skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Elon Musk's $50 billion Tesla pay can't be reinstated; AZ utility regulators could vote to change rule making; Report: lax oversight of OR gun dealers fuels shootings, homicides; TX business leaders form new alliance; FL's native youth: Overlooked voices call for change, inclusion.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President-elect Trump's pick to lead the FBI says he'll eradicate the "deep state," Democrats say President Biden's pardon of his son could haunt them, and new allegations surface regarding the man Trump has tapped to lead the Pentagon.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Residents in Colorado's rural communities face challenges to recycling, climate change and Oregon's megadrought are worrying firefighters, and a farm advocacy group says corporate greed is behind high food prices in Montana.

FL Research Tracks Impact of Drought, Sea-Level Rise on Forage Fish

play audio
Play

Monday, July 18, 2022   

Preliminary research shows less fresh water and higher sea levels could be changing the forage fish in Florida's famed Apalachicola Bay and the fisheries that depend on them.

University of Central Florida biology graduate student Kira Allen won a $15,000 fellowship from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to research food web models.

Allen looked at how drought and reduced river flow affects prey fish, such as anchovies, pinfish and menhaden. She said the study also simulates the potential future impacts on predator species - like speckled sea trout and Spanish mackerel.

"The freshwater reduction and sea level rise result in a pretty big increase in salinity in the bay," said Allen. "And a lot of the fish that live in the bay prefer the lower salinities, we're seeing pretty heavy predictive declines in their population."

Allen said she hopes her findings will spark a new food web model for the Apalachicola Bay Estuary that could address environmental impacts on individual forage fish species.

Florida's fisheries managers face many challenges keeping estuaries healthy to support recreational and commercial fishing, as well as ecotourism.

The Forage Fish Research program is supported by a coalition that includes The Pew Charitable Trusts. Justin Grubich, a fisheries scientist with Pew, said the partner organizations came together about six years ago to help improve ecosystem approaches in state fisheries management.

"The idea was to look at how we can advance sort of ecosystem-based approaches to our fisheries management," said Grubich, "because we know in Florida recreational fisheries are a $12 billion industry. "

Grubich said after realizing they could tap a treasure trove of graduate students to advance the research, the coalition - including the International Game Fish Association - has been awarding fellowships to help inform future fisheries management.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.




get more stories like this via email
more stories
In 2023, nearly $30,000 of the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence's $3 million revenue came from donations, with 90 cents of every dollar allocated to survivor services. (ckybe/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

The giving season offers Ohioans an opportunity to reflect on the importance of supporting community services. For survivors of sexual violence in …


Environment

play sound

By Jessica Kutz for The People Sentinel.Broadcast version by Mark Richardson for South Carolina News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Ne…

Environment

play sound

As Colorado experiences more frequent extreme weather events, prolonged drought and loss of biodiversity because of a changing climate, farmers and …


From 2008 to 2022, Connecticut received $337 million from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A new report showed how states such as Connecticut are allocating Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative funds. The report from the nonprofit Acadia …

Social Issues

play sound

A new Texas organization hopes to increase civic engagement among business leaders. The Texas Business Leader Alliance officially launches today…

In recent presidential election years, North Dakota has recorded voter turnout levels of around 61%. But a few decades ago, those numbers were closer to 70% in some elections. (Freepik)

Social Issues

play sound

Next month, newly elected candidates for many levels of government will be sworn in. In North Dakota, civic engagement leaders hope there is a …

Health and Wellness

play sound

When newly elected candidates take office next month, they will hear from a range of constituents and special interest groups about a wide range of …

Health and Wellness

play sound

Pennsylvania health care advocates are in Washington, D.C. today and Wednesday to urge Congress to extend federal funding for Community Health …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021