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600 New Species of Fish Discovered

zenobr writes "Some 300 scientists from 53 countries are creating a record of all known marine life, in a project reminiscent of an aquatic Domesday Book. So far more than 15,000 species of fish have been catalogued and 2 to 3 thousand more are expected to be catalogued before the project's end in 2010. Over 500 of the fish catalogued thus far are thought to be new to science. Full story on BBC News"

178 comments

  1. why is this story empty! by 198348726583297634 · · Score: 0, Redundant

    ... fish post?

    1. Re:why is this story empty! by Pieroxy · · Score: 1

      why is this story empty

      This seems to prove that the average slashdot nerd doesn't give a sh*t about fish.

      That's just my take of course.

    2. Re:why is this story empty! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know about fish, but I sure am glad that George Herriman is dead!

      That's just my take of course.

    3. Re:why is this story empty! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yay! One less cretin to outbid me on my ebay's auctions on Krazy Kat stuff.

      Thanks

    4. Re:why is this story empty! by Illbay · · Score: 1
      Over 500 of the fish catalogued thus far are thought to be new to science.

      It's proof positive that evolution is real!

      Just think: 500 new species of fish created in the last several years!

      --
      Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
    5. Re:why is this story empty! by Milwaukee · · Score: 1

      Evolution is real because God created it.

  2. extinct fish? by KanshuShintai · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I wonder how many fish they thought to be extinct they'll find doing this . . .

    1. Re:extinct fish? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No it's more of a case of "In the two years we took to complete this study, we estimate some 10,000 species of fish, WHICH WE HAVE NEVER SEEN, have become extinct."

    2. Re:extinct fish? by Prof.Phreak · · Score: 1

      Maybe they'll finally find those sneaky mermaids...

      --

      "If anything can go wrong, it will." - Murphy

    3. Re:extinct fish? by t0ny · · Score: 2, Funny

      I wonder how many fish in the catelogue will be extinct within ten years.

      --

      Manipulate the moderator system! Mod someone as "overrated" today.

    4. Re:extinct fish? by stilwebm · · Score: 1

      I wonder how many fish in the catelogue will be extinct within ten years.

      The next part of the study will be to determine the flavor, texture, and of course fat content of each of the fish.

    5. Re:extinct fish? by kabocox · · Score: 1

      And little did we know that those "big lizards" are actually fish that are running around on the ocean floor. I'm sure there are a ton of things we don't know about this planet. How long will take us to decide to start tracking all the members of these species with RFID tags? One day there will be a big computer that is monitoring us all... Of course there may already be a big computer monitoring us all that we don't know about. All it would take is some wave form emitted from each species that gets passed on to its young. Those super advanced aliens out there "could be" tracking us all if they cared to.

    6. Re:extinct fish? by t0ny · · Score: 1
      The next part of the study will be to determine the flavor, texture, and of course fat content of each of the fish.

      And what wine works best with them.

      --

      Manipulate the moderator system! Mod someone as "overrated" today.

  3. corny joke... by seriv · · Score: 1

    Sounds a little fishy. *shoots self for being so stupid*
    -Seriv

    1. Re:corny joke... by glenebob · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's getting deep in here! This story just doesn't hold water and it won't scale (imagine a beo... nope, too corny even for me). By the time we see the tail end of this one, it'll smell pretty fishy. I think the data has been salted. Whoever believes this one is smoking a lot of sea weed, and personally I've had enough to make my head swim! I think this needs to be sent to a watery grave before the sharks catch the smell.

      >> *shoots self for being so stupid*

      Me first!!

    2. Re:corny joke... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't forget.

      1) Make free stuff.
      2) ?
      3) Fish!

    3. Re:corny joke... by mobby_6kl · · Score: 0

      > (imagine a beo... nope, too corny even for me)
      Not for me!

      Imagine a bIofish cluster of these!

  4. 600 New Species... by bcolflesh · · Score: 0

    Each more delicious than the last!

    1. Re:600 New Species... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      I knew a dude from Hong Kong who's reaction to seeing our local aquarium was, "...had that, tried that, that's good, didn't like it...."

    2. Re:600 New Species... by heironymouscoward · · Score: 1

      Dude, this is what the other fish are thinking all the time!

      Hong Kong dude was just being one with the fish.

      --
      Ceci n'est pas une signature
  5. But have they found... by yerricde · · Score: 3, Funny
    --
    Will I retire or break 10K?
    1. Re:But have they found... by satanami69 · · Score: 1

      Nemo was the kid fish. That picture is of his father, Marlin.

      --
      I really hate Dan Patrick.
    2. Re:But have they found... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you are a sad, sad person.

    3. Re:But have they found... by MAXOMENOS · · Score: 1
      That picture is of his father, Marlin

      From South Florida? Escaped the clutches of the Cubs by a fluke? Lucky fish indeed, that one.

  6. "New" species? by Dancin_Santa · · Score: 0, Troll

    How many are just "old" species with an extra stripe or dot?

    Sometimes it seems like taxonomists get a little carried away with their differentiating.

    A guppy is a guppy is a guppy.

    1. Re:"New" species? by Hi_2k · · Score: 2, Informative

      Species are defined as being unable to cross breed a viable offspring. There is only one species of dog, but many subspecies, which gets many people confused. Collie and German shepard are subspecies, Dog (canis familiaris) is the species.

      --
      When life gives you crap, Make Crapade.
      Sluggy Freelance.
    2. Re:"New" species? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Thats only half the problem. Most fish change drastically from youth to adulthood. Here in Hawaii and I know in Japan, we call the a young fish one name and an adult another and they don't look anything like each other. I bet at least some of the count of the species is because they couldn't find enough specimens to follow the lifespan of the fish.

    3. Re:"New" species? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then how do you explain the "snail darter" (the great stopper of the Tellico Dam project) as a different species?

    4. Re:"New" species? by kfg · · Score: 4, Informative

      Well, the first thing you have to learn about taxonomy is that stripes and dots don't count. Ever see the stripes and dots on a dinosaur? Neither has anyone else.

      Form, not color. A rose by any other color is still a rose.

      Taxonomically speaking the only difference between an Atlantic Salmon and a Rainbow Trout ( which has different colored dots and its famous red stripe) is. . . two teeth.

      (Yes, for those taking notes, that means that the Rainbow Trout is really the Pacific Salmon and the "Pacific Salmon" aren't. The Brook Trout and the Lake Trout aren't trout or salmon. They're Char. That's what happens when you let the "people" name things before the taxonomists get there).

      KFG

  7. It's a fricking fish by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oh, wooo, a different fish. How exciting. Not.

    Unless it tastes nice in a cream sauce.

  8. It's amazing by AnonymousCowheart · · Score: 1

    It's amazing really. Have you ever opened a marine biology book or anything, and see just how many types of fish are already in there, and they all have names, been disected, etc? I would've thought this has already been done, no more than just a 'few' species left to discover on earth. I guess w/new technology we can go deeper further, etc?

    1. Re:It's amazing by Artifakt · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Worldwide, in the last few years, I have seen several estimations on how many species wait to be discovered, prepared by various organizations of Taxonomists, Biologists, and such. These are always much larger than the general public expects. There are probably no more than a few large mammals, at very most, awaiting discovery, but there may be 100,000 species of insects not yet categorized, and there are probably a thousand types of birds, hundreds of frogs and thousands of amphibians and reptiles, and possibly as many as a dozen rodents. It's even been proposed that there are still over 50 large (not bacteria sized) parasites on humans that have never been entered into a textbook. Overall, we may know as little as 15% of all species, and it appears dead certain the best possible number is less than 1/2. I'm not going to document all this in detail, but sites such as www.bottomquark.com have a few archived articles for those wanting to check the deplorable situation in taxonomy out.

      --
      Who is John Cabal?
    2. Re:It's amazing by Orne · · Score: 1

      Isn't that the goal of any scientist? Explore the world, find new species, and kill them!

    3. Re:It's amazing by nfras · · Score: 1

      A few years ago, a team of Swedish scientists took a sample of soil from a coastal region (about 1 kilo from memory) and analysed the living materials (plants, insects, bacteria etc) and discovere between 4 and 5 thousand new species or sub-species. They then took the same size of sample from an inland region and discovered between 4 and 5 thousand different new life forms. We have absolutely no idea how many undiscovered species are on the planet, and cataloging them all will take generations.

      --
      You call me a pedant? I prefer the term "correct"
    4. Re:It's amazing by kabocox · · Score: 1

      It's even been proposed that there are still over 50 large (not bacteria sized) parasites on humans that have never been entered into a textbook.

      I feel sorry for those poor grad students going out to "find" those missing parasites.

  9. dammit by morelife · · Score: 2, Funny

    How long have these scientists been keeping these fish TO THEMSELVES???

    1. Re:dammit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Defintely Fishy

    2. Re:dammit by lgftsa · · Score: 1
      Lunch? Lunch is for the weak.

      ...and brunch is for the weakend!

    3. Re:dammit by tsanth · · Score: 1

      Of course, if by the time you're weak you haven't already eaten or #prayed, you'd better hope that you don't encounter a mumak. (Damned mumaks.)

    4. Re:dammit by axolotl_farmer · · Score: 1

      You bet scientist are keeping undescribed ("new") species of fish to themselves. The name of the person who wrote the original description is always associated with the species. Linneaus described the european pearch, so in scientific literature the name is given as Perca fluviatilis Linneaus.

      An ichtyologist I know were interviewed by a journalist during a collecting trip in South America. He held up a specimen of an undescribed fish he had just caught for a picture.

      Later, an unknown german guy read the article and published a description of the new species based on the picture in the magazine! The ichtyologist that had collected the specimen hadn't ever started to work on his description.

    5. Re:dammit by Afrosheen · · Score: 1

      Not to be a grammar nazi, but do you mean ichthyologist? As in, ichthy (fish) ologist (studier of)?

    6. Re:dammit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      well, if the guy wouldn't even prepare a publication, what else would be expected of others, but to do it for him? Stinks, to me. Knowledge should be shared as soon as it's available. If anything else happens, there should be some kind of enquiry.

    7. Re:dammit by FroMan · · Score: 1

      More importantly, how do they taste?

      --
      Norris/Palin 2012
      Fact: We deserve leaders who can kick your ass and field dress your carcass.
  10. Re:In memory of Scott Adams... by Hi_2k · · Score: 1

    I think thats Douglass adams that you're refering to. Scott is still alive and sarcastic.

    --
    When life gives you crap, Make Crapade.
    Sluggy Freelance.
  11. Maybe Domesday Book by ajf442 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Maybe they didn't mean Doomsday book. Maybe it should have been DOMESDAY book. The Domesday book was basically a census ordered by William the Conquerer about 20 years after the invasion.

    You can find out more at:

    http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/

    1. Re:Maybe Domesday Book by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They're the same thing, spaz. Sometimes I wish I could reach out and tard-punch you, as you so richly deserve.

  12. Doomsday book? Try Domesday... by HBI · · Score: 4, Informative

    The Domesday Book was the complete account of the lands and people of the nation of England undertaken by William the Conqueror in 1085-86. It bears no resemblance to the science fiction novel cited in the link.

    --
    HBI's Law: Frequency of calling others Nazis is directly correlated with the likelihood of the accuser being Communist.
  13. "...more than 15,000 species of fish" by PSaltyDS · · Score: 4, Funny

    Tartar Sauce technology is just not keeping up! I'm going to sponsor open sauce recipies at SauceForge.

    Any technology distinguishable from magic is not suficiently advanced.

    --
    Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced. - Geek's corollary to Clarke's law
  14. Doomsday book? by inaeldi · · Score: 1
    I'm not sure, but don't they mean the Domesday Book? The book of the record of English settlements?

    The book linked to in the article is some novel about a guy travelling back through time. I fail to see what this has to do with fish.

    1. Re:Doomsday book? by softspokenrevolution · · Score: 1

      Star Trek VI obviously, wherein we pretty much wiped out all of the whales, some of which eat fish. There we go, now we've managed to make even less sense then slashdot posts normally do.

    2. Re:Doomsday book? by Mattwolf7 · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Wow that would be the best book ever! The complete Domesday book.


      "Farmer John: 10 Cows, 20 Chickens, 1 house, 1 Wife, 6 kids

      Farmer Paul: 20 Cows, 15 Chickens, 1 house, 1 Wife, 10 kids..."

      Wait a minute...

      The 1985 Project
      To mark the 900th anniversary of the Domesday Book in 1985, a new multimedia edition of Domesday was compiled and published in 1986. This included all the information from the original survey plus modern spellings of the place names, maps, and many color photos.

      It was produced in a partnership between Acorn, Ltd, Philips and the BBC. The BBC Domesday Project Community Disc or National Disc was published as two laser disc of the Philips? LaserVision-Read Only Memory (LV-ROM) format. Acorn launched a version of the BBC Microcomputer capable of reading the disc format.

      In 2002, there were great fears that the disc would become unreadable as computers capable of reading the format had become rare (and drives capable of accessing the discs even rarer). However, the BBC later announced that the CAMiLEON project (a partnership between Leeds University and University of Michigan) had developed a system capable of accessing the discs using emulation techniques. (Unfortunately, this data is not yet publicly accessible due to copyright constraints.)

      Interestingly, while there are difficulties accessing digital data from 1986, the original Domesday book, now over 900 years old, can still be consulted. This has renewed interest in ensuring long-term access to digital information.

      From Wikipedia.org
    3. Re:Doomsday book? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think they mean domesday, although I'm not quite sure.

    4. Re:Doomsday book? by pyros · · Score: 1

      dude, that's Star Trek IV, the Voyage Home. Star Trek VI was the Undiscovered Country.

    5. Re:Doomsday book? by Peil · · Score: 0

      Funnily enough I actually contributed a piece to the latter version, but have never been able to see what the ramblings on an 8 year old describing his local town look like 17 years later

  15. An idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Anyone for some 5000 island seafood sauce? that's right, a bit of each fish in one.

    Fact, a dolphin is not a fish, it's a mammal.

  16. A billion dollars????!!! by sonoluminescence · · Score: 0

    I'm all for science but I'm sure I could think of a better way to spend $1bn than making a fish book.

    Yeah, yeah, cure for cancer... heard it all before :)

    --
    Karma: Bad. Calmer, good.
  17. Re:Doomsday book? Try Domesday... by asparagus · · Score: 4, Funny

    You gotta love a man who has to get a book made just to know what he owns.

  18. WOW..... by hartba · · Score: 0

    It'll take a beowulf cluster of tartar sauce to handle all those fish. Moderator, I apologize for the bad joke with the cluster and the stuff......

    --
    60 percent of the time, my comments are right everytime.
  19. Nice troll. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    (-1: Troll)

  20. Recipes? by dreamchaser · · Score: 2, Funny

    Are there recipes to go with all of these new fish?

    Thanks for all the fish!

    1. Re:Recipes? by scaryfish · · Score: 1
      Well, actually..

      I recently did a project on various species of fish, and we got most of our data from Fishbase, which has, among other pieces of information, how the fish can be cooked.

  21. Several species by zephc · · Score: 1

    were found on the premises of Troy McClure's personal bedroom collection.

    --
    "I would say that 99 per cent of what my father has written about his own life is false." - L. Ron Hubbard Jr.
  22. here we go.... by jonnystiph · · Score: 2, Funny

    Let loose all those obscure Lovecraft refrences.

    --

    If we don't make light of everything, we are just stumbling in the dark - Blank

    1. Re:here we go.... by AndroidCat · · Score: 2, Funny

      Deep-fried Deep-One on special down at Captain Marsh's? There are some things man was not meant to eat...

      --
      One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
    2. Re:here we go.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hehe. Nice.

  23. And so far... by The+Munger · · Score: 3, Funny

    They've got 150 more to taste. Reports so far include 300 taste like chicken, and a few mysterious 'Tasty Wheats' flavoured oddities.

    --
    Refuse to make a statement in your sig!
  24. That's "Domesday" to you by sdedeo · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    The Domesday Book was the catalogue of stuff William the Conqueror had got when he took over (what was) England in 1066. The "Doomsday book" linked in the article is, apparently, a popular novel about the Black Death four centuries later.

    So, if it's a Domesday book, when was the Battle of Hastings?

    --
    Protect your liberties. Donate to the ACLU
    1. Re:That's "Domesday" to you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're approximately the fifth assclown to point this out.

    2. Re:That's "Domesday" to you by YOU+ARE+SO+SUED! · · Score: 1
      What makes me laugh is that the next moderator to come along will probably think it more important to mod you or me down, rather than the redundant parent.

  25. Re:In memory of Scott Adams... by Not_Wiggins · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Ahhhh.... DOH!
    If I could mod myself down, I would for that bone-headed a typo (I'd be lucky if it was my last, too. ;) ).

    Nope... I need them to find the "Proof-Read your own posts on /., Idiot!" fish so I can have it surgically implanted on my brain. 8)

    Hmmm... now that I'm wishing for special fish, can they find one that will eat Trolls and people who post "*BSD is DEAD!" ? ;)

    --
    Diplomacy is the art of saying, "Nice doggie!" until you can find a rock.
  26. Re:What a waste... by michaeltoe · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I dunno, I think fish are pretty hawt. Most are so passive in nature that billions die by simply following the flow of the ocean into the very climate that can kill them. People entertain me for the same reason. Blub blub!

  27. So long! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And thanks for all the fish!

  28. mmm... Red Lobster by grosa · · Score: 1, Funny


    sweet, I'm heading to Red Lobster.

    1. Re:mmm... Red Lobster by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      why goto a place that ruins the natural taste
      of raw seafood by cooking it?

      I say...bring on the exotic sashimi, and pass the wasabi

  29. they are not keeping DNA samples! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Thats stupid. cause once it goes extinct then it's gone forever .. bye bye

    They should keep some of the DNA.

  30. Open Source Fish by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Did they find bluefish and guppi? How about wanda?

  31. Neo by strapon · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    What did neo find in the toilet?

    --


    Number one I order you to take a number two!
    1. Re:Neo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What did neo find in the toilet?

      Did you create an account just to post a stupid question?

    2. Re:Neo by jizzmaster0 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      A Core Dump!

      --
      It's not a lie, if you believe it.
    3. Re:Neo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, he actually created two accounts today just to post stupid toilet jokes.

    4. Re:Neo by strapon · · Score: 0

      What did Spock find in the toilet?

      --


      Number one I order you to take a number two!
    5. Re:Neo by strapon · · Score: 0

      The Captain's log!

      --


      Number one I order you to take a number two!
  32. Fantastic news by TopShelf · · Score: 2, Funny

    Just think what this will do for the menu at Long John Silvers!

    --
    Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
    1. Re:Fantastic news by Elbow+Macaroni · · Score: 1

      Yeah they could ruin anything. What is that covering on all their food styrofoam?

      --
      -------------------------------------
      Technically, we are beyond survival.
  33. Predicting the final count by G4from128k · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It would be interesting to estimate the total number of species of fish based on the trajectory of species counts. The trajectory probably follows some x% of remaining species are discovered on a yearly basis. A bit of linear regression on a transform of the species counts by year and a bit of calculus should provide a reasonable extrapolation.

    Of course a simple analytic model would probably not be accurate for a number of reasons. I am sure there are wastersheds that have not been adequately explored that harbor substantive numbers of unknown species (e.g., Burma). There's also the problem of duplicates. Then there are extinctions of both previously discovered and never-to-be discovered species.

    I know, I know, there's probably several papers in the academic literature on this and I'm just too lazy to look them up. But its fun to think about.

    --
    Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
    1. Re:Predicting the final count by G3ckoG33k · · Score: 1

      Actually, there are 28,000 species known.

      Check FishBase for the complete listing and all synonyms.

    2. Re:Predicting the final count by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      actually there are 28100. i would know, i described and named 4 of them. SUCKA. unnnngh, i win.

  34. But how many die? by Zaiff+Urgulbunger · · Score: 1

    Great idea and all, but do they have to kill the fish when they catalogue them? Hmmm?

  35. In other news... by Call+Me+Black+Cloud · · Score: 2, Funny

    Emeril's latest book, "600 New Ways to Serve Fish" has just gone on sale.

  36. Yes but... by El · · Score: 1

    how many of those fish are "darn good eatin'"? Now that's something worth cataloging...

    --

    "Freedom means freedom for everybody" -- Dick Cheney

  37. Are they tasty? by handy_vandal · · Score: 1

    Over 500 of the fish catalogued thus far are thought to be new to science.

    Ah, but are these 500 species of fish new to the kitchen? And are they good eating?

    I divide the world of living things (indeed, all things, living or otherwise) into two groups:
    edible, and inedible.

    --
    -kgj
    1. Re:Are they tasty? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I usually use a third group: edible if I'm really hungry.

      Of course, that means that there aren't too many things left in the second group.

  38. Fish Heads... by niko9 · · Score: 2, Funny

    fish heads, roley poley fish heads, eat 500 more, yum. :)

    --

    1. Re:Fish Heads... by Catharz · · Score: 1

      Fish heads fish heads roly poly fish heads
      Fish heads fish heads eat them up yum

      In the morning laughing happy fish heads
      In the evening floating in the soup

      Ask a fish head anything you want to
      They won't answer they can't talk

      I took a fish head out to see a movie
      Didn't have to pay to get it in

      They can't play baseball they don't wear sweaters
      They're not good dancers they don't play drums

      Roly poly fish heads are never seen drinking cappuccino
      In Italian restaurants with oriental women yeah

      --
      To know that you know what you know, and that you do not know what you do not know, that is true wisdom. --Scooby Doo
    2. Re:Fish Heads... by phazei · · Score: 1

      if you play that backwards it says 'she's evil, she's evil'

  39. furthermore... by AltGrendel · · Score: 1, Funny
    ...after the tasting, 168 were suddenly reported extinct.

    Scientists had no comment other than to ask for more tartar sauce.

    --
    The simple truth is that interstellar distances will not fit into the human imagination

    - Douglas Adams

  40. The other 1500 new species by use_compress · · Score: 1

    were eaten by scientists.

  41. Homer Simpson. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    hmmmmmmmm..... cataloged fishes.. drool

  42. They wanted to do this by bstadil · · Score: 1, Funny

    but had to scale back

    --
    Help fight continental drift.
    1. Re:They wanted to do this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fish are Fish. They are NOT mammals. Do you f ing know what a mammal is? Go look it up before flaming someone out.

    2. Re:They wanted to do this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      yogi?

    3. Re:They wanted to do this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      YHBT HAND

  43. Re: The Inevitable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    1. Discover 600 new species of fish 2. Invent 600 new varieties of Tartar sauce 3. ??? 3. Profit. In Soviet Russia, 600 species of fish discover you.

  44. Good news! by dolo666 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now we have a ton of new fish for O'Reilly to stipple and use for cover art!

  45. Re:What's the point? by c4ffeine · · Score: 1

    There's a good chance that this might cure disease. Species with useful immunities (like sharks are immune to cancer) should be studied for the benefit of our society... or whatever

    --
    "73% of quotes on the Internet are made up" -Ben Franklin
  46. Where the heck are these fish hiding out? by PierceLabs · · Score: 1

    It seems that we are 'discovering' new species of something all the time - so either new species are being created or we're just doing a half-ass job in classification :)

    These species aren't exactly coming from places that we've never been before or anything. Too bad you don't really get to name the new species that you find :)

    1. Re:Where the heck are these fish hiding out? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Considering the majority of the ocean has yet to be explored no one should be surprised...

    2. Re:Where the heck are these fish hiding out? by blennidae · · Score: 2, Informative

      True, we are discovering new species all of the time, but there are several reasons why.

      The first is that classifications are always changing. Scientists are always finding new methods/means to further divide an existing group of organisms based on some structure (existence of bones, arrangement of bones, habitat differentiation, etc.).

      If I remember correctly, during one lecture a professor mentioned that two fish, virtually identical in outward appearance, lived within several feet vertically of each other, but for some reason I can't remember now, someone caught some of each, dissected them and found that they were different enough internally to classify them as two separate species.

      Second, the total number of fishes believed to be in existence as of 1993 - 1994, was around 22,000 to 24,000. So at 15,000 catalogued so far, we still have a ways to go even with finding several hundred new species a year. Remember, we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the deep ocean.

      Also, one of the graduate students in Marine Biology that I knew found 2 or 3 new species during his thesis work.

      So, it's not that the scientists are not doing their job, it's just that the system used to classify species developed by Carl Linnaeus is being modified when some new specie is found and this can cause other species to be reclassified. Kind of like a ripple effect.

      By the way, you do get to name the new species that you find with a few simple rules. You can't name it after yourself and it must pass through a standards committee.

      --
      Rejoice in your insanity, there really is no other way
  47. What did Spock find in the toilet? by jizzmaster0 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    The Captain's Log!

    --
    It's not a lie, if you believe it.
  48. Not quite true by Jonathan · · Score: 4, Informative

    Actually, this isn't the case. Species are simply populations that *tend* not to breed together -- for example, dogs (Canis familiaris), wolves (Canis lupus) and coyotes (Canis latrans) can breed together just fine and produce viable offspring, but because matings are relatively rare, they are still counted as separate species.

    1. Re:Not quite true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't horses and donkeys mate to make mules?

    2. Re:Not quite true by Cyno01 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Viable offspring, donkeys and mules are strile IIRC.

      --
      "Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
    3. Re:Not quite true by webtre · · Score: 1
      --
      litigious bastards
      suck it sco!
    4. Re:Not quite true by Polyploid+Pimp · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Actually, you are both right. Depending on whether or not you have a pluralistic view of species or a monistic view. I take a pluralistic view of species concepts. That is, in some cases a biological species concept may apply (the one about the breeding barrier), and in other cases a better species concept may be a genetic similarity/dissimilarity approach may be best. For example, the biological species concept doesn't work too well with too many organisms, especially plants. There are literally hundreds of ways to define a species, from the various phylogenetic species concepts based on synapomorphies or autapomorphies (or other criteria) to ecologically defined species. Don't just assume that there is one species concept - its a fallacy. The world is more complicated than that, and the patterns and mechanisms of evolutionary more diverse than any single concept can accomodate (IMHO).

    5. Re:Not quite true by jumpingfred · · Score: 1

      What are you talking about the previous post was about wolves dogs and cyotes.

    6. Re:Not quite true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      not it wasn't. follow the threads you nimwit.

  49. Re:Doomsday book? Try Domesday... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    A note to his assistant William Randolph Hearst once scribbled on a picture of some piece of expensive artwork or real estate:
    "Do I own this? If not, buy it."

  50. It's a cook book by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    It's a cook book!

  51. Poison... Poison... Tasty fish! by csoto · · Score: 0

    One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish...

    --
    There exists no way of exchanging information without making judgments. --Bene Gesserit Axiom
  52. Which is it? by Scalli0n · · Score: 0

    Science: 600 New Species of Fish Discovered

    Posted by Hemos on Thursday October 23, @09:42PM from the cataloguing-it-all dept. zenobr writes "Some 300 scientists from 53 countries are creating a record of all known marine life, in a project reminiscent of an aquatic Domesday Book. So far more than 15,000 species of fish have been catalogued and 2 to 3 thousand more are expected to be catalogued before the project's end in 2010. Over 500 of the fish catalogued thus far are thought to be new to science. Full story on BBC News"



    Which is it, 500 or 600?

    --
    Sig & Below
    Yuck Fou
  53. I'm confused... by MrPower · · Score: 1

    When a Saint Bernard goes a Chihuahua bitch all you are left with is a wig.

    So how come they are the same species?

  54. Funny joke by Pan+T.+Hose · · Score: 0

    There's a joke here in my institute that while 2 to 3 thousand more species are expected to be catalogued before 2010, also another 2 to 3 million species are expected to be catalogued before doomsday. (You probably have to be a biologist who don't get laid very often to find it funny though.)

    --
    Sincerely,
    Pan Tarhei Hosé, PhD.
    "Homo sum et cogito ergo odi profanum vulgus et libido."
    1. Re:Funny joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nice to see you starting down at (Score: 0) at last. Sorry it took so long.

  55. Re:In memory of Scott Adams... by zakezuke · · Score: 1

    I think thats Douglass adams that you're refering to. Scott is still alive and sarcastic.

    Let's not forget the other scott adams not responcible for the dilbert comics, but rather for early text adventures

    http://www.msadams.com/new/index.htm

    --
    There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
  56. There sure are... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... a lot of fish in the sea.

  57. Re:In memory of Scott Adams... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If I could mod myself down, I would for that bone-headed a typo
    Don't worry. I took care of it for you.

    digitalunity

  58. This IS real science! by mabhatter654 · · Score: 2, Informative
    When they are finding hundreds of species they didn't expect to, I'd call that pretty important! How can you tell the health of the ocean if you don't even know all about what's living there? This is pure, simple, elementry science at it's best. It's just as important [probably more] as exploring space. And the first step to uncovering how important it is to protect the world we live in so it will still be there in 100, 1000 years!

    They "real" science you want will be affected later in all sorts of ways...now that they have many more samples & ideas to draw from when looking for new cures for diseases.

    1. Re:This IS real science! by Elbow+Macaroni · · Score: 1
      Well noone ever did claim that they knew the health of the ocean. If you read anywhere about it they are all "concerned" about the health of the ocean, but noone knows for sure.

      However Jacques Cousteau, said he saw a total disappearance in fish in many of the areas he used to dive in.

      --
      -------------------------------------
      Technically, we are beyond survival.
  59. Re:What's the point? by kfg · · Score: 1

    . . ."like sharks are immune to cancer. . ."

    Weeell, no, not exactly.

    http://www.mote.org/~rhueter/sharks/cancer.phtml

    KFG

  60. WHy is slashdot so boring these days? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Or is it just my perception?

    I think it could be due to the excessive dupe control.

    What about having editors outsourced to India for a while, I think there is a lot going on there these days. Plus there would be some serious cash savings.

    Maybe an SCO article now would help to liven up the things a bit?

  61. That's Not In The Project Plan by SEWilco · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Great, now I have to put a big asterisk on the company loss-of-species chart.

  62. Re:What's the point? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There's a good chance that this might cure disease.

    Yeah, there was something about that in the news a few weeks ago: Google Cache

  63. Have they found the Blinky fish? by hedley · · Score: 1

    Known to live in the effluent from a nuclear plant.

    Blinky Fish

    Hedley

    1. Re:Have they found the Blinky fish? by Gogo+Dodo · · Score: 1

      Well, there is a GM fish being sold called Night Pearl. See here, or here, or here.

  64. End in 2010? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So far more than 15,000 species of fish have been catalogued and 2 to 3 thousand more are expected to be catalogued before the project's end in 2010.

    Why stop counting species in 2010?
    Is there something the rest of us should know?

  65. New species - how it works by Polyploid+Pimp · · Score: 2, Informative
    "It seems that we are 'discovering' new species of something all the time - so either new species are being created or we're just doing a half-ass job in classification :)"

    As much as non-biological science people think we know about the organisms on this planet, we really don't know jack. The reason we are always finding more species is a result of two different phases of taxonomic research; Alpha and Beta. Alpha taxonomy is that basic, initial "I found this and it is different" phase. Usually, this happens in relatively unexplored areas (such as the oceans), or in relatively unexplored groups of organisms, such as Oomycetes or Tropical microlepidoptera (or in fishes). There really are a lot of places filled with organisms previously unknown to science. For example, I am currently describing three new species of ferns from Cuba, one from Jamaica, and five from the Chaco of Paraguay and Bolivia. Humans don't know everything.

    A lot of species today are found through further taxonomic research (i.e., Beta taxonomy). For example, many taxa are morphologically very similar, but genetically disparate. Each year in the United States a large number of species are discovered because of this type of research.

    And to those who may think that there is something wrong or shocking that we keep finding new species, just stop to think about how many people actually do this kind of research. For example, I study fern systematics, and there are less than 20 people who are actively doing this research in the world. When you get in to many animal groups, the ratio of species to scientists is much worse, so we will be discovering new species for a very long time, unless of course we wipe them all out!

    And what do you mean you don't get to name the species you discover? Of course you do, that's how they get named!

  66. Good Start by toxic666 · · Score: 2, Informative

    The aquatic ecosystem is important for food and recreation. But fish populations are under stress worldwide. In the Netherlands, workers used to get their employers to provide lunch, but negotiated the maximum number of times per week salmon would be served. They couldn't get an employer to pay for salmon anymore.

    In North America, the Atlantic salmon is a farm FrankenFish, fed Fish Pellets until they are big and then pumped full of carrot extract to get that "natural" orange color before processing.

    While some of these species may seem insignificant, it is important to catalog and understand them to assess the health and viability of ecosystems.

    Then again, the whole world is slaughtering fish in the oceans to the point that the most productive fisheries are under serious pressure. So if we can wipe out ubiquitous species, how can we hope to preserve those in sensitive habitats that come under pressure?

    Well, at least we will have some descriptions and pictures.

    Just 2 cents from a catch and release, barbless hooks fly fisher.

    1. Re:Good Start by Elbow+Macaroni · · Score: 1
      I don't know why they don't just farm all the fish we eat anyway, just like they do with cows. The cows we eat now are nothing like anything you would find wild in nature. Why eat wild fish?

      And for heaven's sake would someone please start making farmed crabs so we don't have to eat anymore of that fake crab crap? It would probably be easier to have a crab farm than do all that stuff they do to make that fake crab crap.

      --
      -------------------------------------
      Technically, we are beyond survival.
    2. Re:Good Start by Stachel · · Score: 2, Informative

      I don't know why they don't just farm all the fish we eat anyway, just like they do with cows.

      Farming of fish has its downsides, too. In this article it is explained how escaping farmed salmon threaten the reproduction of wild salmon.

      Also, farmed salmon are fed pellets which are made from other sea-living critters, moving the threat of overfishing down the foodchain.

      --
      Stachel
  67. So now you tell me! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    *burp* Better make that 599 new species. Sorry! Hey, I never got the memo and I was hungry okay?

  68. Your punishment by Mattcelt · · Score: 1

    I'll say you're in deep! C'mon, is that the beast you can do? Why'd you clam up so quickly? I know I must seem a little crabby saying this, but you've left the door wide open for all the sharks here to whale on you, you clown! IMO you otter rethink your post, or else you'll have a great white bump on your head and you'll need an angel to nurse you back to health, tiger! And b/c this is /., as soon as they smell blood in the water, they'll move in for the krill and you'll be sorry, chum. Don't think your verbal skills will let you skate by; they'll seas you and you won't be able to arcticulate anything in your own defense! I think you'll agree you should've jumped ship before, as this is only the tip of the iceberg. But there may be a little ray of sunshine yet... this they may need their hip waders to get through this post, so stop blubbering and fly, sea? Tuna tail and... um... run!

    1. Re:Your punishment by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bravo. That was well done.

    2. Re:Your punishment by Pr0f · · Score: 1

      You forgot to shoot yourself!!

  69. Re:Doomsday book? Try Domesday... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He'd give people copies of his book, and on the inside cover he'd write "All your place are belong to me! - Love William." Damned authors!

  70. Re:Doomsday book? Try Domesday... by lawpoop · · Score: 1

    Or else .

    --
    Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.
    -- Pablo Picasso
  71. Dopefish discovered? by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · · Score: 1

    Well, was it one of the new ones? Or are they still looking in quake III?

    --
    Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
  72. hmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hmm... Scientists love fishing too...

  73. 300 is a lot, but by G3ckoG33k · · Score: 2, Informative

    Actually, there are 200 fish species described as new every year. And it has been like that for the last twenty years. BTW, check out www.fishbase.org, the best site there is on fish. H.U.G.E. database.

    Oh, some bragging rights on behalf of myself... I have described three new fish species myself; giving them scientific names and all that. :) No, I won't tell you their name; please, let G3ck0G33k have some his mysteries of his own. :)

    1. Re:300 is a lot, but by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      aw, come on...

  74. 15,000 species of fish by mantera · · Score: 1


    As someone whose dietary intake of "meat" only includes fish, i don't eat chicken or red meat and therefore i consume fish almost daily, my main curiosity in that list is... i wonder which ones tastes better and are good for health...

  75. I'll be there by appleLaserWriter · · Score: 1

    Let me know when they find a babelfish.

  76. To put it in perspective... by appleLaserWriter · · Score: 1

    Compiling a book of your assets back in the day is just like putting your family website together today. Only just a little bit different.

  77. ah hA Ha Ha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In Soviet Russia, Closed Doors die behind Democracy!

  78. I'm still wondering by appleLaserWriter · · Score: 1

    Have the Sweedish scientists unlocked the mystery of their most famous fish?

  79. Got a new one by draxredd · · Score: 0

    What about the IRC Large Trout ? they surely got that one more than once.

    --
    --- Back to the trees, back to the trees !
  80. Blinky? by Lord_Dweomer · · Score: 1
    I wonder if any of them resemble Blinky. I'm sure they could find several EXTREMELY um......unique.....species if they were to search the water around nuclear power plants. I won't be satisfied until I can eat a fish with three eyes on its head.

    --
    Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
  81. Nice! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Good to see. It used to be said we knew more about outer space than most of the oceans, but it is changing.

    Check out
    The Blue Planet made by the BBC, narrated by David Attenborough. One of the most fascinating documentaries I have ever seen. When they made it, they discovered many new spiecies and behaviour unknown to man.

  82. DNA mapping? by tomzyk · · Score: 1

    I know it's still not a simple/quick process to map the genetic code of an organism, but wouldn't it be wise to take DNA samples of all of these "new species" and examine them further?

    You never know: something could be drastically different in the genetic code of an Atlantic Salmon and Rainbow Trout even if they appear (physically/taxonomically) to be so similar.

    --
    Karma: NaN
    1. Re:DNA mapping? by kfg · · Score: 1

      DNA analysis is the breakthrough technology in taxonomic classification, but not as useful as you might think. DNA does, after all, define the macro structure. Having the blueprints of a machine is useful, but doesn't tell you any more about the machine than examining the machine does.

      In the case of DNA it often tells us a good deal less.

      There is also the problem that much DNA is the same across all species. You really are 50% banana. So yes, minor differences in DNA can have large consequences, but the reverse is true as well. Huge similarities don't imply huge differences, or even small ones, at some levels.

      Classicly DNA samples have been taken from every new species found, however. You'll find it in every butterfly pinned to a card or frog floating in a jar.

      KFG

    2. Re:DNA mapping? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "You really are 50% banana."

      Have you been peeking at me in the locker room?

  83. Yet Another Species of Fish by Prince+Vegeta+SSJ4 · · Score: 1

    add to that this species of fish which was just discovered in the Good ole USA.

  84. excellent by VanillaCoke420 · · Score: 1

    Should be enough food for days to come.

  85. But... by boatboy · · Score: 1

    You should have SEEN the 600 that got away!