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Monthly
electronic news bulletin for the marine life of the NE Atlantic Oceans
including the seas and seashore around the British Isles.
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MARINE
LIFE NEWS
Reports
of marine wildlife from all around the British Isles, with pollution incidents
and conservation initiatives as they affect the flora and fauna of the
NE Atlantic Ocean.
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25
February 2006
An
eel-like Red Band Fish, Cepola
rubescens, was discovered at the wave-break
as the sea splashed against the shore at Highcliffe,
Dorset. The fish was thrown back into the water and it was seen to swim
off.
NB.
There infrequently recorded fish lives in burrows offshore and is rarely
seen with occasional live specimens seen out of its normal habitat when
its burrows are destroyed by gales and other disruption. It may not be
as uncommon as the few records indicate because its habitat means that
it is rarely seen alive. There have been even fewer records of this fish
being caught on an angler's line.
BMLSS
Red Band Fish (under construction)
24
February 2006
An
oiled and very old and worn Grey Seal,
Halichoerus
grypus,
was washed up on the rocky shore at Cuckmere Haven (near the Seven Sisters),
East Sussex. It was at the end of its life span and was euthanised.
NB:
Grey
Seals are almost unknown off Sussex, where
the Common Seal, Phoca
vitulina,
is only occasionally seen.
BMLSS Seals
Seal
Conservation Society
Marine
Life of Sussex News
 |
21
February 2006
A
new record weight Angler Fish,
Lophius
piscatorius, weighed in at 78 kg with
a total length of 164 cm, was captured in a net by Øystein
Øye, from off Norway.
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15
February 2006
Another
Sperm
Whale, Physeter catodon,
was spotted near North Shore Road, Skegness
(Lincolnshire) on the North Sea coast during the morning high tide. It
was clear that it was dead after the tide receded.
Head
of the Sperm Whale on Skegness Beach
Photograph
by Karla
Ryder (Wymeswold)
The
Natural History Museum took photos and limited samples of two dead Sperm
Whales, Physeter catodon,
in the Wash. Paul Jepson
visited the one at Skegness, quite decomposed,
a male, 14 metres in length. This means at least four Sperm
Whales have been washed up on the East Anglian
coast of Britain in February 2006.
BDMLR
Forum Extra Information
Skegness
Whale Report
Skegness
Today
UK
Cetnet (Yahoo Group)
BMLSS
Cetacea
It is the tenth anniversary
of the Sea Empress Tanker spillage at Milford Haven.
British
Oil Spills
12
February 2006
Bass
with a blunt head
Photograph
by David Wilkinson
(Technical
Officer, Sea
Fisheries, Commerce & Employment
Department,
Guernsey)
This
most extraordinary looking Bass,
Dicentrarchus
labrax, was caught off the coast of Guernsey,
tagged and returned to the sea. Its blunt head looks like that of the Pagrus
Sea Bream and several other fish. This Bass
weighed an estimated 4.5 kg.
BMLSS Bass
4
February 2006
A
ten metre long Sperm Whale, Physeter
catodon, became stranded as
the tide receded on the Humber estuary mud off Kilnsea,
on Spurn Point,
East Yorkshire. It was first spotted alive at about 10:00
am blowing in the shallow water.
It quickly died as it was left clear of water on the low tide at 3:00
pm.
UK
Cetnet (Yahoo Group)
Organisation
Cetacea
BMLSS
Cetacea
2
February 2006
Over
fifty Common Dolphins, Delphinus
delphis, were bow riding our vessel with
four Fin Whales,Balaenoptera
physalis,
four miles south-west of Dodman
Point (above Mevagissey),
south Cornwall.
Magic
Map now has a Coastal and Marine Resource Atlas
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All
reports by Andy Horton unless the credits are given
to
other observers or reporters.
Cornish
Marine Wildlife (Ray Dennis Records) 2005
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| PICTURE
GALLERY
Each
month, at least one special marine image will be published from images
sent to the BMLSS. This
can be of the seashore, undersea world or any aspect of the marine natural
world, especially the underwater life, but not restricted to life beneath
the waves. Topical inclusions may be included instead of the most meritorious,
and images will be limited to the NE Atlantic Ocean and adjoining seas,
marine and seashore species and land and seascapes.
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Shore
Topography Series
The
name of the particular coast should be included and the grid reference,
if known. Print photographs can be included in Exhibitions
and on the BMLSS Web Sites and electronic publications. Electronic images
in *.JPG format can also be considered for the web site. They should not
exceed 150K in size.
Fancy
a Swim?
The
limestone
rocks on the shore at Wick on the north-west coast of Scotland are covered
in a thin layer of snow in February 2006.
These rocks have resisted the pounding of the North Sea over the centuries
and adjacent to the picture, man has taken advantage of the natural shore
formation by constructing an open air swimming pool called the Trinkie
outside Wick Harbour. This is one of two pools that have been repaired
for swimming in (i.e. not for Blennies).
Photography
by Kirsty Grieve
Shore
Topography Portfolio
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Please
send any attractive or interesting coastal scenic, landscape, topographic
or faunal photographs specifying location and details
The
Sea Potato, Echinocardium cordatum,
dug
up by a bait digger,
immediately
tried to bury into the substrate. It used the spines on the
ventral
surface to move the sand away from underneath it. As it buried
itself
in the substrate it pushed up a ridge of silt and sand up in
front
of it. It can bury itself remarkably quickly for such a slow
moving
animal.
Photograph
and Report by © Richard Lord (Guernsey)
BMLSS
Echinoderms
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Photographers
submitting pictures should indicate if they wish them to be considered
for inclusion as confirming permission takes work and time and can delay
publication of the news bulletins.
Click
on the album for more links (On-line link)
|
DIARY
In
chronological order, the most recent events are at the top of the page.
Events open to the public, free or for a nominal charge only are included.
Most Seminars need to be booked in advance.
See
the venues for talks and activities in the left hand column.
Click
on the images (on-line) for the latest information.
-----------------------------------------
BIOSIS
Conference Calendar for Zoology
(Major
Link of all biological conferences around the world)
 Porcupine
Marine
Natural History Society
24-26 March 2006
The Isle of Man
Conference
Marine Natural
History: Past, Present and Future
For
those of you who are unaware, Port
Erin Marine Laboratory on the Isle of Man will be closing its doors
at the end of June 2006,
after 114 years of service.
Events
have been organised to mark the occasion and Porcupine
Marine Natural History Society, having many members with past links
to PEML, wanted to highlight the contribution of PEML to our understanding
of the marine environment by holding the annual PMNHS conference at the
marine station.
This
is a great opportunity to visit or revisit the laboratory one last time.
There
will be two days of talks (Friday and Saturday) followed by a field trip
on the Sunday. Laboratory space will be available and it may be possible
to arrange diving for any truly hardy people! The Isle of Man has extensive
and varied rocky shores and sandy coves and also has superb scenery, walks
and many other tourist attractions. So you may wish to extend your visit
by a few days. Unfortunately the Laboratory will be closing permanently
in July 2006
so this may be your last opportunity to visit.
Call
for papers: We would be delighted to hear from anyone who would like to
present a paper at the conference. Speakers will not be charged the conference
fee but will be asked to make a small contribution for refreshments.
Offers
of papers to Séamus Whyte (s.whyte@enviromuir.co.uk).
Posters:
There is a space for posters adjacent to the lecture hall for easy viewing
during coffee/ tea breaks.
Offers
of posters to Séamus Whyte (s.whyte@enviromuir.co.uk).
Costs:
The conference fee, which includes tea and coffee is £30 (£20
for students and unwaged). Non-Porcupine members may join the Society during
the conference (by standing order only) for £5, a 50% reduction.
If you wish to take advantage of this offer the total fee will be £35.
Details
including location map, accommodation list, provisional programme &
membership form (where appropriate) will be sent on completion of the booking
form.
Booking
Enquiries: Peter Barfield - peter@seanature.co.uk
or 01208 851040
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26
to 29 April 2006
Conchology
Society Field Trip
Field Meeting
to Anglesey
Conchological
Society of GB & Ireland
The
primary aim of the meeting is to record molluscs from the intertidal of
Anglesey
and Lleyn Peninsula - but I
am sure that there will be opportunities to record other taxa.
Julia
Nunn
Conchological
Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Since
the post 1991 marine molluscan survey of Anglesey was started, 47 new records
for the area have been confirmed. Some of these are Graphis
albida, Alvania beanii, Alvania carinata, Sepia
elegans, Sepia orbigniana and Rissoa
lilacina. Some records have only being
previously recorded from western Ireland and north and west Scotland. This
may be due to the possible existence of deep water off the end of the Lleyn
Peninsula.
The
purpose of this meeting is to examine some of the hot spot areas on the
south
Anglesey and lower north Lleyn Peninsula coasts with particular interest
in shell sand as this is where many of the new records have been turning
up. The group will be looking at two areas on south west Anglesey, i.e.
Aberffraw,
and Rhosneigr
and Porth Dinllaen
on the Lleyn Peninsula. The latter is a uniquely sheltered location and
hosts a large area of Eelgrass, Zostera
marina.
There
will also be two non marine sites on Anglesey at Llyn Maelog and also
at
Newborough Warren which will be the first meeting point for the group at
the carpark adjacent to Llyn Rhos-ddu SH 426
647 at 10.00
am on Wednesday
26
April
2006. From there the group will move on to
Aberffraw to meet at the dunes
carpark
at SH 357 690 at
1.00
pm for the first marine event.
Full
programs can be obtained from Tom
Clifton.
.
Conchological
Society Programme of Events (Link)
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10
June 2006
Adur
will be one of the UK leaders in presenting an environmental exhibition
of World Oceans Day on Coronation Green, Shoreham-by-Sea,
as
part of the Adur Festival.
Contact
details:
Andy
Horton
British
Marine Life Study Society
Tel:
01273 465433
If
you wish to participate, please let me know ASAP
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| PUBLIC
AQUARIA NEWS |
| Public
Aquaria List |
| CETACEAN
NEWS |
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? What
to do if you find a stranded whale or dolphin ?
|
If
you find a LIVE stranded or injured whale or dolphin on the beach you must
send for help QUICKLY. A whale or dolphin stranding is an emergency and
the speed of response by a professional rescue team is perhaps the most
crucial factor in determining whether or not an animal can be returned
to the sea alive.
EMERGENCY
NUMBERS FOR LIVE CETACEAN STRANDINGS
|
ENGLAND
|
WALES
|
SCOTLAND
|
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0300 1234 999
|
0300 1234 999
|
0131 339
0111
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CORNWALL
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JERSEY
|
GUERNSEY
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0845 201
2626
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01534 724331
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00 44 1481
257261
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LINK
TO THE STRANDINGS PAGE
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SOCIETY
INFORMATION
The
British Marine Life Study Society are responsible for producing the journal
GLAUCUS,
which is the first publication exploring the marine life of the seas surrounding
the British Isles available to the general public.
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Change of EMail
Address
 Please
note that the EMail address for messages to the British Marine
Life Study Society has now changed
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Membership 2006
Plans
have not yet been finalised for the publications and subscriptions for
year 2006.
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