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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23 November 2003 A pod of five Risso’s Dolphins, Grampus griseus, including two large adults, one with a distinctive notch in its dorsal fin, were spotted from dry land off Stumble Head, Pembrokeshire.  Report by Lyndon Lomax and Welsh Cetacean Group coordinator Jamie Davis (Sea Trust S&W Wales) via UK Cetnet Full Report on UKCetnet BMLSS Cetacea 19 November 2003 The serpullid worm Ficopomatus enigmaticus has been discovered in Brooklands Boating Lake, east Worthing, Sussex, for the first time. The tubeworms now seem to have died, but this low salinity brackish water lake may increased in salinity because of the lack of rainfall this year and provided a temporary niche for large colonies of these worms. This is an abundant species. More Images The mystery organisms are the empty tubes of the serpullid worm, Ficopomatus enigmaticus.  R.S.K. Barnes in "The Brackish-water fauna of Northwestern Europe" writes about this worm:  "A southern species often termed Mercierella, that extends northwards to the southern North Sea.  It will construct its c. 1 mm diameter, up to 30 mm long tubes on most substrata, natural and artificial, including the stems of Common Reed, Phragmites, and is particularly characteristic of harbours, docks, artificial lagoons and power-station outfalls with salinities of from 35 down to 10 ppt (and exceptionally, in fresh water); it has also been recorded from several natural lagoons. The tubes, which possess circular, shelf-life platforms near their mouths, are often aggregated into large colonies." Information and first ID by Richard Lord (Guernsey)  via the Marine Wildlife of the North-east Atlantic Ocean Group      Worms from Brooklands 2003 The small holes which look like the skeleton of a microscopic animal have an external diameter of up to 1 mm and an internal diameter of up to 0.8 mm.  Each tube is from between about 10 mm to 25 mm in length 16 November 2003 At a depth of nine metres on the muddy bottom of Loch Creran, Scotland, the nudibranch Facelina bostoniensis appears to be feeding on the Slender Sea-pen, Virgularia mirabilis, which is not noted as a food source for this species in British text books. This nudibranch feeds on a variety of hydroids.   Report by Dan Edwards on the Sea Slug Forum Original Report and Photograph Sea Slug Forum Discussion & ID Opisthobranch Newsletter (Trondjhem Biological Station, Norway) 28 October 2003 The unusual nudibranch feeding on a sea anemone on the lower shore at La Valette on Guernsey's east coast has been identified as probably being the species Aeolidiella alderi. However, there is still some doubt over the identification and readers are recommended to have a look at the photograph on the web site below.  Report by Richard Lord (Guernsey) on the Sea Slug Forum Full Report with the Photographs Sea Slug Forum Sea Slug Forum Messages Sea Slug Forum Species Index Bernard Picton's Nudibranch Site BMLSS Nudibranchs      8 October 2003 The ascidian Perophora japonica was collected from crab pot rope off the south coast of Guernsey by Clive Brown. Colonies of this sea squirt live on fucoid seaweeds, pontoons and other hard substrates. The small translucent zooids (approximately 4 mm long) are budded from stolons and generally rather closely packed. Young parts of colony are yellow or greenish-yellow.  This ascidian was first recorded in the British Isles in Plymouth Sound in 1999. It had been discovered on the French coast of Brittany a few years earlier. There has also been a further discovery in the Fleet Lagoon, Dorset (near Chesil Beach).  Report Message Further Information (Marlin) Information and first ID by Richard Lord (Guernsey) on the Marine Wildlife of the North-east Atlantic Ocean Group 3 October 2003 Fifteen Risso’s Dolphins, Grampus griseus, were observed at Runnelstone off the Cornish coast, seven large ones keeping apart from each other and a pod of five with some juveniles were milling about in an area of fishermen's pot markers. Later, they all headed slowly westward.  Report by Jean Lawman on the Cornish Wildlife Trust Marine Sightings web pages

NEW INTERNET DOMAIN

The British Marine Life Study Society has changed its main Internet Universal Resource Locator (URL) under a new easier to remember domain name:

Not all the links on the new pages are in working order and a few of the images are missing. I hope to rectify any problems before the launch of the new pages on 1 January 2004. If you have any difficulties finding the web pages, please try the old domain.
Old Domain

The old URLs are expected to eventually fall into disuse, and from year 2004 there is no guarantee that the old links will work. This poses a problem as many other web sites and search engines are linked into to the old URLs, and the new URLs cannot be found on the commonly used search methods like Google and Copernic. Already the latest News items are only to be found on the new domain. The changeover was necessary because the CompuServe system was old fashioned and essential because it still cannot be accessed via Broadband. The new domain does not officially commence until the deadline for the broken links to be repaired and the missing images to be renewed which is 1 January 2004. Please amend your bookmarks for the News pages immediately. 

Marine Wildlife News of the North-east Atlantic Ocean 2003 
(British Marine Life Study Society)
News2003.htm
News2003Autumn.htm
 

It would probably be best to amend your book marks for the other pages as well. If you are a webmaster, please adjust the links before the end of 2003. 

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.

Unidentified Flounder. Picture taken 250 meters above the bottom of a deep fjord around midnight. Click on the image on-line for further unidentified images Photograph by Rudolf Svensen

UW Photo

A seashell collection to test even the most experienced beachcomber

Shore Topography Portfolio
 

Click on the album for more links (On-line link)
 
 

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.

Plymouth

Talks Series 2003

  Facilities are available for schools, linked to the national curriculum. 

All talks are on Tuesdays and start at 7:00 p.m.
at the National Marine Aquarium, Coxside, Plymouth Devon.
Admission – Adults £2.50; Children and NMA members £1.50, inclusive of refreshments will be available.

Please reserve your place by calling the Aquarium on 01752 275204
 

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Unless otherwise stated, seminars are held on Fridays at 4:15 pm
in the SAMS Conference Room ** Followed by the Friday R&R **

5 December 2003
Eric Breuer (SAMS)
Oxygen dynamics in contrasting marine environments
 

For more details on the forthcoming talks, please contact Murray Roberts  or Anuschka Miller  Tel: 01631 559 000  Diary

For information contact Dr Hamish Mair  or Anuschka Miller  Tel: 01631 559 000
 

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

4 December 2003
Sea Mounts – Kerry Howell

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

4­7 January  2004                                              Lancaster University, UK

The 52nd Annual Meeting of the BPS will take place on the campus of Lancaster University, just south of the beautiful English Lake District. We invite anyone with an interest in algae to attend and promise a full range of scientific and social programmes for you to enjoy.

Scientific Programme
This years Founders Lecture will be given by Rick Wetherbee, University of
Melbourne. The Special Topics are 'Cell Signalling in Algae' and 'Macroalgae
in Medicine' but submissions on any other aspects of phycology are welcome.

Students Take Note
Attendance at this conference is (almost) free if you are a member and present a paper. Cash prizes are available for the best poster (BPS Prize) and the best oral presentation (Manton Prize), so please indicate your interest in the competitions at the time of abstract submission.
 

Abstract submission deadline: 30 September 2003

Registration deadline: 1 December 2003

For more information about this conference, or general information regarding
the BPS, please contact Jackie Parry  or visit the website http://www.brphycsoc.org

21 August 2003

'Atlas of cetacean distribution in north-west European waters' 

The publication by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) of an atlas of their distribution in waters off north-western Europe.  It is based on the sightings made by hundreds of observers over the past 25 years.  The atlas is a first for these waters, and becomes the first globally to take full account of the variation between areas in the amount of searching that observers have carried out to gather the information.

Click on this text for the full information including ordering

Price £17.00 from the Natural History Book Service (www.nhbs.com),
or phone +44 (0)1803 865913. 

This report provides an assessment of trends in concentrations of six hazardous substances in mussels and fish in Europe's seas since 1985. The trends are linked to reduction measures, foodstuff limit values and trends in inputs to coastal and marine waters. The results are presented in a series of maps.

More Information

Download Page

BMLSS Man's Impact on the Marine Environment

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SHRIMPING FOR FOOD AND FUN

Local shrimper Peter Talbot-Elsden, from Southwick (Sussex), has produced a small booklet called “Shrimping for Food and Fun” about catching the brown shrimp around the coasts of Britain. The shrimps are caught in nets and the book features the various methods, firstly the push-netting seen over the sand in shallow water in spring off the Sussex coast. The famous Morecambe Bay shrimps were originally captured by cart shanker shrimping with a horse and cart in deeper water off the Lancashire coast, later replaced by a tractor. At Formby, they experimented with amphibious vehicles after World War II. Nowadays, most commercial shrimping on the east coast around King’s Lynn trawls from small boats using a net off the stern. Shrimps are often cooked on board.

The 28 page book contains 40 photographs of shrimping through the ages. It is available through Bookworms of Shoreham and other booksellers and museums at £3.50. 
The booklet is also available through the British Marine Life Study Society, but at £4 including postage and packing. 

Disappearing 
Giants
The North Atlantic Right Whale
SCOTT KRAUS and KENNETH MALLORY
Bunker Hill Publishing
in association with New England Aquarium
ISBN  1 59373 004 7

ICE ISLAND
Expedition to Antarctica's Largest Iceberg
Gregory S. Stone
Published by New England Aquarium

GREAT BRITISH MARINE ANIMALS	by Peter Naylor
published by Sound Diving Publications	ISBN  0 9522831 4 X
Available from

 
 

Published by the Conchological Society

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. 

We also publish the quarterly SHOREWATCH Newsletter and
the TORPEDO Electronic News Bulletin. 

The Glaucus 2002 CD-ROM was sent out to Premier BMLSS members in January 2003. 

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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

from bmlss@compuserve.com  to  Glaucus@hotmail.com

Messages to the first address will not receive any guarantee of a reply and from year 2003, the old EMail address is expected to fall into disuse. 

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Membership 2003

Current members will have their subscriptions waived for year 2003. An explanation was sent before Christmas. This is because of he computer breakdown and the failure of the full complement of paper publications. 
 

These pages are not designed for the default settings on the Page Set-ups of your browser. I recommend viewing in Microscope Internet Explorer 6 and altering the right and left hand columns in the Page Set-up menu to 9 mm (from 19 mm).
The page set-up can also be amended in Netscape Composer and other web page editors, and this has the advantage of enabling the specified number of pages to be printed and the information about the file (name, path, date) to be deleted.

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. When received in Pegasus the format is changed slightly, but the bulletin is still readable.