Extraordinary Deep Sea Fish Caught on Camera in Gulf of Mexico

LSU School of Coast & Environment Associate Professor Mark Benfield directs a research program that recently secured footage of an extremely rare oarfish. This observation, by a remotely operated vehicle at a depth of over 1500 feet in the Gulf of Mexico is appears to be the first time this fish has ever been caught on film in its natural habitat.

The group’s accomplishment is detailed on the BBC’s Web site at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8501000/8501251.stm.

Benfield was in the Gulf of Mexico on Thunder Horse, the world's largest oil rig, as part of the SERPENT project, a collaboration between marine scientists and energy companies such as BP, Shell, Chevron and Petrobras.

“What was interesting about the fish was its swimming behavior,” Benfield said in the article. “It moved by undulating its dorsal fin in waves that propelled it backwards at quite a good speed.” Video and additional details are available at the BBC Web site listed above, or at http://www.serpentproject.com/.

Nina Lam Appointed to New National Academy of Sciences National Statistics Panel

The National Statistics Panel will participate in a study focusing on the Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey and the Residential Energy Consumption Survey. The new panel will make recommendations on how to make the two national suverys more user friendly. The two surveys are designed to help understand how much energy is used and how to make energy usage more efficient in the future.

Dr. Lam joins other experts in the field of statistical methods, survey and geospatial methods to form this new panel to provide feedback on energy usage for the future and decades to come.

Kenneth Rose Appointed to the National Research Council (NRC) Committee to Study Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Basin-Delta

The new NRC committee is tasked by Congress and the Department of the Interior and Commerce of studying the current information on the Biological Opinion on the Long-Term Central Valley Project and State Water Project by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service to determine if both plans have provisions to resolve potential incompatibilities between opinions. They will be taking such factors as specific species benefitting from actions while causing negative impacts on another species into consideration. The committee will also determine if other stessors are a factor on any at-risk species in the Bay-Delta.

The second phase of the study that the committee will be responsible for is to report on how to phase science and adaptive concepts together to form programs to manage and restore the Bay-Delta area.

The new NRC committee consists of 15 members in addition to the director of the study. For more information on this study visit National Academies.

SC&E's Environmental Graduate Organization Receives Pearson Higher Education Sustainable Fund

EGO recently learned they were selected to receive a $900.00 award from Pearson Higher Education for its sustainable solutions. EGO had several plans that were put into place across campus such as the UNPLUG program for students living on campus. This program challenged students to make small changes in lifestyle and reduce enengy by turning off lights and unplugging appliances when not in use.

Benfield and SERPENT Benefit from BP Donation to Upgrade Camera for Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV)

A camera upgrade to the ROV used in the Gulf SERPENT partnership has provided excellent photographs from the Gulf's floor. Dr. Mark Benfield is responsible for analyzing the videos sent back from the ROV. The state-of-the art upgrade in the camera system has resulted in pictures that rival National Geographic's and makes Dr. Benfield's job of identifying the animals found in the depths of the Gulf of Mexico much easier.

SERPENT is a global partnership between the oil and gas industry and universities around the world with a goal to learn more about the ocean's floor.

Dr. Powers Participates on Expert Fisheries Panel Reporting to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

Joseph Powers, DOCS, and a member of the Fishieries Advisory Panel just returned from Rome where the panel made recomendations to CITES for the placement of Oceanic whitetip sharks, Porbeagle, and Scalloped hammerhead sharks on the CITES list. The proposal will be evaluated at the 15th Conference of CITES in March 2010.

Dong Feng Returns from Research Cruise Studying Natural Hydrocarbon Seeps and Corals

Dong Feng, a post-doctoral researcher in Coastal Studies, recently returned from a research cruise on the RV Ron Brown where natural hydrocarbon seeps and deep water corals were studied.

The cruise was part of a project funded by the Minerals Management Service and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association, (NOAA), and the Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. The research focuses on the coral genus Lophelia and understanding the connection between the corals and natural hydrocarbon seeps.

Feng is working with Boyd Professor Harry Roberts and Duofu Chen from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Guangzhou on the project.

Who’s Who Among Students: Brandon Boyd!

Brandon Boyd, an undergraduate student in LSU’s School of the Coast and Environment and Honors College, is one of twenty LSU students selected for the prestigious Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. A breakfast to honor the recipients was held November 18, 2009 at the Faculty Club on LSU’s campus.

Catch Limits on Red Snapper to Increase Next Year: Jim Cowan Urges Caution

The annual survey of red snapper resulted in The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council to increase the catch limits of red snapper in 2010. However, Jim Cowan agreed that the population of red snapper is headed toward recovery in the Gulf, but felt that more time was needed for the species to thrive.

"We're still killing the young too quickly. We need the fish to live long enough to produce a bunch of eggs," Cowan said. "These guys don't reach maximum egg potential until they're 15 years old". Cowan voted against raising the catch limits.

Read more about this topic at: chron.com

Anindita Das Wins First Place in School of the Coast & Environment (SC&E) Graduate Student Seminar Competition

The 2009 Annual SC&E Graduate Student Seminar Competition was held on Friday, November 20, 2009. The top winners of the event are:

1st Place: Anindita Das

2nd Place: Melissa Baustian

3rd Place: Kim deMutsert

The broad area of topics in the presentations show the school's wide range of research areas.

Robert Carney Participates in International Census of Marine Life: Team Discovers New Six Foot Long Octopod

Dr. Robert Carney, DOCS professor, has been mentioned in the national and international news stories recently.  Carney is part of a team of over 340 scientists who are making an effort to catalog all species of marine life through a project called “The Census”.  Their quest through sample collection and photographs taken in the deep waters has led to the discovery of many new species of marine life, including a six foot long octopod with large fins, which has been nicknamed, “Dumbo”. In addition, a number of new species have been discovered living in mud in the abyssal plain below the levels where sunlight reaches.  Previously, life at this level was thought to be minimal.

SC&E Seminar

Date: February 19, 2010

Time: 9:30 am

Where: Dalton Woods Auditorium, School of the Coast & Environment Building, LSU

Speaker: Dr. Michael McDaniel, Center for Energy Studies, LSU

Title: "Developments in Alternative Energy - With Emphasis on Louisiana"

SC&E Seminar

Date: February 26, 2010

Time: 9:30 am

Where: Dalton Woods Auditorium, School of the Coast & Environment Building, LSU

Speaker: Ms. Yvonne Allen, US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center

Title: "Using Remote Sensing to Describe System Level Land Change Trends in the Atchafalaya Basin and Coastal Louisiana"

Ecosystems Restoration & Creation

Plant City, Florida

March 4-5, 2010

SC&E Seminar

Date: March 12, 2010

Time: 9:30 am

Where: Dalton Woods Auditorium, School of the Coast & Environment Building, LSU

Speaker: Dr. Robert Weisberg, University of South Florida

Title: "What Could Have Occurred in the Tampa Bay Florida Region Had Hurricane Ivan Made Landfall There - A Coupled Wave and Surge Model Study"

SC&E Seminar

Date: March 19, 2010

Time: 9:30 am

Where: Dalton Woods Auditorium, School of the Coast & Environment Building, LSU

Speaker: Dr. Jim Diaz, LSUHSC, LSU School of Public Health, New Orleans

Title: “Is Haff Disease Hemlock Poisoning?  Human Hemlock Poisoning Following    Consumption of Cooked Fish, Crayfish, and Wildfowl”

SC&E Seminar

Date: March 23, 2010

Time: 9:30 am

Where: Dalton Woods Auditorium, School of the Coast & Environment Building, LSU

Speaker: Dr. Markus Huettel, Florida State University

Title: "The Ecological Role of Sand Beds in the Shallow Shelf"

Oceans and Human Health Symposium and Workshop

April 12 - 13, 2010
Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
400 New Jersey Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20001 

SC&E Seminar

Date: April 16, 2010

Time: 9:30 am

Where: Dalton Woods Auditorium, School of the Coast & Environment Building, LSU

Speaker: Dr. April Hiscox, ENVS-LSU

Title: "Quantifying Plume Meander in the Stable Boundary Layer"

SC&E Seminar

Date: April 23, 2010

Time: 9:30 am

Where: Dalton Woods Auditorium, School of the Coast & Environment Building, LSU

Speaker:  Dr. Timothy Cowles, Oregon State University and Ocean Leadership

Title: "From Small-scale Planktonic Layers to Oceanic Processes: How Ocean Observing Capabilities Lead to New Directions for Ocean Research"

SC&E Seminar

Date: April 30, 2010

Time: 9:30 am

Where: Dalton Woods Auditorium, School of the Coast & Environment Building, LSU

Speaker:  Dr. Wayne Landis, Western Washington University

Title: TBA

SC&E Seminar

Date: May 7, 2010

Time: 9:30 am

Where: Dalton Woods Auditorium, School of the Coast & Environment Building, LSU

Speaker:  Dr. John Day, DOCS-LSU

Title: "Sustainability, Place, and the Mississippi Delta"