 The Ocean Report: 1997
Hosted by Peter Benchley and Dr. Sylvia Earle
The Ocean Report files are in Real Audio 28.8 format, and can be heard using the Real Audio Player.
January 1997
The Year of the Reef (01/01/97)
Scientists and environmental groups have joined
together to declare 1997 the "International Year of the
Reef." The Coral Reef Alliance is educating people about
coral reefs--and promoting reef protection worldwide.
Listen
Noise Pollution 1 (01/02/97)
Whales and their relatives communicate and
navigate underwater using low-frequency sounds. Some marine
mammal sounds carry for thousands of miles. Is the noise of
ships and ocean exploration drowning them out?
Listen
Noise Pollution 2 (01/03/97)
Does noise bother you? The underwater noise from
commercial shipping is 30 times louder today than it was a
century ago--so loud that for whales, it's like living near
a large airport.
Listen
Deadly Debris (01/06/97)
Trash tossed in the ocean can affect hundreds of
marine species. To a hungry sea turtle, for example, a
floating plastic bag looks just like a delicious jelly fish
- but the mouthful of plastic could be its last meal.
Listen
Balloon Dangers (01/07/97)
Releasing colorful helium balloons seems like a
harmless way to celebrate. Unfortunately, balloons that land
in the ocean can be deadly to sea life. Learn about
conservation-minded alternatives to balloon launches.
Listen
Search for the Giant Squid
(01/08/97)
It's sixty feel long, with eyes as big as
basketballs...but no one has ever seen this creature alive,
in its natural habitat. Now Smithsonian biologist Clyde
Roper has launched a quest for the giant squid.
Listen
Bluefin Tuna (01/09/97)
Sleek and muscular, bluefin tuna can cruise the
ocean at fifty miles per hour, or travel thousands of miles
on underwater migrations. Two kinds of muscles give these
powerful ocean predators both speed and endurance.
Listen
Fish Communication (01/10/97)
Some fish swim in "schools" - tight-knit groups
that move in close coordination. Fish in a school swim at
the same speed and change direction in a blink, even though
they have no apparent leader. How do they do it?
Listen
Aquarius (01/13/97)
While astronauts explore outer space, aquanauts
are studying "inner space" on the ocean floor. Take a trip
to Aquarius, an undersea laboratory near Key Largo where
marine scientists live and work for days or weeks at a
time.
Listen
Coelacanth (01/14/97)
The coelacanth roamed the ocean depths long
before dinosaurs thundered across the land. And this "living
fossil," roams them still - but now, the lobed-finned fish
with the metallic blue scales is vulnerable to modern
fishing practices.
Listen
Recycled Oil (01/15/97)
When your car needs an oil change, what happens
to the dirty oil? An innovative California program offers a
"slick" solution, to ensure that used motor oil doesn't find
its way down storm drains and into our oceans.
Listen
Marine Snow (01/16/97)
Like snow drifting to earth, a blizzard of tiny
particles rains down through the ocean. Called "marine
snow," it provides living space for drifting creatures - not
to mention a shower of food for bottom-dwellers.
Listen
Making a Tuna (01/17/97)
When you open a can of tuna, stop and think:
you're the last link in a very long food chain. Tuna are at
the top of the ocean "food pyramid," so it takes quite a
pile of marine creatures to make one little tuna
sandwich.
Listen
Marine Reserves (01/20/97)
Will the wonders of the ocean be preserved for
future generations? New Zealand environmentalist Bill
Ballentine has fought hard to create thirteen "no-take"
marine reserves, where all ocean life is protected.
Listen
Experienced Fish (01/21/97)
It takes years for a fish to grow big enough to
be a "nice catch." When we take big fish from their ocean
societies, we may be eliminating tribal leaders, the
experienced leaders who teach survival skills to the
young.
Listen
Deep Sea Shrimp (01/22/97)
A species of shrimp you'll never find on a
restaurant menu lives near sulfide-spewing volcanic vents on
the ocean floor. This tiny gray shrimp eats hot meals on the
run, harvesting a crop grown on its own body.
Listen
The Deepest Dive (01/23/97)
Thirty-seven years ago today, two men piloting a
tiny bathyscaphe named Trieste descended seven miles
to the deepest point on the ocean floor, in a historic dive
that shattered previous records.
Listen
Robotic Research (01/24/97)
Deep water is dangerous for human divers, but not
for ocean-going robots. A new breed of robots called
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles can swim in the ocean for
years at a time, gathering valuable data about the ocean
environment.
Listen
Fish-Watching (01/27/97)
Amateur bird watchers often collect data for
scientists - and now, fish watchers can too. A national
educational organization is training recreational divers to
record valuable information about the fish they meet.
Listen
Oil Spill Solutions (01/28/97)
When grounded tankers spill oil, rescuers rush to
the scene to repair the damage. What's the best way to clean
up the mess? After studying Alaskan clean-up efforts,
scientists concluded that the answer is "It depends."
Listen
Canaries of the Reef (01/29/97)
How can you tell if a coral reef is healthy? The
fish that live there can serve as an inexpensive, living
alarm system that, like the coal miner's canary, warns us of
changes in the environment.
Listen
Manatees - 1 (01/30/97)
Chubby and wrinkled, plant-eating manatees are a
popular Florida tourist attraction. But their birth rate
does not offset their death rate. What's killing the
manatees? Powerboats and habitat loss are two big
problems.
Listen
Manatees - 2 (01/31/97)
Last year, Florida's manatees faced another
threat - a deadly bloom of toxin-producing microorganisms
called "red tide."
Listen
February 1997
Marine Sanctuaries (02/03/97)
You won't see any bears in these parks, you can't
build a campfire, and fresh air isn't one of the
attractions. Yet the National Marine Sanctuaries are some of
our nation's most visited natural areas.
Listen
Ancient Ocean Life (02/04/97)
While newspapers headlines shouted the news of
ancient life forms discovered on Mars, ocean scientists were
making an equally astonishing discovery about a deep-sea
life form here on Planet Earth.
Listen
A Snail's Pace (02/05/97)
Snails aren't known for being speedy. But on an
island off the coast of Maine, a marble-sized periwinkle is
defending itself from a snail-munching crab by changing
shape - at a pace that amounts to the blink of a geologist's
eye.
Listen
Sneaker Spill (02/06/97)
When a storm swept 80,000 sneakers off a cargo
vessel in the North Pacific, the fancy footgear floated on
the waves. So scientists seized the chance to track ocean
currents - in the footsteps of the soggy globe-trotters.
Listen
Toy Spill (02/07/97)
Piles of plastic washed up on the beach: it
sounds like an environmental nightmare. But a 1990 "toy
spill" that left thousands of yellow duckies floating in the
world's biggest bathtub was another opportunity to map ocean
currents.
Listen
Elephant Seals (02/10/97)
With their trunk-like snouts, elephant seals
resemble their land-lubbing namesakes. These two-ton divers
munch mainly on squid, a food they literally go to great
lengths to get . . . by diving nearly a mile below the
surface.
Listen
Coral Reef Restoration (02/11/97)
Coral reefs take centuries to grow, yet a ship
that run aground can destroy a reef in minutes. In Florida's
Key Largo Marine Sanctuary, biologists are learning how to
protect damaged reefs and speed up their
recovery.
Listen
Chronic Oil Spills (02/12/97)
Big oil spills make for big headlines, but they
aren't the biggest pollution problem. Billions more gallons
of oil flow into the ocean each year from less visible - and
harder to control - sources.
Listen
Cleaning Up Our Act (02/13/97)
Meet the "Dirty Dozen": the twelve trash items
most often collected during annual beach clean-ups. If we
stopped tossing just these things, out beaches and waterways
would be 50 percent cleaner.
Listen
Red Tide (02/14/97)
They aren't literally tides, and they're not
always red. But when certain microscopic marine plants
reproduced in huge numbers, the chemicals they produce can
poison shellfish, marine mammals...and humans too.
Listen
Whale Reefs (02/17/97)
When a whale dies, its body settles to the bottom
of the ocean . . . where it may find new life as an
underwater reef. Whale carcasses can serve as stepping
stones, sheltering sea creatures as they traverse vast
distances underwater.
Listen
Hagfish (02/18/97)
A boneless fish? It sounds impossible! But it's a
biological reality, in the form of the hagfish. An
eel-shaped sea scavenger that tears into its meals with a
toothy "tongue," the hagfish has a slimy strategy for
repelling ocean predators.
Listen
Coastal Zone Management (02/19/97)
Coastal zones are popular places to live and work
- but they're also vulnerable. For the past 25 years the
National, Ocean Service has worked to protect coastal
wetlands while also increasing public access to beaches.
Listen
Florida Keys Sanctuary (02/20/97)
The Florida Keys are known worldwide for their
vast coral reefs swarming with clouds of colorful fish Yet
it took a near disaster before these beautiful yet
vulnerable reefs became legally protected.
Listen
No More "Mud Dump" (02/21/97)
An underwater dump off the coast of New Jersey
has been the final resting place for toxic sediments dredged
from New York Harbor. This year, the dump will be
permanently closed and capped, to protect ocean life.
Listen
Communal Shrimp (02/24/97)
You might not think of shrimp as especially
sociable animals. But on the coral reefs of the Caribbean,
snapping shrimp live in structured societies, with groups of
up to 300 living and working together.
Listen
Underwater Storms (02/25/97)
In many places the deep ocean floor is so calm
and still, a snail's trail through soft mud may sit
undisturbed for years. Yet in other places, deep-sea storms
rage underwater with all the force of an Oklahoma
dustbowl.
Listen
Swordfish (02/26/97)
Prized by sporting anglers and seafood lovers,
swordfish face perilous times, with recent, drastic declines
in commercial catches. A conservation commission is weighing
the options for protecting these popular fish.
Listen
Marine Animal Rescue Team
(02/27/97)
The Baltimore Aquarium is one of many
organizations that maintains a marine animal rescue team,
which stands ready to assist stranded whales, turtles, and
seals. Programs like this one can make a difference.
Listen
Saving Inky the Whale (02/28/97)
Inky is one of the Baltimore Aquarium's success
stories. Stranded on a New Jersey beach with a bellyful of
plastic trash, the little sperm whale was rehabilitated and
eventually returned to her ocean home.
Listen
March 1997
Save Our Sharks (03/03/97)
Many people fear "man~eating" sharks. But many
kinds of sharks are in danger because we are eating
them. Luckily, several federal proposals, currently
being reviewed, could cut down on the slaughter of
sharks.
Listen
Roseate Terns (03/04/97)
Long ago, a fashion craze for feathered hats
nearly drove these graceful seabirds to extinction. Thanks
to protective laws, the terns recovered. But now they face
new threats, both on their nesting and wintering
grounds.
Listen
What is Coral? (03/05/97)
Once, people thought coral was merely stone, or
perhaps an underwater plant. Today we know that
reef-building corals are animals much like jellyfish - but
they have microscopic plants living right inside their body
tissues.
Listen
What is a Coral Reef? (03/06/97)
The answer to this question is as complex as the
reef itself. Reefs are built by coral animals together with
sponges and certain kinds of algae. As complex as tropical
rainforests, reefs shelter a dazzling variety of sea
creatures.
Listen
Coral Bleaching (03/07/97)
Many of the world's coral reefs are losing their
vital pigments and becoming pale ghost towns. They're
victims of a stress-induced condition called coral
bleach-in", in which the corals expel their brightly colored
plant partners.
Listen
Gulf of the Farallones (03/10/97)
Visit a majestic California park where the craggy
cliffs are crowned, not with big trees, but with seaweed.
It's the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, which covers
more than 1,000 square miles near San Francisco Bay.
Listen
Beach Watch (03/11/97)
Hard-working volunteers are helping out at
National Marine Sanctuaries. One example is the Beach Watch
program at the Gulf of the Farallones NMS, where observers
monitor ocean wildlife and shoreline changes.
Listen
Slippery as an Eel (03/12/97)
Some species of eels live in freshwater streams
and lakes, but swim downstream to the ocean when it's time
to breed. Then, they disappear. Believe it or not, we still
don't know where in the sea these slippery fish gather to
mate.
Listen
Salmon Spawning (03/13/97)
As eels swim downstream, they pass salmon in the
oncoming lane. These fish mature in the ocean, but swim
upstream to breed in freshwater streams and river.
Listen
Mariners' Road Maps (03/14/97)
One important job of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration is making ocean charts - a kind
of "mariners' road maps." Sonar, laser, and global
positioning systems combine to help today's ocean
navigators.
Listen
Right Whales (03/17/97)
These gentle ocean giants got their name because
their plentiful blubber and tame nature once made them the
"right" whale to kill. With the North Atlantic population
now numbering 300, right whales are in danger of
extinction.
Listen
Sea Stars (03/18/97)
Wade into a tidepool to view a curious
constellation of stars. These creatures have eyes on their
arms, jaws on their skins, even stomachs that turn inside
out...and though we call them star fish, they're
absolutely no relation.
Listen
Cyanide Fishing (03/19/97)
Living fish swim in dining room tanks in trendy
Taiwan restaurants. That doesn't worry most diners~but it
should. These fish are flushed from reefs with a squirt of
cyanide - killing dozens of other reef creatures in the
process.
Listen
Polar Bears (03/20/97)
With their plush white fur and large, paddle-like
paws, polar bears are well-prepared for daily dips into icy
Arctic waters. Though laws protect them from overhunting,
these bears still face the problems of pollution and habitat
loss. Listen
Lemon Sharks (03/21/97)
Meet a man who is entranced with the beauty,
grace, and fascinating behavior of sharks. Dr. Sam Gruber
studies the habits of the lemon shark, a large and sometimes
dangerous shark found off the Gulf Coast and in the
Caribbean.
Listen
Exxon Valdez - Eight Years
Later (03/24/97)
Eight years ago today the oil tanker Exxon
Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef in Alaska's Prince
William Sound. There is good news and bad as this four-part
series takes a look at sea life in the sound today.
Listen
Exxon Valdez - Effects on Birds
(03/25/97)
About a half-million seabirds died outright in
the Exxon Valdez spill. Today some species, including
common murres and bald eagles, are recovering; others, such
as harlequin ducks, are still declining in numbers.
Listen
Exxon Valdez - Marine Mammals
(03/26/97)
Only a few seals and whales died in the Exxon
Valdez spill but sea otters were not so lucky. Many
otters were killed, and the population as a whole still
hasn't yet returned to pre-spill levels.
Listen
Exxon Valdez - Effects on Fish
(03/27/97)
Spilled oil moved hundreds of miles from the site of the
grounding, contaminating many fishing areas. Some fish
populations are still declining, and it may be years before
we know the full effects of the spill.
Listen
The Original Penguin (03/28/97)
Long ago, Labrador fisherman gave a goose-sized
seabird the name "penguin" - perhaps from the Welsh words
meaning "white head." Today the bird we know as the great
auk is extinct, and only its name lives on.
Listen
Life In a Teaspoon (03/31/97)
When you dip seawater in your cupped hands,
you're holding a briny cocktail teeming with life. A
teaspoon of sea water holds thousands of phytoplankton and
hundreds of zooplankton, the foundation of the ocean food
web.
Listen
April 1997
Snail Sex Change (04/01/97)
Did you hear about the snail that changed its
sex? This is no April Fool's joke - it's a serious problem
in the Mediterranean. A compound called TBT, used to protect
ships' hulls, also causes a sex change in some female
snails.
Listen
Ring Leader (04/02/97)
A company that manufactures plastic six-pack
rings is making them safer for sea life. The new rings break
down when exposed to sunlight, and that reduces the chances
they'll end up as a deadly necklace for fish, birds, and sea
turtles.
Listen
Striped Bass (04/03/97)
"Squid-hound." "Old Pajamas." Striper." These are
just some of the nicknames for a fish called the striped
bass. When bass numbers took a dive not long ago, an
energetic recovery program brought this fish back
from the brink
Listen
Bioluminescence (04/04/97)
Many deep-sea animals make their own light. It
sounds like a risky strategy, since an underwater light show
might catch the attention of hungry predators. But in fact,
the "living light" confuses enemies and also entices
mates.
Listen
Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary
(04/05/97)
Far out in Massachusetts Bay, a long curve of
sand and gravel rises from the ocean floor. It's
Stellwagen Bank, home to an amazing variety of sea-life--and
now, protected as a National Marine Sanctuary.
Listen
Whale Watching (04/08/97)
Clustered on the heaving deck of a small boat,
people gasp in amazement as, just ahead of them, a massive
humpback whale breaches the waves. These days, whale
watching is big business-and thats good news for the
whales.
Listen
Horseshoe Crabs (04/09/97)
These living fossils were swimming in the oceans
long before dinosaurs appeared. Unfortunately, their future
is in jeopardy. They're being slaughtered for eel bait,
while their beachfront nesting sites are lost to
development
Listen
The Cell from Hell - 1 (04/10/97)
One kind of ocean algae releases chemicals so
poisonois, scientists call this microscopic plant "The Cell
from Hell.". Capable of causing paralysis and even death, it
poses a danger to both to sea life and to humans ashore.
Listen
The Cell from Hell - 2 (04/11/97)
The ocean algae called "The Cell from Hel1" is
only a problem when it "blooms," or multiplies rapidly. What
provokes a bloom? One big factor is nutrients, in the form
of hog-farm manure that flows into the sea.
Listen
Seahorses (04/14/97)
Seahorses are some of the most magical animals in
the ocean. Unfortunately, they face anything but a
fairy-tale existence. Ground into medicine sold as pets, or
dried for souvenirs-no wonder 14 species are in danger of
extinction.
Listen
Bulldozing the Ocean Floor
(04/15/97)
To get succulent shrimp from the sea to your
plate, fishing boats drag huge nets along the ocean floor.
It's an effective technique-but it's rather like bulldozing
a forest to catch the squirrels and birds that live
there.
Listen
San Francisco Bay - 1 (04/16/97)
The floor of California's San Fancisco Bay
is a melting pot where sea creatures from around the globe
mix and mingle.From Chinese clams to pillbugs from New
Zealand, more than 200 exotic species now live in the
Bay.
Listen
San Francisco Bay - 2 (04/17/97)
Most of the exotic sea creatures now living in
San Francisco Bay are "accidental tourists." Many arrived as
unintentional stowaways, sloshing in the ballast water of
cargo ships that filled their tanks in foreign ports.
Listen
Exploration (04/18/97)
Humans have broken the bonds of gravity and
streaked across space. Yet we have barely scratched the
surface of our ancestral home, the sea. Below 150 feet-the
limit for most divers-the ocean is largely unexplored.
Listen
Satellite Tags (04/21/97)
Where do whales go on their long distance
travels? A high-tech program is trying to find out-by
tagging whales with space age transmitters. The tags send
signals to satellites, giving scientists back on shore a fix
on their locations.
Listen
Earth Day is "Ocean Day"
(04/22/97)
Today we celebrate Earth Day. But ours is an
ocean planet, and the salty blue waters control our weather,
provide most of the living space, and sustain life as we
know it. So, maybe we should be celebrating "Ocean Day."
Listen
Storms and the Ocean (04/23/97)
Heavy pounding waves and powerful shoreline
currents keep beaches in a constant state of change. Storms
make the most changes, but some coastline currents shift
millions of tons of sand each year.
Listen
The Grouper (04/24/97)
Scuba divers call it "the Labrador retriever of
the sea." The grouper looks fierce, with a mouth full of
sharp teeth, but it's an approachable fish
that's willing to be petted and hand-fed, and comes
running at the sound of scuba bubbles.
Listen
Reef and Rainforest (04/25/97)
Colorful coral reefs and steamy tropical
rainforests have a lot in common. Both are found arount the
equator, both support a diversity of life forms . . . and
both are threatened by human population growth
Listen
Meet the Krill (04/28/97)
These small, shrimp-like creatures have red
shells and big, black eyes. Krill live in vast swarms in the
cold waters of the Antarctic, where they're a key source of
food for many animals, including the majestic blue
whale.
Listen
Killing Krill (04/29/97)
Millions of tons of krill have been scooped
out of the Antarctic Ocean by fishing fleets from several
nations, including Russia and Japan. If we take too much,
what will happen to the ocean animals that rely on this
tiny crustacean?
Listen
Electronic Charting (04/30/97)
Long ago, ship captains charted a course by
the sun and stars. Today, ship pilots don't have to scan
the sky for guidance. Instead, they can consult
electronic charts, glowing in real time on shipboard
computer screens.
Listen
May 1997
Lawn Care - 1 (05/01/97)
What's the connection between green lawns and
the deep blue sea? Lawn fertilizer contains nutrients,
mostly nitrogen and phosphorus. When millions of people
fertilize their lawns, the excess runs off . . . into the
ocean.
Listen
Lawn Care - 2 (05/02/97)
It's hard to imagine that the way you mow your
lawn affects the ocean. But a major source of ocean
pollution is right in your backyard. Here's a lawn-care
plan that is ocean-friendly-and keeps your yard looking
great.
Listen
Chambered Nautilus (05/05/97)
This creature is the original "deep-sea
diver." It lives in a spiral shell whose sealed
compartments are filled with gas. The nautilus uses the
chambers like built-in scuba tanks an emergency oxygen
supply in time of need.
Listen
Looe Key (05/06/97)
It's one of the most popular dive sites in the
Florida Keys, and you can see why. Looe Key has elk-horn
coral, friendly grouper fish, the famous "queen" conch,
and bouquets of flower-like sea anemones. There's even a
real shipwreck.
Listen
Florida Bay (05/07/97)
Stretching from the Everglades to the Keys,
Florida Bay is an "in-between" ecosystem that stays
healthy with an infusion of fresh water. But as water has
been siphoned off for agriculture, the once-clear estuary
has become a "dead zone."
Listen
Protect a Moving Target
(05/08/97)
Northern right whales are gravely endangered;
only about 300 remain. These whales migrate each year
between breeding and feeding grounds, and that creates a
problem: How do you protect a moving target?
Listen
Cowfish
(05/09/97)
The cowfish has horns like a cow. But the resemblance
ends there. These fish are more like living boxes, their
bodies sheathed in a protective armor of bony plates. To
further discourage predators, many cowfish secrete a
numbing poison.
Listen
Mangroves - 1 (05/12/97)
Some amazing trees live where no other trees can:
at the margin of the sea. Mangrove trees protect
thousands of miles of tropical coastline from erosion and
flooding and serve as a "nursery" for many ocean
creatures.
Listen
Mangroves - 2 (05/13/97)
The world's appetite for shrimp is growing. To
feed it, shrimp are being farmed in shallow ponds hacked
out of coastal mangrove forests. Unfortunately, this
practice destroys some of the most productive habitat in
the world.
Listen
Mangroves - 3 (05/14/97)
In just the last two decades, 75 percent of
the world's mangrove forests have been destroyed, with
devastating consequences. The Mangrove Action Project is
working in 40 nations to protect and restore the
mangroves that remain.
Listen
Squid (05/15/97)
Once, fisherman regarded squid as nothing but
bait. Now, squid is a luxury food, and we're catching it
by the ton. But if we create a squid shortage, it will
spell trouble for the many ocean animals that also dine
on this inky octopus relative.
Listen
Aquavet (05/16/97)
If your pet gets sick, you call a vet. But who
looks after ocean animals when they're in trouble? A new
program trains "Aquavets" to care for marine mammals,
fish. and even shellfish in the wild, on fish farms, or
for aquariums and zoos.
Listen
Samoan Sanctuary (05/19/97)
Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary is in
American Samoa, halfway between Hawaii and Australia. Not
long ago, this coral reef was damaged by hurricanes,
hungry starfish, and developers. Now, it's on its way to
recovery.
Listen
Orange Roughy (05/20/97)
Orange roughy fillets are a popular item at
many supermarket fish counters. But here's food for
thought: This fish won't be for sale much longer. It has
taken only a decade of fishing for once-thriving
populations to collapse.
Listen
Swords to Plowshares (05/21/97)
During the Cold War, we used spy satellites
and a network of undersea microphones for secret
surveillance. Today, scientists are turning this
technology to a peace-time use: gathering intelligence
about the ocean itself.
Listen
Abalone (05/22/97)
The white abalone is one prolific mollusk. A
female no longer than your hand may release 11 million
eggs. But our appetite for the flesh of this succulent
snail relative threatens to surpass even these potent
reproductive powers.
Listen
Turtle Tumors (05/23/97)
Something ugly is growing in the sea: an
epidemic of disfiguring tumors. It's killing green sea
turtles in Hawaii, Florida, and the Bahamas. Scientists
suspect a herpes-like virus, but the exact cause of the
disease is a mystery.
Listen
Shifting Sands (05/26/97)
It's Memorial Day, so maybe you're headed for
the beach. But guess what? Our beaches are also going
places. By their very nature, beaches are constantly
shifting, as ocean waves wash sand away from one beach,
and onto another.
Listen
Building on the Beach
(05/27/97)
Beaches pose such a flood risk, you could say
Nature frowns on development there. And so does the
insurance industry. In the United States, a special
program forbids federal subsidies for development on
sensitive beaches.
Listen
Help from Hollywood (05/28/97)
A group of Hollywood celebrities is working
together to protect the environment, through the Earth
Communications Office. They've just released a special
movie trailer about coral reefs. Watch for it in a
theater near you!
Listen
Shark Quotas (05/29/97)
Both commercial and recreational fishermen go
after sharks, to the point where many species are
declining dangerously. New shark-fishing quotas in the
south Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico are one response to
the problem.
Listen
Florida Marine Reserve
(05/30/97)
New legislation has created a special reserve
within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Called
the Western Sambos Reserve, it's a place where fish,
coral, and other marine life will benefit from extra
protection.
Listen
June 1997
Turtles in Trouble (06/02/97)
Sea turtles were once so numerous, they
darkened the seas off the coast of Mexico. Today all
seven species are either endangered or threatened. It's
shocking to think that an entire life form is on the
brink of extinction.
Listen
On the List (06/03/97)
Next week, representatives from countries
around the world will gather in the African nation of
Zimbabwe to develop an official list of internationally
protected endangered species. Whales, in particular, are
on the agenda.
Listen
Whale Sanctuary (06/04/97)
Around the islands of Hawaii, there's music in
the water--the songs of humpback whales. The Hawaiian
Islands Humpback Whale National Sanctuary gives these
gentle giants a protected place to breed and raise their
young.
Listen
World Oceans Day (06/05/97)
Mark your calendar! This Sunday, June 8, is
World Oceans Day, an international holiday. From
(ice-pool walks to deep-sea dives, special events around
the globe are scheduled, to celebrate the living
ocean.
Listen
Monkfish (06/06/97)
This bottom-dwelling fish comes equipped with
its own fishing tackle. A fleshy growth on one dorsal
spine looks just like a juicy worm. But while the
monkfish is fishing for its dinner, something else is
fishing for the monkfish.
Listen
Great Lakes (06/09/97)
Like the ocean, the Great Lakes have sand
beaches, rolling dunes, and breaking waves. And like the
ocean, they provide us with food, transportation, and
other benefits. We can learn much about the ocean by
studying these inland seas.
Listen
Sea Snakes - 1 (06/10/97)
Sea serpents are just a legend--but sea snakes
are real! Nearly 060 species live in the warm waters of
the Pacific and Indian Ocean. These graceful creatures
breathe through their skin, give birth at sea, and never
set scale on land.
Listen
Sea Snakes - 2 (06/11/97)
Some people fear the deadly venom of sea
snakes. But these fish-eaters rarely attack humans. In
fact, sea snakes need protection from deadly human
beings, who turn these living works of art into wallets,
handbags, and watchbands.
Listen
Mapping the Ocean (06/12/97)
For decades, space technology has brought us
images of the moon, the planets, and even other galaxies.
But only recently have we turned this technology towards
the Earth to take pictures of the ocean floor.
Listen
Anyone Can Snorkel (06/13/97)
Taking a dive underwater is a magical
experience. But few people ever get the chance to explore
the ocean this way. Now, guided snorkeling programs are
bridging the gap between the "have-seens" and the
"have-nots."
Listen
Giant Ocean Pillbug (06/16/97)
What lives in an octopus's garden beneath the
waves? Giant ocean pillbugs! These deep-sea dwellers are
related to the flat, gray pillbugs you find in your
backyard garden--but marine pillbugs can grow to be as
big as a shoe.
Listen
Deep Sea Drugstore (06/17/97)
From cod liver oil to calcium pills made from
oyster shell, people have used marine medicines for
centuries. Today we're discovering new ways that natural
chemicals from the ocean can help us to heal, and stay
healthy.
Listen
Kelp - 1 (06/18/97)
Tall forests line the California coast--but
these forests are underwater! Take a dive through a
forest of kelp, marine algae that grows 80 feet tall.
Swaying kelp fronds shelter fish, urchins, otters, and
thousands of other ocean creatures.
Listen
Kelp - 2 (06/19/97)
Kelp grows fast, as much as 12 inches a day.
But that isn't enough to keep up with a host of
environmental problems. Pollution, predatory sea urchins,
and devastating storms have taken their toll on
California kelp beds.
Listen
Dolphins in Danger (06/20/97)
It sounds like a good thing: a special paint
that keeps ships free from clinging barnacles.
Unfortunately, a chemical in the paint was recently
linked to dolphin deaths along the coasts of Florida and
Georgia.
Listen
July 1997
The Yonah Project (7/21/97)
A man stands in an open boat, balancing what looks like a bow and arrow. Nearby,
a humpback whale surfaces. The archer lets fly... and a whale is tagged for a unique
research project.
Listen
Communal Shrimp (7/22/97)
Some land animals, such as ants and bees, are known for their complicated social
structures and cooperative lifestyles. One ocean dweller, the snapping shrimp,
proves that a watery habitat doesn't necessarily make an animal less sociable.
Listen
The Red List (7/23/97)
Commercial fishing fleets are hauling so much seafood out of the world's oceans.
Now, many kinds of fish are in trouble, and some are in danger of extinction.
Listen
Cowfish (7/24/97)
From the seahorse to the spider crab, many sea creatures get their names from
the land mammals they resemble. So it is with the cowfish, named for the horn-like
spines on its head.
Listen
Reef and Rainforest (7/25/97)
Some people call coral reefs "the rainforests of the sea." Tropical reefs
and steamy jungles both are crowded with critters. But how much do they
really have in common?
Listen
Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (7/28/97)
The shellfish you eat can bite back... if it's been feeding on algae that secrete
a potent nerve toxin. Recent evidence suggests a link between toxic shellfish and pollution.
Listen
Eider Duck Decline (7/29/97)
At first glance, spectacled eiders seem to live in a place that's almost untouched by
pollution: the Artic wilds of Alaska and Siberia. Living in such pristine
places, why are these beautiful ducks dying of lead poisoning?
Listen
Chambered Nautilus (7/30/97)
A spiral shell streaked with tiger stripes of rusty brown hangs in
the deep, shadowy water off the coast of the Phillipine Islands. Peeking
from the shell are a cluster of tentacles and two unblinking eyes.
Listen
Natural Products From The Sea (7/31/97)
Some people say cod liver oil is good for what ails for you, and Irish moss
seaweed aids digestion. We have used medicines from the ocean for centuries.
Today we're discovering new ways the ocean helps us heal -- and stay healthy.
Listen
August 1997
Albatross (8/1/97)
In a famous poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a sailor kills an albatross.
That act brings bad luck to the entire crew. There's a contempory
version of this story.
Listen
Albatross (8/4/97)
Squid-hound, old pajamas, striper. Those are just some of the names for a
fish called the striped bass. 20 years ago striped bass numbers took a
plunge.
Listen
Zooplankton: 1 (8/5/97)
A glass of seawater holds thousands of the tiny animals called "zooplankton." They're
an important building block in the ocean food pyramid. But you need a microscope
to see them -- and a very fine net to catch them. Now there's a new way to
count them.
Listen
Zooplankton: 2 (8/6/97)
In the past twenty years, video cassette recorders, or VCRs, have changed the way
we make home movies. Now a new device -- the VPR -- is changing the way we
look at sea creatures in their ocean home.
Listen
The Cell From Hell: 2 (8/8/97)
The so-called "Cell From Hell" is a highly toxic kind of algae. When it shows up along the coast,
it's cause for concern. People want to know: what causes it? And will it cause trouble again?
Listen
Recycled Oil (8/11/97)
Used motor oil dumped onto the ground can wind up contaminating
drinking water. Today, comma, more people are aware of the impacts
of oil pollution, and creative programs are encouraging people
who change their own oil to also change their ways.
Listen
Leatherback Turtles (8/12/97)
The heaviest reptile in the world lives not in some steamy tropical
forest, but in the ocean. It dives three-quarters of a mile and thrives on a diet of jellyfish.
Meet the remarkable leatherback turtle.
Listen
The Great Lakes (8/13/97)
You could say that the United Staes has four coasts: there's the East Coast, the West Coast, the
Gulf Coast... and the coast that borders the Great Lakes. By studying this inland
sea, we can learn a lot about the ocean.
Listen
Map The Ocean Floor (8/14/97)
For decades, space technology has brought you images of the landscape of the moon.
You've even seen the rocky surface of Mars. But only recently have you been
able to see good pictures of the ocean floor, right here on earth.
Listen
Diver Cleanup (8/15/97)
I've spent more than six-thousand hours underwater, so I've met a lot of scuba
divers. And I know most divers feel a reverence for the ocean. In fact, many of us are
taking the plunge -- to help clean it up.
Listen
Coastal Clean-up - 1 (8/18/97)
Grab a pencil and mark the date! Saturday,
September 20 is the 12th annual international Coastal
Clean-up. Wherever you live, you're invited to join the
thousands of volunteers who help keep beaches safe and
clean.
Listen
Coastal Clean-up - 2 (8/19/97)
Meet the "Dirty Dozen" -- the twelve types of
trash that make up most of the mess on beaches. Cigarette
butts, paper and plastic, glass bottles, and metal cans
are the worst offenders. But you can learn how to banish
these bad guys.
Listen
Cooling Global Warming (8/20/07)
Our planet seems to be heating up But global
climate changes are happening more slowly than scientists
predicted. Why? Cooling currents in the Pacific Ocean may
play an important role in beating the heat.
Listen
Monk Seals - 1 (8/21/97)
Hawaiian monk seals are an endangered species.
Yet we don't know the most basic facts about bow they
live. Now scientists are strapping cameras to these
ocean-going animals to get a seal's-eye-view of the
problems they face.
Listen
Monk Seals - 2 (8/22/97)
Camera-toting Hawaiian monk seals are bringing
back some revealing footage of their life underwater.
Monk seals face daily challenges as they compete for food
with fish and sharks--and also fight among themselves for
mates.
Listen
Flower Garden Sanctuary (8/25/97)
Visit an amazing garden: It grows underwater,
off the coast of Texas. It's the Flower Garden Banks
National Marine Sanctuary -- the northernmost hard-coral
reef in North America.
Listen
Coral Spawning (8/26/97)
Coral animals spawn all at once to make sure
eggs and sperm can find each other. So you could say,
"timing is everything." And tonight the tune is right for
the corals at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine
Sanctuary.
Listen
Nauticisms (8/27/97)
Did you know that many of the expressions we
use every day have their origins in the ocean? Yes, clear
the decks and batten down the hatches, we'll soon have
you talking like an old salt instead of a landlubber.
Listen
Bones of Coral (8/28/97)
In the ocean, coral reefs support so much
life, Now coral is also supporting human life here on
land. Doctors are discovering that coral can be used in
bone grafts to help repair human bones damaged by disease
or injury.
Listen
Aquarius (8/29/97)
A research station near Key Largo has all the
comforts of home: bunk beds, a microwave, even air
conditioning. Yet it's 60 feet below the ocean's surface.
Welcome to Aquarius, the undersea equivalent of the space
shuttle.
Listen
September 1997
Clean Water Act (9/1/97)
Just 25 years ago, America's Clean Water Act
became law. Today the Act is up for re-authorization.
Many lakes and rivers are cleaner. But pollution
is still a problem. And what flows into lakes and rivers
ends up in the ocean.
Listen
Shedd Aquarium (9/2/97)
One great place to see ocean life is a
thousand miles from the nearest seashore. It's the Shedd
Aquarium, on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago,
Illinois. In fact, some people call this grand aquarium
"The Ocean on the Lake."
Listen
Marine Worms (9/3/97)
If you think worms are yucky, take a look at
some of the colorful crawlers from the depths of the
ocean. On this show you'll meet umbrella shaped
"featherduster" worms, the bristly fireworm, and the fat,
furry "sea mouse."
Listen
Sanctuary Anniversary (9/4/97)
Whale watchers, snorkelers, and history buffs
have something to celebrate this year: the 25th
anniversary of the U.S National Marine Sanctuary program.
Sanctuaries are the ocean equivalent of the U.S. National
Parks.
Listen
Waste Not, Want Not (9/5/97)
When gigantic fishing nets snare more than
their "target catch," the unwanted fish and other sea
creatures get tossed back overboard, often dead or dying.
How can we take the old idea of "waste not, want not" to
heart?
Listen
Steller Sea Lion (9/8/97)
Steller sea lions live in the Bering Sea and
western Alaska. Over the last 30 years, sea lion numbers
have declined dramatically. Why? Plenty of seal pups are
still being born--but young seals aren't getting the
nourishment they need.
Listen
Bering Sea (9/9/97)
Once, the waters of the Bering Sea teemed with
fish. Seabirds and big mammals such as whales, seals, sea
lions, and walruses were plentiful.Now the once-abundant
wildlife is dwindling. Why is the entire ecosystem
changing?
Listen
Night Reef (9/10/97)
When night falls on a coral reef, some
inhabitants settle down to sleep. Meanwhile, others start
to stir, players in a noisy nocturnal drama. Meet the
cast of coral reef characters who play their roles under
cover of night.
Listen
Movers and Shakers (9/11/97)
Green sea turtles flapping through the ocean
depths are not just moving water around. They play a
surprisingly big role in the process of moving nutrients
around. In fact, you could say turtles are "movers and
shakers."
Listen
Sea Anemones (9/12/97)
Despite their gentle, flowerlike appearance,
sea anemones are carnivores and often swallow fish whole.
Yet one fish--the clownfish--makes its home right in the
midst of the anemone's stinging tentacles.
Listen
Listener Question (9/15/97)
When you're building a boat, you can design one that's fast, or a
boat that can carry a heavy load. Today you'll hear from a listener
who has another question about boat design.
Listen
Fish Sounds: 1 (9/16/97)
During World War II the U.S. Navy placed microphones on the
sea floor to listen for enemy submarines. The system picked up some
mysterious pops and clicks that turned out to be the sounds of fish.
Listen
Fish Sounds: 2 (9/17/97)
Blue-striped grunt. Black drum. Croaking gourami. All of these are fish.
They get their names from the sounds they make. What are these fish saying?
Let's listen in.
Listen
Fish Sounds: 3 (9/18/97)
You may think of the sea as a silent world. But it's actually pulsing
with sound. To help protect fish populations, one researcher is
eavesdropping on the sounds of fish romance.
Listen
Oil Runoff (9/19/97)
The sheen of oil on city streets after a rain; black oil spots
in parking lots -- these things are so commonplace that we barely
notice them. They show that oil is everywhere in our environment.
Listen
Offseason at the Beach (9/22/97)
Do you see the beach as a summer place -- a place to go between
Memorial Day and Labor Day? Nature ignores such artificial boundaries.
After the holiday exodus from the beach, there's a kind of hush all
along the waterfront.
Listen
Deep Sea Enzymes (9/23/97)
On the ocean floor, the water is near freezing. But in some places,
volcanic vents spew searing hot gases. Some curious microbes survive in
this harsh environment, thanks to their special enzymes.
Listen
Tagging Tuna (9/24/97)
Atlantic bluefin tuna cruise the seas like sleek submarines. These giant
fish migrate across entire oceans. Where exactly do they go -- and when?
To protect tuna from too much fishing, we need to know more.
Listen
Seagrass (9/25/97)
It looks like meadow grass rippling in the breeze. But it's seagrass,
swaying in the currents of a sunlit estuary. This underwater pasture
provides food and shelter for many ocean animals.
Listen
Seagrass Profiles: Halophila (9/26/97)
The seagrass called Halophila johnsonii doesn't have a common
name, because it isn't a common plant. But some scientists
have given it a nickname: "The Rodney Dangerfield of seagrasses."
Listen
Reef Sounds (9/29/97)
You've heard that coral reefs are in trouble. Pollution, clouds
of choking silt from runoff and too much fishing are harming
reefs around the world. That's one reason scientists are studying
coral reefs. But they're not just looking -- they're listening.
Listen
Diet of Glass (9/30/97)
The sponges you use in your kitchen are made of cellulose. Marine
sponges, on the other hand, are living animals. Most ocean animals
leave sponges alone. But Hawksbill turtles crunch sponges up and
swallow them down.
Listen
October 1997
El Nino: Animal Effects (10/1/97)
Every three to five years the surface of the eastern Pacific
Ocean warms up -- a pattern that's called El Nino. Maybe you've
heard how El Nino can affect you -- by causing drought or storms. Today
we'll look at how El Nono affects animals.
Listen
El Nino Update (10/2/97)
In the eastern Pacific Ocean, the water is warming up fast. Scientists call
this phenomenon El Nino, and it affects weather around the globe. Not all El Nino
effects are bad. But better warning may help us prepare for the
problems it does cause.
Listen
Nauticisms (10/3/97)
Many of the expressions that sailors used long ago are still in use today.
In fact, the English language has a rich marine heritage. We'll try not to go overboard
as we show you the ropes.
Listen
Oil Fingerprinting (10/6/97)
Sticky balls of tar on the beach -- where do they come from? An oil spill, sure...
but which one? Now, new techniques are letting scientists "fingerprint" tarballs and track them
to their source.
Listen
Gray's Reef (10/7/97)
A female loggerhead turtle rests on the ledge of a limestone reef just off
the coast of Georgia. Soon the endangered turtle will swim ashore to lay
her eggs in safety. She has found refuge in the Gray's Reef National
Marine Sanctuary.
Listen
Fish Cops (10/8/97)
A dirty deal is going down aboard a fishing boat. Tons of illegal fish
are about to get smuggled into a U.S. port. Suddenly a Coast Guard cutter
appears. Freeze! It's the fish cops.
Listen
Year of the Ocean (10/9/97)
It's not too early to plan for the new year. Because 1998 will be the
International Year of the Ocean, groups organizing the celebration
want to put a spotlight on the oceans -- and spark worldwide
action to protect it.
Listen
Spiny Dogfish (10/10/97)
The coastal-dwelling shark called the spiny dogfish has a pack
of problems. Dogfish is being aggressively marketed in the U.S.
and abroad. But with no restrictions on the dogfish catch, this
small shark is having a rough time.
Listen
Swimming
Scallops (10/13/97)
Speedy shellfish? Dr. Les Watling explains why scallops
aren't afraid of the big bad wolf-fish. most mollusks
aren't gifted with great mobility. Elute scallops have
the unique ability to snap their shells shut and scoot
away.
Listen
Deforestation (10/14/97)
When a tree falls in the forest, the ocean hears it.
Deforestation leads to increased carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere. That warms up the ocean--and warmer waters
could harm ocean life.
Listen
Take Reduction Teams (l0/15/97)
When marine mammals get tangled in commercial
fishing gear, they often drown. New "Take Reduction
Teams" unite potential opponents such as fishermen and
scientists to prevent such accidents.
Listen
Endangered Coho
Salmon (10/16/97)
Once upon a time, a salmon's greatest struggle was
the long swim upstream. Today, coho salmon face
challenges like dams, and, pollutants, while overfishing
leaves only a few fish to make the traditional
journey.
Listen
Diabetes Cure (10/17/97)
Transplanting tissue from a fish to a human being sounds
like science fiction. But soon it may be science fact.
Cells from the fish called "tilapia" could help diabetics
to produce the insulin they need.
Listen
UV and Coral (10/20/97)
When you lie on the beach, your skin gets
darker. But coral reefs may be "bleached" by ultraviolet
radiation. Algae live inside the coral, giving them their
beautiful colors. Too much UV light causes corals to
expel their tiny partners.
Listen
Home Aquaria (10/21/97)
It's fun to visit your neighborhood pet store
and take a look at all the brightly colored tropical
fish. But if you see live coral in the tanks, there's a
good chance that it was hacked out of a tropical reef
that is the less for the loss.
Listen
Olympic Sanctuary (10/22/97)
Along the rugged coast of Washington State,
the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary protects some
of America's most dramatically beautiful coastline, with
miles and miles of untrammeled cobblestone beaches.
Listen
Turtle Stranding (10/23/97)
A dead sea turtle, washed up on the
beach--it's a sorry sight. But if you report your tragic
find, you may help to prevent other turtle deaths
Recently, information collected by U. S.
volunteers led to new laws protecting turtles.
Listen
Good Year for
Sharks (10/24/97)
New shark conservation measures with some real teeth
have made 1997 a landmark year for the ocean's top
predators. But it will take more than one good year
before sharks are our of the danger zone.
Listen
Antifreeze
Fish (10/27/97)
Fish are what you call "cold-blooded animals." Their
bodies take on the temperature of their environment. Now
meet the ultimate cold blooded animals--fish that live in
the freezing waters underneath the polar ice caps
Listen
Sea Palms (10/28/97)
Palm trees in Canada? No, they're sea palms, a kind of
seaweed that grows where the surf is roughest. But sea
palms do look just like miniature palm trees--and like
palm trees, they bend before the forces of nature.
Listen
Global Warming (10/29/97)
Global warming could cause sea levels to
rise--and that could flood shoreline communities. But
global warming will also affect communities under the
waves, from plankton at the poles to tropical coral
reefs.
Listen
It's Not a Silent Sea (10/30/97)
You may think of the sea as a silent place But
many marine mammals make sounds. Whales, for example, use
sounds to communicate with one another find their food,
or navigate through the dark waters.
Listen
ByRD on a
Wire (10/31/97)
You know the saying, "Free as a bird?" Now there's a
bird that lets fish swim free. In this case, "Bird"
stands for By-catch Reduction Device, a piece of gear
that allows fish to swim free when they're caught in nets
set for shrimp.
Listen
November 1997
Ships A-Ground (11/03/97)
The spectacular coral reefs that stretch
across the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary are
protected by law. But it takes only one careless boater
to damage a delicate reef. So use special caution if
you're boating near a reef.
Listen
Houses Built on
Sand (11/04/97)
"A man's home is his castle," or so the saying goes.
Throughout human history people have preferred waterfront
real estate. What happens, though, when you build your
castle on sand?
Listen
Barnacles (11/05/97)
Barnacles form a crusty coating on rocky
shores and the bottoms of boats. What's inside those hard
little shells? Tiny shrimp-like animals . . . and they're
standing on their heads, kicking with their feet to bring
food inside.
Listen
Sawfish (11/06/97)
Sawfish symbolize power and authority. You can
see them on West African coins and on the walls of
Buddhist temples But if we want to keep seeing sawfish in
the ocean, these so-called "sharks with swords" need
protection.
Listen
Groundfish
Recovery (11/07/97)
Once the waters near Cape Cod teemed with fish.
Overfishing devastated populations of groundfish such as
haddock and flounder. Now, thanks to a recovery plan,
these fish see to be making a comeback.
Listen
Low-Down
Jellyfish (11/10/97)
Meet a West Coast jellyfish with a low- down
lifestyle - -it lounges around on the bottoms of bays.
This jelly is disappearing in places as jellyfish
docking sites are dredged to make small-boat marinas.
Listen
Voting with Their Feet (11/11/97)
The ocean environment can get so bad, some
ocean-dwellers would rather be on land. Here's the story
of some South African rock lobsters who voted with their
feet, walking out of the water and onto the beach.
Listen
Beach Bum (11/12/97)
Overflowing sewers and storm drains can dump
dangerous microbes into coastal waters. So beaches need
water-testing programs. One environmental group puts
beaches that don't test on its annual list of
'beach bums."
Listen
Cod in Canada (11/13/97)
"You don't know what you got till it's gone,"
that's the refrain to a 1960s song by Canadian pop music
star Joni Mitchell . . . but it also applies to codfish
on the Grand Banks of Canada, which were wiped out by
overfishing.
Listen
North Sea Cod (11/14/97)
It's "deja vu all over again" when you look
from (Canada across the Atlantic to the North Sea. The
codfish there are almost gone--wiped out by overfishing,
just as they were on Canada's Grand Banks.
Listen
Boat Buy-back
Program (11/17/97)
When the fishermen seem to outnumber the fish, something
needs to be done. The U.S. government is making it easier
for fishermen to hang up their nets with a program to
"buy back" fishing boats
Listen
Marine Wilderness (11/18/97)
In the United States, some government-owned
land is kept "forever wild." There are forest wilderness
areas and wild rivers, too. Now one scientist has a bold
proposal; It's time to protect ocean
wilderness.
Listen
Ocean Viruses (11/19/97)
Say "virus" and you probably think of the common
cold. But many viruses live in the ocean. NOW scientists
are finding that these microbes play an important role in
the ocean food chain--a role that's nothing to sneeze
at.
Listen
Common Murres (11/20/97)
The black-and-white seabirds called common
murres have some uncommon characteristics. These
"penguins of the north" are ferocious hunters, and they
hunt in packs, like underwater wolves.
Listen
Birds in the Net (11/21/97)
Common murres share the waters of the Pacific
Northwest with salmon. And much like salmon, murres swim
underwater to catch small fish. That means the gill nets
set out for salmon also catch these deep-diving
birds.
Listen
Worth More Alive (11/24/97)
Would you jump into shark-infested waters?
Thousands of people do . . . at resorts that offer guided
'shark dives." Between their valueto the ecosystem and
their value to the economy, sharks are worth more alive
than dead.
Listen
Blue Crabs (11/25/97)
Summer on the Chesapeake Bay Does that make
you think of steamed crabs? Blue crabs are a traditional
Chesapeake Bay delicacy. But if we want to keep enjoying
them in the future, fishermen must strike a delicate
balance.
Listen
Coral
Clearcuts (11/26/97)
There's a Caribbean coral that looks a bit like a
tree.And young corals grow beneath their parents like
acorns sprouting below the canopy of an oak. So if the
coral is "clear-cut," new coral may not grow back.
Listen
Ocean
Services (11/27/97)
What do you get from the ocean? Fish and shellfish,
certainly. But the ocean also gives you a whole range of
so-called `'ecological services." It controls the climate
and even cleans up pollutants.
Listen
Monterey Bay Sanctuary (11/28/97)
It's larger than Yellowstone or Yosemite and
its underwater canyon rivals the Grand Canyon in size.
The forests of kelp here are 100 feet tall Welcome to the
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Listen
Comb Jelly (11/29/97)
Meet the miraculous comb jelly, which swims
through the water using rows of tiny paddles that look
like the teeth of a comb. It glows in the dark, is male
and female at the same time, spends its whole life
eating, and never gets its fill.
Listen
December 1997
Black Sea
Invader (12/2/97)
In the early 1980s American comb jellies showed up in
the Black Sea in Eastern Europe. They may have made the
trip in the ballast water of a cargo ship. What happens
when an American comb jelly starts combing foreign
waters?
Listen
The Many Facets of
Ice (12/3/97)
Near the North Pole, the Arctic Sea is a shifting
mass of ice--in many forms. There's the saltwater kind,
including pack ice and shorefast ice, and the freshwater
kind, in the form of mountainous icebergs.
Listen
Hook, Line, and
Sinking (12/4/97)
According to a recent report titled 'Hook, Line, and
Sinking,', almost half the fish populations in American
waters are sinking under the pressure of too much
fishing. It will take action now to get fish "off
the hook."
Listen
Atlantis (12/5/97)
Did you know that the space shuttle
Atlantis is named after an ocean research vessel?
Last May the old ship Atlantis was replaced by a
sophisticated new version. Like its space-going namesake,
the ocean Atlantis is a high-tech wonder.
Listen
Beauty and the
Beastly (12/08/97)
The microscopic creatures called "dinoflagellates"
come in bizarre but beautiful shapes. These free-floating
organisms are usually harmless to humans -- but some
dinoflagellates can be downright beastly.
Listen
Light the
Night (12/09/97)
An Ocean Report listener who went to the beach at
night noticed that the crest of each wave was shimmering
with a strange inner fire. We'll tell you what causes the
waves to glow with this cool and iridescent light.
Listen
The Cell from
Hell (12/10/97)
Most of the time this one-celled organism subsists on
a humble diet of bacteria. But sometimes, for unknown
reasons, it develops a taste for fish. That's when it
squirts out poisons that stun its prey and rot their
flesh.
Listen
New York Aquarium (12/11/97)
When the New York Aquarium opened its doors in Manhattan a
century ago, it was an instant hit. Then it was closed. The aquarium was later
reopened on Coney Island, where you can visit it today.
Listen
The World at Your
Feet (12/12/97)
When you stand on the beach in your size -- nine
rubber sandals, you've got a whole world at your feet --
or should we say, under your feet? A host of tiny animals
with big names live right between the sand grains.
Listen
Monitor Marine
Sanctuary (12/15/97)
No Confederate warship could sink the U.S.S. Monitor
-- but a storm off Cape Hatteras sent this boat to the
bottom after the Civil War. A hundred years later, the
wreck became the first U.S. National Marine
Sanctuary.
Listen
Coral
Killer (12/16/97)
Showing patches of bare white skeleton, some
Caribbean corals look they've been doused with acid. What
they have is something called "Rapid Wasting Disease" --
one more in an epidemic of new diseases attacking the
world's corals.
Listen
Swordfish (12/17/97)
When you think of swordfish, do you picture a nicely
broiled filet swimming in lemon butter? Push aside the
parsley and take a look at the whole fish swimming in its
natural habitat. It's a 15-foot-long "tiger of the
ocean."
Listen
Seafood
Safety (12/18/97)
What happens to fish or shellfish between the time it
leaves the water and the time it arrives on your table?
Starting today, new U.S. regulations will help to ensure
that seafood is stored and processed safely.
Listen
Adopt Your
Watershed (12/19/97)
All rivers run to the ocean -- and all too often,
they carry pollutants. What can YOU do? Why not mark the
25th anniversary of the U.S. Clean Water Act by getting
involved in a new program called "Adopt Your
Watershed."
Listen
Polar
Pesticides (12/22/97)
Some pesticides that are banned in America are still
applied to crops in other countries. These compounds can
evaporate from the soil and be carried on the wind as far
as the Arctic -- where they're affecting life in the
polar ocean.
Listen
Return of the
Herring (12/23/97)
Just 20 years ago herring had all but disappeared
from the North Atlantic, fished to the brink of
destruction. Now the vast silvery schools have returned,
thanks to protection under a law called the Magnuson
Act.
Listen
Oysters of Lynnhaven
Bay (12/24/97)
In many American homes, oyster stew is a traditional
Christmas dinner. But in one of the oyster's traditional
homes, the succulent shellfish was almost wiped out. Now
a citizen group is bringing oysters back to the bay.
Listen
Longitude (12/25/97)
You've heard the Christmas story about wise men who
followed a star. Ocean explorers also look to the stars
to navigate. But to calculate your position at sea you
need more than celestial guidance -- you need two good
clocks.
Listen
Salton Sea (12/26/97)
California's largest inland water body formed by
accident in 1905. It soon became a key rest stop for
migrating birds. Today birds are dying at the Salton Sea,
and this "accidental ecosystem" is desperately out of
balance.
Listen
Sea Silver (12/29/97)
Raising Atlantic Salmon in the Pacific Northwest is a
lucrative business -- that's why some people call these
fish "sea silver." But there's a dark side to the
business of farming salmon: the double risks of pollution
and disease.
Listen
No Call for
Caviar (l2/30/97)
Champagne and caviar on New Year's Eve? Sounds good
-- but maybe you should reconsider. Those tasty black
pearls you serve on toast points are really fish eggs --
from a fish that is threatened by poaching and
pollution.
Listen
The Year of the
Reef (12/31/97)
Today is the last day of 1997 and the last day of the
International Year of the Reef. It's a day to look back
at the achievements of the past year . . . and a day to
look forward to the challenges that are still ahead.
Listen
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