March 24, 2009 - During the warm summer months Santuit Pond in Mashpee acquires the color and consistency of pea soup. Swimming is unthinkable and eating fish from the pond could make you sick. The green muck is evidence of toxic algae blooms caused by excess phosphorous and nitrates. Santuit Pond is already on state and federal watch lists and the town's board of health has listed the pond as a human health concern. The Friends of Santuit Pond, a group of local residents is starting a petition drive this weekend to support the sustained cleanup of the pond. The group will be seeking funding for a study of the problem at an upcoming town meeting. Here's the full story from Mathhew M Burke.

March 21, 2009 - Georgia inventor Billy Willeby has created a portable refrigeration unit that oystermen and other harvesters of shellfish can use on their boats to keep their catch chilled, especially during the warmer months. The system consists of a large cooler filled with ice connected by hoses to a second, larger container where the oysters would be placed. An electric pump powered by a 12-volt battery keeps ice-cold water circulating between the two containers. More from Tallahasee.com.

March 5, 2009 - Along the South Atlantic coast commercial and charter fishermen report that they've been catching more and bigger red snapper than at any time in the past ten years. At the same time the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and fisheries reasearchers say that red snapper stocks are perilously low, just 3% of what they should be. For this reason a ban has been proposed that would place red snapper off limits for up to six months in Atlantic waters off Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.  Fishermen say that red snapper stocks are rebounding since 1992 regulations required them to throw back any snapper under 20 inches and also limited recreational anglers — who catch three-quarters of all Atlantic snappers — to two fish per trip. But the most recent  assessment by the National Marine Fisheries Service says the Atlantic snapper is being caught faster than they can sustainably reproduce.  Here's the full story from Russ Bynum at AP.

February 26 2009 - Earlier this week a British biologist landed a 770 lb freshwater stingray in Thailand - the biggest freshwater fish ever caught using a rod. Ian Welch spent 90 minutes tussling with the giant stingray and it took 13 grown men to heave it out of the water. This fish measured 7ft long and 7ft wide, while its long sting measured 10ft. Mr Welch and the team released the stingray, which turned out to be a pregnant female. Here's the full story from Telegraph.co.uk