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.

BMLSS Blennies

28 April 2004
A pod of 8 Bottle-nosed Dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, were seen this morning from the Harbour Arm, Hastings, East Sussex. This is the first record of the year off the Sussex coast where dolphin sightings occur from the shore only a handful of times very year. 

23 April 2004
Two Killer Whales, Orcinus orca, are spotted just after midday by local fishermen north of the Brisons, near Cape Cornwall off the far western tip of the Cornish coast. 

9 April 2004
Three Risso’s Dolphins, Grampus griseus, were spotted by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society survey team in the Bardsey Sound, north-west Wales, at around 6:00 pm. Unfortunately, these dolphins were quickly lost in the Bardsey fog last seen heading northwest. Subsequently, we heard reports from locals that eight  dolphins with "big white heads" had been seen that day (about 11:30 am) from the view point at the tip of the Lleyn Peninsula, so just around the point from where we had seen them. This pod was said to have been close in to shore and to have had two smaller dolphins, perhaps calves, in it.

7-8 April 2004
Beautiful but if a not deadly jellyfish, the Mauve Stinger, Pelagia noctiluca, can impart a nasty sting to the unlucky swimmer. They are now being seen around the Channel Islands. I found one stranded in a rock pool by Lithou Island on the east coast of Guernsey on 7 April, 2004 and another stranded in a rock pool on the east coast south of St. Peter Port on 8 April 2004. Strandings of this jellyfish seem to occur often in spring around these islands. They are not common around the rest of the British Isles but there are reports in some years off the south and west coasts, especially off Cornwall.

BMLSS Jellyfish: Mauve Stinger

8 April 2004
A party of at least 7 Bottle-nosed Dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, were seen off the East Cliffs, Portand Bill, Dorset for much of the day. This pod seems to have been around for most of this spring. 

After a Management Committee meeting on the brackish water Widewater Lagoon, Lancing, West Sussex, I compiled my final comments on this issue.

Link to the Report and Proposal

Links for News Reports:

Nature Notes Webring

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.

The Mauve Stinger, Pelagia noctiluca, can impart a nasty sting to the unlucky swimmer. Guernsey 2004.

Photograph © by Richard Lord (Guernsey)

A Tompot Blenny, Parablennius gattorugine, with red head lappets (tentacles),  a colourful variety that seem invariable in the seas off Dorset. Photograph by Neil Horlock Swanage Pier Picture Gallery (with Tompot Blennies)

The rare Childing Pink, Petrorhagia  nanteuilii, is in flower  on Silver Sands on Shoreham beach in June. As a seashore plant this qualifies as part of the marine environment. Photograph by Andy Horton 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)
 
 

Plymouth

Talks Series 2004

Further Information Link

  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 **
 

12 May 2004- Louise Wilson (SAMS-UHI) - Tidal currents and their influences around Scottish fish farm sites. 
12 May 2004 - Daniel Vincent (SAMS-UHI) - Estimating vertical mixing in a semi-enclosed bay. 
26 May 2004 - Murray Roberts (SAMS) - Coral reefs and carbonate mounds: the ROV Victor-Polarstern expedition to the Porcupine Seabight. 

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

Tuesday 8th June 2004
International World Oceans Day.
Qualified divers day at Durgan 11:00 am.  A chance to meet fellow divers and get involved in environmentally responsible diving.  There will be a charge of £15 for those wishing to hire kit and £5 for those with their own kit.  Please book by calling the Centre on 01326 572002.

Link for other Activities
 

  DIVE INTO EARTH DAY ACTIVITIES:
 

There will be a charge of £15 for the try dives and £5 for the snorkelling (if you need to hire snorkelling equipment).  For bookings contact the Silver Dolphin Centre on 01326 572002
 
 

The National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth have several web pages for information on this new dive site. Please click on the logo for more information. 

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. 
 

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