Showing posts with label Philippines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philippines. Show all posts

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Flamboyant new squid worm

It's a squid. No, it's a worm. It's a squid worm.

Scientists diving deep off the Philippines in 2007 found the Star Wars-looking squid worm. According to National Geographic:

"Relatively long, at nearly four inches (nine centimeters), the new annelid worm earned its moniker with a head that looks as if it's covered

in tentacles.

Its front end bristles with eight arms used for breathing—each as long as the worm's entire body—and two long, loosely coiled appendages employed for feeding.

As if that weren't enough hardware, six pairs of feathery sensory organs—the squid worm's collective "nose"—protrude from the new species' head. And along the length of its body, the worm has iridescent "paddles" for propulsion."

Just another day in paradise--the deep sea.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Few tuna, small tuna

Some tuna fishermen in the Philippines are unhappy they can't find enough big tuna.

According to Business World online, one fisherman explained the problem:

"We’re able to catch only one tuna, from three or four pieces we normally caught in the last few years," lamented the 42-year old father of four who has been catching tuna using the handline method in the last 15 years.

"Moreover, the sizes of the tuna have noticeably shrunk now than before," he added, speaking in Cebuano.

He seemed lost for explanations why the fishes have become smaller, but noted the stiff competition that abound near Balut Island, which is rich in tuna stocks, with so many fishing boats staking out there.

"Compared to a fruit, they are picked but not yet ripe," said American John Heitz, export manager of Aqua Gensan Traders talking about the small tuna hauled in by fishermen in the Philippines.

To protect tuna from being caught too small, the Philippines government has banned the sale of small tuna. Nice idea, but the limit is no catching tuna less than 500 grams. Say what? That minimum size limit is more appropriate for freshwater trout.