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While commonly sighted in
surface waters during summer and autumn months, the
disappearance of Basking Shark during most of the winter has
been a great source of debate ever since an article in 1954
suggested that they hibernate on
the ocean floor during this time. Now 50 years later using new
satellite-based
tagging technology and a novel geolocation technique,
researchers have found
that Basking Sharks make ocean scale migrations through tropical
waters of the Atlantic Ocean during the winter, travelling at
depths of 200 to 1000 metres.
Their data show that the sharks sometimes stay at those depths
for weeks or even months at a time. In doing so, they have
completely avoided detection by humans for millennia.
Several factors have made Basking Sharks a
challenge to study, on top of the fact that they disappear for
long periods of time, they also feed exclusively on plankton.
That means they cannot be attracted by bait.
Scientists in California are reporting use of
a first-of-its-kind approach to craft genetically engineered
microbes with the much-sought ability to transform switchgrass,
corn cobs and other organic materials into methyl halides, the
raw material for making gasoline and a host of other
commercially important products. The new bioprocess could help
pave the way for producing biofuels from agricultural waste,
easing concerns about stress on the global food supply from
using corn and other food crops.
Plants and microbes produce methyl halides
naturally, but in amounts too small for commercial use, but
using a database of 89 genes from plants, fungi, and bacteria
known to produce methyl halides, the researchers identified
genes that were the most likely to produce the highest levels of
these substances. They then splices these genes into brewers
yeast– used to make beer and wine– so that the yeast cells
churned out methyl halide instead of alcohol.
In laboratory studies the two engineered
microbes helped boost methyl halide production from switchgrass,
corn cob husks, sugar cane waste and poplar wood to levels with
commercial potential.
 For
decades scientists have been intrigued by the variety of sounds
emitted by Sperm Whales, partly due to a popular theory
suggesting that the sounds might contain information about the
animals size. Now researchers are unlocking some of the
mysteries of Sperm Whale sound production.
The roots of the unique study began years ago
in Alaska, after Sperm Whales developed the ability to steal
black cod off “longlines,” deep sea fishing gear that features a
main fishing line draped across the ocean and fastened with
shorter lines bearing baited hooks, The fishermen began to
realise that their boats were attracting groups of Sperm Whales,
which usually forage alone in much deeper water, somehow
alerting the whales like a dinner bell.
The researchers deployed acoustic recorders
on the longlines and the results helped identify the sounds that
attracted the whales. Encouraged by this the researchers added
video recorders to the gear, which led to some unexpected
results. It gave the fishermen a clear idea of how the whales
were stealing the fish, they plucked the line at one end to jar
the black cod free at the other end, somewhat like shaking
apples from a tree.
Ocean Sunfish
began turning up in June. The first one reported was seen just
south east of St. Michael’s Mount on the 13th, (pictured at
right), and a second one was reported off Land’s End next day.
Another was seen off Cape Cornwall on the 21st and a 4th was see
off Lowland Point on the 27th.
Basking Sharks
were seen all around the coast of Cornwall, from The Rumps, east
of the Camel estuary on the north coast to Plymouth Sound on the
south, with 67 reported sightings The largest number seen
together were 70, a couple miles south of the Lizard on the 4th.
One Basking Shark was severely harassed at Sennen Cove, by a
group of yellow canoes, on the 3rd June.
Common Dolphins
were reported 3 times and there were also 4 reports of
unidentified dolphins. There were 11 sightings of Harbour
Porpoises. Other creatures seen were a Leatherback Turtle, a
Mako Shark, and a turtle, which was thought to be a Loggerhead.
Also caught some 60 mile out by a fishing boat, was a Moray
Eel.
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