“Disturbing” levels of fibreglass found in oysters: A study by researchers from the University of Brighton has found high levels of glass-reinforced plastic (a form of fibreglass which is often abbreviated as GRP) in shellfish in Chichester Harbour. 11,220 particles of fibreglass were found per kilogram in oysters and 2,740 per kilogram in mussels. GRP is used in the manufacture of boats and the study marks the first time that GRP has been found to enter the food chain. Dr Corena Cirocan told the BBC that the findings were a “stark reminder of the hidden dangers in our environment” and that better “end-of-life boat management” was necessary to minimise the spread of contaminants. Read more on this story here.
Artificial light around coastlines may be leading young fish to their deaths: An article in the Guardian this month said that the artificial light which is visible around coastlines across the world may be attracting small fish which are then eaten by predators which are also attracted to the light. Jules Schligler, a researcher at the International Coral Ecosystem Research Centre in French Polynesia, led the study. He told the Guardian that in his research coral which had been artificially lit attracted “two to three times more fish compared to the naturally lit control site … the coral with the [artificial] light is a bad environment for the larval fish because there are more predators, opportunistic fish passing by, that ate them.” Schligler said that with around a quarter of the world’s coastline artificially lit, this may be a larger issue than anyone has previously realised, and pointed out that artificial light could also impact the predatory species by affecting their sleep and feeding patterns. However, he added that solving the issue of artificial light affecting fish was not particularly difficult to resolve, and its impact could now be taken into account when designating protected marine areas. Read more by clicking here.
Concern over shark fishing in Brazil: The popularity of shark meat in Brazil has led to researchers expressing concern over the sustainability of shark populations in South American waters. While sharks have been used in traditional Brazilian cooking for many years, shark meat is now widely consumed as it is cheaper than other white fish species. Indeed, many people in Brazil may not know what species they are eating, as shark meat is often sold under the generic term cacao, which can be applied to any species of shark or ray. Fishing for sharks is technically banned under Brazilian law, but they are often caught and retained as bycatch and there are few deterrents for fishermen who target sharks, and there is a growing black market for sharks which have been illegally caught. Research published earlier this year in the journal Biological Conservation found that 83 per cent of the shark and ray species were classed as Threatened on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature classification scale, and researchers are now concerned that the focus on shark meat and fin consumption in Asia has led to threats to shark populations being ignored in other parts of the world, such as South America. Read more on the Guardian website by clicking here.
Angler fined for having salmon up sleeve: An angler has been fined after being caught “handling salmon in suspicious circumstances” – which is a specific legal offence under UK law. Stephen Samuel was spotted by angling club members using banned tackle to catch and retain salmon from the River Teifi in Wales, according to the BBC. When confronted he attempted to “slip away” but was caught when the fish’s head could be seen “protruding from the arm of a coat slung over his shoulder.” Samuel admitted under caution that it was illegal to keep salmon caught in Welsh rivers and that the treble and barbed hooks he had used were prohibited. Samuel admitted to three offences including handling salmon under suspicious circumstances. He was fined £414 and ordered to pay costs of £2,000 and a victim surcharge of £166. Read more on the BBC website by clicking here.
Mass whale stranding on Scottish beach: A pod of seventy-seven pilot whales have been found washed up on Tresness beach in the Orkney Islands this month. Only twelve of the whales were alive and they had to be euthanised after it was found to be impossible to return them to the sea. Some of the whales were 7 metres (22ft) long and the pod included males, females and juvenile whales. Members of the public were requested to stay away from the site while postmortems were carried out on the whales and preparations were made to dispose of the carcasses. Read more on this story on the BBC News website by clicking here.
Basking shark washed up on Scottish beach: In more sad standing news, a 7.5 metre (25ft) basking shark washed up on an Ayrshire beach. The shark was believed to have died when a rope became caught up between its mouth and tail and was discovered by beachgoers on 30 June, although news of the stranding only emerged this month. Read more on this story here.
Newfoundland cod moratorium lifted: A Newfoundland moratorium on cod fishing which has been in place for almost thirty years has been lifted. The Grand Banks of the coast of Newfoundland was one of the most productive cod fisheries in the world for hundreds of years. In 1497 the explorer John Cabot remarked on how full of cod the waters of the Grand Banks were, and huge catches were made for hundreds of years until the 1990s when stocks crashed dramatically. This led to a moratorium which saw catches from large vessels reduced to almost zero for three decades, with smaller fishing boats being allowed to make limited catches. But now a tentative resumption of cod fishing from larger trawlers has been permitted, with a quota of 18,000 tons set for this year after the status of the stock was upgraded from critical to cautious. The move has divided opinion with seafood organisations such as the Canadian Association of Seafood Producers welcoming the move, while conservation organisations were much more critical. Click here to read more on this story.
Plastic packaging over fifty years old found on UK beach: Plastic packaging from the pre-decimal era has been found washed up on a beach in Minehead, Somerset. The packaging was for a brand called Tempo Peas and displayed the price of 2 shillings and 6 pence. Since the decimal system has been used since 1971, this means the packaging is at least fifty-three years old. The packaging was found during a beach clean, during which Wellington boots, a traffic cone, a bed headboard and carpet underlay were also found. Read more on this story here.
Unusual jellyfish-like creature wash up on Northern Irish beach: By-the-wind sailors, a rare species of jellyfish-like creature, have been found washed up across Runkerry Beach in Northern Ireland. The species is so-called because they possess a unique sail on top of their bodies which allows them to drift along the surface of the sea with the wind where they feed on plankton and other small organisms. However, this makes them susceptible to strandings. While they resemble jellyfish, they are, in fact, made up of separate organisms, which are not capable of independent life. By-the-wind sailors are not considered dangerous, but they should not be handled if they are found on the shore as they can cause minor stings and skin irritation to unprotected hands. Read more on this story on the BBC website here.
Ultra-rare orange lobster sent to seafood restaurant: A lobster with an ultra-rare orange colouration was accidentally sent to a branch of a popular seafood restaurant instead of an aquarium this month. The lobster, nicknamed Crush, was caught off the coast of Nova Scotia and was meant to be sent to an aquarium due to its rarity. However, due to miscommunication it was sent to a Colorado branch of the Red Lobster seafood restaurant chain and was at one point added to the tank from which customers chose the lobsters they wanted to have cooked. However, staff realised the rarity of the lobster and it was removed and transported to Colorado’s Downtown Aquarium, where the Daily Mail said it would be the “star attraction.” Lobsters are typically a mottled brownish colour (until they are cooked when they become bright red). An orange lobster results from a genetic mutation, the chances of which are one in thirty million. This makes them much rarer than blue lobsters (the chances of which are one in two million) but not as rare as white albino lobsters, the chances of which are one in one in one hundred million. Read more on the Daily Mail website by clicking here.
Sturgeon caught in UK waters: A rare sturgeon was caught off the coast of Devon this month. Sean Beck, the skipper of the Julia of Ladram which operates out of Brixham caught the fish around fifteen miles off the coast of Dartmouth. The sturgeon was 4ft (1.2 metres) long and Beck said that it was only the second one he had seen in his forty-year commercial fishing career. The sturgeon was released alive with Beck remarking that he would have had to offer the fish to the King if he had brought it back to shore, referencing the fact that in the 1300s King Edward II designated all sturgeon as ‘Royal Fish’, although this is unlikely to be enforced today. Read more on this story by clicking here.
Woman claims to have spotted a shark in the Thames: News broke this month that a woman claimed to have videoed a shark in the River Thames. The footage was taken on 22 July near Hammersmith Bridge and appeared to show a dorsal fin protruding from the surface. The Port of London Authority said that they had “an abundance of aquatic life” in the Thames that included “dolphins, porpoises and even whales”, but it was “unlikely that any sharks would swim that far upstream.” Click here to see the footage on the BBC News website.
Brazilian sharks test positive for cocaine: A study by researchers in Brazil has found that cocaine is present in the bodies of sharks which have been caught in the nation’s waters. The Rio De Janiro-based Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, a biological sciences research institute, analysed thirteen sharpnose sharks which had been caught by fishing vessels. All tested positive for cocaine in their livers and muscle tissue, with the concentration in some of the sharks being 100 times higher than the levels previously found in other aquatic creatures. The research was published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. Researchers have long believed that large amounts of cocaine could be put into the sea by drug dealers, either when it is inadvertently lost while being transported at sea or deliberately dumped to avoid detection by the authorities, and this could impact marine life. While this study suggests that is the case, the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation researchers said that their research was “very limited” and further studies were needed. Read more here.