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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6 September 2005
About thirty White-beaked Dolphins, Lagenorhyncus albirostris, were seen off the coast of Norfolk, off the end of the Nelson Head Track, just south of Horsey Gap on the east coast. Conditions were perfect, it was mirror calm and good light first thing in the morning. The pod was actively fishing in association with 4+ Porpoises, Phocoena phocoena, and a flock of Gannets about 1000 metres offshore and appeared very settled in the area. I watched them for one hour before I moved off. This represents a good record of this species so far south in the North Sea.

A marine leech, Pontobdella muricata, was identified at a fish merchants. The leech was approximately 130 mm in length, and was caught aboard a vessel fishing off the Sussex coast. The catch included numerous plaice and rays. The relative prevalency of this leech is not known at the time of writing but the experienced fishermen had never seen one before. 
* The literature records this leech as a parasite of rays. 

23 August 2005
Bottle-nosed Dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, exist along the length of the Welsh coast and not just in Cardigan Bay as previously thought, according to the Sea Watch Foundation's National Dolphin and Whale Watch. This one of the results of the annual seawatching survey.

Corella eumyota	Goniodoris castanea

Whilst accompanying the biologists in St. Peter Port Harbour, I found many Goniodoris castanea sea slugs with their spawn. They were feeding on the colonial Star Ascidian, Botryllus schlosseri,  and were cryptic.  On one 5 x 5 cm
square colony of Botryllus schlosseri I found six of these nudibranchs. Dr. Charles David, President of La Société Guernesiaise, tells me this species is a new record for Guernsey.

15 August 2005
A large superpod of over one thousand Common Dolphins, Delphinus delphis, were seen off the south-west coast of Wales. The location is reported off the Pembrokeshire coast but the exact distance from the shore is not mentioned. The video film footage is by Chris Benson of the Sea Trust (the marine branch of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales) is from Cardigan Bay. 

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.

16 July 2005
A Bluefire Jellyfish, Cyanea lamarckii, was seen in the shallows off Shoreham Beach. 

This species has not been recorded recently off the Sussex coast although it has been discovered in the shallow seas around the rest of Britain. It is one of the lesser known jellyfish that frequent the seas around the British Isles, although there have been more than the usual number of reports from other shores this year. 
BMLSS Jellyfish
Marine Life Reports for Sussex

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).