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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12 August 2005
Whilst fishing the mid channel rocks near St. Anne's Head, Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire we spotted a Sunfish, Mola mola, at the top of the water. A couple of seagulls were watching it which drew our attention to it. We motored past it to see what it was, as we brought the boat around for a second look it must have swam down as we lost sight of it. We estimate that the fish was approximately one metre across and light grey in colour. At the time we did not know that it was a Sunfish.

11 August 2005
Triggerfish, Balistes capriscus, were in shallow water in Long Quarry, Torquay, Devon,  patrolling around in threes. We caught two on road and line from the shore, both around a kilogram in weight. 

8 August 2005 
Whilst on board a sight seeing boat travelling back from the Island of Staffa off the Island of Mull, Argyll, Scotland. We were on a cruise boat run by Tarus Mara, which runs tours to Fingal's Cave on Staffa, returning to Ulva Ferry, when we spotted a Sunfish, Mola mola, swimming North West in Loch Tuach (a sea loch).
It was approximately one metre in diameter and seemed very healthy, turning on it's side to watch us as we came alongside, all passengers on the boat witnessed this unusual fish, which was icing on the cake to such a glorious sunny summers day.

1 August 2005
A Leatherback Turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, was found dead off the coast of Cornwall. It was spotted by a helicopter crew which was carrying out a survey for RNAS Culdrose. The turtle, which is the largest reptile in the world, had become entangled in lobster pot buoy ropes off Botallack, near Land's End. It was towed to shore at Cape Cornwall by the Sennen Inshore Lifeboat.

25 July 2005
68.9 kg of Common (or Blue) Skate,Dipturus batis, wings (pointed snout and grey underside) were landed on Plymouth Fish market.  They were caught by the Plymouth based beam trawler M.F.V. Joy of Ladram, which was said to have been fishing in deeper water "out to the west", the catch also included Witches and Megrims.

17 July 2005
A yacht out of Lyme Regis, Dorset, took avoiding action to narrowly miss a Sunfish. 

11 July 2005
A Flying Fish was caught off the south Devon coast by the Brixham based beam trawler, MFV. Magdalena and landed on the fish market.
The flying fish is probably Cheilopogon heterurus, the Atlantic Flying Fish, but it needs to be checked. Stephen Rodgers, the fishmonger who bought it on Brixham Fish market, is preserving it and will be passing it on to me to examine, and then give to collections in the Natural History Museum in London.  While more than twenty flying fish have been recorded in British waters, principally in the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries, we have never had definite proof of which of the three or four possible species they were. However the half dozen caught in Denmark and Norway have all been Cheilopogon heterurus. Old records often say those in Britain were Exocoetus volitans but that is the tropical flying fish which is very unlikely here. The photograph of this fish shows that this fish was definitely not this species.  A photograph of this fish by Richard Austin was in the 15 July Western Morning News.
I have had two or three probable sightings of flying fish in the last seven years from yachtsmen in mid-Channel who thought they saw one but could not be a 100% certain. 

10 July 2005
A Black Sea Bream, Spondyliosoma cantharus, was caught on rod and line from a boat in St. Andrew's Bay, Scotland. This is a northerly capture location for fish that breeds in the English Channel and further south. 

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.

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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.

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. 

Shore Topography Portfolio
 

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

It is with great sadness we have to report of the passing away of Alwyne Wheeler who for many years was the leading fish expert in the United Kingdom. He died aged 76, after a long illness.

Alwyne was a highly acclaimed ichthyologist who worked, until his retirement, at the Natural History Museum in London where he has special responsibility for European Fishes, but even then his interest and reputation was such that he continued on an informal basis for many more years. 

He was recognised as the definitive authority on fish species and was the author of many comprehensive books and his classic book “Key to the Fishes of Northern Europe” became a bible for all those who have an interest in fish species within Northern Europe and beyond. 
 

We are also sad to learn of the death in June of the renowned Cornish playwright and author Nick Darke, who was known throughout the county and beyond for plays such as The King of Prussia, The Dead Monkey and
Ting Tang Mine.

He was a strandline guru who submitted marine life reports via the Cornish Mailing List (Yahoo Group).