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

23 September 2014
 

An extraordinary red Sea Spider, Endeis species, was discovered on the lower shore at St. Ives, Cornwall. There were quite a few of these miniature pycnogonids rarely recorded before this year on British shores. Sea Spiders are occasionally discovered on the shore and in the seas around the British Isles but they are usually of the genus Nymphon or the bulkier and widespread species Pycnogonum littorale. But this year this slender species, without chelifores or palpus, has also been recorded at St. Abbs Nature Reserve by Shaun West (in August 2014) and other reports from the east coast of England (by Dawn Watson) and the first ever records from the Netherlands (Marco Faase). This specimen was examined microscopically by Dr. Paul Gainey and identified as Endeis spinosa. The are ten records of this species in Cornwall, the first in 1912, but confirmed by Bamber in 1983.

 Endeis on MarLIN
Pycnogonida (Sea Spiders)
Fossil Focus: Pycnogonida

6 September 2014
A Bluefin Tuna, Thunnus thynnus, was spotted swimming around a boat off Start Point, south Devon, by a fishing vessel laying pots. The video showed the top dorsal fin to be a yellow but the anal fin is not extra elongate which would be found in the Yellowfin Tuna, Thunnus albacares, so it is a Bluefin.

Late August & September 2014
Atlantic Bonito, Sarda sarda, were caught with some frequency in the English Channel. Reports have been received of at least thirteen caught in waters close to Guernsey and three from around the island of Sark, but judging by facebook  references I think more have been caught.

Bonito, caught in the Mackerel handline fishery in Cornwall, have been seen in Newlyn Fish Market, Cornwall, and one was recorded at Cawsand, south Devon, and others as far east as Dorset. This warm water fish is a slightly smaller fish seen amongst the Mackerel shoals and has been seen on occasions before, but there seems to be more of them this year. NB: In past years larger Tuna have been amongst the Mackerel even as far east as off the Sussex coast.

FORUM NEWS

Marine Wildlife of the North-east Atlantic Ocean Mailing Groups

Marine Wildlife of the North-east Atlantic Ocean 
Yahoo Group
New Group: http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/Glaucus

British Marine Life Study Society
facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/glaucus/

This is designed for quick less important chatty news items. Photographs can be uploaded quickly which is only possible on the Yahoo Group by going to the web page.

Images can be uploaded to flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/glaucus/

Wet Thumb (Marine Aquariology) Forum Link
 
 
 

Lots of marine wildlife reports from Shetland on facebook Photographs include undersea, sea mammals and birds.  Click on the image to connect

Cerianthidae, Pachycerianthus, span 25/28 cm, Rade de Brest, Brittany, 3 metres deep, muddy bottom sheltered area Photograph by Wilfried Bay-Nouailhat NE Atlantic Cnidaria facebook	Fireworks Anemone Pachycerianthus multiplicatus from Norway - Trondheimsfjord Photograph by Erling Svensen NE Atlantic Cnidaria facebook

Fireworks Anemone, Pachycerianthus multiplicatus at Drishaig Reef, Loch Fyne at a depth of 12 metres Photograph by James Lynott flickr	Fireworks Anemone, Pachycerianthus multiplicatus showing the column above the sediment, Scotland  Photograph by Jim Andersonflickr

Islay is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It has an impressive 130 miles of coastline which are fine stretches of sand, shingle beach, mud flats and cliffs. The geology of the seventh largest islands of Britain is complex for a relatively small area and hosts a varied wildlife including small breeding populations of White-tailed Sea Eagle, Haliaeetus albicilla, and Golden Eagle, Aquila chrysaetos. Minke Whales, Balaenoptera acutorostrata, Long-finned Pilot Whales, Globicephala melas, Harbour Porpoises, Phocoena phocoena, Killer Whales, Orcinus orca, Risso's Dolphins, Grampus griseus, and Bottle-nosed Dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, are seen in the seas around the Isle of Islay and Otters, Lutra lutra, seen frequently on the coast. Basking Sharks, Cetorhinus maximus, are visitors during the summer. 
 
 

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)

 

Publisher: marine scotland

Scotland's Marine Atlas

Scotland's Marine Atlas is an assessment of the condition of Scotland's seas, based on scientific evidence from data and analysis and supported by expert judgement.

Click on the image for the free publication. 
 

Published: 27 March 2013 
ISBN (EPUB): 9781782564485 
ISBN (MOBI): 9781782564478 

EBook Reader Software (Adobe Digital Editions)
Change the font size to small for square monitors.

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by Paul Kay & Frances Dipper 
£19.95 incl. p&p
Soft cover

With 256 pages and numerous photographs supported by drawings, this book is the most comprehensive photographic guide to marine fish currently available in the UK. Published for the Marine Conservation Society with support from the Countryside Council for Wales.

Click on the image to order this book through the Marine Conservation Society

RECOMMENDED PURCHASE *****

July 2010

PS: A second revised edition of the book has been published. 

SEASHORE SAFARIS
 
 
 

Publisher: Graffeg
Publisher's Review (click on this text)
Review by the City and County of Swansea

This is the book I should have written (and I dare say a few others as well) and is a much needed introduction to the world of the seashore and the hobby of rockpooling. It is a photographic guide to most of the common species encountered which is much appreciated as newcomers and even experienced rockpoolers will try and match up what they have seen to a visual image (and photographs work better than line drawings) and this will usually get them the correct species, (unless there are two very alike species and then you will need a specialist identification guide like the Collins Guide to the Seashore).

However, the seashore is a rich and interesting habitat with a myriad of species and 225 pages of this large pocket guide are comprehensively covered to suit the enthusiast.

Extract from the foreword by Keith Hiscock:
"Being able to names to what you see and, better still, to use your observations to add to our knowledge about the natural world is what this book is about."

But the book for a popular audience is more than this. It starts from the assumption that the parents and teachers and older children are unfamiliar with the seashore environment.

RECOMMENDED PURCHASE *****

Not just a cookery book: you have to go down to the shore and catch or collect the food yourself. The 240 page hardback book (with an index) is exceptionally well produced in quality of the binding, paper as well as the quality of writing, information and clear useful colour photographs. It is well organised into nine chapters:

Sharks in British Seas Richard Peirce 138 pages, colour illustrations, line drawings, colour & b/w photos. Lots of newspaper reports. Publisher:  Shark Cornwall Softcover | 2008 | £9.99 ISBN: 978-0-955869402

Seashore by Lucy Beckett-Bowman Consultant: Andy Horton Usborne Publishing   £3.99 Usborne Beginners Series Level One (very young children) ISBN 978-0-7460-8864-7 BMLSS Notes for a Primary School Teacher

Whales & Dolphins
of the European Atlantic
The Bay of Biscay, English Channel, Celtic Sea and coastal SW Ireland
by Dylan Walker and Graeme Cresswell
with the illustrations by Robert Still
WILDGuides  2008
£ 12.00 (includes standard UK P&P)
ISBN:  978-1-903657-31-7

This is the second fully revised and updated edition of this comprehensive guide to the identification of whales, dolphins and porpoises (collectively known as cetaceans) in the European Atlantic. Until very recently, most researchers and whale-watchers were unaware of the great variety of cetaceans that can be seen so close to the shores of western Europe. Indeed, it is only during the last decade, when detailed cetacean surveys have been carried out in earnest, that we have discovered how important this area is for cetacean biodiversity.

This field guide describes all of the 31 species of whale, dolphin and porpoise that have occurred in the European Atlantic.
 

BMLSS Cetacean Book Reviews

 
 
 

Seashore (Collins New Naturalist) (Paperback) by Peter Hayward Collins 2004 ISBN:  0-00-220031-7 Amazon Web Site

Paperback. Pp 288. Colour & b/w photographs, illustrations, charts, maps and bibliography. Fine copy. "New Naturalist" Seashore is a comprehensive, authoritative account of the natural history of the seashore.
 

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