Oil rig spill worry: On 23rd April it was reported that BP was ready to deploy more than one million feet of boom and 32 surface vessels to try and contain the aniticipated spill from a drilling rig that sank after a fire in the Gulf of Mexico. The accident had little impact at first, but by the start of May is was clear that the situation was very much more serious with the White House taking a bigger role in the cleanup, and with the marshalling of resources from the United States Navy to supplement an operation that already consisted of more than 1,000 people and scores of vessels and aircraft. Today Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is reported to have withdrawn his support for drilling off the Californian coast, as a direct response to the disaster.

Shellfish growth stunted by more acidic oceans – the potential harm from ocean acidification is towards the top of the agenda at the moment. In this latest report increased levels of carbon dioxide are implicated in having an effect on shellfish reefs formed by the Olympia oyster. From ScienceDaily (Apr. 20, 2010).

Bivalves used to sense oil pollution: When mussels are exposed to pollution they start to close their shells, and the degree of closure is related to the concentration of polutants in the water. Norwegian company Biota Guard has developed a method for measuring the degree of closure, and so offering a quick and cheap sensor for monitoring discharges from petroleum platforms. From ScienceDaily (Apr. 26, 2010)

Protected reef offers model for conservation: A protected reef in Belize bucks the trend for deterioration and loss of fish stocks seen in neighbouring reefs, and worldwide. From New York Times. April 27, 2010

Ladybirds used as biocontrol agents in Galapagos: Indigenous vegetation on the Galapagos Islands has been suffering from attacks by an introduced insect pest called cottony cushion scale, which had resulted in some species disappearing. This damage appears to have been halted by the introduction of another insect, Rodolia cardinalis, a relative of the ladybird. Rodolia has already been used to reduce infestations of cottony cushion scale insect in California. From ScienceDaily (Apr. 22, 2010)

Should we hold marine mammals in captivity? The US congress is to explore the issues behind keeping marine mammals in captivity. There is growing feeling that entertainment is not enough to justify this practice, and that there must be some meaningful educational outcomes. From PressZoom 2010-04-27.
An important factor starting this debate was the death of a killer whale handler at SeaWorld Orlando in Florida (Telegraph 26 Feb 2010), but for killer whales at least the recent realisation of the fact that we have more than one species might also be a factor in reducing their popularity (New Scientist 02 May 2010). Apparently only one of the three species now recognised feeds on fish – so will people want to go to the zoo to see dolphins and seals being fed to the orcas?

Icelandic ash food for phytoplankton? Scientists are to study the recent volcanic ash fall from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland to see if it has encouraged phytoplankton growth. A lot of people have said that we should look at artificially fertilizing the world’s oceans to try and increase carbon capture (greenhouse effect and all that), viewed in this light this work looks like a free experiment… From BBC News 27 April 2010

Environment driving speciation? An interesting essay in PLoS Biology on how environment and changes to the environment influence adaption or extinction events. The aim of the authors is to develop a predictive model for the effects of a climatic change on the species subjected to the change. There is quite a lot of interest in marine conservation circles about how recent bleaching of corals due to higher than normal summer temperatures might effect their long-term survival, whether or not the theory here might be applicable…
From Chevin L-M, Lande R, Mace GM (2010) Adaptation, Plasticity, and Extinction in a Changing Environment: Towards a Predictive Theory.
PLoS Biol 8(4): e1000357. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000357
(See also our previous post on iron limiting productivity)

Seamounts – the latest frontier: Seamounts, mountains that rise from the seafloor, may rank as some of the most common ocean habitats in the world with more than 45,000 seamounts dotting the ocean floor worldwide. Latest research suggests that seamounts not only make up the largest area of ocean habitat, they are also highly productive environments that can serve as habitats for important commercial fish species like orange roughy and sablefish. (Authors note – it seems unlikely that seamounts make up more area than either abyssal plain or continental shelf, so perhaps I’ve mis-read this report). From Marine Conservation News, Monday, May 03, 2010.

Thanks to everyone for supporting this campaign, the Chagos islands have now been designated as a no-take marine reserve.

This declaration will make it the largest marine protected area in the world, totalling more than 210,000 square miles – an area twice the size of the UK. The combination of tropical islands, unspoiled coral reefs and adjacent oceanic abyss makes this area comparable in global importance to the Great Barrier Reef or Galapagos Islands.

More information about the Chagos islands project:

www.protectchagos.org

The Chagos archipelago in the Indian Ocean is one of the least-spoilt areas of marine wildlife on earth, with extensive coral reef habitats. It could become one of the worlds foremost marine reserves, if we have the will to enact protection, as through an accident of history it is under British jurisdiction. Our chairman, Ron Crosby, has a long history of involvement with the Chagos islands, having taken part in the early marine life survey work. The Chagos islands have been subject of a couple of talks to the group in recent years, but if you missed these, there is plenty of information online through the link below:

Protect Chagos .org

This address also has an online petition to lobby for protection – the consultation period ends on 12th February 2010, so please take a look soon!

The ‘common’ skate has been in serious trouble for some time, due entirely to over fishing. In 2008 ICES recomended that there should be no more target fishing, and that by-catch needed to be limited. Unfortunately, it now looks as though what fisheries statistics were labelling as the ‘common’ skate is in fact two species, with distinct morphologies and life histories. This change in classification means that we have two endangered species. One of these species (Dipturus cf. intermedia) is now thought to be in immediate risk of extinction.

It is sad that we know so little about our seas, and yet do them so much damage.

Ref: Iglésias S.P., Toulhoat L., Sellos D.Y. Taxonomic confusion and market mislabelling of threatened skates: important consequences for their conservation status. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, (in press) via Science Daily

More information: UK biodiversity Action Plan on the Common Skate

Is there something you can do? – The ‘Your Seas Your Voice’ programme, sponsored by the Co-Op, allows you to lend support to proposed marine reserves around the UK coasts. Reserves with strong no-take policies are the only way that many species, like the common skate, will survive. Showing you care about the seas around us is the only way we will get the political action necessary to offer them this protection:

Your Seas Your Voice

Seagrass is a general term for the only important ‘higher’ plants found in the sea. Unlike algae (seaweeds) they prefer to colonise sandy bottoms, where they are important for stabilising the sediment, and help provide a habitat for a diverse range of wildlife. Whilst seagrass is an important habitat defining species, is is not nearly as competent underwater as the algae, and, in particular, it appears to suffer greatly in turbid (cloudy) water. As a consequence it does not tollerate any coastal development that kicks up silt or increases pollution.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that seagrass meadows in the UK are recovering since the 1930’s when large areas were wiped out by disease. Globally, however, the situation appears to be less good. Scientists from the University of Maryland have just published a report emphasising the relationship between coastal development and increased population pressure in this region around the worl, and its effect o nthis important habitat.

Further reading:
UK Biodiversity action plan for seagrass beds
Loss of Coastal Seagrass Habitat Accelerating Globally (University Maryland report)

Above right: Zostera sp., photographed in Loch Linnh by the author

Barry

Basking sharks are welcome visitors to the British coastline during the summer months, when they swim close to the surface straining the sea water through modified gills to collect plankton. The species is listed as endangered and the MCS promotes and collects public sightings, through the Basking Shark Watch (BSW) project to try to help us understand more about this enigmatic animal.

Until recently, while summer sightings were quite common, nothing was known about the animals distribution during the winter months. Recently (May 14 2009), however, researchers have filled in the blanks. Satellite based tracking systems have followed basking sharks as they overwinter at depths between 200m and 1km, while migrating through the tropical waters of the Atlantic. The sharks were observed to stay at these depths for weeks or months at a time, effectively vanishing from sight!

For more information:

Science News Report

To report a sighting, or for more information on basking sharks in UK waters:

MCS basking sharks reportings

An article in The Times newspaper by Frank Pope ( Ocean correspondent of The Times) brings home the immense value of the treasure trove of nature in the Chagos Archipelago, a British Indian Ocean Territory.  The vast tropical, marine area belongs to Britain and is directly administered by the British Government, yet few British people know anything about it.

This is by far Britain’s richest area of marine biodiversity.  It has the world’s largest coral atoll, its cleanest seas and its healthiest coral reefs.

As Frank pope says, the Chagos is indeed comparable to the Galapagos and the Great Barrier Reef, and provides the British people with an extraordinary opportunity to protect a precious natural piece of the planet.

Proposals for a Chagos Archipelago Conservation Area are being discussed within the Chagos Environment Network by the Chagos Conservation Trust, the RSPB, The Royal Society, Pew Environment Group, The Linnean Society and the Zoological Society of London.

Drawing on best practice in other great sites, the aim would be to: protect nature, including fish stocks (benifiting neighbouring countries); benifit science and support action against damaging climate change; be compatable with security; be financially sustainable; and provide some good employment opportunities for Chagossian and other people.

To read full article visit:  A Jewel in the Indian Ocean’s Crown.

Scientists around the globe are working hard to try and find out, MarineSpecies.org now have over 122 000 species, and estimate a total of 230 000. During their work, however, they have found that a lot of our ‘species’ are really only synonyms for the same organism. The leader in the synonym race is the breadcrumb sponge (Halichondria panicea). This is common on a range of substrates, and adopts a wide range of shapes and colours in different habitats – if you dive you’ve almost certainly seen it! Its predilection to changing its colour and shape have resulted in scientists giving it no less than 56 synonyms…

MarineSpecies.org is affiliated to the Census of Marine Life, which readers might also find interesting.