Double-Crested Cormorant: Article Analysis

Many students have struggled with essays for their English class. They have difficulties due to many issues, the least of which are poor writing skills. Each person has their own area of writing which gives them the most trouble. If this lack of skill is not addressed then a student can be certain that his or her grade will fall. Personally, I have the most difficulty with conclusions, transitions, and comma usage. To address these issues I conducted research and found three effective sources; The Little seagull Handbook, Smart-words.org, and grammar.ccc.commnet.edu. These three sources assisted me in improving each of my three skills, which I struggle with.

Overfishing is a death sentence to the world’s oceans. As technology continues to improve a great deal of fish can be caught quicker; but at what cost? The effects of overfishing can lead to the extinction of not just the animals being fished, but also the predators that rely on fish to eat. Ninety percent of the ocean’s largest animals have been wiped out due to overfishing (“Overfishing- A Global Disaster”, 2011). National Geographic cites the academic journal Science (2006) that predicts by 2048, all fisheries will collapse due to lack of ocean wildlife. Fish are not the only animal caught in the nets used by fishing vessels. Often animals such as dolphins, sharks, turtles, and seabirds are

One’s view on something often changes when you look at it from more than one point of view. Morality plays a significant role in any decision making process. It is hard to justify any decision that is not moral. Sarah Orne Jewett’s “A White Heron” has many elements of nature, and of the preservation of what Sylvia holds dearly. The thought provoking short story evokes emotions of caring, loving, and fear. All of these emotions are shown by different settings and characters in the story.

Iconic Cape Cod Massachusetts is named after the Atlantic Cod. For centuries, this fish has provided food and trade for New Englanders. In this time, there have been several instances of overfishing by humans from the aboriginal era to colonial times but none so drastic as the present conditions of cod fisheries (Jackson, Kirby, Berger, and Bjorndal, 2001). Overfishing is a human induced occurrence where humans are fishing more than a body of water can sustain. In other words, humans are catching more adult fish preventing the existing population from growing to replenish the fish that were caught (Overfishing: A Global Disaster, n.d.). Worldwide, over 80% of the fish stocks are “fully- to over-exploited, depleted, or in a state of collapse” (Overfishing: A Global Disaster, n.d.). The results of this careless behavior has reduced the biodiversity in the Gulf of Maine and landed the Atlantic Cod on the endangered species list as being “vulnerable” (Cod, n.d.). In the neighboring region of Newfoundland, Canada, communities are already feeling the effects of overfishing. In 1992, at the beginning of the fishing season in the Grand Bank region, there were suddenly no more cod. The local economies collapsed and to this day, the region has not quite recovered (Brennan and Withgott, 2005).

Over the last several years, evolution has been playing an increasingly important role in determining how various species are evolving. This is because ecology will have an impact on how quickly a particular organism is able to adapt (with: the unique challenges for a particular environment). To determine the effect that this is having requires carefully examining different species over the course of many years. This will be accomplished by comparing these changes on Darwin and Wallace Islands. Once this occurs, is when specific insights will be provided that are highlighting the underlying challenges affecting the development of organisms. This is the point that these transformations will be evident among the various life forms. (Fasolo, 2011, pp. 53 68)

Historical levels of the Southern Resident Orca population are currently estimated to have been as high as 200 (Fisheries.noaa.gov, 2015). The population as of 31st December 2015 was calculated at just 84 individuals (Center for Whale Research, 2015). There is limited data on the population before the mid 70’s so it is unknown what the population pattern looked like prior to this. Appendix A shows a graph documenting the population data found by a census started in 1974, as well as modelled data from 1960 to 1974. The graph starts with a low population, possibly explained by the frequent capture of live animals for marine parks (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2014, p. 3). After this period the graph shows fluctuations in the population, then a steady growth resulting in a peak in 1995, then a sharp decline – almost 20% until 2001. This fast decline is what prompted governments to first list the population a threatened (United States Environmental Agency, 2014). The population has remained stable in the following years but now has an endangered status (Fisheries.noaa.gov, 2015).

From the San Francisco Bay to streams and rivers of Oregon, salmon populations have been steadily decreasing over the past two decades but more rapidly within recent years. In general, fish populations in the Pacific Northwest region have always fluctuated, but the overall trend continues on a downward slope to extinction. While natural phenomena such as flooding and predators of the food chain do affect salmon populations, human activity poses the greatest threat by far. The four main reasons of salmon plummeting are as followed: Harvest, Hatcheries, Hydropower, and Habitat. It’s clear that water ecosystems and management of human activity threaten salmon as a whole. Whether it’s a bay, river or stream- whatever body of water that contains salmon should be subject to ethics that guide our actions as a part of achieving a better overall environment.

levels of chemicals which might have caused the decline of sea Otters. However, the lecture argues that Predation theory is

Sea otters, (Enhydra lutris), are considered a keystone species, and for this reason, can be useful indicators of nearshore ecosystem health (Kreuder et al. 2003). With the implementation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) populations within their California range rebounded from post fur trade levels of approximately 50-60 in 1938, to more than 3000 today. However, growth rates have been slower than expected for this population (Riedman and Estes 1990). Definitive explanation for this is unclear, but contributing factors may be that sea otters face a range of physiological and environmental challenges to reproduce.

Salmon stocks in British Columbia are on the brink of collapse largely because the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans has consistently allowed too many fish to be killed in commercial and recreational fisheries, according to a new research paper.The high exploitation of stocks – which draws parallels with the destruction of Atlantic cod by overfishing – may be more to blame for the decline of Pacific salmon than global warming or poor ocean conditions, says the study assessing salmon management practices, published today by the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic

The animal from my March field guide that I chose to report on is the Common Ground Dove. The common name for this bird is the Common Ground Dove and its scientific name is Columbina passerina. The bird was located outside my house in Crystal City, Texas. The Common Ground Dove looked as if it was in search of food, while it walked on the front lawn. It then flew away when approached. My opinion is that the size of the bird affected its decision to fly away. Since it is a small bird, it is more fearful of bigger animals. This bird is found in the southern U.S, Mexico, central America, the Caribbean Islands, and the northern part of South America. They are found in open areas that have bushes and trees. They can also be found in forests with

Trophic cascades are powerful forces that have a pronounced effect on ecosystems. They occur when predation causes shifts in prey dynamics that indirectly lead to enhanced survival in the next lowest trophic level. Walleye fishing bans at Lac la Biche coinciding with a restocking effort have led to a large recovery of walleye populations. The increase in populations of a high trophic level predator should cause shifts in a lower trophic level species (yellow perch) prey preferences from fish towards invertebrate prey. 576 yellow perch stomach collected from 2009 - 2013 by Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development were sent to MacEwan University for processing/analysis. Yellow perch stomachs will be measured (dry weight, empty weight), and prey items will be removed identified and weighed. Sampling procedure differs depending on the type of prey item removed from the stomach (fish, macro and micro invertebrates). Length and weight measurements will be taken for fish and macro invertebrates; whereas, micro invertebrates will be sub sampled until 50-100 individuals can be identified. Data will be analyzed using multi

Due to the continuous population declining in orange-bellied parrots, the conservation plans such as captive breeding was initiated in 1985, several wild birds were caught and kept captive breeding since then. But such effort does not prevent the extinction trend for orange-bellied parrots, until 2006, the wild individuals of orange-bellied parrots sank to a critical stage, the Federal Government immediately granted 3.2 million dollars for conservation of orange-bellied parrots. Since 2006, the conservation plan has been an ongoing process, it is unlikely to fully reintroduce orange-bellied parrots in the wild in the soon future.

The presence or absence of sea otters influences marine ecology at the community-level. Studies have shown that kelp forests enhance the underwater environment, providing a suitable habitat for fishes. The declining kelp beds in California in the mid 1900’s propelled the Kelp Habitat Improvement Project, whereby attempts were made to eliminate sea urchins that are primary predators of kelps. Studies showed that the elimination of sea otters during the 1800s from the Californian waters might be responsible for the dwindling numbers of kelp forests. Further studies have also shown that the population density of sea otters affects seaweed biodiversity as well. In a study conducted in Alaska on three different bays, the Torch Bay, Deer Harbor and the Surge Bay, it was found that the presence of sea otters led to a decrease in the population of sea urchins, which led to an increase in the population of seaweeds. In addition, it was also found that annual kelps predominated the areas where sea otters were present, and perennial kelps predominated in areas that had lesser sea otter populations (qtd. in “Interaction with kelps & sea otters”).

There is a common conception that due to the immense size of oceans and it’s species’ richness, species population decline is a rarity. However, such decline may result in a damaged marine ecosystem. A top predator that plays a key role in the marine ecosystem is the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, Thunnus thynnus. This species is a warm blooded predator that are “highly migratory species that may reach a weight of 900 kg” (). The Western Northern Atlantic Bluefin Tuna migrate primarily to the Gulf of Mexico for spawning during late spring where “larvae are in preferred water temperature ranging from 20 degrees Celsius to 25 degree Celsius” (). They then migrate back to the northern West Atlantic for feeding where there “life span is an average of