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MARINE WILDLIFE NEWS

27 October 2002 Britain is hit by severe storms with winds reaching hurricane Force 12 in exposed areas. 26 October 2002 The Marine Conservation Society Annual Conference was held at the Royal Museum, Edinburgh. Diary: Further Details 25 October 2002 Fishing Monthly Scientists confirmed today that cod stocks in the North Sea, Irish Sea and waters West of Scotland are at their lowest recorded level and are in danger of collapse unless urgent action is taken. The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, wants closure of all cod fishing whether directed or by-catch in these areas. The North Sea cod restriction would also apply to the Eastern Channel and Skagerrak and is necessary in all the named areas because of very low stock size due to poor stock recruitment and high fishing mortality The scientists do not set a time limit on the draconian restrictions but say they should stay until there is "clear evidence" of the recovery of the stock to a size associated with a reasonable probability of good recruitment. [extracts] Full Report 24 October 2002 Between 16 October and 22 October there have been 195 dead seals reported around the UK bringing the total to 2845 since the beginning of the Phocine Distemper Virus outbreak. 2451 of the seals have been found on the English coasts, with all but 24 of the above total discovered dead on the east coast. Confirmed cases are mostly Common Seals, Phoca vitulina, but also a few Grey Seals, Halichoerus grypus. Sea Mammal Research Unit Status Report 11 (with further details) The virus causes pregnant seals to abort their pups, pneumonia and nervous system abnormalities including convulsions. Any dead seals should be reported to the marine mammals stranding telephone line maintained by the Natural History Museum on 0207 942 5155 (24 hr answerphone). Seal distemper (PDV) helpline number 08712 447999 BMLSS Seals 23 October 2002 An organised whale watching boat trip off West Cork, Ireland, discovered the usual cloud of Gannets diving into the sea with three species of dolphins all feeding on the large fish shoals: 30+ Atlantic White-sided Dolphins Lagenorhynchus acutus, 20+ Common Dolphins Delphinus delphis, and a small group of four or five Striped Dolphins, Stenella coeruleoalba. Report by Pádraig Whooley (Irish Whale & Dolphin group) via UK Cetnet BMLSS Cetaceans 23 October 2002 Will this be the last Sunfish, Mola mola, report of the year? Jean Lawman reports an Ocean Sunfish seen off Pendeen Watch, Cornwall. (SW 3735) Report by Stella Turk via the Cornish Wildlife Mailing List BMLSS Sunfish 6 October 2002 With Indian Summer summer preceding some of the highest and lowest equinoctial spring tides for over 20 years was too good a rockpooling chance to miss as low tide receded to Chart Datum about 6:00 pm, just before an attractive red sunset. The low tide on Lancing beach, West Sussex, revealed shallow pools and rocks covered in weed (see the image in the left hand column), and my very first discovery of the South-claw Hermit Crab, Diogenes pugilator, on the Sussex coast.  Full Report Rockpooling Trip, Andy Horton, with Ray, Jan and Katherine Hamblett 4 October 2002 A Guernsey fisherman caught a large Common Octopus, Octopus vulgaris, in a crab pot about half a mile from Hanois Lighthouse off the south-western tip of Guernsey. The octopus had devoured at least two Edible Crabs and one Lobster. The fisherman estimated the total length at about 1.5 metres and the tentacle length at 1 metre.  He estimated the weight at 4.5 to 5.5 kg (10 to 12 lb).  He returned the octopus to the sea. Another Guernsey fisherman caught a large Octopus vulgaris in July 2002. Report by Richard Lord (Guernsey) via the Marine Wildlife of the North-east Atlantic Ocean Group The Common Octopus has been rare in British seas for nearly 40  years, apparently since the cold winter of 1963. BMLSS Octopuses  Exiguous Triggerfish Reports 2002 Summer 2002 There has been an almost complete absence of Triggerfish reports this year, although the fish was becoming so common that people may have neglected to send in the reports. (1 October 2002) Originally commented on by Richard Lord (Guernsey) on the  Marine Wildlife of the North-east Atlantic Ocean Group We had seven brought in last year to the aquarium (Axmouth - Sea Discovery Centre), but no one has seen a single specimen this year!  Report by Jenny Nunn I saw no Triggerfish when diving the Royal Adelaide a few weeks ago (September 2002) which is the first time I haven't seen any for years.  One or two have been seen but not in the numbers previously seen.  Peter Glanvill 19 September 2002 None were seen under Palace Pier, Brighton, although a special check was not made in the are inhabited by Triggerfish on a previous occasion.  Report by Paul Parsons 22 September 2002 One of my diving companions spotted a Triggerfish on a dive off Logan Rock near Lands End, Cornwall, in shallow water dive between 7 and 14 metres. Report by Beckey Seeley 29 September 2002 No Triggerfish seen on Worthing Lumps, Sussex, although seen and photographed there in November 2001. Report by Paul Parsons Summer 2002 None under Mumbles Pier, near Swansea, and only a handful (five known) caught in Oxwich Bay, SW Wales. Report by Jim Hall via the  Marine Wildlife of the North-east Atlantic Ocean Group 5 October 2002 My partner and I saw 20 to 30 Triggerfish at a dive site called Hen & Chichs in Pembrokeshire West Wales. They are here every season from June till about August, so was surprised to still see them this late. Water temperature was 19° C. Report from Wales BMLSS Triggerfish

The British Marine Life Study Society web pages are available for permanent reference on the CD-ROM. 
 

The Homepage can now be accessed by typing in:
http://www.glaucus.co.uk

Sub-directories cannot be accessed directly through this domain.
 

Please send any reports of missing links and images to: Glaucus@hotmail.com

FORUM

MARINE WILDLIFE of the NORTH-EAST ATLANTIC OCEAN EFORUM PAGE   (LINK TO) Forum for discussion about the marine life of the North-east Atlantic Ocean, including the North Sea, English Channel and all the seas around the British Isles including Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Portugal. This forum can be used by members to report finds, ask questions, queries over identification, concerns about environmental issues etc. This eForum is participated in by members of many groups studying the marine environment. Go to menu bar above and click on Database and then on Marine Life Organisations to find a list of web sites.  Photographs and illustrations are best uploaded to the Document Vault and should not exceed 75K in size (*.JPG). Andy Horton (Manager) The Message Archive "Search Messages" facility is now working. This is a reminder about the operation of the Smart Group. MARINE WILDLIFE of the NORTH-EAST ATLANTIC OCEAN   Notes: The normal rules of eforum behaviour apply. Please keep on-topic as far as possible.  Complaints about messages should be sent directly to me. These will be forwarded on to the source of the complaint, unless it is specified that the sender does not want this to happen.  Spam (off-topic emails etc.) will not be tolerated and any abusers of the free services could be banned immediately.  Special points:  Please take care with your subject headings, as this helps researchers and makes life easier for everybody. Most EMail software has functions where replies can be sent to the original message sender, maintaining the thread.   Scientific names with correct spellings are important on this Smart Group to enable researchers to use the Search Message Archive facility at a later date to find all entries under the scientific name.    Andy Horton

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

BIOSIS  Conference Calendar for Zoology
(Major Link of all biological conferences around the world)

SAMS Seminar Series   The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory, Dunbeg, Oban, Argyll PA37 1QA Tel: 01631 559000 Fax: 01631 559300 Email: mail@dml.ac.uk For more details/how to find SAMS see our website: http://www.sams.ac.uk Unless otherwise stated, seminars are held on Fridays at 4:15 pm in the SAMS Conference Room ** Followed by the Friday R&R ** SEMINAR SERIES Informal talks are hosted by SAMS on FRIDAYS at 16.30 in the Conference Room.  These talks are given by researchers based at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory and at other research institutes throughout the UK and abroad. They present the very latest developments in marine science and technology.  All the talks are open to members of the public and are available via video conferencing links.  1 November - Christine Campbell (SAMS). Algal biotechnology  15 November - Martin Doble (SAMS). Processes at an advancing Antarctic Sea ice edge.  29 November - Jeremy Wilkinson (SAMS). Sea ice and convection in the Greenland Sea  13 December - John Gordon (SAMS). 30 years at sea - inshore to offshore fisheries research at SAMS  For more details on the forthcoming talks, please contact Murray Roberts (mailto:mr-t@dml.ac.uk) or tel: 01631 559 000 CONFERENCES

 
 

Southampton Oceanography Centre

A series of monthly talks on marine conservation topics
These talks are open to the public, admission is free.
 

7 November 2002: Fishy Tales – Peter Henderson

5 December 2002: Walking the Dogwhelk – Simon Bray

2 January 2003: t.b.a.

6 February 2003: Seabirds in Hampshire, UK, and beyond – Russel Wynn 

The Marine Life Talks are held on the first Thursday of the month at 7.30pm, please arrive at 7.15pm to be met in Reception. Southampton Oceanography Centre is reached via Dock Gate 4 (between Town Quay and Ocean Village). 
 
 

For more information, contact: Jenny Mallinson Tel:  023 80 596299 More Information Link Map to Southampton Oceanography Centre

 

Diary Page (Link)

GATEWAY:  LINKS TO OTHER SITES

The British Marine Life Study Society Web Site has been included as an Encyclopaedia Britannica Recommended Site and included on the BBC On-line Internet Guide.

There are more entries on the GATEWAY pages of the BMLSS Web Site. The logos for the various organisations have been removed to reduce the size of this file.

Quick reference links:
 

GATEWAY:  Links

GATEWAY:  Further European Links

BIOMAR

BRITISH MARINE LIFE ORGANISATIONS

Courses (Marine Life)

FISHBASE

MARIS Marine Information Service Netherlands

MARLIN (Marine Life Information Network)

MERMAID Marine Nature Conservation Review Survey Database

National Biodiversity Network

World Oceans Day

Sewage Pipeline Discharges (old 1993 article by popular request)

PUBLICATIONS

 
Secret Life of Rock Pools (Video)
 

Secret Life of Low tide (Video)

"The secret life of low tide" was filmed over 3 years for the Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve, the Marine Conservation Society and the WildlifeTrusts. 

This video is an information packed guide to rockpooling, giving details on how to find the intertidal marine life. 

Presented by marine biologist, Julie Hatcher, this production is an essential guide for anyone interested in life on our shores. With over 50 marine animals and seaweeds this is a very informative video.

Click on the image above for more information (on-line).

Recommended for the younger viewer by Andy Horton

THE SPECIES DIRECTORY OF THE MARINE FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE BRITISH ISLES AND SURROUNDING SEAS.
Edited by C. Howson and B. Picton
Ulster Museum & the Marine Conservation Society 1997.
About £27.50 (including CD-ROM 1999)
 
 

The project to collate the species that live in the seas off Britain is an ongoing project. The Directory is a list of all the species grouped systematically according to their scientific names, with a comprehensive bibliography. The 1997 edition, not available until 1998, is the latest list and is useful on the rare occasions (about once a week for me) that I have to look up a vagrant, unusual species that is not listed in the usual identification books.

Now available with the CD-ROM, this proves useful list of all the species for professionals, but it could be improved to make it more useful, e.g. facilities for biological recording and an interchange with Recorder 2000.

MCS books On-Line

 
BMLSS: Marine Life Articles in Publications (Link)

PHOTOGRAPHS

This is a simple project or request to members and readers of this Bulletin. It is to take pictures of the coast when you are next down on the shore. Small-headed Clingfish with a weedy Grey Topshell Photograph by Ray Hamblett 11 September 2002 The tide receded beyond the pier on Worthing beach, West Sussex, which was rather scantily inhabited by mobile fauna of interest to the rockpooler. However, of special interest was the discovery of a young Small-headed Clingfish, Apletodon dentatus in a shallow weedy pool south of the pier.  Late September 2002 A blue-grey clingfish was spotted resting on the head of a Conger Eel, Conger conger, off Worthing beach. The small, 60 mm, fish was not identified but it was possibly a different species, possibly the Cornish Sucker (Shore Clingfish), Lepadogaster lepadogaster. If it was the latter species it would be the first BMLSS record for Sussex. Because of its small size, the fish may have been overlooked before. Report by Paul Parsons via the Marine Wildlife of the North-east Atlantic Ocean Group British Clingfish Shorewatch Biological Recording Another Photograph       Even general views have value, but ideally we would like photographs of the shore showing the type of rock, topography and rock pools, dominant fauna, and information that cannot be described adequately by words on the Report Cards.     Crustacean discovered in the sand of Gareth Lacey's aquarium on the Isle of Man 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 100K in size. Click on the album for more links (On-line link) Shore Topography Portfolio

FULL MEMBERS 2002

British Marine Life Study Society membership information was sent out with the Shorewatch newsletter in January 2002.

If you are unable to view this file with all its images through your EMail software, one way around this is to go to your directory for incoming email, where this file should be stored, and open the file Torped77.html in your favourite browser. Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 and above is recommended. 

 
Some of the images may not display if you have changed your directory for downloaded files. The images may also not display properly if your settings on your EMail software do not allow you do this automatically. Unfortunately, I am unable to cater for all the Email software in use nowadays. I am looking into this problem. When received in Pegasus the format is changed slightly, but the bulletin is still readable.  

Torpedo  compiled by Andy Horton
Background design by Nicolas Jouault

  28 October 2002