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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2 February 2004
A Fin Whale, Balaenoptera physalis, was found washed ashore on the island of Coll, the second found beached on a Hebridean island in recent weeks. The 17 metres long carcass was found by an islander. This whale was in a fresh condition.
News Report
The earlier whale washed up on Mull was a beaked whale of a species not known at the time of writing.

Corrected report by Dr.Peter G.H. Evans on UK Cetnet

Sea Watch Foundation
BMLSS Cetacea

29 January 2004
A "skein" of dolphins were observed in the sea off Widewater Lagoon, Lancing, Sussex at 2:00 pm in the afternoon. This was an unusual event off the Sussex coast and most occasional observations have been in the summer months. Pods of dolphins have been seen off Selsey Bill, West Sussex in the last few days. "Skein" (pronounced skane) is the term used by the observer and I have not known this collective noun used before for cetaceans. 

Hearsay Report by Brian Street (Shoreham)

Adur Valley Nature Notes (January 2004)
The Sea off Sussex
BMLSS Cetacea

28 January 2004
A 12 metres long Sperm Whale, Physeter catodon, was washed up dead at Thornham Norfolk. For spotters willing to brave the gale force winds, the whale could be seen by transversing the muddy trail from Holme NWT and following the sea bank to the beach. 

Report from Sue Bryan on UK Cetnet

The Porcupine Marine Natural History Society web pages are launched. Please click on the logo to access their pages.
 

The Marine Conservation Society UK Turtle Code is now online at http://www.euroturtle.org/turtlecode/

PLEASE IMMEDIATELY CALL THE APPROPRIATE NUMBERS LISTED BELOW IN THE EVENT OF A TURTLE STRANDING OR ENTANGLEMENT
 

If you have seen a live or dead marine turtle at sea, GO TO THE ABOVE WEB PAGE to fill in the online report form.

Please read carefully the strandings and entanglements section before dealing with the marine turtle that you are reporting. 

All records of marine turtles in UK waters are kept by Marine Environment Monitoring in the TURTLE database. Click here to view an online version of TURTLE, access annual reports of the TURTLE database and download other relevant reports. 

 Find out here which information you should record.
 
 

ENGLAND & WALES > ALL RECORDS Rod Penrose Marine Environmental Monitoring 01348 875000 (24 hrs) www.strandings.com	> LIVE STRANDINGS/ ENTANGLEMENTS RSPCA 08705 555999
SCOTLAND > ALL RECORDS Dr Martin Gaywood Scottish Natural Heritage  0131 4474784	> DEAD STRANDINGS Bob Reid Scottish Agricultural College 01463 243030 / 07979245 893 > LIVE STRANDINGS/ ENTANGLEMENTS SSPCA 0131 3390111
NORTHERN IRELAND > ALL RECORDS Lynne Rendle Ulster Museum & Botanical Gardens  02890 383144	> LIVE/DEAD STRANDINGS / ENTANGLEMENTS Ian Irvine Portrush Countryside Centre 02870 823600 07770 570350 (24 hrs)
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND Prof. John Davenport 00353 (0)21 4904140 (w) 00353 (0)21 4897392 (h)

BMLSS Turtles

10 January 2004
Whilst bird watching around Poole Harbour our search for grebes and divers, we were halted by the appearance of at least ten Bottle-nosed Dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, off Studland, Poole Bay, Dorset just before 11:00 am. The pod were very active with complete breaching by one animal noted on two occasions and lots of tail slapping throughout the observation. They were just at the end of the main shipping channel off Pilots Point.

Report by Shaun Robson on UK Cetnet

5 January 2004
A pod of about 500 - 750 dolphins were reported a half mile off Looe, Cornwall, by Polperro trawler "Girl Jane". The majority were probably Common Dolphins, Delphinus delphis. 

Report by Jon Makeham on the Cornish Mailing List

Pair Trawling Threat to the Superpod (News Report)
 

 

30 December 2003
Approximately 500 - 750 Common Dolphins, Delphinus delphis, were seen in Falmouth Bay, Cornwall, between 11.30 am & 12.00 pm, heading towards the Lizard. The dolphins were seen made from the Orca-Seafaris boat by Keith Leeves, Suzi Gilpin, Caroline Curtis, Gary Hawkins, Dan, Phil & Dave Jarvis & others.
                 Report by Dave Jarvis on the Cornish Wildlife Mailing List

Links for News Reports:

Helford (Cornwall) Marine Conservation Area

Friends of Moray Firth (NE Scotland) News Page

Sussex at Sea News Page

Cornish Marine Wildlife News

Cornish Marine Sightings Archives 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.

Butterfly Blenny This attractive blenny inhabits deeper water than most of the usual shore forms around the British coast. I have no records of this fish being discovered in a pool on the shore around Britain. Most records are from off the Cornish coast.

Butterfly Blenny Blennius ocellaris  Fishbase Portfolio by Robert Patzner

Bottle-nosed Dolphins Photograph by Kevin Robinson, CRRU Cetacean Research & Rescue Unit (CRRU)

Corbiere Lighthouse, SW Jersey, Average winters day ! Photograph by Nicolas Jouault Shore Topography Portfolio (Channel Islands) Shore Topography Portfolio

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.

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.

The Porcupine Marine Natural History Society
2004 Conference 
 

20 - 21 March 2004
Marine Species at the Limits of their Range
Bournemouth University

Because this conference is being held over a weekend (not including the usual Friday) it is proposed that Sunday 21st will be a half day of presentations with a field meeting in the afternoon. 
The conference dinner will be held on the Saturday evening.

General details of the venue may be found at www.bournemouth.ac.uk .
Any one interested in giving a presentation or displaying a poster at the conference should contact Lin Baldock (conference organizer) e-mail - lin.baldock@virgin.net  Tel:  01305 852585.

The  2003 conference was held 14-15th March at National Museums and Galleries of Wales, Cardiff. 

Meetings web page:  http://www.pmnhs.co.uk/meetings,events.htm

Plymouth

Talks Series 2004

Thursday  26 February 2004
"How "shrimps" live on land" by Dr John Spicer 
in the Robbins Lecture Theatre, University of Plymouth at 5:30 pm.
(NB: This talk is not an the National Aquarium)

Thursday  29 April 2004
"Royal Fyshes of Devon and Cornwall" by Kelvin Boot.

Tuesday 25 May 2004
"The Heat Is On" by Doug Herdson
who will be talking about global warming and its effects on the marine life of
the south west.

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

Talks 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 **

10 March 2004 
Scottish Marine Group Spring meeting, presenting postgraduate research in marine science in Scotland. 
Heriot Watt University, Riccarton, Edinburgh.
For information contact Dr Hamish Mair j.m.mair@hw.ac.uk
 

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.

FOR DETAILS OF SEMINARS AND OTHER EVENTS PLEASE CLICK ON THE LOGO ABOVE TO BROWSE THE WEB PAGES

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). Please confirm that the talk is taking place before arriving unannounced. 

Porthleven (near Helston), Cornwall

Aerial Multimap Location (Link)

The Silver Dolphin marine conservation and diving centre is dedicated to the conservation and protection of all marine life. Click on the image for the full list of events. 

To help protect the marine environment we run a full training programme of conservation courses and PADI scuba diving training.

Ideally placed in the old lifeboat house Porthleven why not come and discover the wonders of the Cornish coastline and underwater world!
 

Places on the courses must be booked in advance

Wednesday 18 February  2004
School of the Sea.  A 3 day course running from 10 am – 4 pm.  For bookings contact the Silver Dolphin Centre on 01326 572002.  Course fee £45.

Saturday 6 March  2004
Marine Mammal Identification workshop for the Cornwall Mammal Group.  1.30pm to 5.30pm at CWT Allet.  For bookings contact Alex Howie on 01872 273939.  Free event 
 
 

A new Public Aquarium was opened in Fort William, Scotland in the autumn of last year, 2003. 

Ocean Frontier
Underwater Centre
Fort William
Inverness-shire
PH33 6AN
Tel: 01397 702930

21 August 2003

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

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. 

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.

A complimentary issue of this booklet was sent to BMLSS members. 

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

 
MOLLUSC  WORLD

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 2004
Plans have not yet been finalised for the publications and subscriptions for year 2004. An explanation was sent to members just after Christmas. 
 

If you receive this Bulletin direct from the British Marine Life Study Society it will contain only hypertext and image (*.htm *.gif & *.jpg) files.
Recipients can only unsubscribe if the Bulletin is received directly from the BMLSS.
Permission is granted to forward the Bulletin on unaltered. However, you will have to include the images separately. 
Subscribe/Unsubcribe http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BMLSS-Torpedo
To save download times, only new images are included with each Bulletin.
The Bulletin is designed to be viewed on Internet Explorer  using medium fonts
at a resolution of 800 x 600. 
Viewing should be possible on Netscape and other browsers.

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.