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 December 2019
A large Leatherback Turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, was found dead, but stranded alive, at Mundon Creek just off the River Blackwater in Essex. This was the first record from the Essex coast.

30 November 2019
A 100 kg of man's debris was discovered in the stomach of a dead subadult male Sperm Whale, Physeter macrocephalus, washed ashore on the beautiful beach at Luskentyre, Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides, Scotland. 

29 November 2019
A 2.5 metre long Minke Whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata, was discovered dead by a patrol boat under Battersea Bridge, near the centre of London. 

28 November 2019
On the muddy inlet known as the Mullet in County Mayo, west Ireland, the tide went out so far it stranded a pod of 13 Common Dolphins, Delphinus delphis, including four calves. Fortunately, Gemma O'Connor who was on site to assist and refloat the sea mammals, along with other members of the public, the local NPWS ranger and the Irish Coast Guard members. It was five hours before the tide returned and the nursed and rescued dolphins all swam away.

16 November 2019

A Bearded Seal, Erignathus barbatus, made a visit to Bridge End, Burra, in the Shetland Isles. Bearded Seals are a non-migratory Arctic species that feed on molluscs including clams. Visits to the most northerly of the Scottish isles are rare and newsworthy.
BMLSS Bearded Seals

At least three Bluefin Tuna, Thunnus thynnus, at Tiumpan, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, were very active jumping completely clear of the calm sea between 11.05 - 11.15 am, about 800 metes east of the lighthouse.

14 November 2019
A small Slipper Lobster, Scyllarus arctus, was caught off south Devon by the fishing boat FV Hustler. It was returned to the sea.

Scyllarus arctus is a warm waters species found in the Mediterranean, and in the Eastern Atlantic from Morocco to the English Channel but is rare north of the Bay of Biscay.  They live on stony ground, in caves, and can also be found on muddy bottoms or in seagrass beds.  They use the large spade-like scales at the front of the head to burrow into mud, sand or gravel between and under stones. 
Previous Report 2001

30 October 2019
A Sperm Whale, Physeter macrocephalus, calf live stranded and died at Hell’s Mouth, Lleyn Peninsula, Gwynedd. This was an unusual stranding, possibly only the second calf to be recorded stranded in the UK and also the first Sperm Whale found stranded in Wales since the routine recording of strandings began in 1913.

25 October 2019 The Orange-striped Anemone, Diadumene lineata, was confirmed found growing beneath pontoons at Malpas and Tregothan in Cornwall. It is originally from Asia and is only found in a small number of places around Britain.    Shoresearch Cornwall Report Photograph by Matt Slater

18 October 2019
A 9.7 metre juvenile female Sei Whale, Balaenoptera borealis, was washed ashore dead at Gravesend in the Thames estuary.

October 2019
A large Leatherback Turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, was seen swimming off Brighton, Sussex.

13 October 2019
A 4.5 metre long, 650 kg adult female Sowerby's Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon bidens, was stranded dead on Gullane beach, East Lothian, Scotland, with an encircling piece of rope around her neck.

11 October 2019
A Sperm Whale, Physeter macrocephalus, beached in shallow water off the Northumberland coast has died. The 13 metre long mammal was first sighted off Newbiggin-by-the-Sea and then in the Wansbeck estuary, between Cambois and Sandy Bay. It had been struggling off shore before the tide went out, leaving it stranded. 

The Yellow Crab, Eriphia verrucosa, was photographed at Morbihan, Brittany. This is a southern species not recorded around the British Isles.   Report and Photograph by Philippe Boissel Rockpooling & Shrimping (British Isles)  facebook

8 October 2019
The Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaengliae, which died after swimming into the River Thames estaury was hit by a ship, the Zoological Society of London has said. However, it is not clear whether the wound on the juvenile female was inflicted before or after the whale's death. The dead whale was discovered just after 5 pm in the Greenhithe area.

BMLSS Cetacea

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