waters, they are occasionally spotted closer to shore, most often hanging out near floating collections of an algae called sargassum or following large ships in as they travel closer to the coast.

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It’s important to note that there are two species in the dolphinfish family (Coryphaenidae): the common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) and the pompano (Coryphaena equiselis). They are very similar in appearance with long, streamlined frames, dorsal fins running nearly the entire length of their bodies and forked tail fins. They usually measure around three feet long and weigh close to 30 pounds but have been observed at records of more than six feet long and more than 80 pounds in weight!

Incredibly vibrant in color, most of these fish have stunning greenish-gold bodies with patches of blue and bright green that shimmer beautifully when they reflect sunlight. They also have blunt heads (especially males) that contain numerous tiny teeth as well as what’s known as a “tooth patch” on their tongues.

If you’re trying to distinguish the common dolphinfish from the pompano, there are a few ways to tell them apart, but the easiest is typically to take a look at the depth of their bodies, specifically examining the distance from the top (dorsal) side of the fish to the bottom (ventral) side. While the common dolphinfish typically has a measured body depth of less than 25%, the pompano is known to have body depths surpassing 25%. There is also a way to tell a younger dolphinfish from an older one; juveniles often have vertical bar-type markings, which fade over time as the fish mature. These markings are found on the sides of their bodies that stretch onto their fins.

© Queensland State Archives

Speaking of maturity, these fish grow extremely quickly! With an average lifespan of around four years, dolphinfish typically reach reproductive maturity by the time they are four to five months old. During spawning season (which occurs intermittently throughout the year in tropical waters), the fish will spawn every two to three days, with females releasing approximately 33,000 to 66,000 eggs each time they spawn. That’s a lot of mini-mahis!

Oh, and I’d be remiss not to mention that these animals are serious ocean athletes. Dolphinfish are impeccably agile swimmers, reaching potential speeds of up to 57 miles per hour. Thanks to their natural agility and aptly compressed bodies, mahi mahi rank among our ocean’s top predatory fish. They are diurnal hunters, meaning they’re mainly active during the day, and love to chase down their favorite pelagic snacks, including but not limited to triggerfish, flying fishand man-o-war, as well as larger juvenile fishes like tuna and billfishes such as sailfish and swordfish. It’s interesting they’re known sometimes to hunt in pairs, using teamwork to lock down their meals. Since males tend to be larger than females at around the same age, they do tend to eat more food in general than female dolphinfish, likely in an effort to support their speedy metabolism.

In mentioning the hunting patterns of dolphinfish, it’s also important to acknowledge the predators of dolphinfish themselves. Most often, large marine mammals and adult billfish are the animals mahi mahi must keep an eye out for. However, humans should be counted among these predators, too: These colorful creatures are also highly sought after as gamefish and are fished both recreationally and commercially.

© Wikimedia Commons

Because dolphinfish reach maturity at a young age and produce a large number of offspring (remember the tens of thousands of mini-mahis being spawned every few days?), many studies suggest that mahi populations are able to handle relatively high catch levels compared to other species, specifically when it comes to the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico fisheries. However, as with many ocean-going species, more research would help to understand the full impact of fishing and the status of the dolphinfish populations.

All in all, it’s safe to say that the dolphinfish is a captivatingly unique marine specimen. If you’re interested in learning more about the conservation work that’s being done to protect fish species like this one, be sure to visit our Sustainable Fisheries page to learn all about the fish conservation work we’re doing here at Ocean Conservancy—and , of course, how you can help!

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What is a Frilled Shark?

If you’re like me, the name “frilled shark” conjures up a dainty image of a shark in a fluffy dress. But if you tap that name into a Google search you’re in for a thrill because those frills can kill. The frilled shark gets its name from a row of six red-lined gills that look a little like an Elizabethan ruff seen in Shakespeare’s day. However, the sharks’ terrifying 300 teeth might distract people from admiring this decorative feature.

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While its common name comes from its gills, its Latin name (Chlamydoselachus anguineus) is inspired by its snake-like head and long, narrow body. A frilled shark looks more like an eel at first glance, giving off strong “swim away!” and “nope!” vibes. The Latin root of its species name, anguis, describes a snake, dragon or serpent. It does seem like the stuff of legend, especially since this shark has been on Earth for 80 million years. They first popped up in the Cretaceous period when all your favorite Jurassic Park stars like the Triceratops, Tyrannosaurs rex and Velociraptor roamed the land.

The first description of this shark dubbed it an “elusive creature, the serpent-like monster of the oceans.” Frilled sharks can grow up to six feet long with 25 rows of teeth. These teeth face inward, ensuring once prey get in, they don’t get out. No one has seen a frilled shark eat so we’re not sure how their prey meets their fate. Possibly they are lured near by the shark’s white chompers and are done in by a quick and powerful lunge forward that seal’s their fate.

Female frilled sharks are larger than males. These powerful mamas may have the longest gestation period on earth: 42 months. That’s over three years of carrying around an average of six pups in their bellies. While in the womb, they do not have a placenta like human babies, but live in egg capsules, nourished by the yolk.

Glimpses of frilled sharks are rare. In 2015 an Australian fisherman caught one and described the experience as something out of a horror movie. If all this talk about this scary shark is making you nervous to dip your toe into the ocean waves, don’t worry. These sharks typically live hundreds or even thousands of feet below the surface. The average person will be able to see a frilled shark only in pictures … or in your nightmares.

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