Publication in Fisheries

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The GSO Project’s first peer-reviewed publication is now available online via Fisheries and will be in an upcoming issue of the American Fisheries Society’s Fisheries Magazine. Co-authors Michael O’Neill, Samantha Bluhm, and Owen Nichols analyzed iNaturalist reports submitted up through 2022 to describe species incidences, regional distributions, and phenological aspects of reported extralimital tropical and subtropical fishes in the Northwest Atlantic.

This publication is dedicated in memory of Dave Remsen, former Director of Marine Research Services at the Marine Biological Laboratory. Dave contributed over 2,000 observations to the iNaturalist platform, including the most Gulf Stream Orphan sightings by an individual at the time of data set download. He was an avid participant in the marine science community of Massachusetts, southern New England, and beyond and will be greatly missed.

This work would not have been possible without the diligence of hundreds of citizen scientists who submitted and verified observations of marine life to the iNaturalist platform contributing diverse skills and expertise to accomplish the detection and identification of dozens of marine species. Special recognition goes to the regional institutions and organizations that supported this work and continue to inspire exploration and conservation of the marine world including the New England Aquarium, Center for Coastal Studies, Friends of Pleasant Bay, Marine Biological Laboratory, Maritime Aquarium, Biomes Marine Biology Center, Maria Mitchell Association, Virginia Living Museum, Save the Bay Aquarium, Long Island Aquarium, Seacoast Science Center, New England Aquarium Dive Club, Boston Sea Rovers, and many more.

2024 Season

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2024 is shaping up to be a booming season for GSO's, pushing the GSO Project reports over 2,500! Could this be the season that pushed total reports to the GSO Project on iNaturalist up over 3,000?

Even with the species being tracked that we know are not necessarily Gulf-Stream dispersed including Needlefishes and Striped Burrfish, this year appears to be quite robust. Several species appear to have significant increases in reports, potentially beyond an underlying increase in reporting effort and iNaturalist activity. One species that seems to stand out for a reporting spike and anecdotally amongst those in the field is the Short Bigeye, P. alta, a species that already has more than 60 sightings in 2024 we many weeks of warmer water temperatures remaining.

As the project and dataset continues to grow, if you have great images of sighted species that you are willing to share for the Species Identification Page, please reach out!

American Fisheries Society, Southern New England Chapter Meeting, January 12-14, 2020→

/ Hyatt Regency Hotel/

The Gulf Stream Orphan Project is honored to be a part of the AFS SNEC Winter Meeting at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Cambridge, MA. Fabulous speakers including research scientists and students will convene for workshops, speakers, poster presentations, and more.

Fin & Tonic Members Night at the New England Aquarium - 6:30pm

/ New England Aquarium/

What's better than a night at the New England Aquarium? A 21+ night at the Aquarium! Listen to Aquarist Michael O'Neill speak about the upcoming Gulf Stream Orphan season here in New England.  Learn where you can see Gulf Stream Orphans in Aquarium exhibits and what you can do to contribute to the project! Visit: http://www.neaq.org/support/membership/member-only-events/fin-tonic/ for more informaiton!

New England Aquarium Dive Club Meeting - 6:30pm

/ New England Aquarium Harborside Learning Lab/

Gulf Stream Orphan season is upon us! Attend the New England Aquarium Dive Club monthly meeting for August.  Learn how the GSOproject and New England Aquarium are building a network to promote the sustainable collection of Gulf Stream Orphans and what these adorable fish can tell us about our oceans and changing climate.  For more information, check out www.neadc.org