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

11 October 2014

A splendidly marked Almaco Jack, Seriola rivoliana, was caught by angler Scott Shepherd from a boat out of Ilfracombe, North Devon. It was a large specimen weighing 1 lb 14 oz and it was returned to sea. This Caribbean fish is rarely recorded in British seas. 

5 October 2014

An unprecedented 47 Spoonbills, Platalea leucorodia, were seen at Brownsea Island Lagoon, Dorset. The Spoonbills are thought to have flown in from Belgium and Holland where there is a breeding population. Their numbers grow every winter and have gradually increased up to this record tally. A juvenile (with a yellow bill) Great White Egret, Ardea alba, was also seen from Brand's Bay in Poole Harbour, Dorset. 

23 September 2014
An epic natural tragedy in the sea was witnessed off the Ards Peninsula, north-east Ireland, when a bull seal was spotted by Lena McVea from Ballywalter with a large item of living prey in its mouth, described as pink with a large dark shadow and as big as another seal. This action was seen through binoculars in a deep channel with pladdies, between the Long Rock and the shore. Eventually, a three metre long juvenile Basking Shark, Cetorhinus maximus, was discovered dying on the sandy shallows. The freshly dead shark was taken away for post-mortem. 

Full Report on Manx Basking Shark Watch facebook
Shark Trust Basking Shark Project
BMLSS Basking Shark
Queen's University Marine Laboratory web pages
 
 

FORUM NEWS

Marine Wildlife of the North-east Atlantic Ocean Mailing Groups

Marine Wildlife of the North-east Atlantic Ocean 
Yahoo Group
New Group: http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/Glaucus

British Marine Life Study Society
facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/glaucus/

This is designed for quick less important chatty news items. Photographs can be uploaded quickly which is only possible on the Yahoo Group by going to the web page.

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

Wet Thumb (Marine Aquariology) Forum Link
 
 
 

Lots of marine wildlife reports from Shetland on facebook Photographs include undersea, sea mammals and birds.  Click on the image to connect

9 October 2014

A tiny 6 mm long sea anemone was collected from Ilfracombe Beach, north Devon, from low down on the shore amongst some Kelp holdfasts and it was only noticed when the seaweed was placed in an aquarium. Its initial identity was a puzzle and it did not fit the appearance of any of the young or miniature versions of sea anemones normally found in the shallow seas around Devon. Only after a fortnight in captivity did the anemone settle down and discovered to be an anemone that was initially suspected that was so rarely recorded that none of the general marine life experts were familiar with the tiny species from personal experience. I am still not positive about the specific name. 

Notes on the montage:
Top left:  Disc and tentacles with a brownish-orange mouth. In contrast, all specimens from Brittany have a pink disc and tentacles.
Top right:  The white inside is a small piece of whitefish ingested.
Bottom right:  Acontia emitted from the mouth. 

Click on the image for the ongoing report and dialogue of the discovery.

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. 
 

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

 

Publisher: marine scotland

Scotland's Marine Atlas

Scotland's Marine Atlas is an assessment of the condition of Scotland's seas, based on scientific evidence from data and analysis and supported by expert judgement.

Click on the image for the free publication. 
 

Published: 27 March 2013 
ISBN (EPUB): 9781782564485 
ISBN (MOBI): 9781782564478 

EBook Reader Software (Adobe Digital Editions)
Change the font size to small for square monitors.

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by Paul Kay & Frances Dipper 
£19.95 incl. p&p
Soft cover

With 256 pages and numerous photographs supported by drawings, this book is the most comprehensive photographic guide to marine fish currently available in the UK. Published for the Marine Conservation Society with support from the Countryside Council for Wales.

Click on the image to order this book through the Marine Conservation Society

RECOMMENDED PURCHASE *****

July 2010

PS: A second revised edition of the book has been published. 

SEASHORE SAFARIS
 

Publisher: Graffeg
Publisher's Review (click on this text)
Review by the City and County of Swansea

This is the book I should have written (and I dare say a few others as well) and is a much needed introduction to the world of the seashore and the hobby of rockpooling. It is a photographic guide to most of the common species encountered which is much appreciated as newcomers and even experienced rockpoolers will try and match up what they have seen to a visual image (and photographs work better than line drawings) and this will usually get them the correct species, (unless there are two very alike species and then you will need a specialist identification guide like the Collins Guide to the Seashore).

However, the seashore is a rich and interesting habitat with a myriad of species and 225 pages of this large pocket guide are comprehensively covered to suit the enthusiast.

Extract from the foreword by Keith Hiscock:
"Being able to names to what you see and, better still, to use your observations to add to our knowledge about the natural world is what this book is about."

But the book for a popular audience is more than this. It starts from the assumption that the parents and teachers and older children are unfamiliar with the seashore environment.

RECOMMENDED PURCHASE *****

Not just a cookery book: you have to go down to the shore and catch or collect the food yourself. The 240 page hardback book (with an index) is exceptionally well produced in quality of the binding, paper as well as the quality of writing, information and clear useful colour photographs. It is well organised into nine chapters:

Sharks in British Seas Richard Peirce 138 pages, colour illustrations, line drawings, colour & b/w photos. Lots of newspaper reports. Publisher:  Shark Cornwall Softcover | 2008 | £9.99 ISBN: 978-0-955869402

Seashore by Lucy Beckett-Bowman Consultant: Andy Horton Usborne Publishing   £3.99 Usborne Beginners Series Level One (very young children) ISBN 978-0-7460-8864-7 BMLSS Notes for a Primary School Teacher

Whales & Dolphins
of the European Atlantic
The Bay of Biscay, English Channel, Celtic Sea and coastal SW Ireland
by Dylan Walker and Graeme Cresswell
with the illustrations by Robert Still
WILDGuides  2008
£ 12.00 (includes standard UK P&P)
ISBN:  978-1-903657-31-7

This is the second fully revised and updated edition of this comprehensive guide to the identification of whales, dolphins and porpoises (collectively known as cetaceans) in the European Atlantic. Until very recently, most researchers and whale-watchers were unaware of the great variety of cetaceans that can be seen so close to the shores of western Europe. Indeed, it is only during the last decade, when detailed cetacean surveys have been carried out in earnest, that we have discovered how important this area is for cetacean biodiversity.

This field guide describes all of the 31 species of whale, dolphin and porpoise that have occurred in the European Atlantic.
 

BMLSS Cetacean Book Reviews

 
 
 

Seashore (Collins New Naturalist) (Paperback) by Peter Hayward Collins 2004 ISBN:  0-00-220031-7 Amazon Web Site

Paperback. Pp 288. Colour & b/w photographs, illustrations, charts, maps and bibliography. Fine copy. "New Naturalist" Seashore is a comprehensive, authoritative account of the natural history of the seashore.
 

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