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Snakelocks Anemones

Hydroids (solitary)

Red Band Fish

Tenby Rockpooling

Portland Harbour

Porbeagle Shark

Blue Shark

Northern Bottle-nosed Whales

More from Skye

Lobster

Triggerfish

Stone Crab, Lithodes

Mystery Creature

Dolphins in the Trent?

Sea Anemone (Spain)

Atlantic Eels

Hello Birders,

I am trying to investigate the reason why the Ringed Plover often fails to bring up its young in the vicinity of humans.
 

Humans get to near the nest, frighten the bird off a or trample the eggs. I would expect this to occur when public pressure on the beach is too great.

However, often this little bird persists quite near seafront houses and other possibilities I wish to consider.
 
 

These include:

1)  Dogs sniff out the nest.
2)  Cats catch the birds or find the nest.
3)  Crows find the nest and eggs.
4)  Foxes get the nest and young.

Does anybody know of any research that has been undertaken on this subject, or failing this, has anybody got any anecdotal observations. 

The nests are difficult to discover, but sometimes small indentations in the shingle are all that remains of an attempted nest site. Often, the first indication is the feigning behaviour when the Ringed Plover attempts to distract anybody or any animal that ventures too close. 

Cheers

Andy Horton
EMail Glaucus@hotmail.com
birds.htm

Ringed Plover nests are susceptible to many predators, but fox, badger and carrion crows are probably the major problems here at Rye Harbour. Barry Yates ( Rye Nature Reserve)
EMail: yates@clara.net
Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

I would put the most likely causes of Ringed Plover breeding failure, as seen from our windows overlooking the shingle beach, as 1. CROWS, 2. Foxes, 3. Dogs, 4. Human disturbance, 5. Other reasons.  David Wood (Shoreham Beach)
EMail: 101476.1150@compuserve.com
Coastal.htm

Hi Andy,
I saw your message about Ringed Plovers on the BMLSS forum page.
I've just been working as a warden on a reserve monitoring breeding success of birds: amongst them ringed plover.
I found that even if predators do not find the nest, and it is not trampled on, the birds often failed to raise young in areas with a lot of disturbance because of their method of trying to protect their nest. a good example of this is a bird who nested outside my caravan right on the footpath across the island. Every time I stepped outside or walked past my window, the bird got off it's nest so causing chilling of the eggs. Eventually, after a longer than average incubation time, 2 eggs did hatch, but every time a person was near, the parents would run off down the beach doing a broken wing act worthy of an oscar nomination but completely abandoning the chicks and leaving them at the mercy of predators. The parents spent so much time doing this that the chicks did not have enough feeding time, I don't think, and did not survive long. 
Hope that is of some interest. I'd love to know your findings. I'm constantly battling with fishermen and dog walkers trying to prevent disturbance.
Good Luck
Jenny Holden

 I am a proprietor of a river on the west coast of Scotland (River Shiel, Ardnamurchan, Argyll).  In past years we had a substantial run of eels during the month of March . In fact there was such an abundance that we were able to sell these returning eels for aquaculture purposes.  I am pleased to say that the eel industry was unsuccessful but, be that as it may,  we do not appear to have these runs anymore. 
 Can anyone shed any light on this situation? 

 My home address is 

 James E. Semple
 "Tioram" 
 106, Kirkcaldy Road 
 Glasgow G41 4LF.      Tel/FAX 0141 423 2873l 
EMail: tioram@compuserve.com

Hello,

Catch Tentacles in Metridium senile
 

1)  catch tentacles appear on certain occasions
2)  introduction of plankton, brine shrimp, fresh seawater can (not always) induce the appearance of the "catch tentacles" in this species. 

Certain hypotheses can be thought up from these observations. However, further information would be useful. 

The questions are:

1) are "catch tentacles" regularly found in pickled specimens of Metridium senile?
2) what distinguishes the "catch tentacles" in dissected specimens from the ordinary tentacles (apart from the length and size)?

If anybody has investigated this anemone and knows the answers to these questions, I would be very interested. It will help formulate a description of what happens. I might even be able to suggest a reason why. (I have already thought up the reason and now I have to check it out.)

Gosse christened this anemone PLUMOSE which is widely (almost 100%)  used in the UK and it is a very apt and attractive name. 

Cheers

Andy Horton

Link to Replies

Steve Chapman (Stoke Newington) was swimming off the Camber Sands (near Rye), East Sussex, at the beginning of September 1999, when he felt a slight wasp-like sting, which was not really apparent until he left the water. The wound was on his lower leg and was small, not even finger sized, about 13 mm x 9 mm, red and sore with about 10-15 scab-like pin pricks which looked infected. After he rinsed his leg the slight sting was relieved and he was just left with a small wound. Picture.

Is this is a jellyfish sting? The species most often responsible for stinging swimmers is the Lion's Mane, but these are rare off Sussex. It could be the Compass Jellyfish, Chrysaora hysoscella, which is more often encountered in the eastern English Channel and has a reputation as a stinger. 

Is anybody able to confirm this is a jellyfish sting from their own experience?
Or could it be a Lamprey (see below)?
Jellyfish Stings

28 July 1999
I wonder if you could help me identify a fish. Last Sunday I was swimming off the beach at Folkestone, when I felt something on my thigh. I stopped and put my hand onto my leg and felt, what I thought, must have been an eel. It felt as though it was about 75 mm (3 inches) in diameter. I panicked a little, and had to pull at it to get it off me. I went ashore, and had a red circle around 25 mm (1 inch) in diameter on my upper thigh. It had drawn blood, and there were several areas within the circle which at first appeared to be holes, but now seem more like teeth marks. There were also 3 streaks of redness below the circle.
I have been swimming in the sea for over 30 years and never come across anything like this. I was only about 10 metres (10 yards) from the beach, which was packed at the time.
Have you any ideas please?
I look forward to hearing from you.
David de la Mothe.

This could be a parasitic attack by a Lamprey, Petromyzon marinus. 
This is a primitive jawless fish classified in the superclass Agnatha. AH
Lamprey

I have been attempting to identify the larval stages of Palaemon elegans as reported in the scientific literature and have come across some discrepancies. The first 4 zoeal stages are easily identified, as is stage 5. After this point the development of the larvae to postlarvae either follows one (zoea 6) or two (zoea 6 & 7) but I am unable to find any accurate descriptions for the identification of these stages. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. 
EMail:  Matthew Sanders
Please also send the reply to:  Glaucus@hotmail.com

I have found a reference but I have not read the text (AH):
Fincham A.A. & Williamson, D.1 1978. Decapoda, Larvae, VI. Caridae. Fich. Ident. Zooplankton 159/160, 1-8. from
British Coastal Shrimps & Prawns  by G. Smaldon.  Synopses of British Fauna series (Academic Press & FSC Publications).
Field Studies Council Publications

Can anybody identify this nudibranch found in the seas off Scotland?
September 1998, the Sunmmer Isles. 10 mm long on a kelp blade in 5 metres. 
No wild guesses please!
EMail: Jim Anderson
Please also send the reply to:  Glaucus@hotmail.com
The nudibranchs have been identified on 
Jim Anderson's Scottish Nudibranch pages

http://members.aol.com/jander4454/scotnud1.html

---

Photograph by Frank Emil Moen (Dyreliv i havet) © 1999
Can anybody identify this sea anemone found in the seas off Norway?
EMail: Frank Moen, :frank.emil.moen@marinbi.com
Click on the flag to go to the web site
Please also send the reply to:  Glaucus@hotmail.com

Photograph by Espen Rekdal (Bergen) © 1999
Can anybody identify this small (under 20 mm) fish 
found at a depth of 2 metres off the Norwegian coast?
The goby is resting on the starfish Hippasterina phrygiana.
EMail: Espen.Rekdal@ifm.uib.no
http://www.student.uib.no/~st00502/gobies.htm
Please also send the reply to:  Glaucus@hotmail.com
 

All photographs on the web site are copyright protected

---

      Height = 13 mm 

Can anybody identify this sea anemone found on the Cornish shore, SW England?
EMail: Simon Birch

This anemone spreads rapidly in the aquarium.
The specimen in the photographs is small, only a few millimetres high ands was found in a rock pool by accident. 

---

Can anybody identify this jellyfish washed up on the beach at Ravenglass, Cumbria, NW England?

Report and photograph by  Nikki Sheldon (EMail)

Link for Identification

Norwegian Marine ***
These web pages are recommended for photographs of Jellyfish
 

 Aquaria with seaweed and animals from the Norwegian coast

Hello Andy Horton. 

(I hope you understand my spellings. I guarantee you that my aquarium knowledge is a great deal better than my English knowledge) 

I have visited your web: 
wetthumb.htm

I am delighted to finely have found a person that has an aquarium with animals from a Temperate Zone. I have only found tropical stuff. 

I like to present to you this picture of my aquarium with seaweed's and animals from the Norwegian coast. 

We have succeeded with seaweed in a closed aquarium system. Do you have any experience, or do you have knowledge of others with seaweed in the aquarium? 

My tank holds 260 litres of sea water. 

Are you able to get me in contact with people that shear our interest. 

This was many questions, but I really would appreciate an answer from you. 

Monicha Landøy
EMail: monlan@online.no

---

Can you identify the remains of this animal that is occasionally washed up on the strandline in Sussex?  Length = 71 mm.

Answers marked "Mystery Creature" to:
The remains of this creature were identified by Paul Hale.

April 1999

Can you identify this sea anemone?

I need help to identify a sea anemone I saw in my last dive. I live in Spain, in the northwest coast, in a region called Galicia. In this land, the coast form large estuaries, called "rias", in the mouth of the rivers. In  the "rias" there are a 
great amount of organic particles, the temperature is lower and the 
water less saline than open ocean. This conditions are good for aquatic 
cultivation, and the Mytilus galloprovincialis grows well. I dive the 
last time beneath a cultivation unity of this mollusc, called here "vatea", to a deep of 13 m (at 42º46,488´N/8º57,651´W). The bottom is  muddy. 

In this habitat I saw a white sea anemone bigger than I have ever seen before.
The central disc was more or less 15 cm of diameter, and its tentacles spanned 30-35 cm.

EMail: jaldreyv@meditex.es
 

Ah, if I'd known it was from Galicia I would called it Andresia partenopea.
Ron Ates (Netherlands)

---

January 1999 

Dolphins in the Trent?

Is anybody able to bring any light and further information about some dolphins (or porpoises) reported from near Gainsborough on the River Trent? 
White-beaked Dolphins? 

Cetacean Page

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February 1999

Mystery Animal (probably a mollusc)

Found at  Beer Cove, near Seaton in June 1998. 

Colour is best described as a grey(ish) brown(ish), with off-white under
parts. 

Length:  37 mm   Width  18 mm

The underside is similar to the average mollusc (gastropod [i.e. snail-like, or slug-like] or bivalve [i.e. cockle]?), and has a definite separate mouth part.

Hairs around the edge on mine are white(ish).

Shell isn't hard as in a snail shell, more along the lines of the outer coating of a squash ball, firm but flexible. (This statement has been revised - now reckoned to me a hard shell). 

Yes, my creature does move about the tank quite a lot, but only at night. Once the main lights have gone off and just the actinic lamp is on , it will stir itself and get ready to forage, but will not come out until the tank is in darkness. Even during a spell of night time watching with a shaded torch, you'll not see much of it. The instant the light falls upon it, it's off into the rockwork. Sometimes the lights do catch it out, and then it's like an aquatic greyhound antennae in and flat out for it's bolt hole!

from Richard Huggett (Eastbourne)
EMail: rich@huggett34.freeserve.co.uk
Please also send any replies to the BMLSS 
EMail Glaucus@hotmail.com

The animal has been identified as an ormer. But what species is it? 

 
      Click on images for a closer view

Haliotis are more difficult to identify if you include the possibility of non-European species, not found on a rock afterall.

Link for News Report

---

January 1999

Hello Andy, 

Stone Crab

I am currently involved in an experimental fishery for Northern Stone Crab (Lithodes maja) in Nova Scotia and have read that this species occurs in European waters. I have been searching for anything relating to this species. It seems very little scientific work has been done on this side of the Atlantic. 
 We have had moderate success in our first year with catch rates of up to 4 lb./ trap. Is there a fishery  for these crabs in Europe? Has there been any scientific research done on behaviour, reproduction,  or moulting? I would enjoy any response you could give me. Do you have any questions for me? Don't hesitate to ask. 
Thank you for your time and consideration. 

Michael Townsend
R.R #1 
Sable River, N.S.,Canada
BOT1V0
Phone (902) 656 2428 
email mikejewell@auracom.com


---

December 1998
Lobsters in captivity often die at the ecdysis stage of the moult. Have you any information why this should be the case, and what are the best requirements of lobsters in captivity? 
A M (name supplied). 
Yes, we have full details of the requirements of the English Lobster, which are compiled are in the post to you. However, most of the information is from experience and not hard scientific facts. Therefore, we are still eager to hear of experiences from aquarists and workers at Public Aquaria? 
e.g. Do lobsters thrive and moult in the smaller tanks OK? or do they do better in the large tanks?
How much do they eat?
What is their life span in captivity?
Are mineral supplements added to the seawater?
Is the seawater in the Lobster tank changed frequently?
What species are incompatible with Lobsters?
Are there any success stories of moulting by the very large Lobsters? 
The Lobster information will appear in Glaucus in 1999 when all the information is finally collated. 
Andy Horton
Lobsters:  More 


---

Do you have any reliable information as to the usual diet of the Cornish Sucker, Lepadogaster lepadogaster ? 

Thanks 

Ben Totterdell
Marine Warden 
Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre. 
EMail: Charhercen@aol.com

Also any more reports and information about the Red Band Fish, especially in winter,  from Peter Glanvill.


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Cotton Spinner   Holothuria forskali

The puzzle is the Cotton-Spinner's defensive behaviour. When attacked, it is described as turning its rear end towards the threat and expelling a stream of long sticky white threads forcibly from the anus. 



And any sea animal that is lifted from the water into air, whether by a rockpooler or in a dredge, will be extremely alarmed and distressed, so probably almost all Holothuria will eject threads in this situation. If I am right, until diving became common almost every Cotton-Spinner people saw had either been exposed by turning rocks on the shore or brought up in a dredge, and ejected its sticky threads in panic; so this was accepted as normal behaviour at any disturbance. 

I have corresponded with one or two people about the Cotton-Spinner, but I would welcome any readers' observations which shed further light on these animals, whether confirming my speculations or not. 

Jane Lilley 
EMail Glaucus@hotmail.com

Cotton-spinner


---

I've been picking up dead Triggerfish, Balistes capriscus, up off the beach in Cornwall since 1991. I keep records of every fish I find, and I take most of them home with me, either to eat (they are always fresh) or to hang up to dry, their skin goes hard and leathery and they make good ornaments (outside). They wash in after Christmas when the sea temperature has dropped, in significant numbers (the most I found was 55 on Constantine Bay). My theory is that they can't take the drop in sea temperature, although they always wash in after! a storm and ground sea, so perhaps its the rough weather they find difficult?  By the way, they are also a common by-catch in lobster pots during the summer months.
                                                                                    Nick Darke 
Nick Darke  EMail
Triggerfish Database file


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November 1998

EUROPEAN LOBSTER


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Notes on the sizes of  Homarus gammarus

I have found an article on maximum size of lobsters. The biggest recorded in Norway was caught outside Bergen and weighted 5.3 kg. The biggest crushing claw of a lobster ever found was calculated to have been from a specimen that weighted about 9 kg. This claw was trawled up outside Denmark in 1964. 

Cheers 
Pål Enger (Norway) 
Lobster:  notes on sizes
Lobster's Meal Time

Oddball "puffter" Spider Crab Maja squinado


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Request for Information: 

Stalked Jellyfish (British species)  by Jon Makeham  EMail
EMail to BMLSS as well please. 

Information received from Frank Moen (not collated yet). 
Photographs on Norwegian Marine ***


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September 1998

Hello Andy, 

I have looked up the article on Greenland Shark, Somniosus microcephalus, in National Geographic. The pictures were impressing. Do you know of any Public Aquaria who have kept Greenland Shark over some period of time? If this is done, how did the animal adept to the new environment, under which conditions was it kept, and for how long. The only one that I know of is "Havets hus" in Lysekil, Sweden. The specimen (who measured only 1,35 m) lasted only a few days before it died. Probably because of the wound it got when the local fisherman captured it. I am also interested in similar information on the Porbeagle, Lamna nasus, and a good picture of it in its natural habitat. It have lots of pictures of the Shortfin Mako, Isurus oxyrinchus, but I don’t know about any of the Porbeagle. 



Cheers 
Pål Enger  EMail


---

September 1998

Dear Andy,

Thanks very much for e-mailed stuff and 'Shorewatch'. I don't know if I told you before or not, but I operate a 12 metre passenger vessel  with UNDERWATER WINDOWS !! The only one in Britain. The vessel is brand new, and I have been taking people to see the Kelp beds round Kyle of Lochalsh since August.
Since receiving Vol. 2, Issue 3 of Shorewatch it brought home to me how remiss I have been by not being in touch before. During the month of August we had a pair of Northern Bottle-nosed Whales in Broadford Bay, Isle of Skye.

These were almost certainly immature animals as they were only 5.5 to 6
metres long, adults can grow up to 9.5 metres. This species of whale was
recently featured in the National Geographic (Aug or Sept issue). The whales
created a  lot of interest, bringing people from all over the UK as they are
very rare in inshore waters, they normally live off Nova Scotia, and north
Atlantic waters. They are probably the deepest diving of all the whales with
the ability to dive to over 1,500 metres and can allow over 1 hour between
breaths. The whales were very active and breached regularly between 1 and 2
hour periods. 
 
 



Northern Bottle-nosed Whales, off Scotland       by Chris Hicks
 

Giving spectacular displays, some of the pictures taken from my boat appeared in the national papers, you might have seen them ? The whales never appeared distressed, although at times they were in alarmingly shallow water, less than 5 metres. They always returned to deeper water if ever they got to close to the beach. At about week 3-4 we noticed the whales had lost weight and it was pity obvious they were not eating. In the last week their behaviour changed and they started to disappear for long periods
underwater which I interpreted as hunting forays, I am sure hunger encouraged them to move until eventually they left the bay and headed North. Sorry I didn't have time to tell you about it before, as I work long hours and get home late. Incidentally we could observe them under water, as they would come right up to our underwater windows.

Cheers for now, 

Nigel Smith  e-mail: seaprobe@msn.com

It is not that extraordinary to have the otters climbing up onto fishing boats for tit bits as Portree harbour (North Skye) has also had a regular visitor to the boats.

More from Skye



Cetacean Page


---

Weight of Lugworms
Doing a report for third grade on lugworms. Can't find a site about the 
weight of a lugworm. Do you know? Thanks! 
Rene Williams  EMail: WilliamsR@wbu.com

Just weighed a lug for you .although it was out of a jar!!!!! 
23 cm in length was about 12g  but I would think it varies with the amount of sand in it's gut!!!!!!! 
Phil Whiting  EMail:PhilWtg@aol.com


---

 September 1998

Hello Andy

Two items in this months (September 1998) Angling Times:-

1)  Two Porbeagles caught off north east Britain by commercial fishermen, the first
was off  Sunderland by local boat 'Golden Lily' an estimated 420 lb shark about 3 miles out.  The next was an estimated 800 lb. monster (how big???) also caught by a local vessel the 'Kevally' also a Sunderland based boat. 
Derek Booth who is general manager of  Wear Fish Ltd told AT: Large Porbeagles probably feature every three to four years and these were taken by boats driving for salmon, but none of this size.

2) A very large Blue shark out of Looe in Cornwall the enormous shark estimated at 157 lb by the Shark Club formula as it was too big for the scales which jumped  at 150 to 160 lb.  At 8 feet 7 inches long and a girth of 37.5 inches was estimated at 157 lb a testimony to the shark formula chart accuracy.

I'm trying to get confirmation and more details of both reports.
 

• Thanks Len Nevell   EMail:  
• News Feature

September 1998
• Spawning in the Goldsinny, Ctenolabrus rupestris.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

    Goldsinny

Wheeler: "eggs believed to be laid in a nest" 

Miller and Loates: "midwater spawning; eggs planktonic." 

Any ideas??!!!! 
I've written it down as there is some debate on the matter. 
Phil Whiting  EMail:PhilWtg@aol.com

Reply:  I favour Miller & Loates:  Andy Horton.

Goldsinny spawn in mid-water, Sjölander et al., 1972. 

Also, my research is on labrid fish behaviour (mainly spawning behaviour), 
and your quite right in assuming that the Goldsinny spawns pelagically as 
do Rock Cook. I have observed this many times. 
Best regards, Espen  EMail: Espen.Rekdal@ifm.uib.no
 


Index to British Marine Fish (External)

Wrasse (BMLSS)


---

•  Obituary for John Barker 

  ---

• Portland Harbour
• Summer 1998
• 22 August 1998.
• Dived yesterday on Countess of Erne  (Portland Harbour) (via Scuba Shack).

Other divers on wreck (first time I have dived it!) descended on bows and
started towards stern.  Overtaking  other divers I suddenly realised I was
looking at thin brownish lines dropping down holes so slowed down and then
could spot individual fish hovering just above burrow.  Identification
clinched by my daughter who had a torch and shone them into burrows when fish
ascended towards light enabling me to see them clearly.    There is no doubt
that they are Red Band Fish. 

Interestingly in one book I read (Sea Life of Britain and Ireland pub. MCS and ed by Elizabeth Wood) it states that the Lundy population seemed to vanish for a few years and then reappear so how long this colony has been there would be interesting to know.  There is also a good 'full length' picture of one of these fish in that book.  The other friends diving with us also saw the fish and found that by hovering near by quietly they could watch them re emerge so re-breathers may not be necessary (but other divers kicking up the mud aren't!).  The mud around the burrows is dotted with sea pens of the slender variety (Virgularia mirabilis) - a night dive should show them luminescing according to the books.

     Red Band Fish
 

• What is interesting is that Portland (at least) seems to shelter populations of deep water species.  A friend diving with Neil Garrick looking for sea horses found a population of sea pens on the harbour bed - a species normally associated with the  mud of Scottish sea lochs usually at significant depth (30m+).  I am sure that Simon saw Red band fish - they have been reported in Brixham Harbour which is even shallower. 
• Look forward to hearing more!
• Incidentally I was interested to see when diving under Ferrybridge (also Portland) yesterday that there were large numbers of Flabellina pedata again spawning i.e. much later in the year than when I last reported them doing this.  One or two female black faced blennies were also seen.  Out on the wreck of the Royal Adelaide earlier in the afternoon we saw two triggerfish plus a red gurnard when returning to the shore.
• Finally I gather  from a written report seen when on a diving trip to Pembrokeshire recently that shoals of up to a 1000 Triggerfish individuals were seen diving a site known as Stack Rocks near Littlehaven in October last year!   For further information contact West Wales Divers, Hasguard Cross, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire.

 
• Peter Glanvill   PGlanv@aol.com

• ---

• Tenby Rockpooling
• August 1998
• I have been doing a lot of rock pooling lately so here's some info on what I've found.

Many Sagartia elegans (orange with white tentacles). 
1 Dahlia. 
1 Chiton on Winkle, the first Chiton I have seen for several years. 
1 Sea Lemon 4 mm long, I first saw it in my tank and do not know if it is still there. 
Many Beadlet's 5% green in colour. 
1 Brittle Star. 
Many young crabs of all varieties. 
Many Blennies. 
2 Gobies (now in aquaria). 
Many Poor Cod trapped in small rockpools. 
10 Rockling (3-4 now in aquaria). 
1 Butterfish, a disappointing number compared with previous years. 
Loads! of Sea Scorpion's up to 4 cm long and 1 near adult caught in lobster pot (now in aquaria). 
A plentiful amount of large Lugworm are present on Tenby's North beach. 
1 patch of Star Ascidian. 

I have found no Pleurobrachia pileus "Sea Gooseberry" this year, there was a time when they would be washed ashore in their thousands. Their has also been a substantial decline in the number of Mackerel both inshore and out at sea. There have been no feeding frenzies that I have observed and Mackerel are becoming increasingly hard to catch. 

EMail:  Will Thomas (Tenby)


---


 

• 15 August 1998
• I was diving in Portland Harbour, Dorset, on Saturday morning at approx. 10.00am when I came upon a group of unusual fish approx. 75 cm long. On checking against the 

description in "British Sea Fishes" I am fairly certain that they were Red Band Fish Cepola rubescens. 

We saw approximately 8-10 fish free-swimming in a vertical position approx. 1 metre above the seabed, fully out of their burrows. When we approached they swam slowly backwards into the burrows in the soft mud sea bed. Approaching closer we could see 
just the heads protruding above the mud, and as we swam overhead they retracted completely into the mud. We left the area but returned approx. 30 minutes later 
when 4 or 5 individuals had re-emerged from the tunnels, and they then repeated their previous behaviour as we approached. 

Water depth was approximately 15 metres, with reasonable water visibility allowing sunlight to filter through giving a lot of ambient light. The water temperature was approx. 17 ° and there was a very slight current. 

There were a large number of other holes/burrows on the sea bed but we could see no evidence of fish in most of them. 

Red Band Fish:  News Item
EMail: Simon Hanmer

Is there anymore information available online about the fish?- the book that identified the fish that said that whilst they are common it is rare for them to be seen by divers since they tend to live in deep water. Another diver I spoke to said that they had seen the fish before but only at night, and it was unusual for them to be completely out of their burrows. 

The fish were seen to the side of the wreck of the Countess of Earne (harbour side, not wall side) near the stern. However, whilst I have seen the burrows before this is the first time in probably 50-60 dives on the Countess that I have seen them. I tried to include as much information in the report as to the conditions, so hopefully if the conditions occur again it may make it more likely for them to be seen. 


---

• 15 August 1998
• Hi Andy,
• Rockpooling

When collecting specimens for my tank I have met some very nice people who are
interested in what I tell them about my tank and the creatures in my bucket
but unfortunately I also meet some either uncaring or plain stupid people
who lift huge rocks and leave them there so the life on the rock will
probably die. I have replaced many rocks to their original position only to
find crushed crabs and small fish underneath. 

Coastal Code

However there are some nice intelligent people out their, about three weeks ago I was collecting specimens for my tank and saw a small bucket half filled with sand and some water filled with Poor Cod, I told the three young girls who owned the bucket that the fish would soon die due to lack of air and straight away they put the fish into the sea and also caught and returned the remaining fish from the rockpool. I was grateful for this and gave them a Blenny which I told them could survive in their bucket a little longer if they kept it in the shade.

See From Rock Pool to Aquaria

I also have a large anemone in the tank which is about 3-4 inches long and 1
inch tall, it is red and its tentacles are all perspex and can suck in large
pieces of food. I found the anemone buried in sand in a rockpool with only
its tentacles protruding. I think it may be a Strawberry Anemone, any ideas?
if you know what it is can you tell me what it feeds on.

Probably a Dahlia Anemone, Urticina felina:   Andy Horton

Cheers.
EMail:  Will Thomas (Tenby)

• 25 July 1998  Snakelocks Anemones

During a dive today on the wreck of the Louis Sheid at Thurlestone in Devon I 
was casually gazing at the carpets of Snakelocks anemones when it struck me 
that some looked different.  Closer inspection showed a number of specimens to 
have red bases to the tentacles, the red coloration tapering off towards the 
tip of the tentacle. The red colour was only seen on the green variety with 
purple tips and not all green ones were like this.  Is this is a well 
recognised variant? 

Yes, see Sue Daly's site:  Andy Horton

Also have you any ideas as where I could find out about solitary hydroids. I 
photographed a specimen 2 years ago in Lyme Bay and now wonder what it is - 
although small it is similar to a much larger species found in Scotland. 

Peter Glanvill   PGlanv@aol.com

Andy Horton

Shoreham-by-Sea

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