{"id":626,"date":"2018-07-26T16:58:49","date_gmt":"2018-07-26T23:58:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/?p=71495"},"modified":"2018-07-26T16:58:49","modified_gmt":"2018-07-26T23:58:49","slug":"endangered-sea-bass-aquarium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/endangered-sea-bass-aquarium","title":{"rendered":"How you can help save an endangered species of sea bass, just by taking a photo"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A giant sea bass swims past Aquarium of the Pacific scuba diver Peter Croke on July 26, 2018. The endangered fish can grow bigger than a grizzly bear. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Researchers from UC Santa Barbara and the Aquarium of the Pacific are asking for the public\u2019s help in spotting a critically endangered species of fish off the California coastline.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, experts in marine life gathered at the aquarium to launch the Spotting Giant Sea Bass<\/a> citizen science program, created by the university in collaboration with the aquarium. The web-based project was described as a “Facebook for fish” by marine biology professor and director of the Benioff Ocean Initiative, Douglas McCauley.<\/p>\n

The website is a platform where researchers, recreational divers and even snorkelers can post photos of giant sea bass they\u2019ve spotted off the coast. The fish have unique spot patterns on each of their sides, which the website\u2019s algorithms\u2014used previously by NASA to find star constellations\u2014will match to identify their whereabouts.<\/p>\n

Once a common sight in the waters off Southern California and the gulf, these gentle giants are harmless fish that can grow to the size of an average grizzly bear and play an important role in maintaining the stability of kelp forest ecosystems.<\/p>\n

Severe overfishing almost caused their extinction, especially in the 1940s and 1950s when commercial fishers began using expansive gillnets to capture fish. A state law passed in 1988 reduced the number of giant sea bass a fisher could keep if they are caught incidentally in a gillnet to one.<\/p>\n

[easy-image-collage id=71504]<\/p>\n

Left: Photo taken by T.S. Manning on Catalina Island.\u00a0Historic photos courtesy of University of California, Santa Barbara.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Giant sea bass lack abilities to cope with overfishing because of their long lifespans\u2014some live to 75, scientists said.<\/p>\n

The citizen science program is being introduced as the species makes its \u201cfirst fragile steps to recovery,\u201d said McCauley.<\/p>\n

Divers are currently spotting groups of sea bass near Casino Point, a beginners dive site off Catalina Island. The fish are attracted to many of the same sites divers enjoy because of their rocky reefs and high numbers of fish, which they\u2019re happy to eat, McCauley said. It\u2019s also their breeding season, said an aquarium official.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can go down a set of stairs, put your face in the water and swim around with these giants, something that\u2019s new and part of this good news recovery,\u201d said McCauley.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a very slow recovery, however, as the first signs of positive growth were noticed about a decade ago, and the fish are still listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.<\/p>\n

The more people who contribute to the program, and the more often, the more raw data researchers can collect on the fish, including what habitats are important to them and what time of year they turn up. Researchers will also be able to quantify recovery efforts with more accurate estimations, all in an effort to keep this species around for longer, said McCauley.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019m here at the @AquariumPacific<\/a> where, alongside researchers from UC Santa Barbara, officials will be announcing the Spotting Giant Sea Bass citizen science program in an effort to track the critically endangered species (check out the one swimming behind the scuba diver). pic.twitter.com\/SnFFDSGWfD<\/a><\/p>\n

— Asia Morris (@hugelandmass) July 26, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n