Pic o’ the Week: Punk Rocker Molly Miller … is a Fish

"The Molly Miller (Scartella cristata) or as I like to call it, the 'Punk Blenny,' is very common in shallow (1-3m depth) Caribbean reefs and rocky shores. It usually lives in small holes and stretches its head out to eat food particles that pass by." ~Luiz Rocha, Curator of Fishes at Cal Academy Photo © …

Pic o’ the Week: Sleeping Sperm Whales

Photo by Franco Banfi/Solent News & Photo Agency When it's time for a nap, sperm whales go vertical with their pod and snooze away. "Sleeping dogs lie, but sleeping whales … 'stand' on their tails? That was the scene ... glimpsed by a diver in the Caribbean, at least, when the photographer encountered a group …

Pic o’ the Week: Yellownose Gobies in Brain Coral

A healthy coral reef can be one of the most colorful places on earth: here, a pair of curious yellownose gobies gaze out from their refuge of richly textured bolder brain coral. Todd Mintz snapped this stunning photo in of yellownose gobies, Elacatinus randalli, and bolder brain coral in Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean. This pic won …

Spotlight: Monk Seals, ‘living fossils’ of the sea

They're the oldest species of seals on the planet, believed to have been swimming Earth's waters for millions of years. And today they're the most endangered marine mammals in the world. Hawai'i's monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi) are one of two mammal species endemic to the islands (the other is the Hoary Bat). Long ago, Hawaiians named these …

cruises and oceans – high impact

Caribbean countries showed their sea some love this week by banning the dumping of all garbage at sea. As one UN consultant working on the pact said, "It's a big deal." And it's been a long time coming - the ban was established,  for all intents and purposes, in 1993. But it's taken until 2010 …