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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26 April 2007
Our SWF boat survey between Stonehaven and Aberdeen (NE Scotland) recorded a group of five Risso’s Dolphins, Grampus griseus, close inshore off Muchalls. The dolphins were heading south and were spread out as individuals and pairs. This is the first sighting we have had of this species in eight years of vessel-based surveys off Aberdeenshire. 
Images & Field Notes

21 April 2007
A Basking Shark, Cetorhinus maximus, was seen near the Lizard, Cornwall, swimming out to the Point.

19 April 2007
A small (3 to 4 metres long) Basking Shark, Cetorhinus maximus, was seen by Edward Murray off Picklecombe Fort at the western entrance to Plymouth Sound around 2:30 pm. It was circling, apparently feeding.

BMLSS Basking Sharks

The first recorded Basking Shark was seen off Cornwall on 14 April 2007, off Lantic Bay by Roger Phillips. 
Cornish Baking Shark Records 2007

19 April 2007
The high spring tide swept over Blacktoft Sands on the Humber estuary raising the height of the water over the reed beds by half a metre and destroying all of the newly built nests of the rare Bearded Tits. The Humber is a managed estuary but still the natural processes of the sea are eating away at the coastal land like the Avocet breeding area known as Read's Island which may disappear entirely in the near future. 

14 April 2007
We have had a fish brought into the Orkney Marine-Life Aquarium  found dying on
Sands of Wright beach, South Ronaldsay, Orkney Islands. It has been identified as the Deal Fish, Trachipterus arcticus. It measured 140 cm long by 30 cm deep by just 4 cm wide. 

The Deal Fish is regarded as scarce in Irish (and UK) inshore waters (<200 metres), but is considered common in deeper offshore waters. I have frequently observed it as a by-catch in mid-water trawls (500-600 metres) targeting Blue Whiting, Micromesistus poutassou, off the west and north-west coast of Ireland.

March 2007
A Deal Fish, Trachipterus arcticus, was captured  by the Dingle-based trawler Rosses Fisher fishing at a depth of only 50 metres off the Blasket Islands (SW Ireland). It the first recorded landing of one from the Dingle Bay area in over 35 years.

Marine Wildlife of the North-east Atlantic Ocean Mailing Groups

With the closure of Smart Groups at the end of November 2006 most of the 7500+ messages have been filed at:

Marine Wildlife of the North-east Atlantic Ocean Jiglu
http://www.Jiglu.com/spaces/glaucus/

For ongoing messages please transfer to the Yahoo forum as I think you will find that easier to use.
Marine Wildlife of the North-east Atlantic Ocean Yahoo Group
New Group: http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/Glaucus

Images can be uploaded to flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/glaucus/
 
 

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.

Photographs can now be directly uploaded to:

NEW BOOK:
 

The Gulf Stream
by Bruno Voituriez 
Publisher:  UNESCO 
ISBN:  92-3-103995-4 
222 pages, figures, glossary, bibliography

The Gulf Stream
Amid contemporary scenarios of potential climatic catastrophes and global warming that might be imagined to bring a new ice age, the powerful image of the Gulf Stream rising from the Florida Straits and flowing to the north Atlantic inevitably provokes questions about its ecological significance and whether it might ever stop.
 
 

JOURNALS:
 

Newsletter on biodiversity education, with a polar pullout for children with its focus on the Arctic. 
 

The Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom launched a new full colour magazine, GLOBAL MARINE ENVIRONMENT in 2005, which will appeal to people who wish to read accurate, interesting and entertaining articles about the world's oceans and its inhabitants.
Much of the source material for this new magazine is the Journal of the Marine Biological Association (JMBA). Whereas the journal is full of excellent scientific papers, GLOBAL MARINE ENVIRONMENT takes some of the most interesting studies and, in full colour, writes a more understandable summary of the findings.

The first issue of Global Marine Environment may be purchased in hard copy for £1.75 (see below) or downloaded from the web at the following
address:

http://www.mba.ac.uk/PDF/mbaglobal%20news.pdf
Information provided by Richard Lord (Guernsey)
 

Coastal Plankton 
Photo Guide for European Seas

by Otto Larink & Wilfried Westheide

reviewed by Wim van Egmond
 

ISBN  0-9522831-5-8 Available from:

NEW